Originally published in Car and Driver magazine in May 1968.
The time of reckoning is here. All during the year we tell you what is going on with the 4-wheel set. Once a year, you tell us. That’s what the Readers’ Choice selection is all about. Mostly we agree—but not always. And that’s the way it should be. You’re no passive audience, and that’s why we decided some years ago to give you a chance to make your views known. We wouldn’t do it if you were any kind of average constituency; C/D readers are an elite, an interestingly broad cross-section of decision makers who influence car sales to an astonishingly large degree.
That’s one of the important reasons for having a Readers’ Choice ritual in the first place; not only do we listen to what you have to say, so do the manufacturers.
Another reason is that our reader surveys tell us you tend to participate in the world of the automobile. You are doers. It’s all very well for us to say we think the BMW 1600 is the best compact sedan available, and part of our bag is to come right out and say that’s what we think. But you’re the ones who buy the car, and drive it, and live with it for years. It has to make sense to you. We know that what C/D has to say influences you; we’d like you to know that what you have to say influences us as well.
Every year, the categories change to some extent; marketing methods change, cars are built to appeal to a particular segment of American buyers. There is an unending argument about whether we should base our categories on price alone; on performance alone; on function alone; or on whimsy. We’ve tried to arrive at some sort of meaningful compromise.
The degree to which you participate is only partly represented by the ballots returned—most of you have written long, and for the large part, extremely interesting letters on why you chose what you chose. You’re pretty adamant about your selections, and that, for us, is a happy reaffirmation of your involvement with the automobile.
This year we’ve added a Super Car category, because you don’t say it all when you try to stuff sports sedan and sporty car in the same box. That’s increased the number of categories; but it’s a reflection of what’s happening in the marketplace.
We’ve shuffled some other things around, too; all in an effort to categorize what’s becoming an infinitely variable offering from both Detroit and overseas manufacturers.
There are new names on the list, and some much revered old ones have departed: BMW is in, for example, and Jaguar is out.
But the two great favorites of other years continue to appear: VW as the Best Economy Sedan and Corvette as the Best Sports Car Over Three Liters and Best All Around Car. The margin of choice for Corvette as the best everything was as big as ever, but it got a real run for its money in class; Lamborghini’s Miura came within 41 votes of knocking the Sting Ray off its perch.
The Fifth Annual Survey was an astonishing success in terms of return, but it’s important for you to know that it grows in importance so far as the industry is concerned, too.
In that sense, you’re having a significant effect on what’s happening—and that’s only right.
After all, who’s better qualified?
Leave a Reply