Letters from Readers., May 1955

Sir,
In common with other readers, I have become exasperated with your bias towards the foreign manufacturers. I well remember your inordinate praise of the 2 c.v.—round our part of the country we reckon to have better-looking hen-houses. If British cars were as badly finished as many foreign makes they would be slated to the end of the world. Still, perhaps there is nothing new in this attitude—Gilbert knew all about it when he wrote about “the idiot, who praises with enthusiastic tone every century but this and every country but his own.” (V.S.C.C.—no offence!)

The thought does strike one though, that if it were not for poor deluded fools like myself who buy new British cars, British manufacturers would have to close down, causing unemployment which could lead to a slump, in which many of the wiseacres would feel the pinch sufficiently as to be unable to afford to run their brilliant(?) foreign cars. I well remember the flood of German toys on the early ‘thirties market—how big do the toys have to get ?

Your three correspondents from Colombo may be as unintelligent as they try to make out. They make a great implied criticism of Fords and yet a Ford does not appear in their list of cars owned or driven. Rather like a child who doesn’t like custard although it hasn’t tasted it. They also boost the Citroen—but no mention of the terrific tyre wear which my friends suffer.

Incidentally, there seem to be more Fords than ever on the roads. Strange that such poor cars sell so well—or could it be that the criticism is not justified—or shared by Ford owners. I have had six Fords and they have served me extraordinarily well—my present possessions being a Pilot and a New Anglia and my mileage averaging 36,000 per annum.

I am, Yours, etc.,
Bury St. Edmunds. H.W. Huanms.

[We must again make the defence that Motor Sport is a non-political paper and in praising foreign cars we hold the view that Engineering, like Art, knows no frontiers. However, we would ask readers to refrain from bombarding us with letters praising the VW, especially as VW Motors in London tell us that the car is so good that Motor Sport’s publicising of them is quite unnecessary !—Ed.]