Babies for Britain

In Europe's postwar auto market, small cars have walked off with the honors and most of the sales. Last week at the 38th International Motor Show in London's cavernous Earls Court, British automen put in their biggest bid for the booming '"baby" market. On display, along with such sporty models as the low-slung Singer SMX, went the new Standard Eight ($956) and a larger, more powerful version of the Ford Anglia ($1,008). Feature of the show: the two cheapest production cars in the world. One was the Austin A30, a two-door, four-cylinder, 30-h.p, model costing $938. The other was the Ford Popular, a four-seater austerity model of the Anglia, which will do 65 m.p.h., 40 miles to the gallon. Price: $770.

Since the war, Britain has concentrated on bigger, more expensive cars, primarily to sell them in the U.S. (last year's U.S. sales: $41 million). But it was clear that British automakers now realize that even in the U.S. market there is a demand for small, cheap cars. Even some flashy sports cars at last week's show were priced within reach of most pocketbooks. Sporting a new, light plastic body, the sleek R4 Jowett Jupiter costs $1,526.

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