Which classic car would you have? (7 Viewers)

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ovduk78

ovduk78

Well-Known Member
Deleted member 5849 said:
Two sides of the same coin. As per above, why bother with an Allegro or Marina, when you've adapted an existing design for foreign markets that could be tooled up as a stopgap for 3-4 years, until you've done a proper job of an 1100 replacement?

Instead, resources spread too thinly.
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Chrysler/Talbot also produced some awful cars at the same time although they were probably controlled by management in France or the US and were maybe trying to create similar models for different markets. Could/should they have done better too?
 
D

Deleted member 5849

Guest
ovduk78 said:
Chrysler/Talbot also produced some awful cars at the same time although they were probably controlled by management in France or the US and were maybe trying to create similar models for different markets. Could/should they have done better too?
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If ever there was a company totally trashed by their paymasters, it was Rootes! Aforementioned Chrysler 180 a case in point. Was originally designed as a Humber, they designed a new V6 engine for it... then Simca ended up doing the interior and engines, so the big luxury saloon ended up anything but.

And the Alpine and Horizon did win car of the year on launch, so their were the basis of half-decent cars, but penny pinching all over the place made them underdeveloped, overly rusty, and cars like the Imp, Hunter and Avenger were allowed to drift well past their sell-by date.
 
Kneeza

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
duffer said:
And for classic cars, in this order please I'd have:

Mk2 Jag - Just the most beautiful car ever built, imho.

Mk 1 Escort - So simple, so pretty, so much fun to drive.

Mk 3 Cortina - Because it's the one that sticks in mind as having the most laughs in when I first started to drive. They still look cool to me. They used to be so cheap!

Extra call out for any Series Landy, as long as you're not in a hurry!

If anyone here has contacts in South Africa, I'm considering buying and importing some of the above whilst they're still alive and affordable. Seriously, there are still some good ones out there...
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My least favourite Cortina.
I had a MK2 1600E in Aubergine in about '73. That was lovely.
 
duffer

duffer

Well-Known Member
ovduk78 said:
Is that a worse crime than providing for it's home market the Maxi, Marina & Allegro whilst Datsun were exporting to us cars like the 100, 120, 160, 180 & 240?
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You could make the case that the Maxi was some way ahead of its time. Not many 5-door, 5-speed hatchbacks in those days.

My personal experience with the older early Datsuns was pretty hateful, not much better than the brit equivalents and probably worse for rust.

My old Hilux is probably still going strong somewhere in Africa though. Come the Zombie apocalypse it'll be cockroaches, Toyota Hiluxes and probably SISU left to rule the world :)
 
ovduk78

ovduk78

Well-Known Member
duffer said:
You could make the case that the Maxi was some way ahead of its time. Not many 5-door, 5-speed hatchbacks in those days.
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My dad had a Maxi 1500L, its' acceleration was on a par as a man on a bike with a top speed not much quicker. Horrible car
 
Grendel

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Deleted member 5849 said:
Two sides of the same coin. As per above, why bother with an Allegro or Marina, when you've adapted an existing design for foreign markets that could be tooled up as a stopgap for 3-4 years, until you've done a proper job of an 1100 replacement?

Instead, resources spread too thinly.
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The whole business was fucked with nationalisation and union domination with zero ability to design products. TheBL cars were shite
 
W

wingy

Well-Known Member
Grendel said:
The whole business was fucked with nationalisation and union domination with zero ability to design products. TheBL cars were shite
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If that was the case and I won't dispute the opinion, although differ on maintaining valuable employment.
How have French/Italian's differed not sure they were any more superior or less unionised than us?
 
skybluetony176

skybluetony176

Well-Known Member
Grendel said:
The whole business was fucked with nationalisation and union domination with zero ability to design products. TheBL cars were shite
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Harris Mann was a good designer, involved in designs such as the Escort and Capri before he left for the BL dollar. After BL he worked for BMW and others. Now works at Cov Uni IIRC teaching car design. His design original for the allegro was actually quite good until it got redesigned by a committee of people who shouldn’t have been allowed near the car industry. It was originally a hatchback, until the committee decided BL already had a hatchback in the Maxi. It also had completely different lines but someone decided that it had to have a 1500 engine in it so the had to make the bonnet taller to accommodate it ruining the whole look of the car.
Roy Haynes on the other hand carried on having “great” ideas after leaving BL like building a runway in the middle of the Thames estuary. I mean, what sort of moron would come up with an idea like that?
 
skybluetony176

skybluetony176

Well-Known Member
wingy said:
If that was the case and I won't dispute the opinion, although differ on maintaining valuable employment.
How have French/Italian's differed not sure they were any more superior or less unionised than us?
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Far more unionised. They just didn’t have a government that gave up on manufacturing so they came through the other end.
 
ovduk78

ovduk78

Well-Known Member
wingy said:
Those triumphs were were something to aspire to have .
The reality was maybe a Herald

Cheap to run , easy to.maintain.


