One For Classic Car Fans.....

[Deleted member 26715]

They don't have a rust issue because they don't salt their roads, that's the key difference, not climate aiui, so used to make their cars out of cheesy-steel

Semantics, the steel was no different to UK steel, why did they not use salt on the roads, oh yeah the climate

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Ahh Marina,s were an interesting car to own. I had an old ex post office van, that could you hear fizzing away like an Alka-Seltzer tablet in the rain as it turned to rust.
And those lovely trunnion pins that would snap sending the front wheel straight up into the wing.

When I was a kid, a neighbour had a 1800 saloon
His brother-in-law had a coupe
His father-in-law, the estate

All 3 were in Sahara Sand??? (the Camel Trophy Land Rover colour)

 

[Deleted member 26715]

TBF my father had a 1976 1.8, we have a bit of a test, from a junction at the cross roads, down the road around 1/4 mile there is a hump in the road, on very quick cars you can get airborne, but the Marina did a very respectable 85mph as it hit the hump, a little bit squirrely on landing. Had more modern cars that couldn't achieve that

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Semantics, the steel was no different to UK steel, why did they not use salt on the roads, oh yeah the climate

No, not semantics.

Japan's climate is very similar to the UK, and harsher in places. They have other, smarter solutions which avoid the need for salt:

https://blog.japan-partner.com/driv...=The Japanese do not use,where it snows a lot.

https://drivetribe.com/p/why-are-ja...YVQlR_CDGC4wxobt6g?iid=VWcXugn-QGKKCGLP3XhScQ

The comment regarding steel was intended for amusement value, as I suspect you realised. Steel in cars is now pretty well protected by Japanese and most other manufacturers of course. Even Mercedes since the dreadful days of the early 2000s where they rusted for fun
(I know, I had one )

 

[Gunk]

A colleague of mine previously worked for Rover and claims that Honda was the best thing that happened to BL/Rover. Not only did they bring some decent engines and a couple of useful platforms but also insisted on significantly improved corrosion resistance and quality control.

very true, just saw a well preserved early 1990’s Rover 200 on the A34 this afternoon. I’m sure if it wasn’t for the scrappage scheme many more would have survived.

 

[raleighnut]

TBF my father had a 1976 1.8, we have a bit of a test, from a junction at the cross roads, down the road around 1/4 mile there is a hump in the road, on very quick cars you can get airborne, but the Marina did a very respectable 85mph as it hit the hump, a little bit squirrely on landing. Had more modern cars that couldn't achieve that

Same Engine as the MGB, some even had the same twin carb set up.

 

[Ian H]

Semantics, the steel was no different to UK steel, why did they not use salt on the roads, oh yeah the climate

Japan recycled a lot of steel, and earlier methods could include oxides in the recycling.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

TBF my father had a 1976 1.8, we have a bit of a test, from a junction at the cross roads, down the road around 1/4 mile there is a hump in the road, on very quick cars you can get airborne, but the Marina did a very respectable 85mph as it hit the hump, a little bit squirrely on landing. Had more modern cars that couldn't achieve that

My father had a 1974 1.8 single carb Marina, I passed my test in it. It was later handed to my brother and then to me and I built this from it. It's the silver one. I later painted it "Rover Racing Red", but I don't appear to have any photos of it. So the Marina was scrapped when it was 10 years old or so, I MOT'd the Marlin on 5.5.85 and sold it around 1999. It's still on the road!

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Ahh Marina,s were an interesting car to own. I had an old ex post office van, that could you hear fizzing away like an Alka-Seltzer tablet in the rain as it turned to rust.
And those lovely trunnion pins that would snap sending the front wheel straight up into the wing.

This is a close up of the car above. It has the trunnions from a Marina, but allied with a Mini wishbone to allow for a telescopic damper. Still uses torsion bar for the suspension. You did have to keep them well greased, which, to be honest was dead easy, all you had to do was remember!

 

[gbb]

A colleague of mine previously worked for Rover and claims that Honda was the best thing that happened to BL/Rover. Not only did they bring some decent engines and a couple of useful platforms but also insisted on significantly improved corrosion resistance and quality control.

Despite the apparently laughable reputation Rover seem to have, it may well be true that Honda hauled them up in quality terms. Up until only a few years ago, there were lots and lots of old rover 200s (well maybe not the 200s), 400s, 600s, 45s, 75s around long after many of their counterparts from Europe and Japan had disappeared for the most part. An old Rover was a reasonably common sight round here at least...which tells me they werent that bad at all.
I never minded Rovers, they were a great improvement on BLs (I never minded BLs either tbf)

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Watched one of the American based episodes of 'Wheeler Dealers' last night
It wasn't because I like watching Mike Brewer, it was due to the episodes star

M-B 300Turbodiesel estate

One of the few MBs I like, barring the (80s) G-Wagons, & the 'Ponton' saloons

It was even this colour;
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes...813427?hash=item23e579b2b3:g:IhQAAOSwRCZfoCXM

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Watched one of the American based episodes of 'Wheeler Dealers' last night
It wasn't because I like watching Mike Brewer, it was due to the episodes star

M-B 300Turbodiesel estate

One of the few MBs I like, barring the (80s) G-Wagons, & the 'Ponton' saloons

It was even this colour;
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes...813427?hash=item23e579b2b3:g:IhQAAOSwRCZfoCXM

I'd likeone with a manual 'box, colour-matched hubcaps, & those lovely chrome roof-rails

 

[Cavalol]

Watched one of the American based episodes of 'Wheeler Dealers' last night
It wasn't because I like watching Mike Brewer, it was due to the episodes star

M-B 300Turbodiesel estate

One of the few MBs I like, barring the (80s) G-Wagons, & the 'Ponton' saloons

It was even this colour;
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes...813427?hash=item23e579b2b3:g:IhQAAOSwRCZfoCXM

Thought I recognised that, have seen when delivering for work. As nice as it no doubt is, that's a ridiculous price

 

[Profpointy]

I'd likeone with a manual 'box, colour-matched hubcaps, & those lovely chrome roof-rails


View attachment 571632

Modern mercs are maybe the ugliest cars on the road, yet that is genuinely nice, and the earlier ones that others have posted upthread are genuinely lovely

 

[BrumJim]

Modern mercs are maybe the ugliest cars on the road, yet that is genuinely nice, and the earlier ones that others have posted upthread are genuinely lovely

I've never thought of classic Mercedes-Benz cars as being particularly lovely of their time. Yes, looking at the example above it does look great, but that is a combination of a great colour and lots of hours of polishing, showing the lovely paintwork and chrome to a condition better than it left the factory in. However of its time, it was certainly not the most inspiring of designs, being little better than a tarted-up three box estate version in a time when chrome accents were essential on almost any car. In many ways, I think that modern Mercedes cars are much more aesthetically adventurous than these older ones.

Sorry if that is a little strong and offensive. I do love classic cars, and agree that modern cars can all look the same, but this is the criticism that was levelled at these cars too when they were modern. And yes, I would love to own or even have a drive / ride in the Mercedes above, just for the nostalgia and memories of how cars used to be. But there are many others from that era I would much prefer to see.