330 GT Registry

52 Salon de
l’ Automobile
de Paris

BY HENRY N. MANNEY

Looking at the pullulating mess that is Paris traffic, one would be excused for thinking that there were quite enough cars already and therefore the Paris Show should really be prohibited. However, the problem goes quite a bit deeper than x automobiles in the space for y or even, as many so-called authorities seem to think, this ancient city’s peculiar layout. To be sure, there are many small streets debouching at odd angles but also many great, wide boulevards laid out by the thoughtful Baron Haussmann—not for the benefit of vehicular traffic, but to enable him to get artillery to bear on the rebellious inhabitants.

He was on the right path some hundred years plus before his time, as the same rebellious inhabitants are the cause of the constant snarls today. Double parking, triple parking, total blockage while unloading trucks, U turns in the middle of intersections, right turns from the left-hand lane (or v.v.), fantastically gutless cars mixed in with fast ones, unreasoning insistence on priority from the right, regard of the automobile as a super status symbol that must be brought to town at all costs. These things make weekday Paris a night mare. The cure would be drastic; nothing less than a complete prohibition of parking on any through Street or bus route inside of a loop Etoile-Clichy-Republique-Bastille-Gobelins Denfert Rochereau-Ecole Militaire-Trocadero-Etoile, a thorough re-sorting of the conflicting one-way streets, a phasing of the important series of traffic lights, and above all a wholesale lifting of drivers’ licenses. An alarming percent age of French drivers have recently bought a car on credit and, while they have passed the largely theoretical examination, still are mentally in the bicycle age and are simply in competent. Ninety-nine percent of all, though, practice what they call “freedom to be an individual” and the rest of the world calls lack of manners.

Nevertheless, pushing, jostling, shoving, line-jumping, they roll up in the thousands to see what is offered at the Salon. Common Market or no, the domestic manufacturers are still protected to a certain degree and thus, in many cases, do not make the efforts that they might to be really competitive, knowing perhaps that the strongly chauvinistic French in most cases will buy their own products anyway. The old family firm of Peugeot, for example, brought out its new 1100-cc “minicopy” 402 this spring and at the Show produced a shapely station wagon version of it, totally ignoring the fact that a heavy, small-engined motor car is no longer quick enough for today’s traffic. In fairness, the comparatively uncluttered highways outside of Paris still offer scope to a high-revving engine pulling an overdrive top gear, but on the weekends or at vacation times (the only occasion when many French take to the road) the phenomenal avoidances caused by lack of acceleration and an ingrained reluctance to drop off the tiny torque curve are really blood-chilling.

How many times have 1 seen a stack of gutless wonders bogged down behind a truck and then lurching out as a man in the face of oncoming traffic while blaring big Citroens try to force their way through from behind? These long basking- sharks, the Mercedes of France, regard themselves as the kings of the road, with an extremely comfortable 85-90 mph cruising speed, but they as well do not put out all that much power and their drivers are reluctant to lift the foot as it takes a while to get back up again. Citroen recognizes this problem and on the latest offerings has presented yet an other rehash of the vintage 4-banger that has powered their bigger range since the days of Napoleon Bonaparte. The deluxe Pallas and DS-21s now boast a capacity of around 2.2 liters with a consequent top speed of 110 mph, but also can be had in 1985-cc form, both engines now featuring 5 main bearings. Only the manual ID keeps the old type of’ engine. As is common with Citroen, there are also modifications to better the already first-class clean shape and creature com forts.

The billowing 2-Cv, that perambulating greenhouse that is the root cause of most traffic blocks, also has been boosted up a bit with the bigger Ami-6 engine in most models, an extra rear-quarter window, proper seats, two U-joints in each drive shaft and even shock absorbers, no less. What is the world coming to? The cousin Ami-6 continues unchanged, as Citroen has bought out Panhard all the way and, while finally dropping the ugly and lightly built Z-series saloons, presents an economy version of the handsome double-ended coupe which will probably supplant the somewhat controversial Ami-6 in a year or so. By this move Citroen gains additional factory space, a decent-looking body in its middle range, and the performance-tested flat-twin Panhard engine which may even, who knows, go into the 2-Cv in another ten years.

Looking further on the French market, Renault has produced nothing new since the R-l0, which is an effort to answer criticisms about the luggage space in small cars by tacking additional overhang onto the R-8 Major. If anything, the R-10 is rendered better looking by this change, even if someone should speak to their stylist about wrapping chrome belts around front and rear and it is even more plushified in side. The front-wheel-drive 1500 seems to be selling well and also there are a few mods, mostly exterior, in the French assembled Rambler Renault, which is a bit different from its American parent.

Renault was walling its eyes a bit at Simca, though, as with the growing quantity of new drivers coming into action (a surprisingly low percentage of the French actually hold a license), Simca concluded an accord with Ferodo and Borg-Warner to install automatic transmissions on the Mille and the Fioré-designed 1500. This latter also may be had with a floor shift. As if that wasn’t enough, Simca, in its capacity as a satellite of Chrysler, announced its intention of marketing English Rootes cars (in which Chrysler also has an interest) like the Hillman through its dealer network, adding a final snapper in that a Chrysler-engined Hillman might be brought forth under the old French racing name of Talbot-Lago. Who knows, we might see Sunbeam Tigers with hemi-head Dodges in French blue yet.

This is not as loony as it sounds, as the illustrious Gen. de Gaulle has taken a great interest in sport as a further means to restore to France some of its vanished glory. A learned French colleague gave it as his opinion that his countrymen act as they do because they have a national inferiority complex after having had their ears beat down by Germans, Annamites, Algerians, etc., and victories in Sport will raise their morale. Quite right, I should think. And it would be nice to see French cars in competition again.

