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New cars - 1980 style


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Don't know if this is of any interest to any of you.

 

It's from the January 1980 issue of CAR magazine and it's about the 'new' Metro and LC10 Maestro range and it's competitors, Quite funny to read if a little boring in places.

 

Never knew the Mk 3 Escort was going to be called Erika.

 

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That serves as a reminder that current magazines, CAR especially are now really well presented with glossy pages and pleasing fonts.Unfortunatley they are now full of waffling irrelevant shit!For 2 months now, Anthony FFrench Cock has written reams about his bloody Ipod and nothing about the Kia that refuses to connect with it.Oh for the days of clunky typewriter fonts, and well written readable articles.

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Guest Tony Hayers

Erika was the project name for the MK3 Scrote, just like, as mentioned Toni for the Sierra. Also the report claims the Sierra will be launched in 83 with a Hatchback & notchback variant...........Just noticed that the pre-production Escort has Mk 5 Cortina rear lights (much bigger than the standard Mk3 ones).

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It always amazes me how far ahead the shapes of cars were finalised.

Body press panels take a looong time to make. They're also incredibly expensive and it takes a bit of tweaking to get them right so even when the tool is delivered, it's some way off making useable parts.

 

The drawback is that design changes are pretty limited after that point. Going to senior management, cap in hand because you've buggered something up and need to buy a new press tool costing several hundred thousand is bad

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Apparently the styling for the Maestro was finalised about 1978.When Roy Axe, a styling chief, joined BL from Chrysler or Peugeot in about 1981 he said he didn't like the Maestro but he realised it was too late to do anything with it. With the Montego he said 'any chance of starting again'?! :lol: After being told no, he did all sorts of quick fixes, including the plastic cladding around the bottom of the windows - the waistline was all over the place before. The first car he actually got to do properly was the Rover 800 Mk1.

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That's when CAR was a very good mag - and so was Autocar which has been shite for years now.LJK Setright, George Bishop, Steady Barker and Phil Llewellllyyynnn were all legends. I buy old CAR mags, about 20 at a time from autojumbles for about a tenner. That's because they are still a fascinating read. A 1971 Escort Sport vs Opel Kadett Coupe road test will leave you glued to the shitter for a good 25 mins. :-)CAR these days is for iPod wearing Coldplay loving IT Consultants who wear those ridiculous long shorts and Birkenstock sandals. They think 'focussed at the limit' is the only way to judge a car.

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Those CAR "Scoops" pages are chuffing ace; funny to read now, nearly 30 years later, and see how spot on/way off the predictions were. I think the "typewriter" font was a sort-of gimmick for the scoop stuff.They used to do some random old stuff in those pre-Hans Lehmann days, like getting factory workers to describe what a new model looked like, then making a model of it. They did this in one of the '76 issues I have, of a Vauxhall rival for the XJ6 - good job they never made it, as the model looked like an FE Victor on steroids.Surely that "GS Coupe/CX Minus" is just the Romanian Oltcit?

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Those CAR "Scoops" pages are chuffing ace; funny to read now, nearly 30 years later, and see how spot on/way off the predictions were. I think the "typewriter" font was a sort-of gimmick for the scoop stuff.

You're not wrong Reverend Welfare.I was reading a 1976 CAR (bogside of course) and there were details of the new Mark 4 Cortina leaked from a Ford bod who clearly stitched them up like a kipper.According to CAR, the Mark 4 Cortina had all different panels to the '76 Taunus when in fact both cars were identical. Also, they were getting independent rear suspension :lol: and McPherson struts up front plus enlarged 1800 and 2200 Pintos.I bet Mr Ford pissed himself laughing when that was printed. The Mark 4 was just a restyled Mark 3 as you all know. When the 'Four' came out, LJKS raved about the 2.0S and thought the Cortina was a decent car when the weeklies were slating it.CAR were very harsh in the seventies though. Just about every Jap car got a bashing as did real tat like the 1800 Marina but they championed the unsung heroes like the Renner 30, Purr-Joe 604 and said the Alfasud was their best car of the seventies.
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These CAR magazines are very good, I was reading this months Issue last night which was in the same pile as all these other one's i bought and it wasn't a patch on the earlier ones, I had read it all within 20 mins.I also like the fact that in this same 1980 issue they test a Golf 1.3 GLS against a Opel Kadett 1.3S GL and the Kadett comes out top, You wouldn't see a car mag say that now!.And it's made me laugh the comment about reading these i the toilet, That's exactly where these magazine have lived for years!.Also found one from 1989 where they test the Astra CDi and Orion 1600E against the Allergo VDP, Class! 8)

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I love those Fiat 127's. Did they produce this magazine in someone's bedroom in the early 80's? What's with the typewriter??

The mag was about the last to been made up plate makers rather than Mac operators, hence the definition and heavy look. I think they did a piece on the printers them selves when they went to PC produced page set ups.
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