>> 80thanniversary 1938: sign of the times introduced at Le Mans without success. Roads around London are governed by So the Highway Code had only been a new 40mph speed limit. A special journey through 80 around for seven years by the time this 1955 Ford produces its fifty millionth . photograph appeared in the magazine. The revolutionary Citroen DS19 is A record one million are produced But there’s no doubting the clarity and introduced with a futuristic aerodynam- in Britain. years of automotive history sense of this particu- ic body, self-levelling hydropneumatic lar original sign, put suspension, power and braking, 1959 up by a farmer to and automatic jacks. The UK Government reduces Purchase James Luckhurst takes a nostalgic look back over the past eight decades, warn motorists. This McDonald’s opens its first drive-thru Tax on new cars from 60 to 50 per cent. particular artistic hamburger bar. Dutch manufacturer DAF begins car both in the archives of GEM Motoring Assist and in the wider world effort could be found production, using the Variomatic belt- on a road near 1956 drive automatic . Chapel-en-le-Frith. Fuel supplies are seriously limited by The M1, Britain’s first motorway, is 1932 an international census. Saloon at £128, the cheapest car in the Suez crisis, resulting in rationing in opened by The Right Honourable Ernest The Company of Veteran Motorists is A 30mph speed limit is introduced for Britain. car, an 8hp Anglia. Britain. Marples, Minister of Transport. A wide founded. It’s just a year after the publi- towns and villages. The first Ferrari takes to the road. network is planned. cation of the first Highway Code. 1939 1957 British Motor Corporation introduces Ford moves from Manchester to 1936 Britain, France, and New 1947 The Lotus Elite (Type 14) is announced, the Morris -Minor and Austin over one weekend without Morgan, specialists in economical three- Zealand declare war on Germany on dies at the age of 84. featuring a revolutionary fibreglass con- Seven variants. losing any production, at the same time wheelers since 1909, introduces its first September 3rd. David Brown buys . struction. The arrives. It is a small as designing its first car for the four wheeler. The British Government introduces The American Congress approves con- with conventional mechani- European market, the 8hp model Y. Fiat launches the 500A, with full-length petrol rationing. Petrol is exchanged for 1948 struction of the 41,000 mile Interstate cal layout. introduces the Minx, a small sunroof. Its appearance earns it the coupons allowing each motorist about Morris introduces the Minor family car, highway system. family saloon. nick-name ‘Topolino’ while 55mpg 200 miles of motoring designed by . economy makes it very popular, particu- per month. Jaguar announces the XK120 . 1934 larly in its home country. There are now two Citroen introduces the 2CV. 1938: we review the Rolls-Royce Phantom III A 30mph limit is imposed in built-up Ferdinand Porsche begins development million cars on introduces the 4 wheel drive Introduced in 1936 to an awe-struck nism was added in that year. It could areas by Transport Minister Leslie and construction of prototype Britain's roads. . public, the Phantom III included a four- reach speeds of 88 mph, but at quite a Hore-Belisha. ‘Volkswagens’ to demonstrate his con- speed manual gear- price; fuel consump- Pedestrian ‘Zebra’ crossings are intro- cept to Adolf Hitler. 1940 1950 box and was pow- tion was just 10 mpg. duced, illuminated by a flashing orange Fifty-four percent of families in the Car production in Britain is put on hold The British government ends petrol ered by a 7.3-litre, Watch out for a par- ‘Belisha’ beacon. United States now own a car. as most go over to munitions rationing but doubles fuel tax. V12 engine. It war- ticularly fetching black New drivers are required to pass a test. production. 60% of American families now own a ranted a further men- and yellow version in ’ first conveyor assembly 1937 Enzo Ferrari leaves Alfa Romeo to car. tion in 1938 because the James Bond line is installed at Cowley. 800 miles of autobahn have been built establish Auto-Avio Costruzioni Ferrari. an overdrive mecha- classic, Goldfinger. Construction of the German autobahn in Germany at a cost of £56,000 a mile. 1951 system commences, conceived by Adolf 1941 Ferdinand Porsche dies, aged 75. Hitler as a productive way of harnessing 1938 Packard becomes the first car manufac- Triumph announces the TR and Healey A new Fiat 500 is introduced featuring a 1960 the unemployed masses. The Volkswagen goes into production in turer to offer air conditioning. introduces its 100/4 sports cars. rear-mounted vertical twin-cylinder air OPEC (The Organization of Petroleum Nazi Germany. cooled engine. Exporting Countries) is formed to give 1935 The British government raises the petrol 1942 1952 the oil producing countries more power There are now 35 million motor vehi- tax from 8d to 9d per gallon. Mr Theodore Porter, a joiner and organ Mercedes shows the 300SL 'gull wing' 1958 over crude oil prices. cles on the world’s roads, according to Morris launches the Series E 8hp builder from Clevedon in North sports . Volvo introduces the seatbelt. The millionth leaves the Somerset, joins the Company of Veteran Work starts on the Ml ‘London to production line, one of a series of 350 Motorists. 