Cars that made Britain Great.

[Nigel H-J]

Only been watching this series on TV for a few episodes (Channel 5)and last night the cars ranged from the Robin Reliant, TR7 which should have been a great car but for the rust! Allegro and not forgetting the Morris Marina, whether I watch it because of the brilliant remarks made by the various contributors or recall driving some of these motors which sometimes required the patience of a saint especially when their reliability was in question!

This series certainly brought back some happy memories of cars that I drove during the late sixties and early seventies.

My first car was a Morris 1100 and I loved it, though before buying it I used to hire a few cars back in the early seventies and one of them was a dodgy Morris Marina from a dodgy car hire firm that doubled up as a dodgy garage, the tyres were all well worn but legal and to start the engine it took around five minutes of coaxing before it sprang into life (I had wondered why they had it already running as I came to collect it) and then it was a question of whether it would get you to where you wanted without anything falling off but internally it was very roomy but how I hated the steering wheel!

Decided to take it round Swinderby Airfield when at the gliding club to see what it could do, Bloody well frightened myself as I still remember clearly on a left hand bend on the taxyway the car just wallowed and understeered so badly to the point that I was nearly running out of tarmac and heading towards the grass, really pleased when the time came to hand it back. Incidentally it was the second best selling car in 1973 and regularly in the top five selling cars for a number of years.

I think my all time favourite was the Morris 1000, which was very reliable but others I drove were the Ford Escort, Morris 1800, Mini, Triumph Spitefire, Triumph Dolomite, Turner Sports (which had a specially made Turner Head making it the fastest Turner on the road) oh, and not forgetting a Ford 100, no it wasn't a road going vehicle but an American Ford pickup with a very large diesel engine that was put in it for reverse pulley launches. One of our members (a farmer) put this bl**dy huge diesel engine in and the acceleration was suppposed to be extremely quick so we decided to try it out against a members Lotus Elane. Lined up on 24 and I was to start in third gear the batman signalled the start and we screamed off.......the acceleration was brilliant........but then it happened, the engine died, Pete looked at me and I at him, my immediate thought was after all his hard work putting this engine in I had overreved the bl**dy thing!

Nope, it turned out to be the the fuel pump. After that was fixed we re-ran the standing start with the Elan and the Ford 100 started to pull very slightly ahead but having a crash gear box proved to be the downfall as I had to wait for the revs to drop before going up a gear giving the Elan a clear lead. What fun we used to have in them days!

Regards
Nigel.

[alemaobaiano]

What have you done Nigel? I wake up on a Saturday morning, check out CBFSim as usual, and now I'm remembering the trials and tribulations of the British cars that I had the pleasure(?) of owning,

Cortina Mk II, three Capris (a standard 1.6, a JPS black 2.0S, and a 2.8i), Triumph Herald, Escort Ghia, and last but not least a Triumph Vitesse convertible. I also bought a clapped out Mini for the price of a couple of pints but never managed to put that on the road it was so knackered.

Viewed through my rose tinted glasses they were all brilliant......but a more sober recollection reveals that one Capri caught fire, another suffered a broken gear stick, the Ghia broke the timing belt and wrecked the motor, I had to swap out the Herald diff and the the Vitesse rusted so badly the back end practically fell off. Only the 2.8i worked as expected, and that had to go due to a growing family. That was when I discovered Peugeot and there has been one of those in the garage ever since.

Sadly cars today are too bland unless you bank in the Caymans, and for me they don't generate the same emotions (anger, frustration, despair) as the good old British motor. My current garage holds a 15 year old Peugeot 106 (bought from new) and a 2004 Nissan Pathfinder, both of which start first time, run without trouble and only see a workshop ramp for routine maintenance.

My wife does want to buy a restoration project car though, a Brazilian Gurgel 800. Her family had one when she was younger and I suspect she borrowed my rose tinted glasses.

Right, after that trip down memory lane I've got stuff to do.....

