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Ben Klemenzson

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NO TO NOUGHTIES

y recent editorial discussing a reader’s request for newer American cars to be featured in Classic American seems to have unlocked a maelstrom of comment, both for and against. Not ‘new’ cars, you understand, but cars in that murky ‘no man’s land’ where they aren’t old enough for many to consider them classics, but not new enough to be considered ‘new’. Cars from the Nineties and Noughties specifically…

Eighties cars? Not a problem, most people seem to be cool with those, which begs the question if in 10 years’ time, Nineties cars will be looked upon similarly favourably as Eighties cars seem to be now. In the meantime we’ll be sticking to content that our readers have told us they want to see in the last three reader surveys. Interestingly, this month we feature two Buicks from very different ends of the time spectrum; a prewar 1941 Special and a ’73 Centurion, probably for many folks a cut-off year in terms of popularity, due to

the introduction of smog motors and Federal safety regulations…

As we go to print, preparations are apace for this year’s Car of the Year finals held over the weekend of the Classic Motor Show, at Birmingham’s NEC. I’d particularly like to thank this year’s sponsors, Kingstown Shipping and RH Insurance, who’ve supported Car of the Year and made it all possible. You can find out who won in next month’s magazine, or online on the magazine’s website (www.classic-american.com) or Facebook page. Christmas is fast approaching and we’ve got some great gift ideas in our Christmas Gift Guide starting on page 61, so if you’re stuck for ideas, check them out!

Ben Klemenzson, editor bklemenzson@mortons.co.uk

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1940 Chevy hot rod pick-up California travel feature (part 2)

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Classic American

News GM and UAW end 40-day auto strike On October 25, General Motors announced that it had ratified a four-year labour agreement that covers workers at 55 United Auto Workers-represented facilities across the US. The agreement put an end to the longest strike witnessed by the automaker since 1970, which crippled production and almost led to the demise of certain models, including the much-loved Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird.

This time around, in a very different economic environment, GM has said the new agreement will provide hourly workers at UAW-represented manufacturing facilities with a worldclass wage, as well as benefits and a profit-sharing package. Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO said, in reference to the new agreement, that “we delivered a contract that recognises our employees for the important contributions they make to the overall success of the company, with a strong wage and benefit package and additional investment and job growth in our US operations.”

Barra added: “GM is proud to provide good-paying jobs to tens of thousands of employees in America and to grow our

substantial investment in the US. As one team, we can move forward and stay focused on our priorities of safety and building high-quality cars, trucks and crossovers for our customers.”

Some details of the new agreement include: 3% wage increases or 4% lump sum payments in each of the four years of the contract Retention of world-class health care coverage, preserving the current 3% cost to employees An $11,000 contract signing bonus for regular employees, and $4500 for temporary employees Enhanced employee profit-sharing, including no cap on employees’ ability to share in the company’s profits A clear path for temporary employees to transition to permanent employment after three years of service, beginning in January 2020 for eligible employees with accrued time.

Additionally, in a statement issued on the new UAW agreement, the automaker also outlined some of its future investments. These include: The opportunity to bring an all-new electric pickup truck assigned to Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly – securing the future of the plant and creating the potential for future new products to be built in the city of Detroit More than $4 billion for additional vehicle programmes and existing facility improvements

across its US plants Additionally, GM is moving forward with opportunities for future investments and job growth in Mahoning Valley in Ohio. These investments are outside the national agreement: An opportunity to bring battery cell production to the area, which would create 1000 manufacturing jobs The sale of the GM Lordstown complex to Lordstown Motors Corp, a new company that plans to build electric pick-ups for commercial fleet customers. Lordstown Motors Corp has said it plans to create 400 manufacturing jobs initially.

Although the GM strike has officially ended, the impact will likely be felt for some time to come. The automaker is rumoured to have lost at least $1.75 billion in profit as a result of the strike, while workers at tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers for GM plants will likely be feeling the effects of lost income for many months, as will dealers, who’ve been stuck with a shortage of vehicles to sell as a result of the strike.

Also given the ratification of hourly worker conditions between GM and the UAW, the union has now set its sights on Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Ford Motor Company, although at the time of writing, it’s too early to tell exactly how those agreements will fare, especially given that UAW didn’t receive all of its demand from GM. HE

Ford v Ferrari hits the screens In case you’ve been living under a rock the last year, this year’s most anticipated American racing/ motorsports film has hit the big screens. Ford v Ferrari is the new film from Logan and Walk the Line filmmaker James Mangold and stars Oscar-winners Christian Bale and Matt Damon as the lynchpins in Ford’s victory over Ferrari back in ’66.

