Cars of the 70's

[JOHN HABS 10]

Anyone on here old enough to remember or own:

Austin Cambridge, Ford Corsair, Ford Consul Granada ?

 

I owned an Austin Cambridge way back in 1973 - built like a tank with a smart blue leather interior, I use to spend hours polishing the car making the chrome work shine like glass and when I went out in it, made me feel like royalty.

 

Then I had the Ford Corsair..... not so keen on this one so put it part exchange for a Ford Consul Granada - nice car but was heavy on petrol.

 

Then on, I went into Ford Capri's and had two Mk1's and a MK2 version.

Lovely motor.....not bad on petrol, looked very stylish and sporty.

 

They don't make cars like they use to do now.

[alarmingmark 32]

No they don't rust and fall apart ....

[lien1 10]

Had a few cortinas brill cars ,still see one on the road around the Handsworth area looks in brill condition the cortina was so easy to work on plenty room under the bonnet. no chance to do anything on new cars no room at all

But my best car I had was my reliant Rialto 850cc van very nippy but not so good on sharp bends :D:D

[andrejuan 10]

Yeah my Dad had a Cambridge A55 with manumatic transmission. I was about 6 at the time.

My first car was a Ford Corsair, went round corners sideways at anything over 20mph It's a wonder I didn't kill myself in that thing.

 

Back in those days, everyday cars lasted 10 years or 75000 miles on average (unless they were cosseted), they started to fall apart after that.

[mossdog 10]

No they don't rust and fall apart ....

True!.......I owned lots of cars over the 60s and 70s,V12 E Type,MGBs,BMWs,Fords Austins Etc..............all rustbuckets in various ways except a Lotus Europa JPS special which was fibre glass.,most had rubbish specs!by todays standards..............but great fun at the time.

Had 2 1600Es but my wifes Corsa 1.4 would beat it now in all departments......shows how things have changed!

Edited April 4, 2015 by mossdog

[cozie 10]

No they don't rust and fall apart ....

 

ya cant just lift bonnet n fix em nar got to plug it in find a code find what code is them have ya pants down and empty ya wallett

[alarmingmark 32]

On a plus point you could fix most cars yourself for a £5

Edited April 4, 2015 by alarmingmark
Extra info

[old tup 30]

My first car was 26yrs old when I bought it a 1935 Morris 8,it was a runner but very shabby as it had been under a tarp for years.It took me months of work to bring it back from the brink,the paint on the body was brought back from flat to shiny with Brasso then Johnsons One Step wax!.It had wire wheels all rusted,these I sanded one by one with hemerery paper then hand painted black,inside the red imitation leather was brought to life with saddle soap.On the body the only rust was hand sized blisters on the running boards which were sanded then hand painted with brushless paint,the perished rubber was replaced by glueing on rubber floor matting cut to size.I even got the stop lights to work again,the brass switches were big lumps of verdigree which were cleaned up greased and replaced,inside the back window had a roller blind repaired to working order!.Driving the car was an experience it was all over the road over 50mph and it had a party trick,after a period of time the engine would splutter and stop caused by condensation in the ancient petrol tank!.It was cured in 5 minutes I unscrewed the top off the petrol pump,wiped it clean with a rag,put it together and it started instantly!.Everywhere I went people would look around it admiringly,it did around 50mpg,I ran the car for two years then I sold to a school teacher who kept pestering me for it!.I made a hundred pounds profit on it the only car I ever had to do so,although I ran a couple more and broke even,my old mates reminiss sometimes about my old Morris 8 gone but not forgotten!.

Edited April 9, 2015 by old tup
wrong date

[Lobos 10]

Like most lads of my age I started on motorbikes first, James, frances barnetts then on to bigger bikes like BSA a10s..my first car was a three wheeled Bond Minicar with the Villiers engine on the front wheel..had some great fun with that little car as it was an open top you got socked when it rained but all in good fun then..my first real car was a 1966 Vauxhall viva Ha the box shape one I gave £50 for it,the thing was right rot box sills and wings full of filler holes in the floors,it still ran well and gave me a lot of pleasure bodging it up and painting it bright orange,that car got me going on Vauxhalls and I was Vauxhall a fan from then on,my favorite car that I had was beautiful Vauxhall victor 101 vx/490...green with the white strip down the side column gear change and big bench seat...twin carbs as well so it went like stink for a big car....

Edited April 4, 2015 by Lobos

[mossdog 10]

Like most lads of my age I started on motorbikes first, James, frances barnetts then on to bigger bikes like BSA a10s..my first car was a three wheeled Bond Minicar with the Villiers engine on the front wheel..had some great fun with that little car as it was an open top you got socked when it rained but all in good fun then..my first real was a Vauxhall viva Ha the box shape one I gave £50 for it,the thing was right rot box sills and wings full of filler holes in the floors,it still ran well and gave me a lot of pleasure bodging it up and painting it bright orange,that car got me going on Vauxhalls and I was Vauxhall fan from then on,my favorite car that I had was beautiful Vauxhall victor 101 vx/490...green with the white strip down the side column gear change and big bench seat...twin carbs as well so went like stink for a big car....

My first bike was a James Captain (197cc)...reg, RNN 220.

[Lobos 10]

My first bike was a James Captain (197cc)...reg, RNN 220.

 

James colonel was the best one then with the villiers 1H 225cc engine,chin on the clock you could get nearly 80 MPH out of them,if it didnt size up on you and throw you over the handlebars

[IRONMONGER 10]

I learnt to drive on Dad's Morris Oxford Estate which was huge, and with a steering wheel the size of China. The Driving School had, so I was told, the first Datsun imported into this country, supplied by Portland Autos on West Bar where the Courthouse is.

I passed my test first time on a Thursday morning and in the afternoon went out and ordered a brand new Hillman Imp van from Highfield Motors, after all I had new wealth earning £9 a week.

Swapped that in 1973 for a Sunbeam Imp Sport in metallic Grasshopper Green, what with four headlamps, twin carburettors, alloy wheels and air horns that played 'La Cucaracha' my goodness this really was the bee's knees. Traded it in at Pickford's on Ecclesall Road for a primrose yellow Hillman Avenger G.T. which was fitted with such huge alloys and extra wide Kleber's that I had to take it to Reg Long, at the top of Broomspring Lane, to have the front wheel arches tapped up so that I could turn corners.

Next followed a bright red TR7 coupe from Crabtree and Nichol, which I kept for five years. Just to prove that I can make the same mistake twice I spotted a silver TR7 convertible in Hatfield's on Sidney Street. I went in and asked for that silver car on the top shelf. Hatfield's had a glass fronted showroom on three levels which reminded me of a toy shop. This became a 'collector's car' because I had to keep stopping to collect the bits that used to drop off.