Apparently many popular models are now nearing extinction
www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-3706797/10-common-cars-70s-80s-extinct.html
Apparently only 35 Morris Itals left
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>> Apparently only 35 Morris Itals left
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35 too many. It was carp when new. Colleague bought one new.. it had to have the welding rod removed from the front suspension
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There are some cars worth preserving, but an Ital?
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The car captioned as 'John Lennon's Austin Princess' is a hearse FFS.
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I'm surprised there are still 215 Avengers left, I don't think I've clapped eyes on one for twenty years or more.
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I had three of them, an Avenger in a disgusting lime green, my Dad's old Cortina and Sierra (hatch and Sapphire - both were company cars but I ended up buying the red Sapphire from the company at the end of lease).
Someone must be able to beat that...?
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I had an Avenger in white.... not a great motor..
I wonder how many Triumph Dolomites are left?
I saw one yesterday locally at the roadside ,a 40 year old 1850 , not the Sprint I drove as a company car in the 70's.
I had a chat and a look at it with the keen young lad who owned it.It was a runner and MOT'd until September.
He had the bonnet up and the oily arms of someone who had just removed the starter motor. I did mention that he would probably have to do something about the bubbles of rust apparent around the rear wings and front screens but could not believe how much room there was in the engine bay compared with modern day motors.
He paid a grand for it and pleased as punch with his purchase. Will it pass its next MOT though ?
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Funny thing with Cortinas, you still see the first three variants from time to time but I can't remember the last time I clapped eyes on a Mk4.
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In answer to your question there are 2,318 Triumph Dolomites (all years and models)currently registered.
Check any car here:
www.howmanyleft.co.uk/
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Its kind of difficult to take an article which contains the following quote as a serious piece...
"'Tens of thousands of Itals were built during the 1980s, they are a proud part of our British manufacturing heritage so it is very sad to hear that so few now remain. "
There's a reason most of these cars aren't built any more - they weren't very good.
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On the basis of not being very good, almost everything was. Not that it'll happen, but with a bit of redesign to eliminate water traps, proper rustproofing and decent quality steel, a lot more of virtually everything would have survived.
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>> There's a reason most of these cars aren't built any more - they weren't very
>> good.
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That's part of the reason why most haven't survived, but the reason why even the better ones aren't built any more is because fashion changes every year and 99% of people always want to have the latest they can afford.
I think the only things that doesn't apply to are houses and paintings.
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My ex ex had a Triumph Toledo when we first began walking out. She called it Daisy.
I had a 205Gti (B211 UCP) not seen one of those in a while either
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>> Apparently only 35 Morris Itals left
Nothing wrong with the 1.8TC, it would outdrag an MGB and if you modified the rear suspension it would even go round corners.
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Thought the Almost Extinct title was referring to me for a moment.....:-)
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Re "out drag an MGB". Got me thinking so I looked at the data.
Today's base Nissan Micra would out drag some standard tune MGBs (13.7 secs to 60, versus MGB 11-14 depending on model). Fuel consumption for the MGB was 22-28mpg and the Micra 56 (allegedly).
Performance and economy have moved on. Of course I'd rather have the MGB for fun but the world has moved on, for better or worse.
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Back in the late 70's, I had an MGB Roadster ... automatic!!!
It was soooo gutless when pulling away from standstill, that y'all could roll a snout, light it,
AND have a few drags before the jamjar would even begin to pick up its skirts.
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I hope the Allegro estate is extinct, I am convinced the diarrhoea coloured one that I owned was built with bolts that had threads made out of butter and bodywork made from the builders lunchtime beer cans.
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I remember driving someone's company car - an MGB GT. It was gutless and heavy to steer - rather like a LandRover.
As for Allegros, I had one as a company car.
The sump plug fell off (nearly ) in Scotland, the washers failed and the suspension depressurised - all in the first month from new. Then the window winders collapsed and the roof paint scabbed off.
It was junk.
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Surprised to see there is so few Senators about! - lovely cars!