The story is set against the backdrop of that year’s 24 Hours Le Mans race and follows legendary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) who sets out to build a revolutionary car that would allow

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Ford to chaallenge Ferrari, with Bale playing feaarless British racer Ken Miles – wh ho gets behind the wheel of the new w Ford racing vehicle. It’s on generall release at the cinema now, perfe ect for escaping the crazy Christmas nonsense for a few hours!

AUCTION REVIEW

Words and photography: Richard Coney

HISTORICS AT BROOKLANDS Brooklands, Surrey September 21

On September 21 classic car auction house, Historics at Brooklands, returned to its namesake, the Weybridge-located auto and aero museum, for the last time this year with another eclectic mix of classic cars and motorcycles, old and relatively new. Unlike their July auction, when they had consigned a considerable number of American vehicles, this time there were only two on sale.

Both were pick-up trucks, presented in the currently fashionable ‘rat rod’ style. The older of the two, a 1949 Chevrolet 3100 Thriftmaster, sat low to the ground, courtesy of a full air-ride suspension system, though we were unable to see it in action. The usually deep rear bed suffered as a result.

Powered by a 5.7-litre Chevy V8, its lacquered rusty patina and uniquely pin-striped ‘bullet holes’ made for an unusual vehicle to say the least.

The other pick-up on offer was a 1960 Ford F100. Less often seen than their older mid-Fifties brethren, it was said to have been upgraded with a 5.0-litre V8, power steering and brakes. Its austere interior benefited from a reasonably

comfy bench seat. The bodywork, while surprisingly straight for a working vehicle of this age, had again been lacquered to stabilise the wear and tear on the paintwork, especially the considerably rustylooking tailgate. The catalogue described the effect as ‘painted on’, though while it was only surface corrosion, it looked genuine. With an untouched pick-up bed, this unusual hot rod could still earn a living, being both spacious and relatively practical. Both vehicles had estimates of between £15,000 and £18,000.

Unlike restored classics, one has to understand the rat rod scene to fully appreciate it. Whether these aficionados were not present on the day, or the reserves dictated by their current owners were too optimistic, is not known.

Nevertheless both trucks remained unsold after the auction. u Maybe deals were done aafterwards? I wonder.

Historics returns to Mercedes Benz World adjacent to the museum for its next auction on November 23. We’ll be there to iinvestigate. RC

classic-american.com 7

Words & Pictures: Steve Havelock

Classic American

News EVENT REPORT

CLASSIC SPORTS CAR CLUB MEETING.

Thruxton, Hampshire September 21

O

ne of the things I really enjoy at club race meetings is that you can still find plenty of owner/drivers fettling their cars, or sat beside them eager to tell you all about them, rather than hiding away in some drivers’ club. Such was the case at Thruxton for the Classic Sports Car Club’s grass roots meeting which extended an invitation to Bernie’s Sports Racing and V8s.

As I wandered through the paddock I spotted four American cars that I hadn’t seen race before.

First up was Marcus Bicknell’s 1999 Ford Fusion Ascar sporting an ‘in your face’ red and yellow No. 22 Joey Logano NASCAR livery. Not what I was expecting to see thundering around Thruxton, but a most welcome addition. Marcus told me that his space frame chassis car with detachable fibreglass panels now runs a 6.2-litre Chevy LS3 ‘plug and play’ crate motor tweaked to 548bhp and with 575ft-lb of torque. The suspension was levelled up after its days racing on the banked oval at Rockingham and according to experienced racer Marcus: “It now corners as flat as a pancake and handles like a dream.”

His previous race car, a ’71 Mach 1 Mustang also ran in Logano colours, so what’s the connection? He said: “I was born in the States. I met Joey Logano eight or nine years ago and have met him several times since. He’s a lovely guy and has got time for me. We have a shared interest in fundraising for mental health awareness in men.”

So why a car like this? He continued: “I raced in Clubmans for 15 years and it got a bit boring. I’m 71 now and I thought for a swansong, I’d like to have some real power under my right foot. I am clocking 152mph through Church corner. It’s quite

exciting. Dressing the car up like this and looking a bit snazzy is all part of it. If you are going to go racing and show off with speed and having fun, you may as well do it properly. That’s my feeling anyway. It’s good fun in Bernie’s V8s because the only rules are no slicks, no wings and no whingers.