TTFN

[Buggyman]

I keep buying the classic cars mags and spend hours drooling over the cars for sale. Alas, now in my dotage, disabled and never able to climb over/under a mechanical beast without the support of at least two paramedics, all I can do is dream. I still lust after a Ford Corsair 2000E - my brother in law had one and I really envied him, all I had was a Mk II Cortina......

Of course nowadays cars are just computers on wheels and all the same - to do a full strip, decoke, re-bearing and then drive it to work on a Monday wouldn't be possible without a degree in electronics.

Back to dreaming..........


ATB


Allan

[Vancouver]

First car bought for 50 Quid - Ford Anglia. Loved that car sold it on for 50 quid a year later. Only car I ever came out even upon.
second - Triumph Herald soft top - doors used to fly open on bends. Interesting going around Hyde Park Corner at 5 am.
Then I grew up - Rover 3.5 Auto P5 - masterpiece.
and a Rover 3.5S with Denovo tyres - remember them?
Then a Cortina 2000E which got nicked in Ilford never to be seen again
Citroen CX - what was I thinking! AT 8 years old it was scrapped for rust. Money pit.
The rest aren't worth mentioning. Astra, Sierra, Rover 6 series.
Then I moved here
Briefly (for a day) Cadillac Fleetwood which couldn't pass Aircare so I handed it back lol - shame it was nice but thirsty.
Currently Suzuki Grand Vitara - bit of a girls car

[nigelb]

I learned to drive on a Ford Consul and had that until the wiring harness burnt out. After a Chevrolet Corvair, (unsafe at any speed per Ralph Nader) I owned a Triumph Herald Convertible. An easy car to work on because you could almost crawl into the engine compartment - everything was easy to reach. Somewhat hard to start in cold weather and a challenge to get parts for it in the US, but I still enjoyed it.

Nigel²

[adysmith]

After numerous motorbikes (and even more numerous crashes) I finally got four wheels in 1976, a Mk 1 Ford Cortina estate.
I span it through 180 degrees and rolled it into a ditch driving home from work one day - it had crossply tyres and the irony was that it was booked in to get radials the following day!

Two more Cortina estates later and I then bought a Bedford CF van, I had started racing motorbike sidecars and that would just fit in the van. After a year ( and three gearboxes) the van went and back to another Cortina estate with a trailer I built myself.

Eventually gave up the racing and got a Fiesta, then an escort (the hatchback version) - a couple more Escorts later #I upgraded to a (brand new) Orion which lasted me several years before I got an Escort convertible (in the west coast of Scotland???).

After that an Escort saloon (they had stopped calling it the Orion) which eventually seized the gearbox on the M6 en route to a job interview. I arrived 4 and a half hours late for the interview, got the job and I am still there!

That was replaced by a Mondeo, then a Focus C-Max, an S-Max, two Kugas and eventually, my pension lump sum having paid out, a Landrover Discovery, the first non-Ford car (Bedford van doesn't count as a car) I have ever owned and it seats seven folk (local family) and tows my canal cruiser as if it isn't there.

[Dev One]

