The Ford Sierra is 30....

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I've only ever seen one base 'grey grille' Sierra on the road - and that was on the M6 heading up to the NEC Motor Show in 1982.

 

That red one is justb lovely - it so badly wants minting up and saving. I wonder if it was the last one left?

 

Sierras weren't bad in smashes, but they were well known for closing up all the door gaps in the event of even a relatively mild rear ender.

[gricer]

Wow. Still alive, says Doovla....

 

 

The vehicle details for GVG 510Y are:

 

Date of Liability

01 11 2012

Date of First Registration

14 07 1983

Year of Manufacture

1983

Cylinder Capacity (cc)

1593cc

CO2 Emissions

Not Available

Fuel Type

PETROL

Export Marker

N

Vehicle Status

Licence Not Due

Vehicle Colour

RED

Vehicle Type Approval

Not Available

Vehicle Excise Duty rate for vehicle

6 Months Rate

£121.00

12 Months Rate

£220.00

[face]

A work mate had a 1.3 Base back in 1989. Had a couple of lifts in it, seemed ok to me but I imagine it wasn't the hottest performer.

[Albert Ross]

I only remember OTH 803Y as the first grey-grille model I ever saw......!

[fordperv]

Im loving that pov spec 5 door I really need it in my life, as with sierras in crashes, I had a small incident driving a sierra, a shitroen xsara Picasso driven by an idiot who pulled out on me when I was doin about 50 - 60 mph in the split second I had to react I saw small children in the back and as impact was going to happen whatever I did so I swerved left on the brakes and hit a parked merc sprinter instead, it luckily only damaged my wing/ bumper and grille, to top it off the stupid fecker didnt even stop to see if I was ok

[cort16]

I've had a couple of Sierras and like them both. One was a mkII 1.6L and the other a three door xr4i. The 1.6 was great but did a clown car on me and literally fell apart with a caliper seizing on, a quarter window falling out and it blowing it's head gasket all in the same week. When it was going I drove it down the back roads from Ayrshire to the borders and it was great to drive. I'd have another one no bother. Infact that's what I was looking for but the TR7 came up instead.

[Negative Creep]

There is something fascinating about the Sierra base. Surely it cost them more money to delveop and fit different mirrors from the rest of the range? Someone find that red one and buy it, so you can be crowned king of Autoshite

[r.welfare]

Nah, the L had the dangly mirrors as well, until the '84 model year.

 

My PE teacher had a beige Sierra base but, in the intervening 20 or so years since I last saw it in the school carpark, I can't remember if it was a 1.3, 1.6 or 2.3D. The latter, naturally, would be autoshite WIN.

 

My old man had a few Sierras, the first one was a 1.6L in Diamond White delivered in the first week of August '83. I seem to recall it was due some time before that and it was a really big event in the household, particularly as it was replacing a V-reg Princess 1700. Might have even been his first brand-new company car, all the preceding ones had been hand-me-downs from departing employees, recycled into the fleet pool (remember when companies actually bought cars, rather than leased 'em?). Dad recollects that several other folk also had theirs delivered, so it was a case of a 'phone call from the fleet manager, "we've had 6 Sierras delivered, if you want a decent colour get down to the car park sharpish!".

 

Anyway it was still quite a rare sight on the roads in those days, to my six-year-old eyes it looked super-futuristic and certainly a step-up from the Prinny. I can remember it having a lot of bother with the VV carb on the summer holiday in Cornwall (the summer of '83 was a very hot one...) but apart from that it was fairly reliable, I seem to recall it racked up something like 120k in the three years we had it. Replacement in the spring of '86 was a red 1.6L, now with the Ghia front end and a manual sunroof (in these airconned days you forget how the great unwashed went crazy for touches like this), only with us for a few months before Dad scored a promotion and inherited a year-old 1.8GL in burgundy, 'colour coded' bumpers and ribbed rear numberplate surround and all. Again, this one did big miles before Dad switched employers in mid-88 and went for a runout Mk2 Cavalier, 1.8GLi hatch. Felt like a rocket after the Sierra but certainly not as roomy in the rear seat.

 

The Sierra made one last entry into the family archives when Dad was provided a 20k mile 2.0LX twink carb, in about 1996 I think, by the boss of a small operation he went to work for after being made redundant. The car was originally an H-reg but his boss had a seemingly endless supply of personalised plates with the company initials on them, so one went on. Probably worth more than the car. In two years Dad took the mileage up to 100k and it was reliable, although more than a bit prone to aquaplaning on the M3 in the wet. This one I drove a bit too, as I was by now of licence-holding age. I recall it went well but felt fairly gruff with it, good gearchange but overlight PAS. The old man seemed to think it would regularly top 40mpg in his hands, perhaps optimistic but then again he must drive like a nun these days, as he swears he used to get 400 miles from a tank in the Accord and I'm buggered if I can do much more than 300 under any conditions.

