The Autoshite holy grail is now one of us!

[reanimation-films]

Any pictures?

Old pics

[Justin Case]

A great result from the collective might of Autoshite

Great work boys! Shame I never spotted it before but there is some great shite parked up in North London.

 

From the Gumtree map, the car is in Upper Clapton, which is just on the fringe of what used to be called 'Volvo City' I don't know if the area is still crammed with ancient battered Volvos driven by Rabbis with their minds evidently on higher things, but a minor diversion for possible spotting if it still is would be a fine start to the Sierra's new life. If so, the epicentre is the other side of Stamford Hill

[SeanRG]

Welcome in/back/along.

Thanks! Has anyone decided where in the country this car is going to be stored? I'd definitely want to make the journey (in a MK1 Sierra of course) to see this grey grille beauty myself!

[Coprolalia]

Just awesome work team.

 

[brownnova]

 

 

Is it tomorrow yet???

 

 

Great work those involved!!

[Burnside]

Autoshite's got itself some 'Base Canon'

 

 

[Ratdat]

One thing that would be wise, even if there's no plans the restore it now... find the parts it needs to be done. The longer that's left the harder and more expensive it becomes. If I hadn't have spent the last 20 years buying Datsun bits, I probably wouldn't be able to restore my cars now. 

 

For some reason I always think the most pov spec cars are the best ones to see in tip top shape. It's also so illogical restoring a mingebag spec car that the idea is mega appealing.

[xtriple]

What the fuck have I missed?

 

Have you lot bought a car without telling me?

 

How much?

 

Where?

 

When?

 

I need answers and I ain't trawling back through pages to find it. If it's a few quid, I may be able to find some, somewhere if the various cars/dogs/etc leave me some.

 

So I need the TL:DR version please.

[Angrydicky]

So I need the TL:DR version please.

JohnK, BorniteIdentity, Skizzer, Cheggers and myself have put the money up to buy it, and B_I and Skizzer are collecting it later today. A crowdfunding page will be set up so anyone else who wants to can contribute to its future maintenance.

[Angrydicky]

Agreed with Ratdat - something I like to do is keep searching on eBay, have a search you do every day (in newly listed order) and see what washes up. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by the Sierra being somewhat common as MK1 bits are often unique.

Good call. I think all the car's joint owners have agreed that the exterior will be left as is, but the interior is a bit grim and definitely needs a replacement dashboard, and if we can find some, base-spec front doorcards. I imagine the dashboard will be the same on any low-spec MK1 Sierra, it would just need the radio blanking plate swapping over. The rear bumper was replaced relatively recently with one from a later car (which has already had a bump by the looks) so we'll have to decide if to go back to an original style one or not.

 

Normally I'm all for DMB Graphics plates but I think because this car is so tatty they'd stand out as being too new and shiny.

[daverapid]

Well done all, this is Autoshite at it's best :]

[lisbon_road]

I think you'll be lucky to get any mk1 dash not cracked.  They all cracked a long time ago.  As I put in a previous post, mk2 dashs fit ok, just no speaker grill.  They need the trim off the pillar that meets up with them as that is different too.  But it all looks ok and has been done a lot of times -  if you can get the colour you want.

 

I still own a Sierra too and have a few bits stashed away, though most of my parts have been sold.  But post on here if you need anything and I will see if I have it.

 

Well done for buying it.  More rare now that loads of older cars.

[Longblackcoat]

I think you are missing the point here. It's a really rare model of one of the most significant new cars in the 1980's. You aren't comparing it to a 52 reg Astra or something.

Have to say I'm still scratching my head at this.

 

I used to work at Ford, and the sole reason we made the base models was because they gave dealers something to sell against; you'd sell a GL, an LX or whatever, because for not a great deal more you got loads more kit.

 

And the public really didn't like them; they always went for the higher trim level at the slightly higher price. So the base specials were always a curio, unloved by both the manufacturers and the public. They're rare now because they were rare at the time.

 

So I freely admit that I just don't get the love for this car; good luck to all of you with the purchase and ongoing maintenance, but consider me bemused.

