Top drawer Sierra shite £ COLLECTED AND RE-HOMED!

[HMC]

I've always liked Sierras. Something honest and unpretentious about them. Wuvvum had one last year, a tidy Magenta 2.0 Ghia Estate Auto that I liked the look of. RobT ended up buying it and running it for most of this last year. Turns out lately he was thinking of moving it on, and a few e mails back and forth and its now sitting outside the house, filthy after driving back from London to Tavistock through the crappy weather today.

 

The day began too early, 4.40 am as my alarm went off and I traipsed about questioning why i had booked such an early train, downing a coffee etc.

 

 

The Plymouth- Paddington leg passed in a snooze. A quick slog through the underground from Paddington to Victoria and on to South London to Meet Rob and collect the Sierra. Whilst we were chatting having a look around it one of Rob's neighbours popped over, an elderly gent who is himself living the Autoshite dream with a metallic gold '81 Datsun Cherry. He was a bit phased by my digital camera, but i thought being in sarf lahndon and doing a deal on an old ford an obligatory Minder pic was in order.....

 

 

After chatting about things autoshite, over a very welcome cup of tea, It would have been nice to have had a tour around Rob's collection but with time pressing off I went. Rob kindly left a reasonable amount of pez in the tank and i only needed to fill up once out on the M3. Its a great cruiser, yet still reasonably swift when you want it to be with sensible gearing and a long top gear so 70 is only about 2300rpm or so. Its quite chuckable too, and drives far better than its basic underpinnings give it right to. I really like it!

 

I had that familiar Autoshiteist's feeling when I filled the tank and payment added almost a third to the purchase price!!

 

The drive back was good, traffic getting lighter and the light fading the further west I got, a pink floyd cassette i found in the player blasting out and lighting up the graphic equaliser thingumy that these Ghias came with....

 

 

 

 

Somewhere in Somerset I had a fluids stop; Checked the car's and i downed an Espresso.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By this stage it was filthy, ill have to put some better pics up at some point.

 

 

So a great trip, a nice old ford, my first, and it was very nice to meet Rob in person at last!

[UmBongo]

Good to see a car like this still on the highway.

[KruJoe]

Rob's a top bloke isn't he?

He's certainly kept this thing smart, good to see it again. Hope you enjoy it!

[Honey Badger]

Well jealous, always love these Ghia estates, the roof bars and the other toys always made them look a class above other estates of the time, the stereo is just the icing on the cake.

 

The burgundy red or the metallic blue they used to come in are both nice colors as well, top purchase!

[nacho man]

That stereo is pure class.

[brickwall]

aye, I want to fiddle with it and muck up the settings!

[trigger]

I'm glad to see it's still in the AS community, I had lustful thoughts over it when wuvvuw was selling it but ruled it out at the time as being to expensive to run, in hindsight it's probably cheaper over all than the Acclaims cost me! 

[DVee8]

I didn't realise it is an estate at first top top car very well done

[Lord Sterling]

That looks great, it looks like a press car with plate. Rob is great chap, I've had the pleasure of meeting him a few occasions.

[cort16]

i really like this car. Top buy and glad to see it staying in AS. Unfortunately it seems to be geographically moving further away from me than closer.

[warren t claim]

Top bombing! I hope you didn't drive all the way back in 1st gear!

[Grundig]

I saw two sierra's out n about today - I like 

[seacow]

Oh this I like - glad I didn't see this was for sale or I would have been tempted.  Rob has great motors -  I was tempted by the BMW a while back but couldn't make logistics work at the time!  Top buy!!  I would have it just for the stereo - I never realised they lit up like that - quality!!

[M'coli]

That's a handsome car - I'd forgotten how good a late Sierra estate looks, and this one look very good indeed.

[wackywacerwill]

A fine example this one. I too was very tempted when it was up before and if I had seen the equalizer it would of clinched the deal despite no real need for another car.

[Split_Pin]

That looks a superbly comfortable interior. The stereo display is class in a glass. Does it have the pumper-up bulbs in the seats?

[RoadworkUK]

That, sir, is a Ford "2008" Stereo, top of the line; also fitted in Scorpios. Pink Floyd is de rigeur as permanent fixture in these decks, preferably on an old '70s BASF tape.

[wuvvum]

Excellent.  Glad to see the old girl staying in the fold.  That graphic equaliser pic makes me wish I'd made the effort to get the radio working again when I had it - pure class.

[Pillock]

Isn't OWC a press/fleet plate? Looks top shelf that, nursing a semi.

[For Fiats Sake]

Lovely, looks much nicer than the mongdayoh loanah I had earlier in the week

[stuboy]

thats sweet .... 

 

sierras were 10 a penny... now rarity

[Felly Magic]

I don't think that stereo was standard in Ghias, only seen em in Sappy 2000E's to be honest, and with that reg, I'm wondering if it was new to someone at Ford? Nice motor, and plenty of toys

[michael t]

Excellent write up and a lovely motor, top marks

[cort16]

I read somewhere (although it could be bollocks) that there are more MGB's on the road then there are Sierras.

[wuvvum]

I don't think that stereo was standard in Ghias, only seen em in Sappy 2000E's to be honest, and with that reg, I'm wondering if it was new to someone at Ford? Nice motor, and plenty of toys

 

It was.  First owner was some kind of director at Ford.  Hence why it also has aircon, dual electric towbar, gearbox oil cooler etc.

[stuboy]

I don't think that stereo was standard in Ghias, only seen em in Sappy 2000E's to be honest, and with that reg, I'm wondering if it was new to someone at Ford? Nice motor, and plenty of toys

had exact in my xr4x4

[saucedoctor]

That is a very smart looking car. Well played.

[RobT]

Glad you made it back OK Matthew, am missing her already. Nice road trip write up too.

 

I'd forgotten about the Ford director connection. It wears it's 23 years well, once cleaned up it's a smart looking motor.

[Spiny Norman]

What a lovely looking Sierra. I remember back in about 85/86 getting driven in one just like that and I couldn't believe how fast the thing went on the motorway. The driver was caning it no doubt but it showed 130 on the clock, it was the fastest I'd been in a car at that point.
 

[CortinaDave]

These late sierras are excellent. I went through a period of owning around 15 sierras in a row and bloody loved them. The 2.0 DOHC is quite underrated I think - swift and quite economical without being overcomplicated. I love the graphic equaliser and doors open graphic!

 

I wouldn't mind owning this at some point.