Specs You've Never Heard Of Before.

[kinkersaab]

http://car-from-uk.com/sale.php?id=52648&country=uk

 

found a classic..  satin red with a passenger airbag..not sure any other cavaliers had that.

[paulscavalier]

The classic was a bit of an end of run model so I imagine they lumped in a few extras to sweeten things.

[vaughant]

Living by the sea our local dealer (days of south Wales) decided to get some graphics printed up of three cliffs bay that ran the length of the door bottoms with someone surfing on it and the amazing title "escort surf".

L spec with pop sunroof and cigar lighter, fuck all else.

Did the same with the fiesta.

They also tried fobbing us off with "escort summer" and fiesta models, basically LX with a "summer" badge on the back.

The surf model did at least sport Sierra bolt on style wheeltrims painted white but in 13" flava.

 

Totally shit dealership by the way, i tried to order a brand new escort turbo diesel 3dr and had a barrage of abuse for trying to order a 3dr .

 

"What do ewe wants a 3dr for? A five doors much easier to ewezzz daily mush?"

 

" Well i prefer the look of the 3dr mate"

 

" Not 'appenning mush, we only order in 5dr's, not worth me bothering for one car, try someone else".

 

Cheers, thanks for not selling me a new car.

 

This was mainly because i was on the priveledge scheme which meant we had cracking* deals from ford. Days hated it, in fact when you took a car back for P/x they'd say "right well you paid £10k but now it's 9 months old with 6k on it, it's valued at £6"

 

"But on your forecourt mate their still £10500,but mines newer with less miles so where's £6k come from?"

 

"Ah but they paid full price for that car but you had a discount so you can't expect to get £10500 for a car you gave £10k for, you're making money"

 

Oh shit yeah,better hand back the 200% profit i made on my first house, fucking idiots.

 

Trouble was the old boys weren't prepared to spend 1/2 a day driving to somewhere in the Midlands or Newbury way to save £3000 on a car and no matter how much they lost they were always getting a better deal than last time,one even took his to a Hyundai dealer too P/x against a new santa fe thing and told the dealer he'd " had the focus on a voucher" to which they replied that it made no odds, book was book, they couldn't care less what he paid for it, shame days couldn't follow that simple logic, mind you it obviously didn't affect their business much as they're absolutely huge down here!!!

[vaughant]

Oh and those escort Mexico things were funny, one of my mates had one as soon as it came out and tried to insure it.

 

They were coming back with mental quotes as it was based on the old sporty version until it dawned on them it was a wank zetec 1.6 without alloys or pretty much fuck all else.

 

Disgrace to the badge really.

 

Those escort gti's made me chuckle when they came out, old boys thinking they were the kings in 115bhp 5dr escorts which admittedly looked nice but were an si with 1/2 leather and Mondeo wheels.

 

One big even tried to have a go at my mates old 16v golf, a quick lesson was taught in cornering ability and power to weight ratio.

[Burnside]

That's a real find that pun to is. It's a perfect town car for buzzing around in. The gear ratios must be great it's not a model I had heard of.I drove several of the early uno with their unique dash switch pods. You soon got used to them though.

 

Compared to the standard 55s it's based upon the gear ratios on the 6 speed make a real difference off the mark and it feels really sporty too! It easily reaches 5th gear at about 35mph if your just pottering along though to be honest the gearbox just makes you want to drive it more in the Italian mode.

 

The Uno MK1 dash pod switches are really quite well thought out the MK2 Uno didn't have them of course but as we don't own the MK2 Uno pictured next to the MK1 I wouldn't know.

 

Going back to Vauxhalls I really liked the Nova Swings and Antibes growning up. 

 

The Nova Swing was out about 1984 so A/B reg and were available in Red or White. A lad in 6th Form in my last year of school had a mint B reg Red Nova Swing which I admired from afar. 

 

The Nova Antibes were available in Red, White , Blue and Met Grey on a D/ E reg, me and my best friend at school always said we get one as we liked it with it poor man SR looks but it never happened as they were a rare sight even by 2000. 

 

The Astra MK2 Antibes and MK2 Cavalier Antibes were both 5dr Hatch models from memory only with white SRI wheel Trims and rear boot spoilers from the SRI plus the stripes and matching interiors. 

 

Can't remember the last time I saw a Astra or Cavalier Antibes but have seen Nova Antibes and Nova Swings at VOBA shows last year. 

 

Vauxhall also did the MK2 Astra as a Swing in various colours as a 5dr but with the pov Nova style silver steels with centre caps on a D/ E reg with the 1.3 engine.

 

Always remember the Nova, Astra MK2 and Cav MK2 Club in white with yellow and black graphics and matching interior! That had colour coded bumpers and mirrors and white wheel trims on usually a E reg it was a acquired taste.

