Specs You've Never Heard Of Before.

[sco14]

MK2 Escort Harrier around 1980 I think.

[cms206]

MK2 Escort Harrier around 1980 I think.

We had Mk5 Harriers up here but I suspect they were a dealer special; all black three doors with gold stripes and HARRIER on the rear quarters.

 

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[Lacquer Peel]

I had a P10 Primera 'Circuit' for a bit, 2.0 NA diesel, colour coded bumpers, central locking and not much else.

It was quite tail happy, therefore great* for race circuits.

[Ghosty]

We had Mk5 Harriers up here but I suspect they were a dealer special; all black three doors with gold stripes and HARRIER on the rear quarters.

 

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Sure I've read about these before, Scottish only dealer edition iirc.

[egg]

The mk5 escort Sapphire was daft, naming a hatchback using a name associated with the Sierra saloon.

[Pillock]

The Equipe was a Mk2 Onion version of the Eclipse Scrote. base model fitted with a rev counter, rear spoiler and leccy front windows, I think the Onion was a 1.4 CVH though and was available as a 1.8D, one of my uncles had a Bahama blue Eclipse, 1.3 HCS engine, brought it round for me to sort after the hubby of the woman he was having an affair with spray painted all over it

 

Aaah, so I wonder what the points based one was? I was convinced it was the Equipe but a Google shows you're right, it was an Orion.

[Felly Magic]

Trying to shift tin with the impending release of the Mk5 Scrote range I suspect. There was the bizarre Mk3 Fiesta Firefly, which was a Ghia with XR2i alloys, but sold for less than a Ghia, there was also the bizarre XRV van, with the bodykit from the RS parts catalogue, Fiesta LX wheeltrims and a 1.8 diesel engine. Interior was pure Fiesta Popular van

[fraser.innes.3]

My dad bought a Renault 18 which was not in the brochure. Special order only. 1647cc engine, but povo spec. The engine spec usually came with a much higher trim level. It was an ls or something like that.

 

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[Felly Magic]

You could get the Mk3 Granada in 'taxi' spec direct from Ford, not sure how many they actually sold though

[sheffcortinacentre]

Mk2s were avl in taxi spec too.

[Felly Magic]

Ford Escort TDX, basically an LX with the 1.8 TD engine, IIRC was the launch spec for the TD engine in the Scrote

[Mr Bump]

Doesn't that Nova Swing have Chevette door mirrors?

[AndyW201]

The mk4 Escort with the points based extras was the Designer IIRC.

[alfetta]

Must have had a leccy fan surely ?

 

yes but non thermostatically controlled- small engines festers and 1.1 escort had electric fans that ran constantly!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Apologies if my ageing memory bank has mis-remembered or simply made some of these up but this is what I THINK I can recall - 

 

Mk 4 Ford Zephyr Special - Uranium blue, Parchment vinyl roof, Zodiac wheel trims. 

 

Viva X14 - Fourteen (count 'em) extras!   Including radial tyres and electric washers IIRC! 

 

There was some sort of "Gold" Viva too, both of these on HCs. 

 

Hillman Avenger - "Top Hat" which was metallic blue with white vinyl roof and the "Sunshine" Avenger which didn't feature a sunroof (because bendy) but came on a 2 door in pus yellow with grubby white half-vinyl roof. 

  

I believe both Avenger Tiger incantations were actually LE models too. 

 

Triumph 1500 "Silver Label"   I might have made this one up or simply mis-interpreted an old period advert.   Its to do with the front badge changing colour. 

 

Reliant Regal Supervan 21E.    Out-extra'd the Viva X14 with 21 "Free" Extras.   You probably wouldn't want at least 9 of them, though. 

 

Ford Granada Consort - pre-facelift Mk2 with gorgeous metallic green offset with green cloth seats.  Yum.  

 

As well as the aforementioned "Jeans" Beetle I remember a "GT Beetle" on the big screen body and something else in metallic silver-blue that I have forgotten (this one had sporty wheels, too). 

 

As nobody else has yet mentioned them there were those (later) Harlequin things too on Polo and, possibly in some markets, the Beetle itself. 

 

There were also run-out 105E Anglias in metallic gold and silver just as the Escort was being launched.  Strangely, the paint didn't seem to fall off these.... 

 

Oh, and those black Mk5 Escort "100 years of Ford" editions which a bloke at work strived to keep from rotting because he thought it might be worth something one day. 

 

Speaking of black - there was a Princess limited edition in all-black which I cannot think of the name for.     

  

Hillman Imp Caledonian - base model in red (usually or always - can't remember) with I think old Sunbeam wheel trims and a little white coachline.   Right at the end of Imp production I think. 