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I had Senator 2.5, then a 3.0 Omega. Solid fast barges.
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I had a Viceroy. 2.5 straight six.
Loved it.
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I had a column gear change Carlton and tried to change the temperature sensor and screwed the thread right out of the block:(
Pat
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Lotus Carlton at classics on the common, Harpenden yesterday.
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>> Lotus Carlton at classics on the common, Harpenden yesterday.>>
That was an awesome car for its time. Drove one on the Lotus test track at Hethel.
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The data is not really a fair comparison as current 0-60 times are done with the kind of techniques one finds on a racetrack, and are done under the sort of conditions an owner is unlikely to want to achieve.
Older figures were taken with a bit of mechanical sympathy and are easily beaten on the track.
I can get over 100 000 from a clutch in a Morgan 4/4, but used competitively and driving to events, 20 000 and I absolutely lunched it!
This post would have made sense if the forum software had put it below the post I was replying to.
Re "out drag an MGB". Got me thinking so I looked at the data.
Today's base Nissan Micra would out drag some standard tune MGBs (13.7 secs to 60, versus MGB 11-14 depending on model). Fuel consumption for the MGB was 22-28mpg and the Micra 56 (allegedly).
Last edited by: Slidingpillar on Thu 28 Jul 16 at 18:29
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My old man had a Marina coupe in an ugly shade of khaki. I quite liked the thing. It was a rapid cruiser and very driveable, as well as being outstandingly economical on juice.
I wanted to take it over when he got rid of it, but he had taken against it and made me get something a lot more flash and expensive, providing most of the money.
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>> My old man had a Marina coupe in an ugly shade of khaki.
I forgot to specify, a 1.3 litre Marina, not the 1.8 I had tried to make him buy.
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>> I forgot to specify, a 1.3 litre Marina, not the 1.8 I had tried to
>> make him buy.
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I had two of the things, both 1.3. The first was my first four wheeler painted in a tasteful "Doom blue", bought from a bombsite dealer who assured me with interior was damp because he'd left the window open all night. It leaked like a tap without a washer, I used to have to roll my trouser bottoms up in heavy rain (Flairs, who'd have 'em?).
Second was a khaki job, just married and skint so anything did.
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One thing I well remember about the Marina 1.3 was that they would usually 'run on' after being switched orf.
I used to fine tune 'em so that they wouldn't do that but, if the idle speed was even a smidgen above 750 RPM, they would run on and on etc. etc. Quite a few cars did that 'back then' ISTR ... and then there was pinking!!
All good stuff [£££] for us car engine tuners of course :)
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>> One thing I well remember about the Marina 1.3 was that they would usually 'run
>> on' after being switched orf.
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I worked for a London borough where we had Marina vans. One of them would run on for ever after being switched off, we used to sit having our tea break and it would chug away merrily the whole time - and bearing in mind these were 1980's council tea breaks that was for a long time.
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This devious little device came along and usually put a stop to 'running on'
datsun1200.com/modules/myalbum/photos/1006.jpg
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an old gaffer had a marina. and whenever i or another employee drove it , would always get shoulder ache from changing gear. yer and they all leaked
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and whenever i or another employee drove it, would always get shoulder ache from changing gear. yer and they all leaked
Something wrong then. The gearbox on the 1.3 was fine (I had one), and I'm pretty sure the 1.8 was ok too. Hard to find something from that era that didn't leak though...
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>> Quite a few cars did that 'back then' ISTR ... and then there
>> was pinking!!
Johannesburg is at 5700ft, so often when the lads from there came to the coast back in the days, they'd have a problem with run-on, due to their tuning.
Today, local fuel is available in 91 93 and 95 octane.
Inland - above 1200m - there's no 95, as 93 is deemed sufficient.
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I used to fit a lot of these back in the 80's. Tis interesting to see they are still available:
www.johnrichardssurplus.co.uk/car-parts/rover-blmc/rover-anti-run-on-valve-adu9535l.html
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ISTR Vauxhall fitted a damn great valve in the inlet manifold, that opened to the atmosphere when the ignition was switched off.
