For those interested in old cars.

[Wolseley]

I took the 15/60 down to the mechanic for its annual registration inspection and it passed with flying colours.  There were some other interesting vehicles there, so I'll be posting a few more photos once I've downloaded them from my phone.

[alastairq]

Appropriate for this forum,perhaps?

[Dunno if it's come up before, not got the will to do a search]

 

Those were the days..?   {When one could feel happy taking one's Aston for a thrash?]

 

 

[Nick C]

11 hours ago, MrWolf said:

I remember one of my friends having a Volvo 300, it had been rolled and patched up badly. Both doors on the passenger side stuck out at the top. The propshaft had developed a fault and because it was expensive to replace, it had been turned around and welded up. Which meant that if you needed to change the clutch, you'd need to drop the back axle or pull out both engine and box. It was noisy, thirsty, handled like the refrigerator it was obviously styled after and was generally awful to drive. Another friend had a primered 121 two door with lowered springs and that, despite being 20 years older and pretty battered, was like something from a different planet. 

The propshaft on the 300s runs at engine speed too, the gearbox being at the back.

 

A friend of mine had (I believe still has) a 340 with a Renault injection engine in it (they used the same block) - the problem he soon found was that the drivetrain wasn't quite up to the extra power, so the bellhousing failed, and once that was repaced, the prop went too... 

 

I had a 360 at one point (for which I paid a whopping £60, early-mid 2000s), with the more powerful 2L engine from the 200 series - that had a different design of propshaft to the smaller engined versions, using a torque tube rather than an exposed prop. Not great to drive, but very comfortable, and pretty cheap to insure as a student...

[Rugd1022]

[russ p]

10 minutes ago, Rugd1022 said:

 

Great picture Nidge. If that's a genuine Mexico Great way to devalue it with a webbasto roof! 

[woodenhead]

3 minutes ago, russ p said:

 

Great picture Nidge. If that's a genuine Mexico Great way to devalue it with a webbasto roof! 

I think the slightly out of alignment drivers side front wing and what looks like rust developing around the front wing on the passenger side might be a bigger killer to it's value.

 

My first car was an ex police Mark 2 Escort - a great car to drive about it, pity about the leak into the front passenger well - cannot believe I sold it to someone who was fully aware of said leak for a few hundred quid to be replaced with a rather nice early Mark 2 Cavalier.

[alastairq]

1 minute ago, russ p said:

Great way to devalue it with a webbasto roof! 

 At the time, could the owner really care?

 

At the time, all Escorts were merely cheap transport, or 'fun' motors [motorsport chariots being a tiny percentage]...

Indeed, for a punter looking to buy a new car, would a Mexico Escort attract quite so much as one of the others in the Escort range? Or, one of the other manufacturers rampant in the day?

I can recall, back in the day, a used Mex often signified a thrashed Escort!   Perhaps only attractive [at the right price, low hundreds?] to someone actively involved in club motorsport?

 

I had an allergy to a new Mex, in the day. A colleague had one [from new,, a Mk2]...and my simply getting into it instantly made me start to feel queasy. Turned out to be the plastics used in the dashboard...

Navigating in a Toyota Corolla in 12 cars, and I was quite fine, queasy-wise.  

Nowadays, I dare not take my eyes off the scenery, for fear of vomiting,  & dizzy spells, so when offered the chance of navigating a chum in 12 cars, I was most apprehensive...visualising mainlining quells.  Besides, my near eyesight isn't too clever these days [needing reading glasses], and a bright light....Reckon I'm better off marshalling these days?

[Oldddudders]

ISTR that the original publicity for the Mk1 Mexico centred upon "We brought it back from Mexico" in ref to the Ford win in the 1970 London-Mexico World Cup Rally. But some time afterwards, when Mexico sales were healthy, it changed to a pic from Harley Street, w the caption "Doctor's car" as research showed a number of medics had bought one.

