Three Litre
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Oscar 24
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Post by Three Litre on Feb 10, 2021 20:20:21 GMT
I actually like Marinas a bit. I drove a 1.3 once and they were reasonable sellers and were easy to work on. I thought the 2 door version was quite stylish Easy to work on - that counts for a lot IMO. I did once have a Mini, briefly back in '79 but it was a heap and my dad made the trader take it back for a full refund. I never did any work on it but it strikes me Minis weren't easy to work on, very tight under the bonnet.
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Feb 11, 2021 16:14:06 GMT
The TC Coupe looked a nice motor but was old hat underneath. Anything Ford was far better in this era.
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Post by D.C. Burtonshaw on Feb 11, 2021 20:27:14 GMT
My Grandad had an M reg 1.3 saloon Marina about 1980-83, maroon/cherry type colour. They were one of the top 10 best selling cars in the UK in the 70's and were bought due to being a straightforward car. BL I think developed it, as they also wanted a slice of the market who bought a conventional front engine, rear wheel drive car, for those that didn't go for the more technically advanced 1100 etc (although that was Britains number 1 seller until 1972 when the MK3 Cortina, knocked it off that spot). It's was also thought of as a replacement for the Minor, launched the same year as the Moggie ended production. The build quality didn't have a great reputation, but many buyers were happy and the boot space on the saloon was particularly good.
Ford were better at marketing, knew what appealed to buyers, were able to style many of their cars the right way, and created the right image for them! There are some car enthusiasts today, who say that Fords are over-rated and over valued now, and criticise the Marina too, due to them not being technically interesting and not the best to drive compared to say Alfa Romeos or Citroens, but the Ford range had quite straightforward engineering, ease of parts supply etc which buyers and DIY mechanics would rather have had back then.
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Post by Gene Hunt on Feb 11, 2021 21:13:19 GMT
You can do it in an MG, apparently. Gene.
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Feb 12, 2021 7:15:04 GMT
It would be a bit tight to do all the things I love in it. I would give it a go though rather than stay indoors.
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Post by Dirty Epic on Feb 12, 2021 20:02:16 GMT
You can do it in an MG, apparently. Gene. Any chance of Cheryl Kennedy? Nice find again Gene, like the Marina ad BL almost had a chance of a decent line up back in the '70s which they for millions of reasons screwed up sadly!
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Feb 12, 2021 20:26:48 GMT
Yes they did have potential for a good range of cars. The Mini, at the bottom of the range, was a winner and I think the 1100/1300 with sensible development and a lot more rust proofing could have carried on instead of the Allegro. I would have improved the Marina with better suspension, and ditched the Maxi. Maybe the Princess, with some improvements could have been a competitor, given a hatchback rear door.
In parallel, the Triumphs were decent cars, I liked the 2000 and Dolomite, and the SD1 River was a good car let down by quality issues. Also, BL had all the British sports cars, apart from the handful of cars made by specialists like Lotus and Morgan so they had this market sewn up.
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The Saint
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Swinging London - 1967
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Post by The Saint on Feb 14, 2021 9:20:52 GMT
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Post by Gene Hunt on Feb 14, 2021 11:15:08 GMT
A selection of Rover P6 adverts. The Saint Interesting advert this as we see the Rover turning out or Old Bailey into Holborn Viaduct. Just 2 or 3 years later, Bill was driving Jack around the same corner in Sweeney 2 (Note the pillar box through the windscreen of the rover) Gene.
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Three Litre
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Post by Three Litre on Feb 14, 2021 16:11:33 GMT
Actually, isn't that George Carter tailing the Rover in that Triumph 2000 they used in a couple of episodes? Poppy was one.
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