70 years later, at the tender 1953 Birmingham’ Motorway, the UK’s first. painted in a celebratory shade of lilac 1935 and the first edition of ‘Veteran Motorist’ age of 98, he is GEM’s longest-serving Singer announces the SMX Roadster, with white leather upholstery. member. Britain’s first plastic-bodied production Supported by a raft of appropriate advertising, 1943: Daimler to war the magazine launched to a delighted member- car. Only 12 are made before the project 1961 ship in 1935. Gracing the front cover was the 1944 is abandoned. Daimler armoured scout cars with their The Cortina Mk I is introduced by Ford Henley Tyre Company, proclaiming that thrifty Volvo introduces its first ‘safety cage’ launches the Corvette, a famous fluid flywheel transmission served of Britain. motorists should read the ‘Tyre Way Code’, for car occupants. radical glass-fibre-bodied roadster con- in North Africa and Sicily with distinction. The ‘MOT’ test is introduced by Ernest available on application to the company at its cept car featuring a wrap-around wind- Daimler saw fit to make Good Motoring Marples, requiring that all cars over 10 London offices. 1945 shield and powered by a venerable readers aware of the build quality they years old are subjected to an annual test. How do we choose what to put on the World War II ends. straight six engine. could expect when peace returned. front cover of each edition these days? It’s the Henry Ford hands over the Presidency Porsche introduces the 550 ‘Spyder’ 1963 editor’s responsibility to identify possible of his company to his grandson. racing car. The Leyland Motor Corporation is themes, which are then considered by an edi- formed under Sir Henry Spurrier. torial committee that meets four times a year. 1946 1954 The Hillman Imp is unveiled to com- Sometimes we go for a straightforward but The British motor industry celebrates its The 50 millionth General Motors car pete with the BMC Mini. striking car image. At other times we aim to 50th birthday. rolls off the production line. leave readers wondering about what it’s to Petrol rationing for British motorists is The two seat Ford Thunderbird roadster 1964 do with or what it means. Who knows, you increased by 50 per cent. is announced. Triumph launches the 2000 family may see a chap with a pipe again one day! produces its millionth The new Jaguar D Type racing car is saloon. (continued on page 28)

26<< www.motoringassist.com www.motoringassist.com >> 27 >> 80thanniversary with a squarer body style, arrives. 1983 1952: suits you, sir! It becomes illegal to use a hand-held A special journey through 80 gets a £200 million The Company of Veteran Motorists As well as offering topical features, news, mobile phone while driving. cash injection from the UK becomes the Guild of Experienced reviews and road safety advice, Good Production of the ‘Beetle’ finally comes years of automotive history Government. Motorists (or GEM for short). Motoring has occasionally put itself at to an end at VW’s Puebla plant in Jaguar replaces the E type with the XJS. Front seatbelt use becomes compulsory the cutting edge of fashion, too. Take Mexico. All American cars now come with cat- in the UK. this smart gent’s beret Arthur Chirkinian, a competitor in the (continued from page 27) 1972 alytic converters in the exhaust system from the Christmas San Francisco to Miami Gumball Rally, Despite continuing disinterest, front A record l,900,000 cars are produced by in an effort to cut emissions. 1984 gift guide of 1952. It is clocked at 242mph in a 75mph zone seatbelts are now supplied as standard the British motor industry in this year. Renault releases its Espace, the first was billed as the per- in Texas. in all American cars. 1976 MPV. fect headgear for the 1973 The Alpine is voted European gentleman who enjoys 2004 1965 The Arab-Israeli War causes fuel supply Car of the Year. 1985 the open road in his Production begins on the Aston Martin The Government introduces a 70 mph problems. Rover launches the 3500 ‘SD1’. Chrysler buys AMC and takes over pro- ! Volante. maximum speed “as a four month Motorists queue for petrol and speeds duction of the Jeep range. 24-year-old Russian multimillionaire experiment”. are restricted to 50mph to conserve 1977 Nikolas Smolensky purchases Rolls Royce launches the Silver national stocks and consumption. Michael Edwardes takes over at British 1986 1999 Blackpool-based TVR for £15 million. Shadow, its first unit constructed car. Chevrolet offers airbags in some models Leyland. The first speed camera is introduced, in Aston Martin becomes part of Ford’s Porsche introduces its 924 and 928 Friendswood, Texas. , joining 2005 models, both featuring front-mounted Volkswagen takes a 51% share in Jaguar, Lincoln and Volvo. MG Rover goes into administration. 1954: helpful advice for winter road skid control water-cooled engines and rear Spanish car makers SEAT. Thousands of jobs are lost. GEM has always prided itself on the qual- . 