So if anyone complains then it’s ‘goodbye’!”

Next up I spied an evocative 1970 Plymouth ’Cuda in Dan Gurney’s No.48 AAR Trans-Am colour scheme. I noticed a ‘Novice’ sticker on the back and owner Matt Snowball explained: “It’s only the car’s second race. And it’s only my second race.”

Nothing like jumping in at the deep end. Now 51, Matt makes his living by renting out vehicles and equipment to rock bands. He said: “It’s always been an ambition to race. I nearly got my race licence 25 years ago, but then other stuff got in the way. It was now or never.”

He found the ’Cuda as a rusty shell in New York last year and apart from the engine and roll cage, has built it into a race car himself. It runs a 360cu in motor stroked to 408cu in with 450bhp on tap. He says: “My first race was at Brands a couple of weeks ago on the long Grand Prix circuit which was a real treat. Thruxton is much more challenging than it looked on paper and much more satisfying as well. You often can’t see the exits from the entrance. It’s fast and the radius changes as you go around. Very easy to make a mistake at speed. The car is going really well and handles well. It’s surprisingly neutral in the corners, which is great, with very little in the way of understeer. It’s got enough power, but I’ll probably fit power steering because the steering is very heavy and very slow at the moment. It can

Matt with the Plymouth.

Marcus and his Fusion.

Marcus Bicknell’s 1999 Ford Fusion Ascar.

Matt Snowball’s ’Cuda.

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Jon colour-coordinates with the car.

Jon Fox’s 1965 Mustang GT350.

Martin Reynolds’ Mach 1.

be a bit daunting being a novice, especially entering a series like this with experienced drivers and fast cars but they’ve made me extremely welcome and they are a very nice bunch.”

Two other cars were racing in the CSCC Future Classics: Jon Fox said that his baby blue 1965 Mustang GT350 had always been a race car, first in California and then in Hong Kong and Singapore before being stored away for more than a decade. He said: “I bought it 18 months ago and it was in a fair old state but we’ve given it a bare shell rebuild. It’s now got a 7.0-litre stroker engine, producing between 500 and 600bhp. I’ve not raced American cars before. I’ve always been a rally car man. I had a historic Triumph TR8 rally car. It was too nice to rally so I took it circuit racing and got bitten by the bug. The Mustang is the same year I was born so I had to have it. It’s got so much torque it’s like strapping yourself to a bull elephant, giving it a whack and using its ears to steer.”

Finally there was the Mach 1 Mustang that Martin Reynolds bought from Marcus Bicknell last year. It’s apparently the only Mach 1 currently racing in the UK. Re-liveried in Valvoline colours, it’s now running bigger brakes and has a Ford 460Z (7.5-litre) crate motor mated to a Tremec five-speed gearbox. Martin, who also races a Camaro and a Mustang Notchback, said: “The motor was supposed to have had 620bhp when it left the US but when it arrived it was only 520bhp so it lost some horses along the way! It’s only my second time here at Thruxton, but it just makes me smile.”

So how did they get on? Well, Marcus was as pleased as punch to win both battles of the Bernie’s races while Matt said: “I finished up where I was expecting, which was fairly near the back but very happy in finishing and very happy in improving my lap times.” In the Future Classics, Jon Fox retired with low oil pressure and Martin Reynolds finished mid-field. But most importantly, good fun was had by all. ★ ie, of the Simeon Chodosh’s (son of Bern ette. eponymous Bernie’s V8s) Corv

classic-american.com 9

Classic American

News Fancy a Challenger...

... or a new Dodge Ram?

BOATWRIGHT'S NAMED OFFICIAL RAM AND DODGE DEALER With David Boatwright Partnership recently appointed an official Ram and Dodge dealer, we spoke to managing director Richard Boatwright about the continued appeal of the vehicles.

“We’ve just taken in the first 2020 demonstrator, a Ram Limited and there’ll be more arriving soon,” explains Richard. “There’s a great vehicle range from Dodge and Ram. The Limited is the top of the range and has proved to be our most popular model, with the mid-range Laramie a close second. The 2020 Ram range includes a Laramie Night Edition and a Limited Black Edition, both of which come without chrome – which is an eye-catching departure from their traditional styling.

