Which Car Do You Remember with Affection from your Youth?

[Levo-Lon]

NSU Prinz

Hmm they were a bit basic looking

 

[Cycleops]

NSU Prinz

Imagine, driving around in version of Non Specific Urethritis.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Ooh, agricultural you say? My parents first brand new car

View attachment 390902

The magnificence that was the FSO Polonez

When I worked on a London borough I got hit up the rear by one of those while I was waiting at a set of lights. The steel bumpers on the Marina van were barely scuffed but the Polski was a sorry state. It was like a Keystone Cops movie, as we were exchanging details one of the headlights fell out and the bumper dropped to the floor. The bonnet had already been folded and the radiator had steam coming out of every pore. I doubt the collision was at more than about 15mph max yet that shoddy heap was a write off several times over. If the back of a Marina can do that to your car you know you've got problems.

 

[i hate hills]

My 28 " waistline..........

 

[Profpointy]

Yugos didn't seem too bad overall - very basic but they ran. Whereas no amount of gilding could disguise a Lada or a Trabant...

The lada jeep thing was actually rather good. It was a proper off roader which would churn along up to its axles in mud and adequately reliable for the time.

And I recall the Cardiff taxi fleet was 95% lada saloons - because the council had decreed that all taxis had to be less than 3 years old. The drivers just bought ladas and drove them into the ground in contrast to the european taxi fleets of rock solid clean 10 year old mercs with half a million miles on the clock

 

[Profpointy]

I had a chance to buy one of these in about 1980 for £1400 -

View attachment 390881

I was single and earning good money at the time so running and repair costs wouldn't have mattered. I still kick myself that I let it go.

A very very pretty and desirable car. Fundamentally a sound enough car I'd have thought. A proven yank v8 in a nicely made european chassis, should be ok barring normal problems and wear and tear The ff versions rather sophisticated 4x4 has extra engineeing appeal too. Yup, I'd have one, though I dare say prodigously thirsty

 

[tyred]

Ooh, agricultural you say? My parents first brand new car

View attachment 390902

The magnificence that was the FSO Polonez

In later years they were sold with the excellent (for the time) Peugeot 1.9 diesel engine so there was one bit of them to like.

 

[Grant Fondo]

'Affection' may be stretching it but this was the view of my 1300cc Fiat Uno more often than not. I was continually taking the head off and putting in new valves and a head gasket. It rarely started between October and March. I once did a handbrake turn in the wet over a speed hump at about 30mph and had to weld on a new stub back axle, those were the days!

 

[tyred]

When I worked on a London borough I got hit up the rear by one of those while I was waiting at a set of lights. The steel bumpers on the Marina van were barely scuffed but the Polski was a sorry state. It was like a Keystone Cops movie, as we were exchanging details one of the headlights fell out and the bumper dropped to the floor. The bonnet had already been folded and the radiator had steam coming out of every pore. I doubt the collision was at more than about 15mph max yet that shoddy heap was a write off several times over. If the back of a Marina can do that to your car you know you've got problems.

Small commercial vehicles are often very strongly built around the back end in comparison to the car versions though. I have a MK1 Golf based pickup (although it's currently off the road) and many years ago when sitting indicating, waiting for a gap in traffic to make a right turn into a side road, someone completely totalled a late 1990s model Escort up against the back of it. Not sure of the impact speed but Escort's radiator was bust, suspension pushed back and the driver's door wouldn't open and I ended up about 10 or 15 feet further up the road (I had my foot on the brakes). The damage to my pickup - a broken rear number plate and slightly bent bumper. With a new number plate it passed it's MOT the following evening.

The Escort driver said he didn't see me...in broad daylight...what chance have cyclists got...

 

[Salar]

The lada jeep thing was actually rather good. It was a proper off roader which would churn along up to its axles in mud and adequately reliable for the time.

And I recall the Cardiff taxi fleet was 95% lada saloons - because the council had decreed that all taxis had to be less than 3 years old. The drivers just bought ladas and drove them into the ground in contrast to the european taxi fleets of rock solid clean 10 year old mercs with half a million miles on the clock

The Lada 4x4 Niva was quite good. I knew a couple of people who swore by them in the early 90's. I nearly bought one, but bought a Suzuki SJ413 instead.

I remember the Cardif Lada taxis. They all had white bonnets and black bodies.

I think the Ladas also had double skin wing and body panels.

 

[MontyVeda]

Not being a car lover or driver in any shape or form. The only car I really wanted as a child was a TR7. It's the only car I have ever really liked.
The local garage was a TR7 dealer and he let me sit in one back in the day.

It was a white one.
View attachment 390863

Which fool decided it was a good idea to put Morris Marina door handles on it though?

 

[MiK1138]

my Step dad had a Vauxhall Victor Estate, used to love sitting in the Tailgate pretending to be a tail gunner on long trips

 

[Levo-Lon]

Which fool decided it was a good idea to put Morris Marina door handles on it though?

Rolls Royce also filled there doors and other areas of their cars will BL parts

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

I'm told the cockpit of a Cessna is reminiscent of a 1970s Ford Escort due to the number of switches and knobs lifted from Ford.

 

[Cycleops]

Which fool decided it was a good idea to put Morris Marina door handles on it though?

Take your pick, there were a fair few at BL.