General information

Suspension and steering / General information

The front suspension is of independent type with spring struts, lower track control arms and an anti-roll bar. Each strut incorporates a telescopic shock absorber which can be renewed separately in the event of failure. The track control arms are attached to the wheel bearing housings/struts by balljoints. The pivot points of the struts are positioned to give a negative roll in the interests of steering stability. The anti-roll bar which stabilises the car when cornering, also acts as a radius arm for each track control arm. The front wheel hubs are mounted in twin track ball bearings in the wheel bearing housings.

The rear suspension is of semi-independent type with trailing arms located at each end of the torsion axle beam. The shock absorbers are an integral part of the spring struts. The axle beam is attached to the trailing arms behind the pivot points.

The steering is of rack and pinion type mounted on the front of the bulkhead, and the column is of telescopic (safety) design. On early models the bottom end of the inner column is connected directly to the steering gear pinion by means of a clamp, however on later models a universal joint is fitted. Some models are fitted with a steering damper attached to the steering gear end fitting.