“As official dealers, it’s the first time Ram has had official representation in the UK for more than 10 years. Being an official dealer allows us to offer factory supported after-sales together with the ability to carry out all manufacturer software updates and also any recalls on vehicles. There is

no typical buyer of Ram pick-ups; our customers represent all walks of life, from professional people to tradesmen or private users who just love the style and power of American vehicles.

“Naturally, most trucks are sold as company vehicles, but it’s rare that one comes back with work-related damage or abuse. Most owners keep them in beautiful condition. If we don’t have the exact truck in stock we can usually source one within six weeks, often faster. If a customer desires an unusual colour or optional extras then getting one specially built to order tends to take around three months on average.

New vehicles come fully inspected, prepared and with a three-year unlimited mileage, MBI warranty. All our vehicles are sold ready to drive away, registered, with number plates and fuel.

“As well as a wide range of accessories we boast a well-equipped OEM parts department,” continues Richard, “and our workshop with trained technicians who can do anything from

straightforward diagnostics and towbar fitting to full rebuilds. We offer a complete bespoke customisation service if customers want their vehicles lifted or lowered, custom wheel and tyre packages, custom exhausts and superchargers.

“They’ve just finished a full custom truck with a lift kit and 37-inch mud tyres – that one was a lot of fun. We can offer that service on new or used vehicles. We also deal in Ford and GM products and, although we concentrate on vehicles up to five or six years old, in our 35 years we’ve taken in part exchanges on classic cars and motorbikes so we’re quite happy to discuss any requirements you may have.”

David Boatwright Partnership, Braintree, Essex, CM7 2QS Tel: 01376 552399 Email: sales@boatwright.co.uk

Cliff’s Corvette!

Silverstone Auctions are proud to be offering a Corvette Stingray formerly owned by the British pop legend Sir Cliff Richard in its forthcoming sale at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Car Show on November 9-10, by which time we will have gone to press. This stunning 1963 Corvette Stingray was bought new by Sir Cliff Richard in March 1963, at the time he was dominating the British pop scene. He had a fondness for American cars as we’ve often mentioned on these pages and this Corvette is possibly the fourth car he owned.

In 1965 he sold the car and by 2012 the current vendor purchased it from Corvette specialists, Claremont Corvette. Coming with the Congratulations...

... ready for a Summer Holiday?

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car is a history file detailing the work carried out, including more recent work, a full respray and the worn vinyl seats replaced with leather. The log books with the name ‘Harry Rodger Webb’ and his signature at the time are included, plus some photographs of Sir Cliff in the car.

With 69,000 miles on the clock this Corvette Stingray does have the original Delco radio – just imagine that, the radio that Sir Cliff Richard

listened to as he probably sang along with and created his next hit single. If this Corvette Stingray could talk, just imagine the stories it could tell, the history it holds, the Sixties legends that have ridden in this car with their arm resting on the door as they cruised from gig to gig with the roof down. Estimated at £50,000 to £60,000 we’ll let you know next month what it hammered for.

Keith Harman drums up all the news, views and latest stuff on the hot rod and custom scene…

AUTUMN CLASSIC OUT WEST ALIVE AND G! STILL KICKIN

Anyone y who was around in those heady days of the custom car show scene in the 1970s and 80s will instantly recall the name of Ray Christopher. Back then, Ray built some of the wilder creations on the show scene, ‘C-Men-T’ a six-wheeler Model T cement mixer, the Helicopter show car that used a genuine chopper canopy for a cab, with his V8 milk float, the ‘Pastyereyes Express’ possibly being the most famous. Ray later spent part of his career building and racing replica GT 40s with his company GT Developments.

Never one to start far from hot rodding, he also turned his hand to building several Model T sedan replicas using aluminium bodywork over wood frames, and fibreglass fenders.

We recently found Ray, still based in Dorset, (or rather he found us since he lives not far away), and he has entrusted us to find a new owner for the Sedan pictured, his own personal hot rod for several years, but now for sale to make way for his latest project, a Model A pick-up.

The red rod features a fuel injected Ford V6 and Auto, independent suspension all round and full interior.

It starts on the button and would make an ideal first hot rod for someone. Get in touch via the magazine for more details.

The Goodwood Revival as featured in Classic American last month might be the big name when it comes to historic circuit racing, but we made it along to Castle Coombe in Wiltshire at the beginning of October for their Autumn Classic event. While obviously a much smaller event than Goodwood, this meant it had a more ‘clubby’, less corporate feel to it, and although catering for a wide range of machinery, from vintage Frazer-Nash

models to single-seaters, we still found some American iron in the pits to look at.

