American magazines

Last month we expressed pleasure in perusing the American motor Press, which has improved vastly since the war. The fact that no mention was made of Road and Track and the Veteran Motor Car Club of America’s Bulb Horn was due not to any lack of appreciation for these journals but because the current issues were not to hand as we wrote the paragraphs concerned.

The March issue of Road and Track has since been delivered. It contains a road-test of the much-discussed Ford Thunderbird, a survey of the French industry, another on America’s V8 power units, descriptions of our 2 1/2-litre sports Lea-Francis and W196 G.P. Mercedes-Benz, an article on three-wheelers and a discourse by Knut Strong showing how the Mercedes-Benz star emblem, registered by them in 1909, has in recent years been copied by various U.S. car manufacturers, whereas previously it was displayed only by the Coptic Christians, who had been using it for two thousand years to represent the Holy Trinity, anyway. There are other interesting articles and we were amused to see that Road and Track describe themselves as “enthusiasts rather than publishers-we make mistakes, for we do not ‘go by the book.’ You find no article about the atomic-powered car in R. & T. We use no stock Press releases. We get people mad at us. Sure, we all drive Volkswagens, not Ferraris, but the magazine is fun and we love it.” It seems that Road and Track and Motor Sport have something in common ! The Editor of the latter apologises for further reference to the VW, but it is hardly coincidence that both he and the Editor of this American motor paper drive these cars ! Incidentally, it is a reflection on American enthusiasm for the VW that Road and Track, a sporting paper, announces proudly that it has obtained that “scarcest of volumes,” the Volkswagen Shop Manual and will be enlightening VW owners regarding service information and inquiries in future issues.

The Bulb Horn for January contains a lavishly illustrated account of the 1954 Glidden Tour and the best coverage we have yet seen of the V.S.C.C. Anglo-American Vintage Car Rally, also with some excellent photographs.