 

MG BGT  Jubilee models in BRG with gold stripes, these were distinct from the run-out LE models in bronze or silver a few years later.   See also those Jubilee Marinas in Citron with, gasp, tinted windows!      

 

Probably more, but brain is melting.....

I must be as sad as you, because I not only remember most of those but as a kid actually got excited when I found a brochure for them.

Amisuingly the Zephyr Special was named after a completion to name a special edition Zephyr, the winner actually won one. How lame must the other suggestions must have been.

Other memories

Didn't the Consort have body coloured steel wheels.

Don't forget the tartan upholstery in the Imp Caledonian.

I'm sure someone on here has got one of those black Prinesses.

[Junkman]

[Junkman]

Escort Strada

 

[mercrocker]

Further to the Escort Harrier thing, wasn't there a special Escort Anglia for east coast dealers?   Or did I invent that in that weird dream I had about being in charge of Ford GB's marketing strategy?     

 

Pity they never followed up with a Sierra Cortina.  If it's actually true, of course....

[Junkman]

Peugeot 205 GR "Lacoste"

 

 

Take an ordinary 205, fit a glass sunroof, GTI steering wheel and plush seats and dunk it into a bucket of white colour.

Voila, the "Lacoste" is ready!

Or not quite. The crocodile green carpet makes the Eighties statement perfect.

Only genuine with the pair of white wrist sweatbands in the glove compartment!

[Junkman]

Opel Manta Swinger

 

 

What sounds like an invitation to a salvo of salacious jokes was, in 1975, Opel's attempt to boost the run out model.

With the with mundane 75 hp 1.6 LIter-S engine, the Manta Swinger probably only got very hypoglycaemic types swinging.

[Junkman]

Opel Corsa Steffi Spezial

 

 

Steffi Graf became a legend in the eighties.

Opels Dankeschön in 1988 in shape of the Opel Corsa A "Steffi Spezial" was rather a kick in the arse:

Apart from hideous seat covers, the prospective buyer was confronted with such pioneering luxury like a quartz watch,

center console, cigarette lighter, wiper interval switch and 13-inch steel rims with plastic trims.

Suitable for a legend? I think not.

[Junkman]

 

Costing roughly 4,000 quid, Renault threw in two decor stripes, a cassette radio and a glass hatch.

[oldcars]

Fiat Panda Italia 90, trims were class.

[Junkman]

Opel Manta Black Magic

 

 

Black magic is considered an attempt to wreak havoc with magic.

In the case of the 1975 Opel Manta A "Black Magic" that's not unlikely.

It was based on the GT / E and with its 105 HP 1.9L engine very potent for the time.

 

There was also this highly suggestive ad campaign:

 

 

It did work on a still highly pliable 11 year old, let me tell you.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

There was an 806 with Rugby ball headrests, the Roland Garros, I thought, but google images say not.

[Junkman]

VW Golf Rallye Golf
 

 

The "Rallye Golf" special model was made for homologation purpose.

It therefore had epidemic parotitis, four-wheel drive, sport suspension,

sunroof, broadband headlights and, and, and.

It was powered by the 160 PS G-lader engine from the Golf G60.

[Junkman]

VW Scirocco White Cat

 

 

In 1985 VW took the Zeitgeist very seriously and trimmed 832 Sciroccos for maximum brightness.

White trim, white rims, white taillights, it went on inside as well!

Only to be driven with white poloshirt and tennis socks.

[Junkman]

Granada Chasseur (and could some people please stop misspelling that?)

 

 

Beige-brown paintwork, inside is a settee in "Jamaica Brown".

Includes infotainment from of a Blaupunkt stereo cassette radio and is unpleasantly drafty courtesy of a non Breadvan proof sunroof.

With the Ford Granada Chasseur, which is French for "hunter", the Mercedes T-Modell challenger from Cologne tried to entice

Audi 100 Avant masturbators and Citroen CX Break pseudo intellectuals.

Only genuine with the fitted luggage set in the boot.

[Junkman]

Porsche 924 Weltmeisterschaftsmodell

 

 

So bulky the name, so nice the composition, vulgo known as the "Martini-Porsche".

Capitalising on merely two victories in the 1976 sports car championship,

Porsche launched his special model for the common high income folks.

Grand Prix White paintwork met by sponsorship decals.

Only genuine with red interior and racetrack plaques.

[Bianconeri]

Peugeot 205 GR "Lacoste"

 

 

Take an ordinary 205, fit a glass sunroof, GTI steering wheel and plush seats and dunk it into a bucket of white colour.

Voila, the "Lacoste" is ready!

Or not quite. The crocodile green carpet makes the Eighties statement perfect.

Only genuine with the pair of white wrist sweatbands in the glove compartment!

There was also the Roland Garros in white or white, I thing Pug is still doing these on the 108.