HMC- Lada back from exile

[horriblemercedes]

20 hours ago, cort16 said:

32 door mk2 escort

I don't remember that version 

[tooSavvy]

35 minutes ago, horriblemercedes said:

I don't remember that version 

Misremembered likely.....

 

🚙💨

[Peter C]

20 hours ago, cort16 said:

When my Cortina chucked it in 1997 I was offered a 32 door mk2 gold escort with hounds tooth interior for £350. It was tidy as well but an automatic so absolutely awful to drive so I bought a Volvo 360 for £100 instead.

Many years ago I was offered a running Harrier for £100 but I declined on the grounds that Mk2 Escorts were uncool.

[lesapandre]

On 13/04/2024 at 15:54, egg said:

Here was my 1.3 GL, sold for £300-400 in 2004 with a whiny diff. My Mondeo is older now (31) than the Escrote was then (28)

Looks like the people behind had just found a dead body in the camper?

[bunglebus]

Being Essex boys, me and my mates have had dozens of these and the other RWD Ford favourites.

At one point three of us were running around in silver 4 door Ghias, two of which were mine at one point. My main one was a 1.6 auto (on the left), the other two were 1300s, one very tidy one that my mate bought back from the guy who bought it from his mum when we were kids, and a shabbier midnight blue one - thanks to a 4th Ghia bought as a donor, all the panels were swapped over and the rest of the car rattle canned to match (the one on the right)

Several times we took all three out for a cruise and a slide around the lanes, the old bill didn't seem as impressed as we were.

All these cars were cheap, my auto was £150, not sure on the midnight blue one but probably similar. Donor Ghia was £50 and didn't deserve to be parted out but I didn't do it.

The then-silver one became mine then got sold on to a knob who didn't have a license and killed it ragging it around in the woods

[cort16]

Remember there was a thing for a while with people welding up the back doors on 4dr mk2s to make them look like 2doors but they just looked really stupid ?  I wonder how long until this starts happening with 2000’s Imprezas?

 

[cort16]

18 hours ago, Peter C said:

Many years ago I was offered a running Harrier for £100 but I declined on the grounds that Mk2 Escorts were uncool.

Indeed that’s why I thought a Volvo 360 gls was a better life choice for a 23 year old  (it wasn’t ).

[Dick Cheeseburger]

18 hours ago, Peter C said:

Many years ago I was offered a running Harrier for £100 but I declined on the grounds that Mk2 Escorts were uncool.

Similar. Back in the early 90s my first car - a 1977 mk1 Golf - had become pretty crispy on the inner wings and I was visiting a mate to get a price on having them repaired. My mate pointed to the field below where his younger brother's Mk2 Escort Linnet was parked. It could have been mine for £250 if I remember correctly. Apparently it needed a 'tiny bit of welding' but that would have been included in the price. It drove well but I passed on it as the Golf seemed more modern at the time. Ironic that I eventually chopped my Golf in for a 1969 Morris Minor!

 

[Peter C]

Sticking with the Escort theme, shortly after I turned down the Harrier, I was planning on selling my Guards Red Porsche 924 for £3.5k with a view to buy a Mk4 Escort cabriolet. Trouble was, my mum wanted the Porsche for herself but due to logistics, I had to wait a couple of months before she could give me the money. By the tine I got the cash, spring had arrived and Mk4 convertible prices increased to the point that £3.5k would only buy a Mk3 convertible. I missed out and bought a Citroen AX GT but that’s another story.

[Shite Ron]

My Dad had a brand new 1.3L 4 door in 1980 as his first company car, it was a huge improvement on his Viva which got passed on to my Mum. Seven years later my brother bought a 4 door Popular Plus as his first car. He got it resprayed, fitted a black vinyl roof and front and rear spoilers plus 4 spoke Capri Laser wheels, it looked great. He was stopped by the Police for speeding over a hump back bridge with all 4 wheels off the ground, when they stopped him they asked why he was speeding, he said he was late for an appointment. They then told  him that they had been watching him go back and fore the same stretch of road perfecting his jump.

A few years later I bought a 4 door 1.3 Linnet off my next door neighbour for £200 just to sell on, all three in our family were  4 doors in Venetian Red. 

[captain_70s]

9 hours ago, cort16 said:

Remember there was a thing for a while with people welding up the back doors on 4dr mk2s to make them look like 2doors but they just looked really stupid ?  I wonder how long until this starts happening with 2000’s Imprezas?

 

There is one of those running around Glasgow that was done a couple of years ago. Started as a Ghia 1600, the fella wanted a 2 door but couldn't afford one.

[egg]

I either didn't know or had forgotten about the Linnet - what a classic piece of Ford marketing to shift some Popular Pluses.

[HMC]

Its being dropped off at the weekend.

I found a pic of when it first arrived on uk shores about a year or so ago.

So it turns out they added sporty tat to it after it arrived in the uk to emphasise the heritage / boy racer/ motorsport aspect that makes the 2dr models that bit more expensive… make it look a bit more like@egg ‘s old one in original guise….

 

Im unsure- keep the tat or go original? part of me likes the late 80s chav vibe as @Burnside mentioned

[egg]

Good sleuthing. Sad truth is you're probably better leaving it as it for re-sale!

[Rustybullethole]

banded dartboards and no spoiler for me please. straight swap for a petrol berlingo?

thought not. 

