Autos: An Intermediate Year

First on display in the 1967 parade of new car showings was American Motors (TIME, Aug. 25) with its Javelin. Next came the Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford and Chrysler. By last week, General Motors had shown most of its line. This week there will be unveilings by Chevrolet and by Ford—which plans to display 1968 models, strike or not.

Style changes this year are far from radical; most manufacturers have opted to streamline existing models—adding a little chrome here, taking a little there. The sporty flair initiated by the Ford Mustang in 1964 is everywhere in evidence. Most of the emphasis is on the “intermediate”—more than a compact, but less than a full-size car. Says Ford Division General Manager Matt McLaughlin: “The real battleground for sales in 1968 is going to be in the intermediate field.” Lincoln-Mercury is betting on its Montego line, of which two models resemble the popular Cougar. General Motors is also pushing the intermediates, featuring minor changes suggested by success of the 1966 Toronado. The 1968 Tem pest, for example, has an abbreviated rear and an elongated front, giving it the look of a chunky road racer. For its own sporty look, Buick has taken its Skylark and gone back to a sweeping, chrome-lined silhouette that became popular ten years ago.

Chrysler is also de-emphasizing basic design changes and making only minor adjustments in the Dodge Coronet and Plymouth Belvedere. An exception is the Dodge Charger, which has junked its fastback styling and taken on a pair of swept-back wings joining the roof to the rear deck. Plymouth will compete with the Tempest Le Mans and the Mercury Montego by offering a hopped-up Belvedere called the Road Runner. In the big-car field, Cadillac now boasts the largest engine in the industry, though its exterior remains virtually unchanged.

Gas Caps & Waste Gates. There are many new cosmetic touches. Dodge’s Charger has fake air vents on both hood and front doors, which the company calls “simulated waste gates.” The Charger also has a large chrome gas cap protruding from the rear bumper—an effect inspired by racing cars and called a “quick fill gas cap.” The Pontiac Tempest GTO has a rubberized front bumper that resists dents to about 3 m.p.h. impact—which would not do the average driver much good. And the new Plymouth station wagon has a “squeegee washer/wiper,” which cleans the rear window when it is rolled down.

And this, of course, costs money. Buyers have been warned by both Ford and Chrysler that 1968 models will probably cost up to $130 more than the ’67s. At least part of the price increase is attributable to the mounting list of safety features, which now number about 20. One noteworthy addition this year is improved control over exhaust emission. Still left undecided is whether front-seat shoulder harnesses will be mandatory on all new cars starting Jan. 1. The National Traffic Safety Bureau had issued the order, but recently its members viewed a disturbing G.M. test film of a simulated car crash. At impact, the lap straps did not prevent the heads of dummies in the back seat from being thrown forward, causing them to bang against the heads of shoulder-harnessed dummies in the front seat. As a result, the bureau decided that further research into the controversial shoulder strap is necessary.