1983 Ford Sierra BASE (Poverty/UN Spec)
Discussion
Such a pleasure reading this, really enjoyed the commitment to this lovely old car. My first memory of the Sierra was getting alift home form a school trip in a ghia model and being very impressed by the small display which showed if the doors were open or shut. My dad had an Audi 100cc back then, which was poverty spec and this bit of magic tech amazed me! A friend of my dads had a 3 door 1.6 in the same red, on an A plate, we had a day on Brighton seafront sat inside it whilst it poured with rain outside. Egg sandwiches and space raiders. Such simple times! Keep up the good work!
j4r4lly said:
This is brilliant. Well done for keeping it going.
I dropped a car off at a small garage a few years back and was offered a courtesy car for the day. It turned out to be a 1984 Sierra 2.0 GL in beige with chocolate brown interior.
I wasn't too impressed but as it was just for the day it didn't really matter. What surprised me was how well it drove. Really smooth, comfortable, decent performance from the 2.0 Pinto and relaxed in 5th at speed. This one had starship mileage on it and was just an old hack but, but it was still a decent drive and must have been excellent when new. It was a lot of fun to drive something so different too and I went home and then back to the garage via the scenic route just to enjoy the car.
Keep the post coming.
Yes love the updatesI dropped a car off at a small garage a few years back and was offered a courtesy car for the day. It turned out to be a 1984 Sierra 2.0 GL in beige with chocolate brown interior.
I wasn't too impressed but as it was just for the day it didn't really matter. What surprised me was how well it drove. Really smooth, comfortable, decent performance from the 2.0 Pinto and relaxed in 5th at speed. This one had starship mileage on it and was just an old hack but, but it was still a decent drive and must have been excellent when new. It was a lot of fun to drive something so different too and I went home and then back to the garage via the scenic route just to enjoy the car.
Keep the post coming.
As for the 2 litre n/a ones, the one I really like was the 2.0iS
They went well
Of course the 2-litre turbo ones were another level altogether
What a magnificent read, bringing back many memories of these back in the 80's and 90's.
My Dad was a Ford man back then.
S reg Cortina 1.6 GL
W reg Cortina 2.0 Ghia (loved that car)
A reg Sierra 2.0 Ghia
C reg Sierra 1.6 GL (backward step, which I learned to drive in, maybe that's why he got it!)
E reg Sierra Sapphire 1.8 GL (I blew this up pretending to be Francois Delecour!!)
G reg Sierra 2.0 GLX (twin cam with the MT75 gearbox, what a car!)
One of our friends Dad had a Sierra 1.6 L back when we had the 2.0 Ghia, it was unbelievably crap compared to ours.
Great thread, bravo
My Dad was a Ford man back then.
S reg Cortina 1.6 GL
W reg Cortina 2.0 Ghia (loved that car)
A reg Sierra 2.0 Ghia
C reg Sierra 1.6 GL (backward step, which I learned to drive in, maybe that's why he got it!)
E reg Sierra Sapphire 1.8 GL (I blew this up pretending to be Francois Delecour!!)
G reg Sierra 2.0 GLX (twin cam with the MT75 gearbox, what a car!)
One of our friends Dad had a Sierra 1.6 L back when we had the 2.0 Ghia, it was unbelievably crap compared to ours.
Great thread, bravo
Great thread,keep up the good work.My first memories of Sierras was my Dad hiring a 1.3 base model in beige,A***HLE from memory.It had all the early base features:the mirrors,no wheel covers,the grey grille and no head restraints.I also recall him really having to row it along to make any progress!!We had the vehicle for a week and,for reasons that escape me now,it was replaced with a Y-reg 1.6L in blue.
Over the years I have driven many different mainstream models but the standout ones were a metallic blue C-reg 2.0iS and an F-reg 2.0i Ghia in gold,great cars at the time.
Also have fond memories of a good friends Y-reg 1.6 Ghia in Crystal Green!That was fairly rare even back in the day.
Over the years I have driven many different mainstream models but the standout ones were a metallic blue C-reg 2.0iS and an F-reg 2.0i Ghia in gold,great cars at the time.
Also have fond memories of a good friends Y-reg 1.6 Ghia in Crystal Green!That was fairly rare even back in the day.
Good to see one still going!
In laws had a pair of white 3 door (Cossy shaped shell) base models, think they may even have been 1.3 litre. Definitely four speed boxes and as basic as they came.
We borrowed one when we bought our first house, must have been about 1990.
A50VOL where are you? The 3 door bodyshells would be worth a fortune now...
In laws had a pair of white 3 door (Cossy shaped shell) base models, think they may even have been 1.3 litre. Definitely four speed boxes and as basic as they came.
We borrowed one when we bought our first house, must have been about 1990.
A50VOL where are you? The 3 door bodyshells would be worth a fortune now...
andy43 said:
Good to see one still going!
In laws had a pair of white 3 door (Cossy shaped shell) base models, think they may even have been 1.3 litre. Definitely four speed boxes and as basic as they came.
We borrowed one when we bought our first house, must have been about 1990.
A50VOL where are you? The 3 door bodyshells would be worth a fortune now...
Untaxed since 01 June 1995 according to DVLA, so almost certainly gone forever. Unless it is lying in a yard somewhere waiting for some enterprising restorer to pull back a tarp and "save" it...In laws had a pair of white 3 door (Cossy shaped shell) base models, think they may even have been 1.3 litre. Definitely four speed boxes and as basic as they came.
We borrowed one when we bought our first house, must have been about 1990.
