188 Classic Car Mart Spring 2016
ADVANTAGE AUSTIN?
On paper, the brand new Austin Maxi of 1969 was a pretty
advanced machine. Developed as a rival to the conservative (but
hugely successful) Ford Cortina, the Maxi was far more daring in
specifi cation thanks to front-wheel drive, a brand new transverse-
mounted overhead-cam engine, a fi ve-speed gearbox, and even
the versatility of a fi ve-door hatchback body style.
The downside, of course, was a plethora of quality control issues
and a much-criticised gearchange on the earliest models, which
was a real shame. But British Leyland persevered, carried out
numerous improvements and allowed the Maxi to enjoy a twelve-
year career. Not everyone agreed that the Maxi was stylish, but
this launch-year brochure showed confi dence: ‘It has a fi fth door...
and a body designed to stay in style for more than a year’.
WITH PAUL GUINNESS
LOADED
WITH
LUGGAGE
With this being the
Spring issue of
CCM, most of us
are planning our
excursions and
holidays for the
months ahead. And
so it was back in the
1960s, when owners
of family saloons
pondered ways of
squeezing on board
all the paraphernalia
that goes with such
trips. Happily though,
a quick glance
through any car magazine offered an array of roof rack solutions
to the problem.
Two such ads are shown here. The Eversure Roof Rack
offered ‘greater rigidity and safety’, according to its
manufacturer. But not to be outdone, Desmo offered a range
of roof racks, its
Universal model
being hailed as ‘easy
to fi t, extremely light
to handle and very
rigid when fi tted’.
At 99s 6d, the
Universal wasn’t the
cheapest roof rack
on the market – but
it was allegedly one
of the best.
BRITISH VALUE
Autumn 1979 saw BL clearing stocks of the Austin Allegro to
make way for the revised Allegro 3 by the end of the year. And
the message from this advert was simple: Allegro couldn’t be
beaten when it came to value for money.
In fact, the Allegro hadn’t risen in price at all during 1979:
‘This is the only way the competition can leave us standing’
explained the ad, which pointed out that the Vauxhall Chevette
and Ford Escort had increased in price by 6.0 and 10.3 per
cent respectively, with the Renault 12 and Chrysler Horizon
suffering increases of 5.5 and 10.8 per cent during the year.
Universal model
being hailed as ‘easy
to fi t, extremely light
to handle and very
rigid when fi tted’.
At 99s 6d, the
Universal wasn’t the
cheapest roof rack
on the market – but
it was allegedly one
of the best.
BRITISH VALUE