Datsuncog

Renault 21 Savanna facelift, for 1990 model year. 32-page, A4, with nice double-panel fold out showing these beasts in all their glory. My dad really, really liked these and when our R18 estate started getting a bit ratty we seemed to spend every other weekend down the local Renault dealership discussing the merits and demerits of the Savanna. Dealer has written an on-the-road price of £12,880 on the top corner of P.3 for both GTS and GTD Savanna models. We never did get one, but I am very favourably disposed towards these - even if, like the Laguna, many did meet a premature end through getting bridged over a very minor fault, deemed not worth fixing on a car with minimal residual value. Would.

Renault Clio promotional fold-out brochure/poster. A4-ish, 8 panel fold-out. No date, but probably from around launch in 1991 as it makes frequent mention of the 1991 COTY win. This did spend a number of years on my bedroom wall, so there are some Blu-tac marks to the corners. What sort of 11-year old puts a Renault Clio poster up in their room, anyway? Probably the same sort of one that had MG Montego and Volvo 244 pictures up...

Looking up the price and options catalogue reveals it to be a £160 option on LXDT, SRI,GLX and Executive trim levels. Not a popular one, clearly, though I probably would have wanted one, no matter how odd it may look...

**TAKEN** Okay, so we're on to Renners now! Renault - Full Range, dated March 1993. 36-page, weird non-standard size (typically Renault) about as wide as A4 but not as tall. No catalogue number. Some real lovelies in here, including the new Safrane and the Alpine A610 Turbo.

I hadn't even noticed that!! Wow...

Last Pug-related one: 406 Undated and reads like a launch brochure, but comes with a prices and options sheet dated September 1996. Peugeot cat.ref. M/CP 0441 40-page, A4, with fold-outs. I nearly bought a fairly clean HDi flavoured estate one of these a few years back, but had my head turned by an Alfa 156 instead. Not one of my better life choices, it has to be said.

Peugeot - Full Range, Prices & Options List, dated September 1996 34-page, A5, Peugeot cat. ref. M/CP 0700/9.96/75 The 205 still gets a listing, although in 1.8 diesel or 1.6 petrol auto forms only, and with metallic paint and sunroof as the only two available cost options. Cheapest version was £8455 OTR - twenty-one years ago now. At the other end of the scale, you could have spunked nearly £30k on the top-of-the-line SVE 3.0 605. Imagine the depreciation...

**Taken** Peugeot - Full Range catalogue, dated June 1996 28-page, A4, Peugeot cat. ref. M/CP 0644/100 A family friend had a big 605 resplendent in dog-dick red, which they used for many a long year. Last seen about twelve years ago wearing a taxi light, so I'll guess it's long dead now.

On to Peugeot now - brochure for the 405 Estate, dated September 1989. 28-page, A4 with fold-outs. Unfortunately the Peugeot lion emblem was neatly clipped from the front to become part of an art homework on logos and branding. I can, if you like, include the relevant piece of homework containing the clip.

**TAKEN*** Okay, one for Ghosty? Honda Accord Aerodeck, dated 1995. 14-page, A4, with cat. ref. CARM 0020/3.95/50k. Slight damage to the top edge of some of the pages. Stamped by the (former) Honda dealership round the corner from us, so probably another showroom browse rather than a Motorshow grab. I imagine this was another one my dad had a look at, and dismissed because it didn't have roof rails (see also: Citroen Xantia estate, above). In fairness, we did tow a caravan and the bikes went on the car roof, so ease of putting on roof bars was a factor.

**Taken!** Ford Accessories Catalogue. 48-page, A4, Ford cat ref. FD 1726. This one has no date, but I'm going to guess it's around 1989/90, as the Mk3 Fiesta is heavily featured but there's no sign of the Mk5 Escort. Plenty of Sierras, some of which are Mk1s, so they clearly got their money's worth from their pics. 'Cellular telephones' are featured heavily, and in-car entertainment is strictly via cassette, though miserable radio-only and manual tuning options are available for the utterly tightwad buyer. That's all the Ford stuff!

