A CASE FOR QUARTER-LIGHTS

July 7th 2014

Sir,

One of the main disadvantages Of life in the West Indies is that very often Moroa SPORT arrives several weeks late. However I hope you will still he interested in comments on the opening quarter-light controversy.

The Ford Aerollow system I agree set a new standard for motoring in temperate climates, but I doubt if any types other than full air conditioners would be equal to the demands of tropical conditions. The point which some of your weekly contemporaries missed when the topic was ventilated (sorry!) in their columns was that after a short time parked in tropical sunshine every metal part of the car is almost too hot to touch. Hence it is all very well to put the blower on ” high ” and wait for ” x ” air changes a minute to occur, but the air emerging from the neat little fascia bulls-eye comes at you super-heated by its passage through the built-in intake ducting! A thermometer in my Ford V6 often records 115’F if the car is left closed for any length of time, and I have seen 135’F on one occasion.

Unless it were possible to turn the quarter-lights wide open to direct air at one’s face, driving would he torture. So please do not persuade designers to delete opening quarter-lights from their export models—not until refrigerated air conditioning units are standard for the tropics, anyway!

Impressions of motoring here in Trinidad would fill one of your issues. In spite of a general speed limit of 50 m.p.h. the accident rate is comparable per capita with U.K., and many of the accidents are horribly spectacular. On a fifty-mile cross-island journey yesterday we passed 4 accidents (involving in all seven vehicles) which had obviously just occurred, and this is pretty typical. Overtaking where roads are too narrow and congested seems to he the main cause, a result of the local carefree if not irresponsible temperament no doubt. All types Of cars can be seen here from every country except front behind the Iron Curtain. Japanese Toyota Coronets and Crowns

are popular. and there are now a few Hino Contessas. American and Canadian ” land cruisers ” most out of their element on these narrow busy roads, are very popular too, for taxi use. VW Beetles surprisingly are numerous, in spite of having no fresh air ventilation system worth the name. Holden, Orel, Vauxhall, all G.M. products; are assembled locally.

One last point, due to import and purchase taxes the V6 costs .£1,450 here !

Trinidad. R. COLLINS.