 

[robt100]

Depnds if you're keeping  it or selling on. Resale nowadays, original is best, rather than the Capri alloys (wrong offset for escort by the looks of things?) and rear spoiler. But I can't really talk after dropping a 2.9 cossie engine in my Capri laser😅

[AnthonyG]

Where did it originally come from?

I’m assuming somewhere sunny and hot so Cyprus? Portugal? Greece? Malta?

There were some Cortinas that made their way back from the Czech Republic a few years ago, I didn’t think they got exported to Warsaw Pact countries but apparently Ford sold a big batch (600 or so) to Czechoslovakia sometime in the late 60s, maybe they were rewards for ‘special’ people! 

[bunglebus]

53 minutes ago, robt100 said:

Capri alloys (wrong offset for escort by the looks of things?)

They are a bit deeper dish than original Escort ones. Mind you I've seen the Fiesta Supersport ones on a MK2 before and that's even worse.

Might as well go balls to the wall and fit a set of these /s

I don't like the rear spoiler on non-RS cars, but as it bolts on it won't be an easy thing to remove without bodywork.

While I think of it, my old 1600 Sport had a set of 14" RS 4 spokes on it but the guy wouldn't sell them with the car. Presumably aftermarket, never seen any others 

[2flags]

My wife had a Mk1 Escort as her first car. We traded it in for a Rover P6 3500. Did not regret the swap! Rust, rust and more rust!

[mk2_craig]

7 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

Where did it originally come from?

I’m assuming somewhere sunny and hot so Cyprus? Portugal? Greece? Malta? 

I would guess neither Cyprus nor Malta with the car being left hand drive and those two being right hand drive countries. But more likely southern Europe than Northern? 

[goosey]

Round headlights, cut the middle out the front bumper for some poverty quarter bumpers and paint the bumpers black, be good if you could get a set of those original steel wheels that look like the Mexico wheels. I still remember the fight I had trying to make an aftermarket Mexico fibreglass front valence fit my mk2 years ago 

[Sham]

I mean, while I congratulate you on obtaining a small fortune worth of metal...

These really were shit cars, weren't they? I mean, even in their day they were very average. Personally, I think the only car more overrated than the selection box of 60s and 70s Fords are E-Type jags, which manage to somehow be fugly, unreliable, uncomfortable, poor handling and extortionately expensive.

[wesacosa]

they were good fun to drive, Low grip at the rear, direct steering and a brilliant gear shift.  They also have a Motorsport heritage too which makes them cool

Yes the Ford Tax is a joke and they are not worth the money for sure but I don't think they are any shitter compared to any mid 70s mass market B car and better than a lot

Disclaimer: May be rose tinted spectacles as it was my first car 

[Tenmil Socket]

On 15/04/2024 at 09:14, cort16 said:

Remember there was a thing for a while with people welding up the back doors on 4dr mk2s to make them look like 2doors but they just looked really stupid ?  I wonder how long until this starts happening with 2000’s Imprezas?

 

That must’ve looked proper shit!

[Bazfr69]

14 hours ago, HMC said:

Its being dropped off at the weekend.

I found a pic of when it first arrived on uk shores about a year or so ago.

So it turns out they added sporty tat to it after it arrived in the uk to emphasise the heritage / boy racer/ motorsport aspect that makes the 2dr models that bit more expensive… make it look a bit more like@egg ‘s old one in original guise….

 

Im unsure- keep the tat or go original? part of me likes the late 80s chav vibe as @Burnside mentioned

Keep the spoiler, bung on a set of slot mags and drive. 
I hardly ever see one of these on the road in NI, plenty at shows though. I think most of them live in carcoons over here only to be seen during peak bling season. 
 

Possibly the only thing over here more popular than the AE86. 

[Stinkwheel]

On 15/04/2024 at 12:09, Peter C said:

Sticking with the Escort theme, shortly after I turned down the Harrier, I was planning on selling my Guards Red Porsche 924 for £3.5k with a view to buy a Mk4 Escort cabriolet. Trouble was, my mum wanted the Porsche for herself but due to logistics, I had to wait a couple of months before she could give me the money. By the tine I got the cash, spring had arrived and Mk4 convertible prices increased to the point that £3.5k would only buy a Mk3 convertible. I missed out and bought a Citroen AX GT but that’s another story.

Honestly, think you probably came out better with the AX GT, i love the way those things drive

[Morris 63]

On 15/04/2024 at 09:14, cort16 said:

Remember there was a thing for a while with people welding up the back doors on 4dr mk2s to make them look like 2doors but they just looked really stupid ?  I wonder how long until this starts happening with 2000’s Imprezas?

 

Kits exist for the Impreza - ABW in Essex do several, such as this: https://www.abwmotorsport.co.uk/product-page/superiwde-22b-4dr-to-2dr-conversion-bodykit

I've even seen the 5 door (wagon) converted to 3 door - it looks just as good as you can imagine!

[cort16]

6 minutes ago, Morris 63 said:

Kits exist for the Impreza - ABW in Essex do several, such as this: https://www.abwmotorsport.co.uk/product-page/superiwde-22b-4dr-to-2dr-conversion-bodykit

I've even seen the 5 door (wagon) converted to 3 door - it looks just as good as you can imagine!

That looks just as shite as it did on the Escorts.

 

[Peter C]

5 hours ago, Stinkwheel said:

AX GT

Flimsy, slow, cramped, shit. Never again.

[Stinkwheel]

1 hour ago, Peter C said:

Flimsy, slow, cramped, shit. Never again.

Yes, but quicker, better handling etc in standard form than a 1.3 escort  and catching them in price terms as well, we all like things in different flavours