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I can remember tuned Hillman Avengers at Brands Hatch. An ugly little motor with no apparent connection with speed. Nevertheless someone campaigned them for a couple of years with some success. Forgotten the cat's name, damn!
What I do remember about those racing Avengers was that they were very, very loud and noisy, a crackle you could sometimes hear from the other side of the circuit over the thunder of the 7 litre Ford Galaxies and the yowling of Porsches rounding
You haven't lived until you've heard a Porsche 917 getting wheelspin at 100+ in the rain. Glad I was there.
>> the hairpin where sensible racing enthusiasts cluster.
There or the outside of Paddock Bend. The Ford Galaxies used to lift a r/h front wheel there. They hardly ever got out of shape but zapped through the subsequent sharp dip pedal to metal, a most stirring sight and sound.
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In my foolish youth I raced my 1000cc CooperS at Brands - my local circuit. Bottom Bend was a stinker.
Cadwell Park was a bigger challenge, I reckon. (Driven there and Mallory Park and Snetterton.) Met SWMBO at Snetters !
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" I can remember tuned Hillman Avengers at Brands Hatch "
I thought the works Avengers in their blue/white colours looked quite smart, there must have been others, but memory fades and i can't remember any private ones, or even who drove the works ones, i could Google, but that's cheating :-) so feel free to "edit" !
I had a Hillman Imp in the early '70s, so i do remember the George Bevan Imps driven by Bill McGovern, who won the British Saloon Car Championship for a couple of years. Divided into classes in those days the Imp was a good bet for the small class, and the biggest points scorer became overall champ. None of the big boys wanted to compete in the bottom class of course, outright wins were more important, but ...
Ladas had the same advantage later.
" Paddock Bend. The Ford Galaxies used to lift a r/h front wheel there "
The Imp also used to lift an inside front wheel alarmingly, even in the road car, ( so i was told !) even on these beauties - anyone remember them ? (the crossplies in my case)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ZC00tLj3E
Similarly, i used to like standing on the downhill side of Paddock when the Escort Mexicos were racing, (much closer to the track in those days of course) the quick ones came into view above you, on a four wheel drift, with the front inside wheel desperately trying to maintain contact with the track.
This post has sent me off into the realms of nostalgia, i only watch the BTCC nowadays, the Renault Clios, and the Ginetta Juniors (14-17 year olds, brilliant) but for those who think that Lewis Hamilton outdragging Keke's son into the first turn and then disappearing into the distance is exciting, i have looked this one up.
I wasn't there, but i remember watching it on TV.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cawBXWWgqCI
I suppose we are all of our time, but i would suggest that.. outright speed doesn't necessarily mean excitement, some of the most exciting races i have seen have been Mini7 club races, - was that you Roger ?
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>> One thing I well remember about the Marina 1.3 was that they would usually 'run on' after being switched orf.
Yes, it was the petrol we used to get, coked up the ports. All the carbon raised the compression ratio a bit and improved the performance slightly, but the carbon would get red-hot in places which led to the 'running-on'. The way to make the engine stop was either to shut off the petrol supply completely or earth the ignition.
A whole bottle of RedEx poured down the inlet port and the engine revved unkindly would get rid of some of the carbon. It was all a bit rough-and-ready and rather horrible, made spectacular clouds of smoke.
Has universal fuel injection made this a thing of the past or does it still happen?
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Tue 2 Aug 16 at 14:35
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>>it was the petrol we used to get, coked up the ports. All the carbon raised the compression ratio a bit and improved the performance slightly, but the carbon would get red-hot in places which led to the 'running-on'.
But, but, I used to tune all jalopies back then - anything and everything from Alfa's to Zastava's and,
some jamjars diddit and some did'dnt.
Some, like the 1.3 Marina used to be devils for it, unless tuned by yours truly ...
8-)
Others, as mentioned by Rebel Reliant, used to get in a right old state chug chug chugging away for
(what seemed like) ever.
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Almost Extinct - madf