[dollywobbler]

How hard a concept is it to grasp? Autoshite is about loving the cars others hate. Surely a povo Sierra is about as 'dreadful' as things got during the 1980s? Therefore, WIN. 

 

Midnite's comments are especially baffling, but then this is someone who was almost crying at the thought we might ban him and stop him looking at nudie ladies. 

[egg]

@longblackcoat

 

My take on it is this car is 'essence of sierra'. It has all the engineering common to all new sierras that year, but with no marketing trinkets. You can trace the lineage of the now revered Sierra Cosworth right back to this car.

 

Ford were the acknowledged geniuses of marketing trim levels, you say as much by trying to upsell when you worked for them. I can still remember now that a 1989 Mk4 escort GL had electric front windows and an LX didn't (someone will correct me now  ).

 

These things shouldn't matter. But, trim levels speak to human nature about one-upmanship and the peculiarly British social climbing and social class culture.

 

So that is a long way round of saying this car matters because the buyer didn't care about that and just wanted a practical way of getting from A to B. That rarity is just interesting!

[fraser.innes.3]

This cars debut should be the Bromyard Festival of Speed as the nominated autoshite parade car.

[garbaldy]

It's alright longblackcoat this may all turn out to be an elaborate April fools hoax and no such Sierra exists,

Either that or a group of middle aged blokes are going to be wondering what the fook have they done about midday,

 

I see its still on eBay

[BorniteIdentity]

In other news, Skizzer (Director of Finance, Sierra Purchasing Department) has been quiet since 1830 last night.

 

I'm starting to think he's realised his error, bought the whole thing himself and driven to Dagenham to take some heavily filtered pictures like it's 1983 again.

[JohnK]

Mrs S has probably twigged what's going on and done away with him.

[Split_Pin]

Longblackcoat, bemusement considered and disregarded ðŸ‘

[oldcars]

Song for seller to pay when you drive away.

 

[brownnova]

The reason I joined AS is for the oddball and rare cars that you just won't read about in Craptical Plastics or Classic car weekly etc...

 

This car (and some others too recent Renner 20 & UMM for example) embody this!! THIS is what AS is about. More of this, less Picassos, Lagunas and Suzuki Swifts!!

 

(Other opinions do exist, they shall be greeted with 'bemusement')

 

Anywho... Good luck with the collection chaps!!

[Split_Pin]

Have you all had breakfast yet? Are you there yet? *Wrings hands*

[doobietoo]

While the idea that private individuals bought these base models is an interesting one, it was however quite unusual. Almost all were bought by companies, At this time if you drove a company car you had a choice of models up to your "pay grade" I remember when I worked for Walls and they had a company car day where all the cars were available to look at and drive I had the choice of Escort or Orion 1.3GL or 1.6L and the Sierra 1.3L or 1.6 base. At the time as a new rep I had inherited a Sierra base in Brown with a towbar but really wanted and ordered a red Orion 1.3GL as it was seen as a much posher car with its *extras.

There were only two reps who ordered the base Sierra and they both also ordered the Towbar option as they had caravans and needed the extra weight and RWD of the Sierra along with the grunt of the 1.6. FWD cars being seen as unsuitable for towing at the time.

BL products were there and were well specced compared to the Fords but no one ordered one due to the very real fear of ridicule at the monthly meetings. Having said that the boss drove a Montego VDP but everyone knew he was a twat anyway.

[Alfamale]

I totally get the love for the base model, it's cheering on the underdog, it's supporting david against Goliath, going against the crowd mentality, going against the flow. It's why I have a Lancia Delta HF4WD and not the Integrale.

 

Good luck and best wishes to all involved.

[BorniteIdentity]

Parka jacket on for collection today because 1983.

[chaseracer]

This site is what it used to be, even if we do get branded as weirdos who have shit cars

 

Is, was, always will be - where and when it counts...

 

[fordperv]

Old pics

Looks in better condition than my 3 door base was when I had first had it, but alot has changed since then, mine is just a sierra base on the v5 now nothing really remains (my mum even chucked my dangly mirrors away )I wonder if anyone else on here has a sierra base?

[Split_Pin]

Only 1 other on SORN so I doubt it!

[fordperv]

I wonder how many were just registered as sierra