1983 Ford Sierra BASE (Poverty/UN Spec)
Discussion
Although i only stuck to the higher spec'd Sierras, a friend of mine did have a white 3 door Emax version.
Pretty sure the Emax part meant it was the slowest thing on the planet and did the same mpg as a regular 1.6. In fact, IIRC it had a comedy 5th gear that was geared so low it was practically unusable.
Pretty sure the Emax part meant it was the slowest thing on the planet and did the same mpg as a regular 1.6. In fact, IIRC it had a comedy 5th gear that was geared so low it was practically unusable.
Blast from the past!
Back in the day I had a Y-reg Sierra 1.6L, not quite as poverty as yours but still a 1.6 4 speed. I bought it at 2 years old and 12,000 miles, it would be wrong to call it barely run in, it struggled to top 80mph the first time I went on a motorway, within 500 miles it would go, well lets just say, quite a lot faster.
It had the full wheel cover trims and no aero ears behind the rear side windows or the front lip spoiler and yes, it didn't like crosswinds at all, you had to learn not to try and counteract any yaw as the movement was the body moving on the suspension and not the wheels not actually tracking straight, if you followed the natural reaction of correcting it you just made it worse.
My other over riding memory was the rock hard Michelin XZX tyres, at 35,000 miles they had lost only 1.5mm of tread off the front and 2mm off the rear, you couldn't follow a truck round a wet roundabout without struggling with alternating under- and then over-steer. They didn't so much wear out as age harden!
I later had an H-plate Sapphire 1.8LX, a 165,000 mile ex-taxi, bought it in a hurry (for a princely £250) when the gearbox failed on a Pug 309, I liked it so much I sold the Pug after it was fixed and kept the Sierra, with some semi-decent tyres it was a real car to drive, I used some old Cosworth front struts and the cast offs from my XR4x4 and it sharpened it up no end.
Back in the day I had a Y-reg Sierra 1.6L, not quite as poverty as yours but still a 1.6 4 speed. I bought it at 2 years old and 12,000 miles, it would be wrong to call it barely run in, it struggled to top 80mph the first time I went on a motorway, within 500 miles it would go, well lets just say, quite a lot faster.
It had the full wheel cover trims and no aero ears behind the rear side windows or the front lip spoiler and yes, it didn't like crosswinds at all, you had to learn not to try and counteract any yaw as the movement was the body moving on the suspension and not the wheels not actually tracking straight, if you followed the natural reaction of correcting it you just made it worse.
My other over riding memory was the rock hard Michelin XZX tyres, at 35,000 miles they had lost only 1.5mm of tread off the front and 2mm off the rear, you couldn't follow a truck round a wet roundabout without struggling with alternating under- and then over-steer. They didn't so much wear out as age harden!
I later had an H-plate Sapphire 1.8LX, a 165,000 mile ex-taxi, bought it in a hurry (for a princely £250) when the gearbox failed on a Pug 309, I liked it so much I sold the Pug after it was fixed and kept the Sierra, with some semi-decent tyres it was a real car to drive, I used some old Cosworth front struts and the cast offs from my XR4x4 and it sharpened it up no end.
I later had an H-plate Sapphire 1.8LX, a 165,000 mile ex-taxi, bought it in a hurry (for a princely £250) when the gearbox failed on a Pug 309, I liked it so much I sold the Pug after it was fixed and kept the Sierra, with some semi-decent tyres it was a real car to drive, I used some old Cosworth front struts and the cast offs from my XR4x4 and it sharpened it up no end.
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What year was that roughly?, if it was early 90's that was a seriously cheap Sapphire !, my uncle used to trade Sierra's, in '92 he says a big mile LX would make 3k at auction easily.
Ah now that is lovely, and massive kudos to you for restoring it. It would definitely make my head turn if I went past it.
I learnt to drive in my Dad's E reg 1.6L. It was the first car he owned that had electric front windows, a tilt and slide sunroof and, best of all, a rear wash wipe! Unshamed luxury after his T reg Austin Princess.
Keep the updates coming. They're great.
I learnt to drive in my Dad's E reg 1.6L. It was the first car he owned that had electric front windows, a tilt and slide sunroof and, best of all, a rear wash wipe! Unshamed luxury after his T reg Austin Princess.
Keep the updates coming. They're great.
What a cracking car, all the better for being base spec. I have a weird fondness for Sierras as Dad bought a Sapphire new just after I was born in 1993, one of the last as I remember. We had that car for just over 8 years and he looked after it like a baby, it was always garaged and washed/polished on a regular basis. He was not impressed when Mum managed to reverse it straight into my Grandad's Transit tipper!
