Safety Second

As automakers from 20 countries last week displayed their wares at the 53rd Paris Motor Show, which is Europe's biggest, safety came second. To be sure, the U.S.-owned entries, such as General Motors' West German Opel and English Ford, have as standard items in their '67s some of the features that their U.S. cousins have--including padded dashboards and emergency flasher lights. The Europeans, too, are offering disc brakes, recessed knobs and fixtures, both front and rear safety-belt anchorages, plus such equipment as impact-absorbing bodies (France's Renault and Britain's Rover 2000) and built-in roll bars (Sweden's Volvo). Nonetheless, to judge from the reactions of the crowds that visited the Paris auto show last week, speed and styling were far more important than safety. Among the new models:

>Ferrari's Berlinetta Speciale, easily the hottest-looking machine on display, has the snub nose and cropped rear of the Le Mans-winning Ford GT and a three-place seat with the driver's spot in the middle for optimum visibility on the race track. Also, it can unwind its 325 h.p. engine to 180 m.p.h.

>Fiat's squarish, $1,730 model 124 can hit 90 m.p.h. and needs no greasing or lubrication. As the car to be built by Fiat in Russia, it should be the rage of Moscow, where, as of early last year, there were just twelve filling stations.

> Standard-Triumph's sleek Triumph GT6 is a $3,460 version of the small, 105 m.p.h. Spitfire, with a special hardtop and a six-cylinder engine that can reach a top speed of 107 m.p.h.

> Porsche's 91 IS is virtually the same as last year's 911, except for a new top speed increased from 130 m.p.h. to 140-plus m.p.h.. thanks to a 20%-more-powerful engine under its clean, sloping fastback.

>Peugeot's $2,230 model 204, sportiest of all the French lines, a handsome, Italianate design, has a smaller engine than the Volkswagen but at its 86 m.p.h. top speed is 10 m.p.h. faster than the beetle.

> Renault's boxy, $2,760 R-8 Gordini, which also has a smaller engine (103 h.p.) than a Volkswagen, lives up to its flashy racing headlights by being able to hit 109 m.p.h.

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