Memories.....First car was a Morris OHC Minor with a soft top sports 2 seater body. 3 speed crash box, 4 wheel cable brakes (almost non existant braking force). It had a replacement MG block & I added another SU carb. About 1 1/2 turns lock to lock & would do 70 mph!!! B**dy dangerous car really. Bought it for £10 & sold it likewise. Usual vertical dyno problem in that it took 10 miles to burn the oil off the commutator & start charging. Throttle was the middle pedal, which nearly caused me a problem when driving my father's Sunbeam Talbot 90! Took my first test in the Minor which I failed I think because the tester was afraid of the car & the emergency stop was not existent!
Then onto a 1937 Austin 10 Cabriolet, always needed the clutch degreasing every so often (usually threw Fullers Earth powder into the housing...)
After that a 1953 Austin A40 Somerset, always blowing a head gasket. Became a normal job every 5000 miles, got it down to 1 & 1/2 hours. Steering ball joints a PITA as needed greasing & adjusting at about the same time.
Then onto a '63 Vauxhall FB - went rusty under the underseal, so then onto a Hillman Imp Californian ( always overheating & needing water pump bearings until I learnt the trick of adjusting the fan belt so it was just on slipping).
Sunbeam Stiletto followed - fast for a 850 CC engine remember doing 95 with wife & 2 kids up!
More mundane Vauxhall Chevette after that ( inherited from my father). Changed the Stiletto for an Opel Manta, but had to change the carb for a different twin barrel job (can't remember the make ATM).
A series of company Vauxhalls, Rover 1.4 & a Volvo 440 deisel, then back to own cars, two Montego estates first one a 2 litre, the next with a Perkins deisel, both very good very roomy underrated cars. Wife then wanted a Volvo 480 & I decided to have one as well - mine went like a bat out of H**l - even the local garage couldn't believe it! She exchanged her 480 for a Toyota deisel estate which brought us to France complete with 2 dogs & a cat. Sold that & got a LHD Peugeot 307 estate which I kept for 10 years, & last year upgraded to a 2008 1.6 deisel 407 SW. Wife now runs a 2006 1.5 litre deisel Dacia Logan 7 seater MCV having previously owned a beat up Renault Clio followed by a Megane 1.
Like Allan, I find it difficult to crawl under & change oil etc & one needs the kit to understand the electronics......
Keith

[Nigel H-J]

What have you done Nigel? I wake up on a Saturday morning, check out CBFSim as usual, and now I'm remembering the trials and tribulations of the British cars that I had the pleasure(?) of owning,

Really enjoyed reading all your responses, just keep 'em coming in.

Regards
Nigel.

[JohnD]

Very interesting read. My first encounter with cars was when I was learning to drive in the mid 60s. I was very fortunate as I was able to drive the company Morris Minor (went very well), and Ford Anglia (not as good as the Morris) vans. I was taught by a Polish Spitfire Pilot who I worked with. (He told us that he was but we were never sure). We later had a Mini Van, that went very well compared to the Anglia.
I purchased my first car, a 1951 Morris 10 for £10. I had to buy a new battery for it, cost about £7 and sold it two weeks later for £10 - first of many losses. I then bought an Austin A30 for £65 and kept that for a few years and did many miles in it. Very nice car it was to.
I later purchased a Ford Cortina Mk1, it was a 1200cc 3 bearing crankshaft. I remember stripping the engine completely to change the bearings and looking at the parts on the garage floor wondering if it would ever run again. But with the help of my father, it was running again within a few days. Although it wasn't as good as the bigger engine version, I kept if for quite a few years. Within that time I got married and had two children. We travelled many miles to the seaside and also taking a pram with us. The 4 wheels were removed and place in the boot and the body was placed on the back seat and children sat in it. No seat belts then.
I was sad to change it but purchased a 6 months old Hillman Avenger. This was a very good car except for one occasion when we were travelling along a duel carriage way and the bonnet flew open! I was totally blind and could just see the edge of the road though a gap between the bonnet and the nearside wing. Fortunately I knew the road well and managed to pull into a layby that I knew was a few hundred yards away. Luckily the windscreen remained intact and there was no damage to the car other than the two little wings that were created when the bonnet hit the stops. It was a faulty bonnet catch that only locked on the first position.
My next three cars were Honda Accords that I purchased in the 80s and 90s. Very comfortable and other than a cylinder gasket going had no major problems with them. Not British though.
My next British car was a Rover 200 which also had a cylinder gasket go. After a week it went again. The garage tried to claim it was a faulty gasket, although it was free to me I'm not sure if the garage was able to get their money back. This was a good car and we later purchased a second car a Vauxhall Astra in 2006. The first new car that I purchased. Very posh 2 cars in the family!

My next cars were foreign, Honda CRVs' and currently have a BMW Active Tourer.

Will I ever by British again? not sure. I also have to apply for a new driving license next year.

Those were happy days and the tinkering was great fun, although I'm not sure I would want to do it now.

Regards

John