Jim Muller asks:
>>Question: Did K.P. (Ken Purdy) have
>>some tendency to national bias? Did he have a particular
>>philosophical bent?
In reading his whole book, I don't think so. The chapter I took those
sections from was very high on German cars, but in the same book,
(Ken Purdy's Book of Automobilies, Playboy Press) he also had chapters
that put Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, and Morgan's in a very positive light.
Jim then asks:
>>Question: What
>>factories in the U.K., Germany, and Italy was K.P. talking about?
>>Which did his tours cover?
Although he doesn't spell this out, I'm pretty sure it was Mercedes Benz
and BMW vs. "a top rank British car". Jaguar, maybe? I would hope that
Jaguar and BMW would compare well against each other. To compare any
car to Mercedes Benz might be unfair.
But at this point I really don't care what Ken Purdy said or what
production lines he compared. My orginal question was:
>> Were there some fundamental flaws in the way the British built our
>> cars or did the British and the Germans just use two differant means to
>> achive the same ends, the production of good automobiles?
Two other books that I know of that might contain the answer are:
"Wheels of Misfortune: The Rise and Fall of the British Motor Industry"
by Jonathan Wood and "The Motor Makers: The Turbulent History of
Britain's Car Industry" by Martin Adeny. Both of these are availible
through Classic Motorbooks. Has anyone read one of these? If so, could
you please give us a review?
Maybe this is a topic (much like a stone) that is better left unturned.
Maybe, like Jim Muller, I should just drive and enjoy my British car.
(That is, of course, after the trans swap and the brake work) :-)
Kirk kirkb@hpgrla.hp.com Greeley, Colo.
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