What did you drive in the 80s?

[hilly10]

I drove a Aztec Yellow Spitfire absolutely loved it. It was my second car and I thought I was the DB
It was a poor second to what I could not afford, but a car I have now TR6.

Not my car but you get the idea.

[Mark A S]

From memory, including the rally cars :

Mk 2 Escort RS2000 X pack
Mk 1 RS1600
TR8 [ Rally car ]
Series 1 Lotus sunbeam
Series 2 Lotus sunbeam
Renault 5 Turbo 2
Gp 4 mk 2 Escort, Ex Rothmans, N/A then Turboed [ rally car ]
2.8i Capri
Sierra 4 x 4 turbo
2.8 911 RSR Replica [ Race and Rally car ]
G3 Escort [ Rally car ]
Sierra sapphire Cosworth

[heisthegaffer]

ian2144 said:

From early 1980 to 1990

Suzuki Whiz Kid new
MG midget 1275
Citroen 2CV new
Fiat Strada 105TC
Volvo 66 estate
2CV “ for your eyes only “ Bond edition
Fiat Panda daily hack
Talbot Samba S/Rallye
Fiat Strada 130TC Abarth
Imp Sport road rally spec weekend toy
Fiat 126BIS daily hack
Daihatsu Charade GTti new
Zastava 311 daily hack

You lucky swine with the 105 and 130. Such special cars.

What were they like... Talk us through them please?

[generationx]

Mark A S said:

From memory, including the rally cars :

Mk 2 Escort RS2000 X pack
Mk 1 RS1600
TR8 [ Rally car ]
Series 1 Lotus sunbeam
Series 2 Lotus sunbeam
Renault 5 Turbo 2
Gp 4 mk 2 Escort, Ex Rothmans, N/A then Turboed [ rally car ]
2.8i Capri
Sierra 4 x 4 turbo
2.8 911 RSR Replica [ Race and Rally car ]
G3 Escort [ Rally car ]
Sierra sapphire Cosworth

Incidentally information from good authority has reached me that this car is now in the hands of Dave Richards, who is getting Prodrive to do a full restoration back to Rothmans/Sutton spec. Said authority is somewhat, er, sceptical of how much originality is left (as I'm sure you can testify )

[ian2144]

heisthegaffer said:

ian2144 said:

From early 1980 to 1990

Suzuki Whiz Kid new
MG midget 1275
Citroen 2CV new
Fiat Strada 105TC
Volvo 66 estate
2CV “ for your eyes only “ Bond edition
Fiat Panda daily hack
Talbot Samba S/Rallye
Fiat Strada 130TC Abarth
Imp Sport road rally spec weekend toy
Fiat 126BIS daily hack
Daihatsu Charade GTti new
Zastava 311 daily hack

You lucky swine with the 105 and 130. Such special cars.

What were they like... Talk us through them please?

I needed to change the 2CV for something more suitable as I was now commuting Glasgow-Dundee.
Local Ford dealer had a demo XR2 advertised, by the time l got there the next day it was sold.
Salesman tried to palm me off with a Fiesta Supersport which was nice, but just not enough poke.
Then he mentioned they had just taken in a sporty Fiat.
So we head off round the back, me thinking a 127 Sport maybe.... then the black 105TC came into view... wow that’s the one for me, only 12k on the clock.
Apart from some Lacquer flaked on a wheel it was like new.
The 105 was fun while I had it and as quick as any other hot hatch at the time, it was the first car I owned with the new style low profile Pirelli’ P6 tyres. Very grippy.
Don’t recall having any issues with it. Sold it after two years as I was getting married and needed extra cash.

I went through a few little runabouts for a while till the 130TC Abarth appeared in the VW garage it was traded in against a 16V GTi.
The larger than life Recaro seats looked fab and were extremely comfortable but made access into the rear seats almost impossible also a little on the loud side with those twin 40’s
Did I care.... not really. Only issue was an qearbox oil seal which was sorted under warranty.
Funny thing the previous owner accosted me while getting petrol one day, saying he wished he had kept the Abarth. As much as he liked the Golf it didn’t have the same character and you had to rev the nuts of the 16V to make it go.

[ukkid35]

DBSV8 said:

first car just after i passed my test in 1984 , Ford Capri 3 litre cologne ....which i still own

First car a couple of years after I passed my test in 1984, Ford Capri 3 litre S Essex, which was nicked and burnt out within 18 months

Managed to drive through the Alps to the South of France twice during that time, this pic is in a campsite in Vallorbe



My next car bar one was this 2.8i a few years later

[AC43]

ian2144 said:

heisthegaffer said:

ian2144 said:

From early 1980 to 1990

Suzuki Whiz Kid new
MG midget 1275
Citroen 2CV new
Fiat Strada 105TC
Volvo 66 estate
2CV “ for your eyes only “ Bond edition
Fiat Panda daily hack
Talbot Samba S/Rallye
Fiat Strada 130TC Abarth
Imp Sport road rally spec weekend toy
Fiat 126BIS daily hack
Daihatsu Charade GTti new
Zastava 311 daily hack

You lucky swine with the 105 and 130. Such special cars.