 

Overall I like Sierras but have not yet owned one myself, I would be tempted by a basic (L or GL) mk1 pre-facelift with a 1.6 Pinto. I have owned a 1.6 Mk2 Cavalier and it would be interesting to compare and contrast.

[AnthonyG]

Ah, the good old jellymould. Mum hired one just after they came out and it seemed like another world with the curved dash compared the '78 Avenger she drove normally. I've driven quite a few when I was worked at a Ford dealer in 1996 - mostly late ones like oldfords, they always seemed pleasant places to be and well put together - think all after about 89 or so were made in Genk.

 

I guess as Mr Average in 1985 weighing up a Cavalier, Sierra or Montego I probably would have opted for the Montego due to the more comfortable ride and handling, although they were by far the worst put together of the three. I've never driven a Cavalier Mk2.

 

Strangely, although having owned several Cortinas and Mondeos, I have never owned a Sierra. A Mk1 Ghia one would be nice one of these days.

[Pete-M]

Don't tell anyone I said this, but a good Chavalier Mk2 isn't bad at all. The 1.8 injection ones were rather sprightly items and the SRi 130 went like stink for its day.

 

As usual, the steering was shit and the handling rather inept, but they were ok otherwise.

 

I'd choose a Sierra 2.0i over one because I like the way the Sierra drives, but a quick Chavalier would wipe the floor with the equivalent Sierra in a straight line, and use a fair chunk less fuel doing it..

[stormee]

I nearly killed myself in a XR4i at 145mph when the car suddenly began to wiggle its tail due to the underdimensioned suspension and rear axle. Sounded like a 2.8i Granny and went really well on the Autobahn though. Drove my uncle's 1.6L once and almost died of boredom, never liked the Pinto note that I knew from Granddad's Taunus and Mom's Capri 2. A 2.0 or 2.3 Ghia Mk1 would be nice...

[Pete-M]

Ahh, stormee, you might be able to answer this.

 

I occasionally see Taunus 2.0 V6 Turbos advertised on mobile.de, and the idea sounds like fun. A 2.0 Cologne with a turbo strapped to it blowing through some wonky old carburettor. Seems to be some sort of really dodgy aftermarket conversion, but I imagine it'd be a grin. Any good, or too rare to know much about?

[JohnDeere]

Despite praising the Cav as an alternative on page 1, I enjoyed the couple of Sierras I drove.

 

First was a B-reg Ghia baddamatic, borrowed from my then other half's aunt to pick up some kids. First auto I ever drove and I was a bit wowed by the Ghia luxuries, compared with my SD3 Rover. The same Ghia spectacularly ran out of petrol on the Dartford bridge soon afterwards when another friend had borrowed it.

 

Then in my early days of becoming a journalist, I was doing a couple if week's freelance work at BRMB in Brum (back in the days when commercial radio stations did news). They had a couple of utterly shite Renner 5s in the pool but these were both out when I dispatched on some urgent reporting mission. So the news editor handed me the keys to his shiny G-reg company Sierra.

 

Still concerned with making a good impression, I was very nervous about doing anything bad to it. Unfortunately the central locking chose that moment to pack up meaning I was unable to lock the thing with the key, and had to leave it open in a very dodgy street in Birmingham. He wasn't exactly pleased when I returned it with the news that I'd broken it, and oddly I didn't get any more shifts there.

[stormee]

Ahh, stormee, you might be able to answer this.

 

I occasionally see Taunus 2.0 V6 Turbos advertised on mobile.de, and the idea sounds like fun. A 2.0 Cologne with a turbo strapped to it blowing through some wonky old carburettor. Seems to be some sort of really dodgy aftermarket conversion, but I imagine it'd be a grin. Any good, or too rare to know much about?

 

Really dodgy they aren't. Must be a May-turbo, they did conversions for Capris as well, officially sold via Ford/RS dealers. Must look up some details tonight. Interesting topic!

[stormee]

So, found something on the 70s and 80s turbos. All V6 turbos in the 70s were May-conversions, in 1980 something 'Werkstuner' Zakspeed made 200 of 2.8 Capri turbo. The Turbo-May all seem to be 2.3 V6 blown up to 180hp, Taunus v/max 190km/h, Capri 200km/h.

http://www.ford-capri.ch/start-d/foto-g ... rbo-a.html

 

Zakspeed Capri: http://www.autobild.de/klassik/artikel/ ... 12594.html

[Negative Creep]

Did just get offered a 1.8lx as a hatch. Very tempting, but had to decline it. Plus it was red, my most hated of all car colours.

[Morgan84]

Yes,red does bring out the worst in a car,especially when its left to go pink or blotchy

[Negative Creep]

This one is actually red. But then that's the whole problem.

[Morgan84]

A nice dark red I can tollerate,but radiant red for me is a turn off,unless its on a certain sports type car