Looking back 30 years...the more things change...

[2011G6E]

I was cleaning up my new shed and organising packing case after packing case of old car and motorbike magazines, and I came across a Wheels magazine, from November 1984.
I thought it might be interesting to have a bit of a look at the car industry as it was back then.

What drew me to this particular issue was that it had a pair of Falcons on the front...XF Falcons. It was headlined with "Super Falcon! Driving Fords XF. Much, much more than just a facelift!"

First up, in the editorial "Wheels Within", by Peter Robinson, he writes about how people could easily be turned off Australian built cars by small things like manufacturing mistakes and faults, and how they would then turn to foreign cars. It specifically mentions his brothers experience with the Camira, a car which had easily won Car Of The Year in 1982. He had always bought Australian cars, until the Camira soured it for him. It lists the problems he had with it right from new, and the column ends with the following, almost psychic, paragraph about Australian cars and what happens when makers get complacent and think people will just naturally "buy Australian" no matter what...

But for brother Jim, who just paid more than ten big ones, these excuses and rationalisations don't count for anything. Not when the opposition can offer a Civic wagon or Nimbus and he knows, just knows, neither will have him visiting the dealer with a long list of faults.
More significantly, in the long term, his feeling of loyalty to the local car makers has flown out the window in the interests of safety and trouble free motoring. And you can understand why.
If the locals want to compete...survive more accurately...against the Japanese and if the cars we make in Australia are going to rival their imported competition in a more open market, then their quality must match the others. There is no point in introducing a new model that doesn't meet this all-important prerequisite.
Ask the used car trade about the Camira and its second hand value and they will shrug their shoulders and not want to know. If only its brilliance on the road was matched by it's performance in the warranty claims department"

Nowadays Australian made cars are great...but the public hasn't got the message...too many years of mediocre models that don't have the same equipment level as much cheaper foreign alternatives is the issue.


Then, in the "News" section, there was another story that resonated with stuff talked about on this forum frequently...

There's a 50/50 chance Ford will be selling Mustangs in Australia next year!
Broadmeadows has yet to make up its mind but the optimists in the company believe there is a small...say 200 to 300 per year after an initial burst of sales enthusiasm...but healthy market for the American sporty. Both turbo 2.3 ltr four and V8 versions have been looked at, but if the program goes ahead we believe only the bent eight will make it to local showrooms.
There is also a possibility that the convertible versions could be offered as an alternative to the coupe. Price is expected to be about $40,000 (2014 edit: at the time that money would buy you nearly two Fairlanes or Statesmans) and that's one of the stumbling blocks to the project.

There was also a section on another development that was supposedly "only a year or so away and which would revolutionise" things.
Electric turbochargers. It was an experimental thing being done by Mitsubishi, and showed a lot of promise. Amazing that we still don't see anything much of this today except "development work".

There was an amazing news story about a revolutionary thing released by Renault in Australia...

Renault has released an updated Fuego in Australia, with PLID, the worlds first remote control door locking and unlocking system on a production car.
The system is activated by aiming the transmitter at the receiver mounted in the cars roof lining from anywhere up to two meters away, locking or unlocking both or either door.

Wow...wonder if that idea will ever take off?


Also, something surprising. CVT transmissions are around...but still have problems and issues for users and manufacturers.

The new automatics from Isuzu and Subaru are late and getting later.
.............
Subaru planned to offer its version of the van Doorne belt-drive CVT, called the ECVT, in about May '85, but now says Van Doorne is unable to supply the steel belts. Whether that is true or not, I do not know, but the company is now declining to say when the transmission might be available, so either politics or serious technical problems have arisen.

Turned out it was the latter...amazing that so simple an idea still has so many drawbacks and issues...


The big story in the issue was a full test of the XF Falcon...and what a great looking car it still is even looking back thirty years...in my mind especially both the yellow and the red S-Packs they have on the cover.


I love looking back in time with these old mags.