Dealer Special Shite

[Pillock]

The choice of options was pretty limited and I may not have remembered them correctly, but I'm sure the spoiler was one.

Also, with the points and "pricing" of the options, you were pretty much guided down certain paths.

 

Disclaimer - it may not have been the Eclipse. Every time I read what I wrote a little bit of doubt creeps into my mind. But it did exist, it came in that same colour or blue (as did the Eclipse, with natty toned bumpers), and it was around 1990-1991 as my mum had a 1988 Escort, and had just won £200 of Ford accessory vouchers ironically as she was about to hand her Escort back and lease an Astra. I remember the adverts in the dealer as we went to spend her vouchers. And every time I click on a 1991 Escort in that colour, it's an Eclipse.

[fiatdaft]

I do remember seeing them in a nice shade of blue as well,must have been trying to get rid of the stock of accesories before the new escort came out?

[overrun]

I have never seen an Eclipse without a spoiler, or in red or blue, either.

[Lord Sterling]

This picture is coming up as Malware for me

I've now re-hosted to the picture as I originally linked to it directly from a Russian MGRover site.

[Vince70]

I can't find a picture of it but I remember my neighbours years ago buying from Bristol street motors in Bromley a car called an Escort Comet.

 

It was based on a Base 1.3 escort but had a colour coded Hella Cow catcher fitted to the front and a colour coded standard grill and a pin stripe stuck down the side with a comet and had standard hubcaps and wheels it looked terrible and said I wish I could afford an XR3i.

 

It was meant to celebrate Halley's Comet coming round in 86 but what it really represented was we have to get rid of our old base stock diamond white Mk3s before we get stuck with them as the Mk IV will be out next month.

[Marshall]

I think the aforementioned Escort was called the Bonus 90.

[Pillock]

Bonus 90 was just partway between a Popular and a Popular Plus. Definitely low-rent.

[fiatdaft]

Nope ,definetley blue escort eclipse,dozens on google image search.

[Hendry]

I think the Escort must be the winner of most shit special editions by a country mile, just can't remember what were official specials and which were dealer ones, so far I've remembered the mk6 Escort Mexico, Silhouette, Cabaret, Osprey, Flight, Freedom, the mk5 Sapphire,

 

The mk3 Astra had a few too, the Atlas, Arizona, Epic, Arctic, Expression, Premier, to name a few, again I can't remember which we're official and which were dealer ones.

 

Also, was the mk3 Cavalier Concept a dealer one?

[ProgRocker]

I remember in the late 1980s the parents of a girl from my class replaced their crappy car (can't remember for the love of God what it was - Viva maybe?) for a brand new mark 2 Ford Fiesta (D or E reg). I used to see it after school when they picked her and her brother up from school.

 

Anyway, this Fiesta looked like it was based on the Billy Basic 'Popular' spec but it didn't have the 'Popular/Plus' sticker/badge on the boot, it said: 'Baby.....F-something or other' on it (couldn't read it as it was in joined up italic script). I drew a blank on that one back then I still do today. Could have been a dealer special from either Busseys or Spruce Howlett Ford dealerships nearby.

[ProgRocker]

The mk3 Astra had a few too, the Atlas, Arizona, Epic, Arctic, Expression, Premier, to name a few, again I can't remember which we're official and which were dealer ones.

 

My parents bought a damaged repaired 1993 Astra California, which I think was an official one. Based on the  poverty Merit spec, it had the 1.4 Hi Torq engine (60 ps) and green stripes. My dad asked the mechanic to fit power steering on it.

[AndyW201]

The Escort that came with points to use on extras was called the 'Designer' IIRC. You could choose from an (unpainted) XR3i rear spoiler, front spotlights, pop up sunroof, white wheel trims, or an upgraded Ford digital rad/cass I think, and was based on the 1.3 popular. I remember Paula Yates, of all people, advertising it on TV at the time..

 

I remember a few stripes'n'tat specials from our local garages,

 

The Peugeot dealer had the 205 and 309 'sunseeker'. The 205 got the usual 'special graffix', pop up sunroof, radio and body colour wheeltrimz! Attractive. The 309 got all that plus a horrid bodykit (think it was the Kat one) and a spotlight front grille. Best of all though, every 'sunseeker ' came with a free sunbed! A half canopy with the 205, and a full double one with the 309. Staggering...

