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Marina Shite (Fleet changes- beige-r than ever)


MarinaJosh

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Welcome!

 

Massively impressive collection, especially as you have amassed it without the support*, advice* or indeed encouragement (read, goading) from those of this parish.

 

The first car that I got to drive was my Dad's harvest gold 1.8 super de luxe saloon NYD788L. I doubt it's still out there. A regular weekend activity for me and my Dad was setting the tappets. Sometimes they were quieter after our ministrations, sometimes they were not...

It towed a hired Sprite Muskateer two annual holidays running for which my Dad fitted Autoballons - spring assistors - to the leaf springs and a particularly obtrusive tow bar, and this in turn meant the number plate had to move to above the rear bumper. It was only a few years later I realised how big a Marina boot lid is, due to my Mum's diligent and nothing short of miraculous rebuilding of its edge with aluminium mesh, wob and rattle can, all done on the kitchen floor, through the winter of 1979, prior to its sale - my Dad was about to upgrade to a solara, the only car he ever bought new.

I'll keep an eye out for pics of the Marina and post any I find.

 

Sent from my GT-S5830i using Tapatalk 2

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attachicon.gif10419951_10152354227818214_8878475986651047813_n.jpg

 

I do recall that these ^^ wheeltrims used to rattle like fuck. Drove dad up the wall

 

Even more so if my little bro of I had put a small stone behind one of them

 

we had something similar on a fraud corsair- dad took them off and they hung on a nail in the garage for years

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Damask, one of my favourite colours...

 

Welcome!

 

Massively impressive collection, especially as you have amassed it without the support*, advice* or indeed encouragement (read, goading) from those of this parish.

 

...

I'll keep an eye out for pics of the Marina and post any I find.

I find I am my own worst enemy when it comes to goading. I have literally no willpower and usually accept it is inevitable I will purchase something when I look at it. The Blaze coupe is a prime example. I just went over to have a look, promised my parents there was no way I would buy it, I had no need for it etc etc. I went and looked at it, thought 'yeah that's quite nice but I don't really want it' and before I knew it I owned it. I got back late, parents just said 'you bought it didn't you?'....

 

Thanks for posting your tale, it's always great hearing people's memories of these things. That's why I love shite compared with classic supercars etc. People bodging their bootlids before selling with filler and rattle cans- that's a real part of history there which won't be repeated. It's also great getting reg numbers of cars, even if they are long dead. As said previously I am archivist for the Marina Club. Sadly the build records were lost in a fire so the database I have put together is all we have and proves an invaluable service for people wanting to find out more about the cars and it has only been made possible through people putting reg numbers of their old cars online (and photos are even better!).

 

In other news a few squirts of Plus Gas has free'd the sliding end of the prop. Hardly any grease in it, will reassemble with plenty tomorrow then ready to fit along with gearbox next week.

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A guy around here (Sheffield S8) has a Damask 1.8 saloon on an N plate and I'm sure he has another Marina. You can hear it coming, very distinctive sound.

That'll be Tony. That's his everyday family car, him his wife and two young kids go all over the country in it. He has a MK2 Coupe as well although that's been off the road for a while.

 

Thanks for the comments guys. Not driven anything with a Perkins Prima but I'd be up for that.

 

Just decorated CVF ready for the present run tomorrow...

15697368_10207656673718252_3394559269581

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That'll be Tony. That's his everyday family car, him his wife and two young kids go all over the country in it. He has a MK2 Coupe as well although that's been off the road for a while.

 

Thanks for the comments guys. Not driven anything with a Perkins Prima but I'd be up for that.

 

Just decorated CVF ready for the present run tomorrow...

15697368_10207656673718252_3394559269581

 

 

Is it me, or are Coupe doors actually about the right size?

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Great collection there.

 

There are a couple of Marina's knocking about locally  (Southend-On-Tat),  one is/was an orange coupe SWC229K just round the corner and there is a light brown T reg saloon thats often out and about, Oh and a crimson coloured saloon that I have never actually seen myself but I am told by others who have seen it / papped it. I think that one is also a T reg.

 

Have a soft spot for these cars, in the mid/late 80s my grandad had a blue T reg estate in blue (Pageant blue??) then an A reg Ital estate in red.

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Great thread Josh, thank you for sharing your exploits.

 

My old man bought a 1978 LE Coupe (BUS 575S) at four years old, it lasted another four years and then went for scrap. The things I remember most about this car were the Webasto-style roof, the striped seat fabric and the incredible clutch judder it had when pulling away!