It seems Fords are still firm favourites with the historic circuit crowd, just as they were in the Sixties, with a couple of Falcons and a handful of Mustang hardtops dicing with the classic British and European saloons. The exception to the rule was the awesome ’59 Studebaker Silver Hawk owned and driven by British Touring Car ace, Patrick Watts.

SANDS OF TIME The season may well be over for most by the time autumn rolls around, but for VHRA members, it’s the time they eagerly await the announcement of the dates for the following year’s Pendine Sands beach races. While other beach races have cropped up around the world in the last few years, mostly short track flag start sprints, the VHRA event remains the fastest of them all with the top cars running the beach at well over 100mph.

The first weekend of July (3 to 5) is the occasion of the eighth running of this unique event, so mark your calendars if you want to witness the spectacle of around 150 vintage hot rods running balls-out on the sand. Race entries will be done and dusted by now, but spectating is free, and there’s nothing else quite like it anywhere…

CLUBS AT MBE CASTLE COO

Another cool feature of the Autumn Classic was a preferential parking area for various classic owners’ clubs from around the South West with many prestigious marques included. The bunch of us that attended were all hot rodders, some from Bristol, some from North Somerset, and even a couple that came up from Devon, and most all, driving cool pre-’49 hot rods.

Though we were included and had a designated parking area near the track, we weren’t all in a club as such, just like-minded guys that all know each other and have hot rods in common.

So we were knocked out to discover later in the day that the circuit had decided

to award us the Autumn Classic Best Club Display. We decided that our ‘organiser’ who arranged the day out, ‘Hotch’, should accept the award on behalf of everyone present. Pretty cool, as the general feeling that has always prevailed is that ‘classic’ guys don’t really approve of hot rods! Guess times have changed after all!

Richard Heseltine

From

here to

obscurity

The Lost Cause Could you believe anyone would give a car such a negative name? No, neither could we, but appropriately enough, it was the moniker given to a… wait for it… Corvair limousine! Richard Heseltine explains all…

W

hat’s in a name? Well, when it comes to cars, quite a bit. They convey a lot about what a car is meant to represent.

Either that, or they impart a sense of wonder in potential customers. They’re meant to be evocative. The car pictured here, by contrast, was burdened with a name that foretold its fate.

The Lost Cause was precisely that; a Chevrolet Corvair-based limousine that was doomed from the outset.

It wasn’t without its good points, however.

The Lost Cause was dreamed up by Charles Peaslee Farmsley who, during a jam-packed life, was variously the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, a member of the House of Representatives and, depending on whose sources you credit, a sometime car designer. He had long harboured an ambition whereby he would revive American coachbuilding artistry to its rightful place, and collaborated with the once-famed Derham Body Company of Rosemont, Pennsylvania in his bid to make this happen. Contrary to what had been written elsewhere, however, he didn’t own the business, nor was he a shareholder.

The name of the car was meant to conjure thoughts of old world craftsmanship, and there

was no denying it was well-appointed. Billed as the ‘world’s most expensive small car’, the Lost Cause broke cover at the 1963 New York International Auto Show. For an eye-watering $12,116.52, punters would receive a four-door Chevrolet Corvair loaded to the gunwales with every conceivable luxury item, and quite a few you might not have thought of.

According to Autocar magazine: “All factory decoration and nameplates are removed, and the coachwork is finished in hand-rubbed cellulose.

The rear window is enlarged and the roof and rear quarters down to the engine cover are covered in padded leather. Chromium-plated wire wheels – there are two spares – replace the more mundane objects.”

Inside, the regular Corvair’s austere cabin made way for pure opulence. Black leather abounded, while the window bases, door cappings and facia were trimmed with burr walnut. Additional instruments were also added. These encompassed everything from a rev counter to an eight-day clock. For reasons that were never fully explained, there was even a stopwatch. There was also a VHF radio, while a picnic hamper and travel rugs nestled snugly in the trunk (which was held in

place with leather straps, just in case the regular lock mechanism decided not to work).

Predictably, such luxuries meant more weight.

While the exact increase in heft wasn’t mentioned in the PR bumf, it did state that the Corvair’s air-cooled ‘six’ would be tuned by legendary racer/innovator John Fitch to produce around 120bhp. Top speed was said to be in the region of 115mph, which was perhaps a little optimistic.