 

Vauxhall did the MK3 Cavalier Concept twice. 

 

First time on the early MK3 Cav in White or Red based on the pov 1.4/ 1.6 models with colour coded bumpers and mirrors plus the boot spoiler from the SRI and white MK2 Cav SRI wheel trims with Small Concept stripes above the side trim. Were out on a H/J plate.

 

The second time on the facelift MK3 Cav based on the 1.6 Envoy with little more than 'Concept' badges added to the front wings in a chrome bubble badge finish available in Red, White or Blue without even a Sunroof if memory serves me right or even central locking or electric windows. 

 

I always liked the Escort MK3 and Sierra MK1 Lasers too as a kid with there little extra badges and stripes plus colour coded grille on the Escort always wanted a MK3 Escort but like the Nova seams to have passed me by for some reason. 

 

The MK4 Escort Eclipse was another one of my youth that I like with Met Blue or Red Pant 90 spec XR3i spoiler and colour coding with those jazzy 14 inch wheel trims. My Junior school teacher had one new and I most likely bored her to death about it! 

 

She replaced it with a MK5 Escort Encore which had pretty much the same styling treatment. I always checked it out when I walked by on the way out the school gates. 

[paulscavalier]

The escort eclipse was very nice, remember it well. The cavalier and Astra club had the most garish seats ever but the all white look was quite popular then. I had forgotten about the Antibes nova and cavalier. I think Vauxhall did a sting as well as the swing. And I am sure they did a nova luxe.

[Bianconeri]

Back in the 1970s and 1980s Ford were pretty good at the "end of production" special edition models in my opinion. However, somewhere along the line everyone went from that to "campaign" models and the hole "special edition" thing lost its appeal.

 

I must be getting old, in modern stuff I like the simple model heirarchies we used to have. Kia's is the antithesis of the model name jumble, their basic car is the 1, next up is the 2, etc...

[Noel Tidybeard]

citroen did about a billionty ax specials

 

rover group did the advantage versions of the "M" cars which wer quite daycent- mg kit without the OMGINSEWERANTS of an "i"

[Felly Magic]

The Nova Swing was also available in turd brown, grandad had one, brown and beige interior and SR style steels with grey centre caps, Philips rad cassette and only a drivers side Chevette door mirror, TCH did their own specials on mk4 Scrotes, based on the Popular, but with Ghia wheeltrims, and cheap boot spoiler.and called it a 'Plus'

 

[fiatdaft]

 

 

A concept I once owned.

 

 

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[fiatdaft]

Forgot to add that they only had the 75 bhp spi engine too.

 

 

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[bub2006]

N plate with pre airbag wheel too. Very odd.

[Ghosty]

I thought Popular Plus was an actual spec?

[Timewaster]

I thought Popular Plus was an actual spec?

T'was

[Snipes]

Ford are the past masters of this game as this thread proves!

 

I give you another two tone blue oval comedy special, the Ford Fusion 'Pursuit'. Only available with the 1.4 engine...

 

ford_fusion_pursuit_climate_1856.jpg

I think I like that. Reminds me of Escort LXs or R8 Rovers.

[Felly Magic]

That Escort was just called a 'Plus', they dropped the Popular name for their 'limited edition' Escort tat

[mercrocker]

Apologies if my ageing memory bank has mis-remembered or simply made some of these up but this is what I THINK I can recall - 

 

Mk 4 Ford Zephyr Special - Uranium blue, Parchment vinyl roof, Zodiac wheel trims. 

 

Viva X14 - Fourteen (count 'em) extras!   Including radial tyres and electric washers IIRC! 

 

There was some sort of "Gold" Viva too, both of these on HCs. 

 

Hillman Avenger - "Top Hat" which was metallic blue with white vinyl roof and the "Sunshine" Avenger which didn't feature a sunroof (because bendy) but came on a 2 door in pus yellow with grubby white half-vinyl roof. 

  

I believe both Avenger Tiger incantations were actually LE models too. 

 

Triumph 1500 "Silver Label"   I might have made this one up or simply mis-interpreted an old period advert.   Its to do with the front badge changing colour. 

 

Reliant Regal Supervan 21E.    Out-extra'd the Viva X14 with 21 "Free" Extras.   You probably wouldn't want at least 9 of them, though. 

 

Ford Granada Consort - pre-facelift Mk2 with gorgeous metallic green offset with green cloth seats.  Yum.  

 

As well as the aforementioned "Jeans" Beetle I remember a "GT Beetle" on the big screen body and something else in metallic silver-blue that I have forgotten (this one had sporty wheels, too). 