What were they like... Talk us through them please?

I went through a few little runabouts for a while till the 130TC Abarth appeared in the VW garage it was traded in against a 16V GTi.
The larger than life Recaro seats looked fab and were extremely comfortable but made access into the rear seats almost impossible also a little on the loud side with those twin 40’s
Did I care.... not really. Only issue was an qearbox oil seal which was sorted under warranty.
Funny thing the previous owner accosted me while getting petrol one day, saying he wished he had kept the Abarth. As much as he liked the Golf it didn’t have the same character and you had to rev the nuts of the 16V to make it go.

The 130 was the one that got away. I drove quite a few Fiat's & Lancias with that twincam but never a Strada. And the 130 won a lot of the tests at the time. Sounds like it had bags of character too.

[Composer62]

I had one of these (Also in black) ....



My first "proper" car. I loved it and regretted trading it in for a Colt Starion.

Mine was a "Y" Reg.

[Eyersey1234]

Late 80s I drove a little ride on Thomas the Tank engine

[tonyvid]

Composer62 said:

I had one of these (Also in black) ....



My first "proper" car. I loved it and regretted trading it in for a Colt Starion.

Mine was a "Y" Reg.

I love these, such great proportions.

[TarquinMX5]

DBSV8 said:

TarquinMX5 said:

DBSV8 said:

first car just after i passed my test in 1984 , Ford Capri 3 litre cologne ....which i still own

3-litre Cologne?

H reg 1970 mk1 3 litre fitted with early cologne body kit

Ah, okay; I was thinking engine-wise

[PistonBroker]

An AA pedal car. I loved that thing.

[droopsnoot]

I passed my test in the eighties, and it seems I did most of my car-buying then as well. I wanted a Capri, but they were too expensive, so the next choice was an Escort, which were also too expensive so I bought a 1256 Viva saloon. Not very long after, a mate spotted a 1600 Firenza coupe in a local drive, so I bought that and traded the Viva in for it. Maybe that lasted a year before I stuck it into a ditch and wrote it off, but the same mate spotted an 1800 Firenza in another drive not far from where he'd found the first one, so I bought that.

I messed around with that car a little bit - replaced the blue vinyl seats with a black cloth set from a Magnum, put go-faster spotlights on it, and it was OK until I found this in the local Autotrader for a reasonable price



A little more rusty than I'd have liked but it did the job for a bit, until I then found this, again in the local Autotrader for a fair price



The Sportshatch was relegated to a lock-up garage and the Firenza was my daily driver, for a while at least until it needed some work for an MOT and I bought this from a club member who was emigrating to Australia



I ran that as a daily for a few more years until I had a week off work and got fed up of having to mend something every day rather than actually doing something else. Normal people would have got rid, but I just got another lockup and put it in there, and drove this as my everyday car



I bought it, an Audi coupe 1800, in 1988 with a fairly hefty mileage (67k, for a not-quite-three year old car seemed a lot) and it was nice, very quiet, and just worked. It was quite basic spec, with a carburettor and manual windows. I wanted something a bit better, travelled to "the south" and almost bought a 911T, dropped that when it seemed that it would need a bit of work, and bought this as my daily



This is my Audi coupe quattro, which I then drove for 15 years and slightly over 200,000 miles. I was going to trade it in for my current daily but I couldn't quite bring myself to, so it's in the shed now where I've started repairing the rust that I didn't realise it had.

All of those were bought in the 1980s and run as daily drivers for a while. The first three were sold - the Viva went to the garage that recommissioned the 1600 Firenza, the 1600 was written off and the 1800 Firenza was sold to a mate. The first hatch spent some time in the lock-up, was then sold for someone to restore, and then bought back in 2008 and restored. The Firenza is still with me, and the second hatch was sold back to its previous owner and exported to Australia. Since the eighties, I've only bought one car, my current daily-driver Mk1 TT, which I have now been driving for abuot 17 years.

[AC43]

Composer62 said:

I had one of these (Also in black) ....



My first "proper" car. I loved it and regretted trading it in for a Colt Starion.

Mine was a "Y" Reg.

I saw Harry Metcalfe's video about driving a perfectly restored Volumex the other day - he loved it. Then a black one passed me in the street a few days later and I thought it looked fabulous.

I stuck it in my fantasy garage as something oldish, Italian and interesting but actually quite useable.

[CallThatMusic]

AC43 said:

Composer62 said:

I had one of these (Also in black) ....



My first "proper" car. I loved it and regretted trading it in for a Colt Starion.

Mine was a "Y" Reg.

I saw Harry Metcalfe's video about driving a perfectly restored Volumex the other day - he loved it. Then a black one passed me in the street a few days later and I thought it looked fabulous.

I stuck it in my fantasy garage as something oldish, Italian and interesting but actually quite useable.

Superb. Wish it was mine.

[Om]

Supercars like the Countach were vanishingly rare in the 80s - it was an event to see one on TV let alone in the flesh (unlike nowadays).