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Jan 4, 2017 - the littlest car no equipment whatsoever no metal on the roof Other countries found that sufficient. Our Canada is so good nature, proper, + chilly.
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They sold an ok Herald 13/60 on Bangers & Cash for around £4000 last week
 
ovduk78

ovduk78

Well-Known Member
Kneeza said:
Just been reminded how much I liked the Ford Corsair.
Bangers and Cash has a V4 Crayford one on this week, which they reckon could top £10k (yes, I know it's in the past, but I don't want to know what it actually made!).
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I'm surprised nobody has said they would have a Zodiac or Zephyr.
Bangers & Cash have a DS23 in their next auction with a guide price of £25k - £30k, now where's my credit card?
 
Houchens Head

Houchens Head

Fairly well known member from Malvern
skybluejelly said:
I would love another 2.8i Capri ..I had one that I paid £250 for back in 89 ,and sold it for £500 six months later ..and it was quite tidy ...they go for absolutely mental money nowadays
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I remember my brother buying a left hand drive, gold coloured Capri, way back in the late 70's - early 80's. Not sure what engine size it was, but I used to love borrowing it! I felt like the dogs bollox, bombing around the Ring Road and then up through Trinity Street and into Broadgate to pose! 😂 😂 😂 Bloody babe magnet it was!
 
W

wingy

Well-Known Member
ccfc92 said:
Without knowing you personally, I could picture you in a Smart ForTwo, but a Smart Roadster on a Sunday afternoon 🤣
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Houchens Head said:
I remember my brother buying a left hand drive, gold coloured Capri, way back in the late 70's - early 80's. Not sure what engine size it was, but I used to love borrowing it! I felt like the dogs bollox, bombing around the Ring Road and then up through Trinity Street and into Broadgate to pose! 😂 😂 😂 Bloody babe magnet it was!
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Afraid mine was a bit of a comedown.
Poorly resprayed Red 1.3 .
After having a shiny Marina ( orange) 1.7 .
Going to brum poly full time I had to rationalize,work in a pub etc .
I particularly remember an Easter trip to Devon and The.brakes going wrong .
After a trip down a hill to a pub/ resteraunt right on the waterfront I had to return up that bloody hill, pausing now and again to pass folk on their way down.
No handbrake and burnt out clutch .
I didn't really appreciate the sniggering from my brother in law who had suggested the excursion.
 
Houchens Head

Houchens Head

Fairly well known member from Malvern
wingy said:
Afraid mine was a bit of a comedown.
Poorly resprayed Red 1.3 .
After having a shiny Marina ( orange) 1.7 .
Going to brum poly full time I had to rationalize,work in a pub etc .
I particularly remember an Easter trip to Devon and The.brakes going wrong .
After a trip down a hill to a pub/ resteraunt right on the waterfront I had to return up that bloody hill, pausing now and again to pass folk on their way down.
No handbrake and burnt out clutch .
I didn't really appreciate the sniggering from my brother in law who had suggested the excursion.
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Had to have a giggle at this, wingy! It reminded me of when my dad passed away in 1971. He always drove big American cars, Chevvys usually. He left his last one to my brother and we drove from Wickford in Essex back to Cov. With hardly any brakes! Had to keep stopping to top up the master cylinder every 50 miles or so. Bloody scary trip!
(My dad with one of his Chevvys!)
.
My Dad with Nicola.JPG
 
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Kneeza

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
wingy said:
Afraid mine was a bit of a comedown.
Poorly resprayed Red 1.3 .
After having a shiny Marina ( orange) 1.7 .
Going to brum poly full time I had to rationalize,work in a pub etc .
I particularly remember an Easter trip to Devon and The.brakes going wrong .
After a trip down a hill to a pub/ resteraunt right on the waterfront I had to return up that bloody hill, pausing now and again to pass folk on their way down.
No handbrake and burnt out clutch .
I didn't really appreciate the sniggering from my brother in law who had suggested the excursion.
Click to expand...
Mine was a Diamond White/brown vinyl roof 1.6GT Mk2.
Had it when I first married the dragon in '82.
I remember her turning up at home in it a little while later and crunching the nearside door on the gatepost (I just happened to be looking out of the bedroom window at the time). She reversed out, and... did it again.
She then reversed out again and scuttled down Coombe Park Rd, not to be seen again for about an hour.
I've forgiven her now ;)
 
W

wingy

Well-Known Member
Kneeza said:
Mine was a Diamond White/brown vinyl roof 1.6GT Mk2.
Had it when I first married the dragon in '82.
I remember her turning up at home in it a little while later and crunching the nearside door on the gatepost (I just happened to be looking out of the bedroom window at the time). She reversed out, and... did it again.
She then reversed out again and scuttled down Coombe Park Rd, not to be seen again for about an hour.
I've forgiven her now ;)
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Haha
I treated my daughter to her first two cars , first for doing so well at school and college ,then uni.
Did what you've just described twice,yes one for each Lol.
 
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