2000 ity and relevance of the safety informa- 1987 BMW ‘sells’ Rover and MG to The 2006 tion passed on to its members and the 1978 All new cars sold in the UK must now Phoenix Group for a token £1. Nissan announces that its new Qashqai general public. This picture of a crash on GEM starts offering breakdown recov- be fitted with rear seatbelts. car will be built at the company's a Kent road, published in 1954, helped ery for its members. 2001 Sunderland plant, with the cars being make the point that even skilled, profes- Ford introduces the Fiesta, its first 1988 Renault Laguna II becomes the first exported worldwide, including to Japan. sional drivers can sometimes come to front-wheel-drive small family car. Enzo Ferrari dies in Modena, aged 90. EuroNCAP ‘five-star’ car. TVR finally closes its doors. grief if they run out of time and space The Mercedes Benz S-class becomes buys the Rover Under the ownership of BMW, Rolls- on winter roads. Icy and snowy surfaces the first production car with ABS. Group. Royce moves production from Derby to 2007 increase stopping distances by a factor of a new, purpose built next to the The marque enjoys continued up to 10, whatever vehicle you are in. 1979 1989 old Grand Prix circuit at Goodwood, success under the parentage of Rolls Royce Motor Company is sold to A tougher motorcycle test is introduced. West Sussex. Volkswagen and its newest model is the as a reaction to a rise in fatal car acci- Vickers for £38m as part of the Rolls- Wheel clamping begins in London. BMW releases the ‘NEW MINI’. company's fastest ever production car - 1966 dents in the USA. Royce engineering group. Rear seatbealt use becomes compulsory A new licence-plate numbering system the Continental GT Speed. Rear seatbelts are now standard equip- for children. is introduced. ment in all cars sold in the USA. 1974 1980 2008 The Jensen FF becomes the first car to The last of 11,916,519 VW ‘Beetles’ to The rear-wheel drive Ford Escort Mk2 1990 2002 Auto Express magazine crowns GEM be fitted with anti-lock (ABS). be built at Wolfsburg, leaves the pro- production comes to an end to make Following Czech approval, VW estab- Finnish sausage heir Jussi Salonaja is Britain’s ‘best breakdown provider’. duction line. way for the new front-wheel-drive lishes a partnership with Skoda. caught driving at 50mph in a 25mph Ford accepts an offer by 1967 The VW Golf, a completely new water- Escort Mk3. zone. This results in a salary-based fine for the purchase of Land Rover and The breathalyzer is introduced. cooled, front wheel drive model 1991 of more than £120,000. Jaguar. Swedish motorists swap from driving becomes an instant sales success. 1981 Rear seat belts, if fitted, must be worn on the left to driving on the right. The last E Type Jaguar leaves the John DeLorean launches the DMC-12. by all occupants. 2003 2009 All cars sold in Britain must now be fit- factory. The Mercedes S-class gets an airbag. A hazard perception test is added to the The town of Swindon abandons the use ted with front seatbelts. The US maximum speed limit is 1993 driving test. of fixed speed cameras. reduced to 55 mph. 1982 Aston Martin introduce the DB7, with 1968 The Dutch firm, Gatsometer, introduces sleek, modern bodywork, strong six 2010 Ford introduces the Escort range. 1975 its first mobile speed traffic camera. cylinder engines and Jaguar XJS under- 1972: caught in the act Once again, GEM tops the Auto Express Rover offers the Buick-based V8 in the The requirement to use arm signals in Having built 8,563 DMC-12s, the pinnings. We’re intrigued by the circus characters table of breakdown providers. P6 body-shell to create the 3005. the UK driving test is abolished. DeLorean Motor Company’s factory in and family members on this front cover! A Swedish driver is detected speeding Production of the Ford Escort MK1 Northern Ireland shuts down. 1994 at 180mph by a camera in Switzerland, 1969 comes to an end, and the Escort MK2, European crash test standards, later to leading to a fine of £538,000. Jaguar launches the XJ6. become EuroNCAP, begin. The new British Leyland introduces the 2011 . Always thinking bike, always thinking biker... 1996 For the third time in four years, GEM is Rarely does an edition of Good Motoring The Museum of Modern Art in New the Auto Express magazine best break- 1970 go to press without one or two useful York places an early E-Type roadster on down provider. Land Rover launches the . items for motorcyclists. A review of this permanent display. BMW bike and sidecar was published in Jaguar introduces the V8 powered XK8 2012 1971 1994. In 2006, retiring editor Derek Hainge as a replacement for the venerable XJS. Abbie Tipler buys her first year’s break- Morris Minor production ends. was treated to a VIP tour with a convoy of down cover from GEM Motoring Jaguar reveals its VI2 production police motorcycle outriders, giving readers 1998 Assist. At the age of 18, she becomes engine. a rare glimpse into this exclusive world. VW announces the New Beetle. GEM’s youngest member. GM

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