The reality was more like some of the above posters - but even the cars mentioned there like the RS2000s, Capri 2.8i, Strada 130TC etc were like supercars - barely attainable and uncommon. Most stuff really was mundane.

For myself in the 80s (I passed my test in 1985) I like many youngsters couldn't afford a car of my own, so borrowed my Mum's Talbot Sunbeam (only 1litre but the sweetest gearchange) and managed to show-off vicariously via my Dad's Cavalier SRi company car. Now that was something.

I eventually got my first car a Mini 1000 about a year after passing my test when I went to Uni (largely because my parents suggested it was much better than using the National Express/other buses to get to and from Uni and offered to get me a cheap car. I suspect it was because they wanted to see me more often). I was one of only two people on my course with a car. I therefore had lots of friends.

My second car of the 80s - a MG Metro followed a couple of years later. Financed with savings from a sandwich placement year. A thing that dreams were made of. Mine at least.

And that is it for the 80s. I drove a lot more 80s cars in the 90s. But that is another story.

[Mark A S]

generationx said:

Incidentally information from good authority has reached me that this car is now in the hands of Dave Richards, who is getting Prodrive to do a full restoration back to Rothmans/Sutton spec. Said authority is somewhat, er, sceptical of how much originality is left (as I'm sure you can testify )

Almost correct, Viking Motorsport built a VERY nice Gp4 Ford Escort Mk 2 Rothmans replica from 1981 which looks Very period correct.
As far as i know There is NO part of that car that has anything original on it. The last "original" period shell when i sold it in 1986 along with the original Log book ["1998 cc Ford Escort Popular" ] belong to a chap i know in essex,

Its possible maybe this year i might get to see it again

[generationx]

Mark A S said:

generationx said:

Incidentally information from good authority has reached me that this car is now in the hands of Dave Richards, who is getting Prodrive to do a full restoration back to Rothmans/Sutton spec. Said authority is somewhat, er, sceptical of how much originality is left (as I'm sure you can testify )

Almost correct, Viking Motorsport built a VERY nice Gp4 Ford Escort Mk 2 Rothmans replica from 1981 which looks Very period correct.
As far as i know There is NO part of that car that has anything original on it. The last "original" period shell when i sold it in 1986 along with the original Log book ["1998 cc Ford Escort Popular" ] belong to a chap i know in essex,

Its possible maybe this year i might get to see it again

My source says whatever has the identity (DKP...) is now with DR, so maybe the chap has moved it on? Interesting story anyway

[Glosphil]

Cortina 2.0 XL(?)
Cavalier 1.6L
Cavalier 1.8SRi
Sierra XR4x4

Enjoyed the XR4x4 but the SRi had much better front seats.

[Yertis]

droopsnoot said:

I passed my test in the eighties, and it seems I did most of my car-buying then as well. I wanted a Capri, but they were too expensive, so the next choice was an Escort, which were also too expensive so I bought a 1256 Viva saloon. Not very long after, a mate spotted a 1600 Firenza coupe in a local drive, so I bought that and traded the Viva in for it. Maybe that lasted a year before I stuck it into a ditch and wrote it off, but the same mate spotted an 1800 Firenza in another drive not far from where he'd found the first one, so I bought that.

I messed around with that car a little bit - replaced the blue vinyl seats with a black cloth set from a Magnum, put go-faster spotlights on it, and it was OK until I found this in the local Autotrader for a reasonable price



A little more rusty than I'd have liked but it did the job for a bit, until I then found this, again in the local Autotrader for a fair price



The Sportshatch was relegated to a lock-up garage and the Firenza was my daily driver, for a while at least until it needed some work for an MOT and I bought this from a club member who was emigrating to Australia



I ran that as a daily for a few more years until I had a week off work and got fed up of having to mend something every day rather than actually doing something else. Normal people would have got rid, but I just got another lockup and put it in there, and drove this as my everyday car



I bought it, an Audi coupe 1800, in 1988 with a fairly hefty mileage (67k, for a not-quite-three year old car seemed a lot) and it was nice, very quiet, and just worked. It was quite basic spec, with a carburettor and manual windows. I wanted something a bit better, travelled to "the south" and almost bought a 911T, dropped that when it seemed that it would need a bit of work, and bought this as my daily



This is my Audi coupe quattro, which I then drove for 15 years and slightly over 200,000 miles. I was going to trade it in for my current daily but I couldn't quite bring myself to, so it's in the shed now where I've started repairing the rust that I didn't realise it had.

All of those were bought in the 1980s and run as daily drivers for a while. The first three were sold - the Viva went to the garage that recommissioned the 1600 Firenza, the 1600 was written off and the 1800 Firenza was sold to a mate. The first hatch spent some time in the lock-up, was then sold for someone to restore, and then bought back in 2008 and restored. The Firenza is still with me, and the second hatch was sold back to its previous owner and exported to Australia. Since the eighties, I've only bought one car, my current daily-driver Mk1 TT, which I have now been driving for abuot 17 years.

I enjoyed reading that - glad I’m not the only one who hangs on to his cars for decades.