 

No photos I'm afraid but here's a photo of a similar car

post-17494-0-72639400-1482591220_thumb.jpeg

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I'm a fan of a good marina and have often wondered why comparable cars have had a better public image despite being exactly the same specification wise, outside of rather old Siamese port engines and heroic levels of under steer characteristics in large engine cars all of the typical car attributes stack up similarly among its contemporaries.

 

back in the mid 90s we were ferried around in an X plate 1700HL Ital estate which I remember fondly as the 108mph car (on the clock), I would love to have a marina estate now if I could put any faith in the trunnions of which failed 3 times for us back then

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Tony is a postie is he not?

Not sure!

 

Is it me, or are Coupe doors actually about the right size?

 

There are some photoshopped mock ups out there with longer doors but I quite like the long rear 3/4 look. The back is a bit claustrophobic as a result though

 

Great collection there.

 

There are a couple of Marina's knocking about locally  (Southend-On-Tat),  one is/was an orange coupe SWC229K just round the corner and there is a light brown T reg saloon thats often out and about, Oh and a crimson coloured saloon that I have never actually seen myself but I am told by others who have seen it / papped it. I think that one is also a T reg.

 

Have a soft spot for these cars, in the mid/late 80s my grandad had a blue T reg estate in blue (Pageant blue??) then an A reg Ital estate in red.

 

I remember seeing the orange one on eBay and was tempted. I know Angrydicky has seen the maroon one. I quite fancy that if it ever comes up for sale...

 

I'm a fan of a good marina and have often wondered why comparable cars have had a better public image despite being exactly the same specification wise, outside of rather old Siamese port engines and heroic levels of under steer characteristics in large engine cars all of the typical car attributes stack up similarly among its contemporaries.

 

back in the mid 90s we were ferried around in an X plate 1700HL Ital estate which I remember fondly as the 108mph car (on the clock), I would love to have a marina estate now if I could put any faith in the trunnions of which failed 3 times for us back then

 

I have never had a trunnion fail weirdly enough. The trick is greasing them regularly. BL said every 3,000 miles- more like every few hundred!

 

The press when they first came out was very positive but as time went on they struggled to keep up with competitors (particularly foreign cars which usually had a much higher spec and nicer drive). But when compared with Cortinas, Escorts, Vivas etc there's very little between them!

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The Cortina 3/4/5 had disgraceful handling - seriously poor. Neutral up until the low limit then catastrophic ploughing understeer or oversteer if you turned in early to try and pre-empt it.

 

I've never driven a 1.8, but a 1.3 Ital on telescopics was a tidy handler A shame BL didn't rob the McStilson front struts from the Dolomite.

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When I lived in Hayes about half a mile away from me there was a poorly Mumford Marina Convertible under a tarp in a front garden of a house on the Uxbridge Road.   The car was purchased and collected by someone from a Marina forum; I think there was a bit on here about the collection. The car supposedly was at one stage owned by Linda Lucardi.  Just wondered if this car ever made it onto the road.  There was a red Ambassador parked next which may well still be there, I put a photo up of the Austin a while ago.  

 

Picture027-1.jpg

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Up until around 6 years ago i'd regularly see an old boy in a very careworn limeflower saloon, complete with roofrack loaded with ladders. I think it was a K or an L reg. I've not worked in Southport for 5 years now, but i'd usually see it pottering around the seafront and Marshside areas.

I've a strange lust for the Marina myself and despite being a serial cortina owner i think it's a better looking car.

A TC is a fabulous looking thing.

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Michael Young who used to frequent these parts (can't remember his username) had six or seven Itals and Marinas, likewise a bloke I know who works for Abellio Scotrail has about half a dozen Itals too.

 

I have no Marina stories of my own sadly, but my 4ft 8in tall mother-in-law's first car was an orange 1.8TC saloon.

 

Top introduction though fella, 112%/10 would read again.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

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Yes I've spoken to Michael a few times, think he still has them

When I lived in Hayes about half a mile away from me there was a poorly Mumford Marina Convertible under a tarp in a front garden of a house on the Uxbridge Road.   The car was purchased and collected by someone from a Marina forum; I think there was a bit on here about the collection. The car supposedly was at one stage owned by Linda Lucardi.  Just wondered if this car ever made it onto the road.  There was a red Ambassador parked next which may well still be there, I put a photo up of the Austin a while ago.  

 

Picture027-1.jpg

 

Yes it did! It was a mate of mine in Cambridge who bought it. The bodywork was done by a guy called Frank on the Isle of Wight (Marina Club founder/president and runs a bodyshop called Austin Morris Services) and it hit the road a few years ago. It now lives down Eastbourne way with another Club member after he sold it a couple of years ago. Quite a lot of parts from my old blue saloon are in it!

 

542315_10151044057878214_1629851698_n.jp

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