Best of luck with it, the paintwork looks great and should hopefully stay that way for some time. You can't be too far away either as I recognise some of the photo locations, the windmill is about 60 yards up the road from my Gran's house on Primrose Hill. We're only at Sandy.
Best of luck with it, the paintwork looks great and should hopefully stay that way for some time. You can't be too far away either as I recognise some of the photo locations, the windmill is about 60 yards up the road from my Gran's house on Primrose Hill. We're only at Sandy.
Nice thread, good to see something different.
When I was 7 or 8 my parents had a new dog-nob red Sapphire (H177 JBM) 1.8LX. I remember it being extremely comfortable and almost 30 years later, I still recall the noise it made when locking - the sound of the lock mechanisms actuating, followed by a small "beep" of the horn
When I was 7 or 8 my parents had a new dog-nob red Sapphire (H177 JBM) 1.8LX. I remember it being extremely comfortable and almost 30 years later, I still recall the noise it made when locking - the sound of the lock mechanisms actuating, followed by a small "beep" of the horn
Fat Albert said:
1.6? That were luxury!
My Dad had almost the same spec 1.3 in Red as his second Company car with Tesco in 1983 (his first was a 1.3 Metro!)
That interior was a special kind of harsh grey, but had a very particular smell
I had a later 1.6 and that was underpowered!My Dad had almost the same spec 1.3 in Red as his second Company car with Tesco in 1983 (his first was a 1.3 Metro!)
That interior was a special kind of harsh grey, but had a very particular smell
1.3 in one of those was ridiculous.
Funkycoldribena said:
Fat Albert said:
1.6? That were luxury!
My Dad had almost the same spec 1.3 in Red as his second Company car with Tesco in 1983 (his first was a 1.3 Metro!)
That interior was a special kind of harsh grey, but had a very particular smell
I had a later 1.6 and that was underpowered!My Dad had almost the same spec 1.3 in Red as his second Company car with Tesco in 1983 (his first was a 1.3 Metro!)
That interior was a special kind of harsh grey, but had a very particular smell
1.3 in one of those was ridiculous.
When the Sierra first came out I hired one as it looked so unusual. People actually stopped and stared as I drove by lol.
My mate had one as a company car. We were driving across a field out the back of Brands Hatch and doing handbrake turns in it.
I got some speed up and yanked the steering wheel and handbrake and both the passenger side tyres came off the wheels. Happy days
Nice to see yours has the same non aerodynamic roof bars that grace my 1998 e36.
My mate had one as a company car. We were driving across a field out the back of Brands Hatch and doing handbrake turns in it.
I got some speed up and yanked the steering wheel and handbrake and both the passenger side tyres came off the wheels. Happy days
Nice to see yours has the same non aerodynamic roof bars that grace my 1998 e36.
Funny how the Sierra seemed so futuristic and weird.
Never had one myself but so many memories,
Had a short job with a Plumber as an apprentice and he had one, one day, did one job then off to a pub in Gorton where he got pissed with his mate and two dodgy birds, they swapped cars with his mate and we got chased by Police, we jumped out and then reported it stolen, the details are sketchy but it was a weird day
My Mates dad always had them, he was quite like a sort of Allied Dunbar middle manager but was generally to be found knocking out double glazing in a supermarket, alwasy had an immaculate Sierra, got picked up from various holiday trips in them.
My mate had a pinky gold 2.0 GLSI one, remember him waiting in Stockport whilst we got a kebab after a night out and drunk women got in demanding to be delivered back to Brinnington or whatever thinking it was a taxi. He later had a 1.6 estate as a company car, can remember being stood outside out first house admiring it.
Never had one myself but so many memories,
Had a short job with a Plumber as an apprentice and he had one, one day, did one job then off to a pub in Gorton where he got pissed with his mate and two dodgy birds, they swapped cars with his mate and we got chased by Police, we jumped out and then reported it stolen, the details are sketchy but it was a weird day
My Mates dad always had them, he was quite like a sort of Allied Dunbar middle manager but was generally to be found knocking out double glazing in a supermarket, alwasy had an immaculate Sierra, got picked up from various holiday trips in them.
My mate had a pinky gold 2.0 GLSI one, remember him waiting in Stockport whilst we got a kebab after a night out and drunk women got in demanding to be delivered back to Brinnington or whatever thinking it was a taxi. He later had a 1.6 estate as a company car, can remember being stood outside out first house admiring it.
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