If not quite enthusiasts' machines, the Peugeot 404 and Fiat 1500L cannot be dismissed lightly as mere 1960s Euro-porridge. Here in Britain, these four-door family saloons, and others like them, were among the first wave of Continental imports to make domestic buyers reconsider their attachment to the usual, locally built Ford, BMC, Rootes and Vauxhall products.
Though certainly not exciting, and no more remarkable than a Consul or a Cambridge in their homelands, these Common Market, 1.5-litre family saloons from France and Italy were built for a now almost extinct breed of buyer who wanted a thoroughly conventional vehicle that was respectable, decently well-made and comfortable. A four-door saloon that faded into the background hum of European cities during the week, but could take a full-size family long distances at the weekends on a modest fuel budget, using an efficient engine that didn't attract penalties from the taxman.
In the UK, where there were no taxes on large engines, both cars were a rare enough sight to be worthy of comment in an era during which loyalty to British-built products remained at a high level. Young car-spotters might have known them best either from copies of their Ladybird or Observer's books, or from the TV, where in a time when cars had a look that defined their country of origin - Fiats and Peugeots were perfectly cast automotive scenesetters in countless ITC action-hero series of the era. Cut to back-projected Rome and you'd likely spot a 1500L weaving through traffic in front of the Colosseum; or, when the action transfers to Paris, 404s could invariably be seen following the protagonist's studio-bound taxi ride along the Champs-Élysées.
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Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A Breath of Fresh Air- Alfa Romeo's exotic, V8-powered Montreal was like nothing the marque had made before, but can it compare with a Porsche masterpiece, the 911S 2.4?
The stereotype of the ItaloGermanic automotive rivalry is that the Latin car will be brilliant to drive, but poorly built and ergonomically flawed, while the Teutonic will be the opposite. Yet these 2+2 sports coupés both ran against orthodoxy. In the Montreal, Alfa Romeo created an outlandish-looking two-door more comfortable, more powerful and more refined than anything it had produced for decades. Meanwhile, Porsche continued to refine its back-to-front, austere and increasingly aged 911. Neither took a traditional development path, but both created thrilling and individual cars that have echoed through the decades.
Daring to be diminutive
AMC's Gremlin and Pacer, and Ford's much-derided Pinto, led America's response to the threat of imported European compacts
THE LONG WAY ROUND
There is a great tradition of overland trips by Land-Rover, but the tale of this 70s Aussie epic and the car itself was discovered by chance
Handsome cab
The Phantom V limousine marked the beginning of the end for coachbuilder James Young, but this Rolls-Royce represents the craft at its very best
DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Racing for their own F1 teams brought some drivers success and an enduring legacy. For others, it turned into a nightmare
20 30 LITRES CYLINDERS, 400BHP......AND MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD
Thunderous torque, flame-spitting stub-exhausts, white-knuckle thrills - and hopefully no spills - aboard a trio of Edwardian racing titans
ICON.
The three top-selling vehicles in the USA in 2023 were pick-ups, topped by the Ford F-Series. This is the truck that started it all
Blurred Lines
lan 'Del' Lines blended the V8 burble of Triumph's open GT with real practicality in his Stag V8 saloons and estates
Home of the brave
The innovative Silverstone proved a hit with keen amateur drivers. To mark its 75th, Healey's club racer returns to the circuit for which it is named
PLAYING ALL THE ANGLES
Alfa Romeo's wild RZ eschewed the jellymould styling of the period to offer a striking, wedge-shaped take on open-topped performance motoring