 

As far as rallying was concerned, there were jibes about Mexicos running out of puff on long uphill stretches, which seemed to be countered by observations that a well-driven Mex would equal a less-well-driven RS1600 any day.

 

I felt the Mk2 Mex had less provenance and image, even before the prettified Mk2 RS2000 upstaged it. 

[Kickstart]

16 hours ago, MrWolf said:

I thought that it might be,a friend's mother had one when I was a teenager and she would give three or four of us a lift into town. It was a pale yellow with strange very squashy black  velour seats that you slid about on going round corners. It was a clattery but very reliable old bus. I can't remember the last time I saw one in the UK, must have been about 1990. They're even a bit thin on the ground in the FSU.

 

A load were imported in the mid 1990s, but fitted with Rover K series engines I think. Saw a few locally as the importer was based in Stafford.

 

14 hours ago, Northmoor said:

The FSO Polonez was considered to be probably the worst new car for sale in the UK at the time, but there was clearly still a market for such a cheap new car.

I noticed the Volvo 300 at the back, next to the Maxi.  They also a reputation as the geriatric's car (and some of them were driven by people who really should have surrendered their licences), but I can't remember the last time I saw one.  I nearly bought one about 25 years ago when a neighbour was selling his for £85 and I thought it might be cheap way to maintain my no-claims discount, but fortunately I come to my senses and just ran a 600 Suzuki until going on my girlfriend's car insurance instead.

 

Think those small Volvos had quite a revival in value as a cheap and basic RWD car that become popular with those into drifting.

 

All the best

 

Katy

 

[russ p]

8 minutes ago, Kickstart said:

 

A load were imported in the mid 1990s, but fitted with Rover K series engines I think. Saw a few locally as the importer was based in Stafford.

 

 

Think those small Volvos had quite a revival in value as a cheap and basic RWD car that become popular with those into drifting.

 

All the best

 

Katy

 

 

I knew there were diesel versions fitted with Peugeot engines but didn't realise there were K series ones . They would be the only saloon fitted with an in-line K series 

[doilum]

1 hour ago, russ p said:

 

Great picture Nidge. If that's a genuine Mexico Great way to devalue it with a webbasto roof! 

Not if the Webasto was on the original paper work.

[Kickstart]

12 minutes ago, russ p said:

 

I knew there were diesel versions fitted with Peugeot engines but didn't realise there were K series ones . They would be the only saloon fitted with an in-line K series 

 

Think FSO used quite a variety of engines. Presume with the K series being engineered for use in Caterhams and Scimitars , a rwd saloon was a pretty easy swap in.

 

All the best

 

Katy

[Rugd1022]

M6, J30 for Preston in 1975....

 

 

 

[Northmoor]

9 minutes ago, Rugd1022 said:

M6, J30 for Preston in 1975....

 

 

 

Nice lane discipline in the other carriageway.

[Nick C]

3 hours ago, alastairq said:

Navigating in a Toyota Corolla in 12 cars, and I was quite fine, queasy-wise.  

Nowadays, I dare not take my eyes off the scenery, for fear of vomiting,  & dizzy spells, so when offered the chance of navigating a chum in 12 cars, I was most apprehensive...visualising mainlining quells.  Besides, my near eyesight isn't too clever these days [needing reading glasses], and a bright light....Reckon I'm better off marshalling these days?

 

I gave up navigating on night rallies a few years ago after finding I was getting ill more often - it just got to the point that it wasn't fun any more. Rarely got to the point of upchucking though, more the losing the ability to focus on the map properly.

 

Before that though, the very-well-sorted Mk1 Mex that one friend had was very much the most fun car to navigate in. Sideways at every opportunity...

[big jim]

1 hour ago, Rugd1022 said:

M6, J30 for Preston in 1975....

