April 6th. 1971

"An outstanding vehicle with a specification which makes a valuable contribution to road safety".

That's how the Right Honourable the Lord Chesham, P.C. described the revolutionary 

'luxury work-horse' - the Range Rover after it had been awarded the Don Safety 

Trophy last night (Monday).

The Range Rover won through in the face of fierce competition in the largest ever entry 

of British and foreign cars and trucks.

Before a gathering of British and Continental motoring journalists at London's Royal 

Lancaster Hotel, Mr Eldon Griffiths, M.P., Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at 

the Department of Environment, who also has a special interest at the Department in 

matters of road safety, presented the 2-ft. high, solid silver Don Safety Trophy to 

Sir George Farmer, Chairman of the Rover Car Company.

The Range Rover is the fifth winner in the Trophy's six-year history and joins a select 

company of outstanding vehicles: the Jensen FF (1966) the Bedford K.M. Heavy 

Truck (1967) the Vauxhall Victor 2000 (1968) and the Jaguar XJ6 (1969) 

No award was made last year.

The Don Safety Trophy is a much coveted annual award sponsored by the manufacturers 

of Don brake linings, to encourage and recognise the efforts of vehicle manufacturers 

and their safety engineers in producing vehicles which make a significant contribution 

to road safety.

Recently the Range Rover has received major awards in Car of the Year competitions 

organised by both a British and a European Motoring Journal.

It also won a gold medal in the coachwork competition of the "Institute of British Carriage 

and Automobile Manufacturers" at the London Motor Show.

The Range Rover is a new concept of motor vehicle. It is the first medium priced car to 

be sold as standard with four wheel drive. This most significant safety feature has 

previously only been available on specialist vehicles designed for cross country work, 

or very expensive low production sports cars.

Other features such as the Orthopaedically designed seating have received world wide 

acclaim, and the complete safety package adds up to an inherently safe vehicle.

Other significant safety features include:

1) Permanent four wheel drive for optimum control under adverse conditions.

2) Dual brake line disc brakes, primary circuit operating two of the four pistons in the 

        front brake calipers and the rear brakes, the secondary circuit operates the other 

        two pistons in the front brakes.

3) Orthopaedically designed seating which gives considerable relief from driver fatigue 

        and also considerable protection in the event of an accident.

4) The seat belts have been designed as an integral part of the seat.

5) Self-levelling suspension provides almost constant ride and handling characteristics 

        whether unladen or fully laden and maintains   a level headlight beam setting.

6) The transmission handbrake gives secure four wheel parking and should both foot 

        brake systems fail, gives emergency braking effective on all four wheels.

7) Extensive window area giving excellent all-round visibility, the bonnet has been 

        designed so that the corners of the vehicle can be easily seen from the drivers seat.

8) All control switches column mounted for immediate fingertip operation.

9) The Two-door steel body unit with corrosion resisting aluminium outer panels mounted 

        on an immensely strong and rigid box section chassis.

10) Energy absorbing steering column which collapses on impact.

11) Impact absorbing fascia.

12) Padded roof lining.

13) Hazard warning system.

14) Fuel tank protected by chassis members.

The panel, chaired by the Lord Chesham, included distinguished men from several fields 

associated with transport and road safety including:

        Alan Baker B.Sc. A.C.G.I. 

        Journalist Consultant

        G A H Cardwell   C Eng. F I Mech

        Chief Engineer, National Freight Federation

        J W Furness   C. Eng M I Mech E Assistant Chief Engineer 

        Department of the Environment

        P W H Haile

        Head of Road Safety

        R. SPA.

        Deputy Asst. Commissioner S Hebbes 

        Metropolitan Police

        R M Livett

        Chairman Lloyd's Motor Underwriters' Association 

        O Stephen Masefield

        Chairman Accident Offices Association 

The panel also gave a special commendation to the Fiat 128 saloon car. This, they felt, was a 

mass production car at the lower end of the price bracket, in which safety engineering has 

played an important part in the design.

With the result that the car offers a very good safety package.

For further information contact:

W D Brookes Cardwell P R Services

British made brake linings are acknowledged to be the best in the world. They are so far ahead of 

their rivals in fact that they are now made under licence or with the assistance of British 

technological know-how, in almost every major country.

It is a little known fact too, that the odds are 3-1 that when a British motorist stops his car, he does 

so with the assistance of a Manchester-made brake lining - DON - manufactured since the turn of the 

century by SMALL & PARKES LIMITED of HENDHAM VALE, MANCHESTER.

DON is the biggest supplier of brake linings and disc brake pads to the British car industry.    

SMALL & PARKES LIMITED have long been regarded as one of Europe's foremost Brake Lining 

Specialists not only for the motor car, but also for commercial vehicles.

Their Scandinavian truck industry, for example, which manufactures some of the largest heavy trucks 

in the world, relies almost exclusively on DON Brake Linings.

Demonstrating their supremacy in the original equipment field are DON brake linings - Small and 

Parkes Limited - on Stand 210 at this year's Motor Show.

DON is currently the biggest supplier of brake linings and disc brake pads to the British motor 

industry with a market share (August figures) of 41 per cent.    

A large proportion of the models shown on the ground floor stands of the motor manufacturers are 

equipped as original with DON materials.

DON 227, the new disc pad material which was introduced a year ago, has made such great inroads 

into the disc pad original equipment market that the production line has been speeded up and supplies 

have been channelled through the DON distribution network to cater for demand on the replacement 

market.

DON 227 is being manufactured in the Manchester factory and at the DON factory at Manage, Belgium, 

from where supplies are sent for the German production of the Ford Taunus (Cortina in Britain).

DON 242 - which was in fact first developed for the heavy commercial market - is mainstay of the 

original equipment drum lining range for passenger cars. This material was specifically formulated to 

combat "drum crazing" in heavy duty applications.   As a heavy duty high friction material it teamed 

up well on the rear of vehicles which had front disc brakes shod with high friction materials such as 

DON 227, where a lower friction or less heavy duty material might not do its share of the work during 

a braking operation.