ES30

["Lee Scanlan" <Lee.Scanlan@domain.elided>]

The ES30 visited Perth for a motorshow some years back and, spotlit on a
dais and roped off I couldn't help think that it looked charmless, brutish
and well, pretty ugly. Recently whilst in Britain I spotted one threading
its way through the lanes of Brighton. On the move and rubbing shoulders
with the traffic, new Beetles, Ford Ka's etc it looked a different car, odd
sure but lively, friendlier, it certainly had what young people call street
cred, got lots of glances and I saw it anew.

The SZ, whilst using much of the 75, exchanged the front torsion bars for
coil springs (I believe). If this is true and with all the bonuses we've
been offerred on bars vs springs, the elimination of weighty reinforced
spring towers being one, can anyone tell me why the change? I would assume
only a few of the 75s suspension members could then also be re-used,
wishbones and the like wouldn't house springs. Where did these parts come
from for a low volume build? Does it suggest that the Alfetta/75 if designed
today (or in 1989) would not have torsion bars with their low profile and
their structually simple "bridge"?

Lee.
Perth W.A.

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