Autos: The Safety Lines

At G.M.’s proving grounds outside Detroit, Chevrolet General Manager E.

M. (“Pete”) Estes last week presided over a demonstration of ’67 models, then got into his new, chauffeur-driven Caprice and headed back to his office.

Fifteen miles down the road, he was involved in a minor accident. Uninjured, Estes stepped out and said to people who had gathered around: “See? I might have been hurt if I hadn’t worn my seat belt.”

Estes’ statement was symptomatic. Four weeks ago, Chrysler unveiled its ’67 models; last week came Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Ford and Lincoln-Mercury; and this week American Motors will introduce its new line. In almost all cases safety comes first. Recent legislation requiring Federal safety standards will not become mandatory until the 1968 model-year, but Detroit is trying to be ahead of the Government. In almost all ’67 models, dual brakes, collapsible steering columns, four-way flashers and extra padding are standard. Even beyond these, most new cars feature safety items that are either standard or optional. >General Motors cars have plastic caps over window-crank handles to soften the gouging action of metal under impact. Pontiac is introducing windshield wipers that, when not in use, retract into the engine cowl to allow the driver unobstructed vision. Many G.M. cars have a dashboard light that, when the brakes fail, winks like a slot machine. >Ford has made standard a “seatbelt reminder light” that flashes on when the engine is started. Lincoln-Mercury’s new Cougar sports car will not start while the door on the driver’s side is open. Cougar and other Ford cars have red markings on the 70 m.p.h. to 120 m.p.h. range of their speedometers to warn drivers that they are going fast. > Chrysler models have small toggle switches instead of jutting metal knobs on dashboards. Also offered are thumb switches instead of protruding knobs for radio tuning-and-volume controls.

Despite the stress on safety, styling has not been forgotten. Among brand-new cars, Chevrolet offers the Camaro, a copy of Ford’s successful Mustang. Lincoln-Mercury’s Cougar has a front like a Thunderbird and a rear like the Mustang. Next week Cadillac will display the Eldorado, a front-wheel-drive sports car with Caddy configuration and the innards of Oldsmobile’s Toronado.

Later, Pontiac expects to put out its own new sporty car. It was originally dubbed the Banshee, but then someone had the bright idea of looking up the meaning of the word. The definition read: “In Gaelic folklore, a supernatural being whose wailing was supposed to foretell a death.” Back to the christening font for that one.

As for money-losing American Motors, it has no brand-new cars, but it has streamlined all the old ones, changed the name of its Classic to Rebel. Last week A.M.C.’s Executive Vice President Roy D. Chapin Jr., 51, was upgraded in title to general manager; the word was that if American’s ’67s do not sell well, Chapin will take over the top job from President Roy Abernethy.

The automakers themselves describe ’67 changes as evolutionary, not revolutionary. But sometimes evolution can lead backward as well as forward. Last week, Ford President Arjay Miller revealed that his company, like General Motors and Chrysler, is experimenting with a new version of the battery-operated electric car to cut down on the air pollution caused by gasoline fumes. Though the reincarnated electric cars are still a long way from the test track, Detroit must worry about what to name them. To avoid embarrassments like Banshee, the industry could revive the nostalgia-filled names of electric autos produced half a century ago—like Detroit, Baker, Waverley and, as recently as 1911, Studebaker.