BRITISH BODIES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 261, 28 June 1932, Page 2

BRITISH BODIES

STRIKING IMPROVEMENT IN APPEARANCE OF LATE YEARS. Not the least pleasing feature of the marked advance which has occurred in the motor-car manufacturing industry of Great Britain in the last few years has been the striking improvement in the appearanc.e of Biitish cars. Five or six years ago it was fairly objected that the majority of British cars were ugly, or, at the best, nondescript in appearance. There were notable exceptions, but these were comparatively few in number, and the great majority of cars, Ospecially those in the low and moderate price classes, certainly lacked the attractive lines of the competitive vehicles from the United States. In the past four years body design in Great Britain has probably progressed even further than it has in America since the war. The British body d'esigner has worked under a handicap which has probably ultimately proved an advantage, in that it has compelled him to tackle problems never encountered by most of his competitors; and, in their solution, he has gained experience which has undoubtedly been of great gen-eral value. Many of the popular British cars are smaller than those from the United States, and the problem. of producing an attractive body on a small chassis, and especially a short wheelbase chassis, such as those of the British "baby" cars, is more difficult than designing a body for a large chassis. It has taken some years for the accomplishment of this task, and much remains to be done. The fact remains, however, that the modern British "baby" car or light car is excellently proportioned and splendidly lined, and in the opinion of a great many people are better-looking than the present American cars. American manufacturers, indeed, have themselves paid a striking tribute to the work of the British car design by adapting some of it to their current models. At least two American cars for 1932 now available have radiators designed on those ' first fitted to British cars last year, and used on the majority of British models for this year. 0