A leaking fuel tank in a new 1978 Chrysler New Yorker, mentioned in A Look Back portion of yesterday’s Saturday Drive, was indicative of
the times, regarding new products back then.
The mid- to late 1970s, when I began reviewing new cars and trucks for The Post, were troubled times for the auto manufacturers. Energy became a political issue following oil embargoes and gas shortages, and the car companies were forced to quickly downsize their large automobiles and equip them with smaller engines for fuel efficiency. It brought to market front-wheel-drive configurations for many new models from U.S. builders.
Even with the rush to production of the new ones, it seemed they were of relatively good quality.
Thinking back, though, I recall some “bugs” I dealt with in my test drives, besides the leaky gas tank:
I remember a ’78 AMC Pacer wagon, which had such hesitation in acceleration I had to take it back to Vic Hebert’s AMC garage for a carburetor adjustment; water poured through the windshield header in a new Mercury Zephyr when Jan and I drove it through an automatic car wash; the tachometer quit working on a Datsun 310, a front-wheel-drive model, before I got it back to the Denver Zone Office for Datsun; the French-built Peugeot 504 diesel required a wait of a minute and a half preheating the cylinders before starting, then, when it did start it was very noisy and, oh, so slow.
It wasn’t just the diesels that required warmup. The Fiat 131 from Italy needed about 3-5 minutes on cold mornings before it would run somewhat smoothly; then came the Fiat Strada, a new 2,000-pound FWD model which Fiat hoped would reverse a sharp sales slide in U.S. sales for the import. Regarding the one I drove, on a cold February morning it wouldn’t start and had to be towed from my driveway back to the dealership.
The cruise control on a Pontiac Bonneville tended to creep up in speed and had to be re-set every 20 miles or so to maintain a lawful speed on the highway; a Toyota Corolla blew fuses when its spindly wiper tried clearing wet snow from its windshield; a Chevy Caprice leaked transmission fluid all over the parking lot; a Dodge Omni had to be returned after a pinhole leak showed up in the transmission casing; windshield wipers quit working on a Ford Bronco.
And the Lotus Esprit, which was so fast – out around Hudson, on returning it to the dealership, the clutch went out, we had to start it in 2nd gear and it limped into downtown Denver for repair.
I related these incidents, and more, in a discussion two weekends ago at the Gunnison Car Show. The tremendous improvement in quality of automobiles and the innovations from then to now, about 35 years, was the point of my talk.
I displayed to showgoers the amazing high-tech innovations in the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550, which I drove to Gunnison. It isn’t only the high-end products, cheaper models, too, are filled with refinement and wonderful bells and whistles.
There are concert-hall-like surround-sound systems, with sometimes 12 or 14 or 16 speakers; navigation and GPS will give a heads-up on traffic accidents and potential traffic tieups 30 miles ahead; active cruise controls slow an auto down as it approaches a slower car ahead, and rearview cameras lend a look at dangers from behind, plus lane-departure warnings; high-strength, low-weight aluminum has allowed structurally stronger cars hundreds of pounds lighter; throttle and suspension sensitivity are dialed in by drivers. Don’t forget heated seats.
The internal-combustion engine, so refined, has never performed better, or with more efficiency, and also featured in the showrooms today are fuel-miserly gas/electric hybrids from numerous makes.
Ford Day Sept. 9 at Sheridan High
The annual All Ford Day, sponsored by the Early Ford V8 Club, High Country Region, is scheduled Sunday, Sept. 9, at the paved parking lot at Sheridan High School, west of Federal Boulevard on Oxford Avenue.
Ford products from 1903 to the present are invited to participate.
Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m., with 16 awards to be given at 1 p.m., according to Roy Hess.
Bud Wells can be reached via e-mail at bwells@denverpost.com.