That said, the Lost Cause was never meant to be a road burner, more a luxurious motor carriage for the wealthy and discerning, if only in the mind of its creator.

Farmsley intended creating no more than 100 Lost Causes. However, despite the car receiving plenty of media coverage, he hadn’t sold any by 1965 when the scheme was quietly axed. It would appear that the super-rich didn’t want to be ferried about in the back of a Corvair with a comedy name, no matter how extravagant the specification.

The prototype was retained on the Farmsley estate, ultimately being used as a grocerygetter before it was parked under a tarpaulin.

Predictably, it soon fell into disrepair, but the car has since been restored to its period splendour. ★

Richard Heseltine’s weird and wonderful American cars from the past.

Cadillac Super Cruise (Photo: GM)

Huw Evans

Across

the pond

A dose of reality Evans looks at how electric and autonomous vehicles aren’t necessarily all they’re cracked up to be…

A

bout five years ago, I remember being part of a motor industry event where topics being discussed included the future of mobility, specifically revolving around connected cars and autonomous vehicles. One of the panellists in the autonomous vehicle discussion predicted that within 20 years we would all be transported around in self-driving cars and nothing short of a revolution was taking place in the transportation sector.

Today, however, such predictions are looking increasingly far-fetched. Despite automakers and tech companies pouring billions into autonomous vehicle technology, the challenges to achieving what is called Level 5 (full autonomy) remain tremendous. A spate of highly publicised (and fatal) accidents involving vehicles that were in auto pilot mode have not helped the situation, nor have infrastructure problems and misleading marketing communications that led some people to believe the car was able to operate without human input.

The fact is that the limitations of computer technology and machine learning are becoming increasingly apparent, making the concept of a fully autonomous vehicle less probable. At the recent JD Power Auto Revolution in Las Vegas, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak added further fuel to the fire, stating that he’s changed his viewpoint on autonomous vehicles. “I’ve stepped way back on this idea of Level 5 (autonomy),” he said. “I’ve really given up.”

Wozniak, who has been an early adopter of

hybrid and electric vehicles – he owns a Tesla Model S and Chevy Bolt, which he uses for longer and shorter trips respectively – said he doesn’t think that Level 5 autonomous vehicles will happen in his lifetime and labelled what has been dubbed AI (Artificial Intelligence) as ‘Alien Influenza’. He said Tesla’s Auto Pilot feature makes too many mistakes because there are too many errors in the car’s navigation system, which it relies on to engage the Auto Pilot feature and steer around potential hazards.

And there are other factors that are impacting autonomous vehicle development. Apple, which gained a lot of publicity around its autonomous vehicle programme labelled ‘Project Titan’ back in 2015, has also run into headwinds; in January, it announced that 200 people had been either laid off or reassigned from the project. And although Cadillac’s Super Cruise feature, offered on the flagship CT6 Premium sedan, has proved that hands-off driving is feasible in real world conditions, it is designed to work specifically on limited-access divided lane highways in the US and Canada, plus the driver must continue to look straight ahead while the system is engaged.

Furthermore, the CT6 itself is on borrowed time. General Motors announced plans to drop the rear-drive flagship along with Omega architecture that underpins it in 2020. GM, like other automakers in the North American market, seems hell-bent on bringing yet more cross-over utilities to market at the expense of passenger cars, for which demand has been

significantly dropping. It’s an interesting situation.

The technology that promised to revolutionise personal transportation is proving to be far more limiting than at first thought and even automakers that have been able to introduce autonomous features to the market successfully have either had to face a consumer backlash against them, or are axing the very models that incorporate the technology because they are not deemed profitable or sustainable enough over the long term.

When we look back at the history of the automotive industry we discover that it’s littered with fads and that many so-called ‘new and revolutionary’ ideas aren’t particularly new, nor revolutionary. So when I hear people utter such phrases today it’s hard not to take them with a pinch of salt. Many automakers have been trying to convince us that electric and autonomous vehicles, as well as car sharing or subscription services, will revolutionise personal transportation.

So far, none of that has actually transpired.

Driver aid frills aside, the vast majority of us still have to steer, accelerate and brake our vehicles using our own intuition as well as our hands and feet, while the internal combustion engine continues to be, by far, the most efficient propulsion system for personal transportation devices. There is evidence that things could change in the future, but it’s fair to say that an automotive landscape dominated by both EVs and AVs remains far from certain both in America and around the world.

Huw Evans – news & views from North America

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