Anyway, the aircraft firm of Matra took over René Bonnet last year and since has been doing very well with the Formula Ill and sports cars, even beating the all-conquering English at their own game in F-ill from time to time. Alpine, the original pioneer in this field, has slid downhill a bit, from what looks like sheer disorganization. The twin-cam Gordinis are now thick on the ground and a big racing scheme has been launched with the approval of the government. in addition, Ford France participates wholeheartedly in rallies with Mustangs, although the name of the French driver always seems to come out in bigger type. A latecomer to the field is the small truck builder Sovam in Parthenay near Paris who presents a pretty little Renault-based fiberglass convertible coupe which will sell for a bit under the others (abt $2000 for the 850-cc version) and may be raced as well.

There was also a big foreign representation at the Salon hut, as one would suppose with the German show just over and British plus Italian to come, there was not too much new. As far as the Italians were concerned, about the only thing interesting was an Autobianchi front-wheel-drive coupe (derived from the Primula) looking strangely vintage with wire wheels; Kugelfischer fuel injection applied to the Lancia Flavia, which gives that somewhat heavy car extra power in the middle range and even better fuel economy; new interior trim on the Touring-bodied Lamborghini (the Zagato coupe, a convertible, and the frantic mid-transverse-engined coupe will be at Turin); and slight trim changes on the 2300 Fiat coupe. The biggest stir was from Ferrari, who produced a modified nose on the GTB to assist cooling and also made room behind the seats for a bit of baggage, bringing as well a two-headlight version (one on each side, that is) of the massive 330 GT with relocated and chrome- trimmed engine vent slats. I can’t imagine why they went back to two headlamps unless it was in answer to pleas by the accessory light manufacturers, as the present four are just barely adequate in fast night cruising.

The biggest stir was on Pininfarina’s stand, where crouched the long-awaited Ferrari Dino coupe, a very tasty little item in bright red (of course) with glassed-in lights and a cutaway reardeck-cum-top treatment. The racing Dino has been cutting a wide swath in the Mountain Champion ship this year, Scarfiotti skunking the Porches in most cases, but you don’t need to get out your order books just yet. I am informed that this is another one of those design studies and that the production Dino, if indeed there is any real intention to produce it, may be in a quite different form. For those of you who came in late, it is based on the 1964 Ferrari Formula I chassis with 1500-cc V-6 engine but may eventually (if . . .) show up as a 1600 or even two liters like Scarfiotti’s. If the Dino does come on the market, it will undoubtedly be manufactured by someone like Fiat to replace its aging 1500-1600 range.

So soon after the Frankfurt Show, the Germans had nothing new, but the Americans made quite a splash with the frantic Mako Shark (presided over by ex-Reventlow Manager Warren Olson) coupe and also the gigantic Olds Toronado. As the French are very partial to fwd machinery, this excited a good deal of interest, even if many groans were heard at the sight of ribbed brake drums peeking out of the wheels. From long practice everyone knows over here that drum brakes simply do not do the job as well in fast give-and-take motoring (let alone in the Alps!) even on much lighter cars. We had fun going around to our friends telling them that we had fixed them up to do the Monte with Makinen in a Toronado, but in actual fact, if Oldsmobile wanted to wring the bugs out really well, there is nothing like a good rally.

Most of the other American cars present,. sonic of which were new but 1 will leave to Car Life, at least looked as if they had competition in mind, with tags like GTO, Monaco, Gran Sport, Le Mans, SS, etc., but Ford made no secret of
it with a gigantic black-and-white floor carpet like a checkered flag. Putting their money where their mouth was, they then announced that Ford was going into the racing engine business and via Cosworth and with the help of Chapman, would produce Formula II engines for 1966 (this is already being done under the name of Cosworth, actually) and a 3- liter F-I for Lotus only in 1967! This doesn’t explain what Chapman is going to do for engines to supply Clark and Spence in the meantime, even if Cosworth has been working on it for a while, but qualifies as egg-hit-the-fan news in any language.

At least Ford had something good to say, as the new V-4 Corsairs (in 1700 and 2-liter versions) were tied up in French customs at Rouen and couldn’t be dislodged in time for Press Day. In fact, a little birdie whispered to me that since Ford France was going to announce the car itself in a couple of weeks, it didn’t want Ford GB stealing its thunder.

The English otherwise were saving themselves for the London Show, with the rumored 1300-cc fwd Triumph “Ajax” still under wraps, as was the 2-seater Jensen and the four-wheel-drive Jensen-Ferguson with Chrysler V-8. I would like, by the way, to correct a mistake in the Frankfurt Show report about the Rootes cars, pointing out that the 1750 engine is in fact not the old one just bunged out but has a new bottom end with five main bearings. Anyway, in the luxury market, Aston showed the GTO-line DB-6 and station wagon, Rover didn’t do anything startling, contenting itself with the 3-liter Mk 3, which is riddled with extra ash trays, contour rear seats, picnic tables, and the like, but Rolls- Royce, after gestation approaching that of the woolly mammouth, presented its brand new Silver Shadow with Bentley to match. Technically speaking, it is considerably more advanced than the old one, and besides has so many typically Rolls-Royce creature comforts that I don’t have the space to go into them. A typical fiddle is to use the lug wrench as a gearshift in case the automatic transmission might possibly fail! Esthetically, the new body is rather disappointing, carrying as it does overtones of the 403 Peugeot, Rover 2000, and Alvis Graber, but the most revealing comment I heard was from a bowler-hatted gent who murmured to his consort, “I’m sure that Carruthers wouldn’t approve.” Dammit, if you buy a Rolls you want it to look like a Rolls.
Bai Jove.

ROAD & TRACK  JANUARY 1966

Copyright 1966 John R. Bond, Inc.