Cars of my youth - When the British and American vehicles held sway on Sri Lankan roads

By Vikmaj

I remember going to school in the 50’s in my father’s Austin A30 which was built as an alternative to the Morris Minor which was very popular at that time. But the Peugeot 203 which came in the 40’s was also extremely popular at that time. The 203 was used by a slightly richer crowd as it was a bit more expensive than the Morris Minor. The Volkswagen Beatle entered the market in the 50s and gave the 203 a very good run for money.

When the Volkswagen Beatle came in, all had reservations, in particular as it was air-cooled. The common consensus of opinion was that it would be a flop and would not be able to withstand a rigorous journey, but all the pundits were proved wrong. The car caught the market like hot cakes and it became a fad even among the upper class. Of course, the Peugeot 203 retained its position, but VW Beatle outsold the Peugeot 203 owing to its price.

The 203 had an excellent turning circle which was considered to be the best among the continental cars other than the Triumph Herald.

Although the VW Beatle was air-cooled and had only two doors, it could run for long hours without a problem as it had no water to boil. VW and the 203 had similar shapes at the back side of the vehicle.

The Police also started using the 203 and the Austin Cambridge MK1 as their mode of transport. The Cambridge was also considered a car for the upper class due to its price.

Italy produced the Fiat 11 and 12 which became very popular family cars. France also put out Simca Aronde which caught the market.

The 203 and the VW Beetle had excellent road holding abilities compared to the rest of the popular cars.

The Peugeot 403 came in later, but this was more expensive than the average vehicle.

The Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac, Chevrolet and Plymouth, the American cars, were the other vehicles used by the rich which were not rare sights as there were no petrol crisis as today and the fairly rich could afford to purchase one of those.

The Studebaker was another vehicle which could be seen along the roads of this country at that time. The Benz 170 also came to Sri Lanka then followed by the 180, 190 and 200.

The Jaguar, which was British, was also popular in Sri Lanka along with the Humber Hawk. The Rolls Royce was also an excellent vehicle used by the Governor General at that time, but very rarely seen on the Sri Lankan roads.

Now all these American and British Marques have disappeared other than Mercedes Benz which is now ruling the upper class car market.

With the advent of the oil crisis in the 70’s these magnificent beauties disappeared almost totally from our roads, and the American and the British car market gave way to the Japanese vehicles. Now the trend continues with Indian and other Asian vehicles giving a tough fight to Japanese models.