 

Our local Nissan dealer came up wih a special edition to shift the last of the B12 Sunnys. The usual stripes were added, some 1980s equivalent of poundshop trimz, and a strange half-vinyl roof affair, which stopped short of the C pillar, like on the Hiilman Avenger GT, wih the inevitable pop up roof again. They called it..... the Cabrio!

 

The Ford dealer did a few of the last Mk2 Fiesta populars up as the VIP special.... Two tone paint, with silver lower half, some 80s stripes, some 'VIP' logos on the back quarters, along with the lucky* owners initials !!!!12. There were white wheel trimz, as fitted to the Festival II, a pair of Ford driving lights and the console and radio from the popular plus. Quite effective at hiding the fact it was basically the bottom-rung 950 pop actually.

 

When I started my YTS scheme at Reg Vardy Rover, They were doing a pair of special edition Metros called the Flame and Racing. As you can guess they were based on a Flame red or BRG Metro Clubman, with pop up roof again, white roof, white bonnet stripes and white wheel trimz, with the same Flame or Racing decals as on the Minis. They were quite smart actually, I was surprised ARG didnt do something similar at the factory, though they were getting ready to launch the new Metro at the time.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Vauxhall Chevette Special Editions 1975-1984

 

bullet Sun Hatch - has tilting sunroof, tinted glass and radio as standard.

bullet (Car does not have any Sun Hatch badges).

bullet Black Pearl - based on ES.  Black paintwork with Silver Strobe stripes.

bullet Silhouette - based on ES.  Black paint work with Strobe stripes.

bullet Special - based on L version.

bullet Starlight and Midnight (See below)

 

Vauxhall Chevette Starlight and Midnight.

 

 

 

 

[AndyW201]

Wow, never seen a Shoveit with the strobe stripes and RoStyles, they look really smart. Always seen them in Silhouette form with the strobe stripes and lower spec.

 

I also remember the Blackwatch special edition, In Black with a strange silver and red middle section, with chrome 8 spoke wheels. There were quite a few knocking around in the 80s, but I'm not sure if it was a nationwide edition, or a local dealer one.

 

Edit, found this,

 

[londonm]

Wow, never seen a Shoveit with the strobe stripes and RoStyles, they look really smart. Always seen them in Silhouette form with the strobe stripes and lower spec.

 

I also remember the Blackwatch special edition, In Black with a strange silver and red middle section, with chrome 8 spoke wheels. There were quite a few knocking around in the 80s, but I'm not sure if it was a nationwide edition, or a local dealer one.

 

Edit, found this,

 

 

Can you imagine how much of a twat that would be to respray?

[Hendry]

I'm not sure if this should go here or in the decals thread, but the current Fiat 500 was known for its shite decals and confusing array of wheels and different interior trim colours and seat fabrics you could choose from on one trim of the car.

 

So for example 5 customers could buy a white Punto 1.4 active, you could guarantee the 5 cars were the same, now 5 customers could buy a white 500 1.2 Pop, no 2 cars would be the same because you could choose from cream or black trim eg the steering wheel, vinyl parts of the seats, the gear knob, and the dash inserts, and you could choose from red, blue, grey, black, orange, seat fabric, then you could choose either wheel trims or from 5 different styles of alloys, chrome or black plastic mirror covers, some front end chrome a la the original 500 then the clincher, bonnet, roof and side decals and stripes fitted at the dealers by some dodgy sign writer in a van who almost always put them on squinty or off centre with bubbles under them.

 

Another couple I thought of when I worked at Arnold Sharks Citroen dealers, a C1 "Sport" a base C1 with a Citroen Sport rear spoiler and 15" MVK alloys. A C1 Racing, again a base C1 in bright red with multi spoke alloys, and the C2 "Rallye" this was a bright red 1.1 Furio (the one with the VTR/VTS body kit, front fogs, and sports seats, but wheel trims instead of alloys) they fitted 15" 5 spoke Fox alloys to it and that's it.

 

They tried something similar with the facelift MG ZS they got a load of base 1.6 110 models (not the + model, the one with wind up windows) stuck the kit from the ZS 180 on (the wing vents, BTCC style rear wing spoiler etc) and called it the ZS Rallye.