A50VOL where are you? The 3 door bodyshells would be worth a fortune now...
When I was doing my City and Guilds, my mechanical tutor at the Colchester Institure in 1990 (Keith Essam) used to work for Ford in the 70s and 80s (or Fords as everyone used to say).
He told me the story of a couple of hundred brand new early Sierras parked on the key side at the docks (Harwich?) for 6 years until they rotted away.
Their was some problem with water ingress and rust proofing on the very early cars from the factory leading to seam corrosion and rejection of large numbers of vehicles which were supposed to be scrapped.
In fact in the mid nineties I remember attending closed Ford Auctions at BCA (Measham) where hundreds of 2/3 year old Fords that had been bought back by the company under warranty were sold back into the trade with "water seam ingress". They hadn't learnt their lesson!
It is amazing this beauty has survived.
He told me the story of a couple of hundred brand new early Sierras parked on the key side at the docks (Harwich?) for 6 years until they rotted away.
Their was some problem with water ingress and rust proofing on the very early cars from the factory leading to seam corrosion and rejection of large numbers of vehicles which were supposed to be scrapped.
In fact in the mid nineties I remember attending closed Ford Auctions at BCA (Measham) where hundreds of 2/3 year old Fords that had been bought back by the company under warranty were sold back into the trade with "water seam ingress". They hadn't learnt their lesson!
It is amazing this beauty has survived.
politeperson said:
When I was doing my City and Guilds, my mechanical tutor at the Colchester Institure in 1990 (Keith Essam) used to work for Ford in the 70s and 80s (or Fords as everyone used to say).
He told me the story of a couple of hundred brand new early Sierras parked on the key side at the docks (Harwich?) for 6 years until they rotted away.
Their was some problem with water ingress and rust proofing on the very early cars from the factory leading to seam corrosion and rejection of large numbers of vehicles which were supposed to be scrapped.
In fact in the mid nineties I remember attending closed Ford Auctions at BCA (Measham) where hundreds of 2/3 year old Fords that had been bought back by the company under warranty were sold back into the trade with "water seam ingress". They hadn't learnt their lesson!
It is amazing this beauty has survived.
I can well believe it, although my experience has been the opposite.He told me the story of a couple of hundred brand new early Sierras parked on the key side at the docks (Harwich?) for 6 years until they rotted away.
Their was some problem with water ingress and rust proofing on the very early cars from the factory leading to seam corrosion and rejection of large numbers of vehicles which were supposed to be scrapped.
In fact in the mid nineties I remember attending closed Ford Auctions at BCA (Measham) where hundreds of 2/3 year old Fords that had been bought back by the company under warranty were sold back into the trade with "water seam ingress". They hadn't learnt their lesson!
It is amazing this beauty has survived.
In 2016, three weeks after I bought this car, I also had another Sierra. That is still on the road and believed to be the oldest one still in existence in the UK (Oct 1982 reg). That was absolutely rock solid underneath too. So much so we checked both the VINS and, amazingly, they were Dagenham built.
I bought this in 1996. 
I sold it to buy this.
I bought the Xr4x4 back and still own the Cosworth. My Sierras have given me many fond memories over the years. The subject of this thread is now rarer than mine a very cool car in it's own right. I'm really pleased that it's being cared for properly and enjoyed.
BTW, my Mrs looks much the same way if she has to go anywhere near mine too. 😊
I sold it to buy this.
I bought the Xr4x4 back and still own the Cosworth. My Sierras have given me many fond memories over the years. The subject of this thread is now rarer than mine a very cool car in it's own right. I'm really pleased that it's being cared for properly and enjoyed.
BTW, my Mrs looks much the same way if she has to go anywhere near mine too. 😊
BorniteIdentity said:
I can well believe it, although my experience has been the opposite.
In 2016, three weeks after I bought this car, I also had another Sierra. That is still on the road and believed to be the oldest one still in existence in the UK (Oct 1982 reg). That was absolutely rock solid underneath too. So much so we checked both the VINS and, amazingly, they were Dagenham built.
Just mentioning the ultra early one, was it dark green? I remember it being said that the Sierra was available in Cortina colours for a very brief window close to launch.In 2016, three weeks after I bought this car, I also had another Sierra. That is still on the road and believed to be the oldest one still in existence in the UK (Oct 1982 reg). That was absolutely rock solid underneath too. So much so we checked both the VINS and, amazingly, they were Dagenham built.
LanceRS said:
I bought this in 1996.
I sold it to buy this.
I bought the Xr4x4 back and still own the Cosworth. My Sierras have given me many fond memories over the years. The subject of this thread is now rarer than mine a very cool car in it's own right. I'm really pleased that it's being cared for properly and enjoyed.
BTW, my Mrs looks much the same way if she has to go anywhere near mine too. ??
Fabulous. Absolutely fab. I sold it to buy this.
I bought the Xr4x4 back and still own the Cosworth. My Sierras have given me many fond memories over the years. The subject of this thread is now rarer than mine a very cool car in it's own right. I'm really pleased that it's being cared for properly and enjoyed.
BTW, my Mrs looks much the same way if she has to go anywhere near mine too. ??
I do toy with the idea, from time to time, of buying a Saph Cosworth. Unfortunately, all you seem to find under £20k are cars with 15+ owners who have systematically bottled it the second something needs fixing. So you end up paying hand over fist for something that's never really been loved. The ones you'd want to own are now the price of a house in the North of England which, actually, I'd rather buy.
Lovely cars.
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