**Taken** Ford Scorpio, dated September 1995. 36-page, A4, Ford ref. FA1263/1 "It's another world" runs the tagline. I did quite like these when they came out, despite the Top Gear 'wide-mouthed frog' jibes. The estate looked better than the saloon, IMHO. Contains details of the Executive, which slipped from being Ford's ultimate luxury version in the days of the MkIV Zodiac to the base-spec model with placcy wheeltrims and a choice of either pale or dark cloth seats.

Ford Maverick, dated October 1995. 26-page, A4, with Ford ref. FA1265/1 These still seem enjoy a degree of popularity among the horsebox-towing fraternity round these parts, along with the Terrano II.

Another Ford Galaxy catalogue, also dating from May 1995 As before, the same 46-page A4, glossy binding, with Ford ref. FA 1214 - but this one comes with a price and options list dated 8 January 1996 (FA1277).

Ford Galaxy, dated May 1995. 46-page A4, glossy binding (to guard against the sticky handprints their real-life counterparts would soon be covered in?), Ford ref. FA 1214. Comes with a price and options list dated 22 June 1995.

**Taken** Ford Probe, dated March 1996. 24-page A4, Ford ref. K100 A PE teacher at school had the first one of these I ever saw, in metallic blue, around early 1994. In winter, he used to drive it right up to the touchline of the rugby pitches and sit inside with the heater on, a mug of coffee and a cig, only stopping to wind down the electric window and gulder at the useless fat lads like me falling over on the hard-as-iron turf and getting stomped on. Consequently, I've always had a major aversion to Probes.

**TAKEN** Mondeo Aspen booklet, dated March 1994. 6-page fold out A4, Ford ref. FA 1174. My dad was very taken with the Mondeo on launch; after two long-term Sierra estates between 1990 and 1998 I'd fully expected that we'd end up with one eventually, but he went leftfield and came home with a Renault Laguna hatch instead. Even if I did join in with the Jalopy magazine 'Mundano' sneering at the time, the Mk1s have worn well as a design... this is still an itch for me that one day may need scratching...

**TAKEN** Another Mondeo brochure, this one dating from October 1995. 44-page A4, Ford Brochure re. FA 1262/1 Nice pics of the entire range, plus options and special editions.

Mondeo launch brochure, dated January 1993. 14-pages, A4, Ford reference FA1110. Some slight rubbing to semi-glossy front.

**TAKEN** Ford - Full Range catalogue, dated February 1994 114-pages, A4, including price lists for 1993 special editions and RS models, a slightly-stuck 6-page A4 leaflet for the Mondeo Aspen special edition, and a free ticket to the Ford Golf Classic ladies' championship in April 1994. Contains such joys as a base-model Escort Mk6 with colour-coordinated bumpers, which just looks weird.

**Taken** Ford Fiesta Mk4. 44-page A4, dated February 1996 and with Ford brochure ref. K325. My best mate bought one of these new in 2000, after he crashed his Mk3 Fiesta. This is it an hour after pick-up. It literally fell to bits within three years and he traded it in against a Rover 200.

Right, a whole stack of mid-90s Ford stuff coming up now. First off is this Fiesta Classic brochure - Ford's way of wringing another few years out of the superseded Mk3 Fezzer to the cash-strapped and/or clueless. [see also Renault Clio Campus] 10-page, A4, dated March 1996 and with the Ford brochure reference K120.

Daihatsu Sportrak. Four page A4 dealer booklet, swiped from the Daihatsu dealer at the bottom of the street, probably sometime in the mid-90s.

Chrysler Voyager - 4 page A4 launch booklet, dated November 1996. Sent to my dad by Chrysler UK after he got collared by a salesman on the Chrysler stand at the Ulster Motor Show (letter included, if you like). We actually got a LOT of correspondence and promo goodies from Chrysler UK, including a set of very arty PT Cruiser photos sent to us without explanation. But we never ever considered buying one.

I may be able to oblige there - Accord Aerodeck, 850 and S40/V40, coming up.