The Show Goes On

Despite the strike, the Ford Motor Co. last week displayed some of its leading entries in the 1968 model sweepstakes--and did it with a flair. Greeting the press at the La Costa Country Club in Carlsbad, Calif.--about as far from the Detroit picket lines as the company could get--Ford Division Manager M. S. ("Matt") McLaughlin buoyantly said that dealers will soon have 67,000 of the '68 models on hand. He also managed to seem happy while noting that 158,000 of the '67s are waiting to be sold at a buyer's price. Proclaimed McLaughlin: "It's still business as usual at Ford dealerships."

Dealer supplies, of course, may well run out before the strike ends. In the meantime, Ford is offering a tempting array of old favorites and one entirely new series. For Ford's Mustang, which has triggered hot competition in the sporty-specialty-car field (see following story), the changes for 1968 are modest: one makes air scoops on the hood standard instead of optional. The '68 Thunderbird is also virtually unchanged except for the substitution of a three-person front seat for two bucket seats.

The Spoiler. Ford's new series, called the Torino, is an effort to cash in on Detroit's growing emphasis on sporty styling and intermediate size. Marketed with the Fairlane line, the Torino features the elongated hood and abbreviated rear end that has caught on in the specialty cars; it comes in hardtop, sedan and station wagon, as well as a racier "GT" model equipped with a 210-h.p. V-8 (engines with up to 390 h.p. are optional). The standard Fair-lanes have also been streamlined, their bodies stretched out by a full 4 in.

As at Ford, General Motors' Chevrolet and Oldsmobile are also leaving their standard sedans basically intact, concentrating instead on sprucing up their sports and medium-sized models, Oldsmobile's F85 and Cutlass coupes, for example, have shorter rears and new, gently flowing roof lines. Similarly. Olds's Toronado has a more svelte appearance, thanks to a toning down of the overly sculpted "walls" that run along the tops of both front fenders.

Chevrolet has performed a face-lifting on its Chevy II, providing it with more graceful lines and a longer wheelbase, both of which go a long way toward eliminating the car's boxy appearance. Coming in for the biggest changes at Chevrolet is the Corvette. Rakishly restyled, with a body 7 in. longer than present models', the '68 Corvette has high-backed seats, hideaway windshield wipers and jet-age gizmos like the "spoiler"--a raised airflow deflector that adds a decorative touch to the rear deck, also helps reduce the danger of spin-outs at high speeds.

The Price. As if that were not far enough out, Britain's Rolls-Royce announced last week that it would introduce a new four-passenger convertible in the U.S. this fall. Heavy on pushbutton controls and fitted leather appointments, the handmade car boasts a gently swelling silhouette designed to appeal to American buyers. With characteristic British understatement, Rolls described the car's horsepower--about 325--as "adequate." That also goes for the price: $34,200.

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