1980's rear numberplate "infill panel"

[quicksilver]

This thread reminds me of a book my local library used to have. I think it was called 'Improve & Modify - Ford Escort & Orion' and was published by Haynes, back in the mid 90s when Escorts were cheap and commonplace. Anyway, it was full of instructions for improving* your Escort by fitting stuff like tailblazers, backflashes, louvres, grilles with extra lamps and other such shit. No doubt there were others in the series inflicting the same treatment on other cars too, but such a book just wouldn't exist nowadays.

[mat_the_cat]

We still have the one for the Peugeot 205!

[Lord Sterling]

I had a massive problem with some of the Tailblazers as a kid. Let me explain....

I also had a problem with trailblazers....

 

I remember a VW Jetta (on an E plate) which had one between the tail lights, number plate having been relocated to the bumper...

And that was it. It just offended my sense of where stuff fitted on a car, some plates were close to touching the ground as well fitted on like an after thought. In Belgium this was quite popular. I hated seeing plates being relocated because of trailblazers, some if which looked absolutely wank anyway.

[Pillock]

A trend which would be repeated in the late 90s with "smoothed" bootlids, handily* replacing the numberplate recess with five kilos of filler and requiring a trip to the caravan spares shop for a new light for your numberplate that's now awkwardly screwed to the bumper.

[GrumpyCat]

Lot's of Jap stuff had them from the factory...

 

Honda Civics...

 

 

 

Preludes...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aus spec Concerto

 

 

Mazda 323f

 

 

 

 

Probably many others too.

[Yoss]

Hella twin light grilles are fantastic

 

 

This one may* be a little too much.

 

[sierraman]

I remember those really crappy fragile looking RGA kits for unlikely stuff like Cortinas. I’d be surprised if any lasted longer than the first strong wind on a Motorway.

[fordperv]

20170528134334_IMG_6931.JPG20180527095443_IMG_7104.JPG20180527102252_IMG_7121.JPG20170528111823_IMG_6891.JPG

This one may* be a little too much.

20170528134609_IMG_6933.JPG

Oooffff here a couple of fords

[pandamonium]

My little boy is obsessed with finding cars where the 'lights go all the way across', I'll now be able to tell him what they are called!

[robinmasters]

Factory fitted you say?

 

[worldofceri]

Hey, does anyone remember you used to be able to buy a kit to make your Cortina look (a bit) like a BMW E30?

 

Or have I just imagined this?

[bunglebus]

No filler in my tailgate thank you!

 

Fiesta3 by RS, on Flickr

[Richard]

This picture has just appeared on my Facebook feed.

 

[Pillock]

No filler in my tailgate thank you!

 

Fiesta3 by RS, on Flickr

Surely if you had a MK1 Fiesta, you could easily "smooth" the tailgate by fitting one off a MK2?

 

Whereas you've inexplicably just relocated the plate without touching the bootlid

[RoadworkUK]

Off topic, but I have ill will for anybody who repositions their front numberplate to an off-centre position for purely aesthetic 'gain'. It's often a square plate, too, because import, innit.

[sierraman]

You could actually buy the smoothed tailgate skins off the shelf aftermarket but most people needless to say bodged it.

[fordperv]

You could actually buy the smoothed tailgate skins off the shelf aftermarket but most people needless to say bodged it.

Alot of the time a trip to the scrappy showed a door which had a similar profile to match the tailgate you were doing so no need to use 50 tubs of easy sand, simply take a cut and weld it in then minimal filler

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Actually what other factory efforts were there? I can think of Audi 90 ...

 

Yes, my Audi 90 had that. I thought it looked alright, apart from the fact that the bootlid wouldn't shut properly because of a previous shunt that the previous owner had repaired by having it pulled out on a jig, but then hadn't finished the job.....

 

Off topic, but I have ill will for anybody who repositions their front numberplate to an off-centre position for purely aesthetic 'gain'. It's often a square plate, too, because import, innit.

 

This is the whole Alfa 156 thing.

[Snipes]

Off topic, but I have ill will for anybody who repositions their front numberplate to an off-centre position for purely aesthetic 'gain'. It's often a square plate, too, because import, innit.

Best of all is when they fit an import style plate onto a standard UK recess so it doesn't quite fit.

[Noel Tidybeard]

factory you say?

 

 

[dieselassist]

Hey, does anyone remember you used to be able to buy a kit to make your Cortina look (a bit) like a BMW E30?

 

Or have I just imagined this?

there was such a thing; think it's USP was the 'twin kidney' grill 'conversion to the mk4/ mk5 'Tina and a boot spoiler and side skirts; I remember a company advertising in the back page of Street Machine or Custom car, selling various tacky kits and they had felt tipp drawn 'renderings' of the car with one fitted; the artist clearly didn't feel motivated to make a decent job of it, and it looked like a drunken scribble, where the rest of the mk3/4 escorts n sierras were well captured...

 

I remember looking at the ad n wondering who would actually part with coin for such a thing; how could anyone bar the visually impaired buy the 'its a BMW' ruse...

 

I actually saw a tina with this 'kit' - all straight diamond white respray to 'everything' - had a Donegal reg. visiting Cavan town one weekend a rally was on; he had gone 'full hogg 'n stuck BMW and 3201 badges on it; the driver and his occupants looked suitably mentally deranged ...

[1duck]

This thread reminds me of a book my local library used to have. I think it was called 'Improve & Modify - Ford Escort & Orion' and was published by Haynes, back in the mid 90s when Escorts were cheap and commonplace. Anyway, it was full of instructions for improving* your Escort by fitting stuff like tailblazers, backflashes, louvres, grilles with extra lamps and other such shit. No doubt there were others in the series inflicting the same treatment on other cars too, but such a book just wouldn't exist nowadays.

 

 

I actually have one for a corsa sitting around somewhere, i'm kindof hoping it was the last iteration of the series. I was bought it by a well meaning uncle or such like, despite never having owned a corsa or shown any interest in corsas.

[John F]

They also occurred vestigially as an option on the Mk 3 Cavalier.

 

[Slacky]

Couple of mine -????

 

[AnthonyG]

The most unlikely car for the full RGA treatment was the Volvo 240 series, didn't stop making them all the bits though. I never saw one outside the RGA catalogue. 

 

Side skirts on a 240? insanity. The Granada Mk2 and Rover SD1 kits were nearly as bad.