 

 

 

So it’s always been a nightmare that junction  looking at the line of cars coming from the M61 direction. 
 

similar viewpoint today, the M61 slip road now runs to the right of the trees and joins the opposite side of the bridge the photo was taken from 

 

Edited October 19, 2021 by big jim

[woodenhead]

9 minutes ago, big jim said:

So it’s always been a nightmare that junction  looking at the line of cars coming from the M61 direction. 
 

similar viewpoint today, the M61 slip road now runs to the right of the trees and joins the opposite side of the bridge the photo was taken from 

 

 

Probably the start of a bank holiday weekend - caravans to Cumbria plus trippers to Blackpool.

[big jim]

Tell me about it, off to cumbria myself on Saturday to the caravan after work and absolutely dread hitting junction 30 to 33 at the wrong time! 
 

 

[Hobby]

First motorway in the UK! I have the opening brochure for it somewhere, though I didn't drive it myself until '75 when I passed my test! Dad used it all the time, though, he was a commercial traveller in the 50s and 60s and his various Austin Cambridges went up and down it lots of times as we lived SW of Preston and his patch went up to Carlisle. Over Shap in convoy with other reps and lorries on Sunday nights on the A6 in the snow pre the M6! 

[russ p]

1 hour ago, big jim said:

So it’s always been a nightmare that junction  looking at the line of cars coming from the M61 direction. 
 

similar viewpoint today, the M61 slip road now runs to the right of the trees and joins the opposite side of the bridge the photo was taken from 

 

 

I know this isn't the best resolution picture but I don't know what any of thse vehicles are but know all of them on the 75 picture.  The red maxi is an early cable gear change one that had a very similar dash to a mk2 Cortina.  Both had design input from Roy Haynes

[woodenhead]

27 minutes ago, russ p said:

 

I know this isn't the best resolution picture but I don't know what any of thse vehicles are but know all of them on the 75 picture.  

It's quite easy - there are cars, vans, caravanettes and a lorry. 

[alastairq]

16 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

caravanettes

 Motor caravan, perlease...

 

Looks like a white van as well?

Which s a surprise, cos normally they don't register on modern cameras...

Spot the drug-driver?

[doilum]

8 hours ago, doilum said:

Not if the Webasto was on the original paper work.

Back in the mid 80s I was the proud owner of a mk 1 RS2000 with a Webasto. Apparently, whilst it had been possible to walk into an RS dealership and order a bespoke car, the dealers often ordered the poverty spec ( steel wheels, no graphics, non custom interior) and then fitted the Webasto. These were aimed at the customer who wanted to drive away the same day with a sporty saloon. I have yet to discover if the soft roof was fitted at AVO or if the cars were diverted en route to the dealer. 

The RS 2000 was only a shade behind the BDA engined RS 1600 but was as easy to drive and maintain as the Cortina it was based on. The introduction of the MK2 RS models was delayed due to the number of unsold RS 1600s in the dealership. The Webasto was wind and rain proof and only slightly noisier than sound proofed steel item. Above all, it was evidence of a competition free past.

[doilum]

Drove it's first 15 metres in almost as many years today. Not that far away from an MOT now.

[Oldddudders]

On 19/10/2021 at 21:17, doilum said:

The RS 2000 was only a shade behind the BDA engined RS 1600 but was as easy to drive and maintain as the Cortina it was based on. The introduction of the MK2 RS models was delayed due to the number of unsold RS 1600s in the dealership. 

I feel Ford put a lot of effort into finding a successor for the Mk1 Cortina Lotus. That car had image by the bucketload, but I'm not sure any of the high-tech, high-end successors ever aped that. Others had transplanted 2-litre engines into Mk1 Escorts before the factory version appeared, and that simpler and cheaper installation, with more modest servicing demands, suited all but the die-hard every-hp counts types - and pub boasters. I feel I saw very few RS1800s, compared to the Mk1 RS1600. And the Mk3 RS1600i, with limited power advantage but a different suspension set-up from the XR3i, was even less visible.