[cms206]

Just thought of another; Halleys of Milngavie, step forward with the Astra Hallstar...

 

M261 DGE by cms206, on Flickr

[Shep Shepherd]

I remember the Chevette Blackwatch. There were a couple of them in Sandwich for many years.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Here's one for Trig :

 

 

Available from your Avon-approved Austin-Rover dealer !

[trigger]

Lovely!

[dollywobbler]

That Chevette Blackwatch is incredible.

[CreepingJesus]

I was responsible for the original run of Astra + Nova Hallstars! It was Ralph Halley's idea, but numpty here, had the dubious pleasure of picking the vinyls up from the printers, and attaching them. Kept me quiet for a few days...

[Faker]

Here's one for Trig :

 

AvonAcclaim.jpg

 

Available from your Avon-approved Austin-Rover dealer !

Never knew that a turbo acclaim existed!

[Leyland Lawrence]

Slight digression but tilt only sunroofs are the classic special edition feature -and not far off useless. Basically a vent! Where's the pleasure?

[Pillock]

Tilt only sunroofs are also prime fodder for bunging on in the workshops to tart up some base model that's just about to be facelifted or replaced.

Slide sunroofs, that's a whole new roof skin and headliner. Tilt? Some bloke with an air chisel and some masking tape.

 

AndyW, thanks for clearing up the Escort thing. I'd seen a brochure on eBay for a Designer, but no pics of inside. 

[sierraman]

got all excited by the lada riva swinger hoping it lived up to its exciting name, went onto google to find one but came up with this beauty which i assume is along the same lines, i give you the vacation

 

 

 

If you actually were a 'swinger' and you chucked the Lada keys in...

[Sigmund Fraud]

got all excited by the lada riva swinger hoping it lived up to its exciting name, went onto google to find one but came up with this beauty which i assume is along the same lines, i give you the vacation

 

The Riva 'Swinger' has nothing to do with sexually deviant behaviours. It was allegedly* named after the sales director of Peat Road took one out for a test drive in the rain, and was pleasantly* surprised by the handling on the ukrainian OEM tyres.

[ProgRocker]

The Escort that came with points to use on extras was called the 'Designer' IIRC. You could choose from an (unpainted) XR3i rear spoiler, front spotlights, pop up sunroof, white wheel trims, or an upgraded Ford digital rad/cass I think, and was based on the 1.3 popular. I remember Paula Yates, of all people, advertising it on TV at the time..

 

I remember seeing a full page advert for the Escort Designer in What Car? magazine. Never saw a TV ad for it though.

[Hendry]

Tilt only sunroofs are also prime fodder for bunging on in the workshops to tart up some base model that's just about to be facelifted or replaced.

Slide sunroofs, that's a whole new roof skin and headliner. Tilt? Some bloke with an air chisel and some masking tape.

 

AndyW, thanks for clearing up the Escort thing. I'd seen a brochure on eBay for a Designer, but no pics of inside.

 

The French seemed to love tilt only sunroofs even as factory fits on relatively high spec trims, I had an 04 plate Clio Dynamique a few years ago, think it was the highest spec 3 door Clio they did out with the 172/182 models (Initiale and Privilege were 5 door only) and had alloys, front fogs, remote central locking, electric windows and mirrors, on board computer, abs, CD player, auto wipers/lights but a crappy tilt sunroof, only this could also be completely removed too, meaning it took up most of the boot space and you had to drive like a granny to make sure it didn't smash, a totally stupid idea, most small Frenchies had the same from factory, AX/Saxo, 106/205/309, 5/Clio/19 etc

 

Ps on the subject of Frenchies, my old boss had a T plate Xsara "West Coast" don't know if that was a dealer only or a genuine special, was basically a 1.4 LX with colour coded bumper inserts all round, and minus the front fogs and electric sunroof, also weirdly only the passenger door mirror was electric, the drivers had the little joystick to move the glass.

[cobblers]

most small Frenchies had the same from factory, AX/Saxo, 106/205/309, 

I know at least on saxo/106s  they slide back if you keep winding, and my mate had a 309 which had a flipping vacuum sealed sunroof where the rubber would pump up once it was closed, I'm 99% sure that slide back as well.