 

As nobody else has yet mentioned them there were those (later) Harlequin things too on Polo and, possibly in some markets, the Beetle itself. 

 

There were also run-out 105E Anglias in metallic gold and silver just as the Escort was being launched.  Strangely, the paint didn't seem to fall off these.... 

 

Oh, and those black Mk5 Escort "100 years of Ford" editions which a bloke at work strived to keep from rotting because he thought it might be worth something one day. 

 

Speaking of black - there was a Princess limited edition in all-black which I cannot think of the name for.     

  

Hillman Imp Caledonian - base model in red (usually or always - can't remember) with I think old Sunbeam wheel trims and a little white coachline.   Right at the end of Imp production I think. 

 

MG BGT  Jubilee models in BRG with gold stripes, these were distinct from the run-out LE models in bronze or silver a few years later.   See also those Jubilee Marinas in Citron with, gasp, tinted windows!      

 

Probably more, but brain is melting.....

[quicksilver]

 

Speaking of black - there was a Princess limited edition in all-black which I cannot think of the name for.     

That would be the Special Six. Manual six-cylinder Princesses kept eating driveshafts so they were taken off the market for a redesign and BL created the Special Six with a load of extra goodies to persuade buyers to have an auto instead.

[oldcars]

These Club spec MK2 Cav and Astra and the Nova. Someone must have been chucking them out cheap in Dundee they were all over the place at one point. The interiors were class.

[Bear]

My dad had two Passat "Topic" editions in succession.

Nothing to do with weirdly unappealing chocolate bars. They had obligatory 1970s computer font badges and were a run-out model for the B2 Facelift and B3 introductions respectively - the first being a 5 door 1.8 in topaz green metallic (not sure what the Topic got over the regular 1. and the last being originally priced like a 1.8 Estate, but it was a GL5 estate in gold with alloys and sunhatch sunroof. The 2.0 bit made it very appealing, but VW lost him as a buyer when the B3 came out and the Audi 80 had a weird boot and no estate option.

[paulscavalier]

Wonder what topic means in German?

[cms206]

The Cavalier Classic was basically an Envoy with electric front windows and twin airbags from memory - mine was satin red too, from memory they also came in dark green or dark blue as well. I've got the press release thing at home, will see if I can find it.

 

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[Pillock]

Ford also did the Equipe on the Mk4 Scrote, where you had "points" to spend on accessories. So some may have had an XR3i spoiler and foglamps, others would have had electric front windows or better wheeltrims.

 

I think the points were carefully calculated to mean you either didn't spend them all, or had to take some crap options like floor mats and mudflaps so they could shift them before the Mk5 came out.

[Felly Magic]

The Equipe was a Mk2 Onion version of the Eclipse Scrote. base model fitted with a rev counter, rear spoiler and leccy front windows, I think the Onion was a 1.4 CVH though and was available as a 1.8D, one of my uncles had a Bahama blue Eclipse, 1.3 HCS engine, brought it round for me to sort after the hubby of the woman he was having an affair with spray painted all over it

[Hendry]

Another I thought of that I only ever saw one of years back was a J plate (so mk3 I think, mk5 Escort shape one anyway) Orion in "Encore" spec, was all colour coded with alloys or alloy look trims and was a similar colour to the red that mk4 Escort Eclipse came in. It was nothing like the mk4 Fiesta and mk6 Escort Encore, it looked quite high spec, reminded me of a Ghia. It didn't have painted colour coded bumpers though, they were still textured like the black unpainted base model ones.

 

And what about the mk5 Escort Harrier? almost as bad as the mk6 Escort Mexico.

[stormee]

Golf Moda. The darkest Golf-special ever. Available in black, black metallic or dark-burgundy pearl. Btw you can black out a black Golf entirely, taillights and all indicators are made in black, too.

[martc]

Wonder what topic means in German?

 

Scheiße Schokoriegel mit Nüssen darin

[sco14]

Yes it was a genuine spec, there were 2? others at the time. Mardi Gras maybe?

 

Edited to add: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Golf_Mk3

Bon Jovi

and

Pink Floyd

 

Not Mardi Gras but New Orleans was probably what I was thinking of.

 

I purchased a 205 New Orleans a few years ago but the spec was the same as a Mardi Gras.

[stormee]

Scheiße Schokoriegel mit Nüssen darin

That's Snickers. Or Nuts.

'Topic' means 'Scheisse, again one of these shit anglicisms'.

[Felly Magic]

The Mk5 Encore Scrote was basically an L with colour coding and a boot spoiler, nearly bought an Onion in that spec, but it had panel gaps so uneven it was unreal, not a single panel looked right, deffo had been in a pretty nasty shunt