Americans at the London Motor Show
Dear Classic American,
Please find attached a couple of photographs I've had since the Seventies which pre-date your featured years of Americans at the Motor Show, April 2020 edition of Classic American. I’ve always loved these pictures but can you help put a date on the Mercury Comet picture? I’m guessing between ’61 and ’63. You can just see a T-bird behind the Comet and the Lancia Flaminia GT is very like a
‘63 model.
The Galaxie 500 Sunliner
(as you have made mention of other models in your feature) is right-hand drive from Ford of Canada. Same goes for the Fairlane and the Taunus estate is also right-hand drive, but not the Thunderbird or Falcon Coupe. Equally intriguing is the fact that the 1964 Galaxie picture is stamped on the reverse side by Autocar, which corresponds with your own photo credits. Once again Classic American has provided another gem of a story that can inform and intrigue us – Thank you!
Mark E Turner Broadway, Worcestershire
Well Mark, the Comet looks to be a ’61 – the grille changed from the 1960 model and the three chrome strip details on the front wing are what identify it as such. Ford of Canada did indeed produce right-hand-drive models for RHD markets such as the UK, South Africa and Australia and New Zealand, although not Thunderbirds and certainly downunder they had their own versions of the Falcon in right-hand drive. Indeed, until fairly recently, righthand-drive Falcons were still being churned out in their thousands in Australia, until Ford decided to halt production there, as has Holden.