What shite would you be driving in 1979?

[Alex66]

My first car early 80's was a 63 Hillman Minx that my grandfather had bought new , cant find a picture of it though. 

[mercrocker]

The thought of driving stuff like this around in the 1970s reminds me how antiquated my fleet must look to modern eyes today....

1915 Morris Cowley.   I have chosen a Cowley to illustrate the 40+ year lifespan of the model name.   However, in these years the Cowley was actually a dearer version of the Oxford rather than the other way around (that change happened in 1920).   This year's model came with an American Continental engine.

 

Er, another Morris Cowley - this time a 1923 model.   Comparatively little change in a decade, considering the rapid development of cars generally in the pre-and-post Great War years.   There was no Morris Minor until 1929 so I cannot accurately cast my net back  to reflect my present day '63 Minor 1000.     By 1923 the Cowley had become the cheaper of the two Morris models and this one would have used the licence-built Hotchkiss engine. 

On to the Mercedes, now.   Direct equivalent to my 190E would have been the W136 170V model which represented the sole model with the three pointed star until the Ponton range appeared.   Like many 1950 cars it was a post-war warm-over.    

 

My 1987 T25 would have had no direct comparison in 1947, the original "Bulli" was no more than a scribble in Dutch importer Ben Pon's notepad.   My previous camper was a converted Bedford CF ambulance so 1979 would probably have seen me fitting some Army Surplus camping gear into the back of this.....

 

 

1947 Bedford KZ 

 

Of course, I would have needed a modern car to offer all the creature comforts my 2000 Fiesta Ghia has.   There was no Anglia Super in 1960 so I would need to be satisfied with the heater and screen-washer in a de Luxe Anglia.    By 1979 it would have probably looked like this.....

 

 

I would have been extremely happy with that lot back in 1979.   In reality, I was smoking this lot around...Or not, usually...

 

A fucked Mini

Company Renner van 

Suzuki T200 Invader 

 

 

[AndyW201]

A tricky one with my current fleet.

My Corsa VX line is a highish spec with sporty trim. I suppose the equivalent would have been a Chevette GLS with the better trimmed interior and rostyle wheels. Or something like a Fiesta 1300S (would have been too early for a 3 year old Supersport).

As for the Skoda, a 15 year old one would have been an MB1000, but they would have been thin on the ground by then, and there was no 'hot' version like the VRS. In reality an ageing boy racer who never grew up, like myself, wanting a down-at- heel sports saloon would have probably gone for an early 70's mk3 Cortina GT, FD Victor VX 4/90 or maybe even a Dolly 1850 or Sprint.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Mercedes didn't have a compact executive in 1979 so nothing to compare the w203 C class with....and mine is already 15 years old so I need to go back to 1964. I wouldn't be seen driving "foreign muck" so potentially something like a Triumph 1300. Funnily enough the Merc is sitting broken on the driveway, much like I imagine my 15yr old triumph would....


My stopgap for the Merc is my Skoda roomster, which is 11 years old. The closest 1968 Skoda was the Octavia estate which is similar to the roomster in that it is a weird mini estate / small family car


The wife's Hyundai is an interesting one, 1979s equivalent to the current i30 would be the pony. I quite like this:

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[MiniMort]

I'm bored and i know i've already done this so I'll do it for my family:

My mum didn't drive in 1979 but she currently has a 2007 Xsara Picasso. The closest thing to this would be a 1967 Citroen ID (which seems unlikely). Its hard to compare classics to MPVs considering they became a thing in the 80s. 

My grandad drove a 1971 Rover 3500 then and he now has a 2014 C4 Grand Picasso. Same situation but I guess we could go for a 1974 Citroen Safari

My nan drove a 1967 Morris Mini and now has a 2006 C4 so I'm feeling a 1966 Ami (though a Mini is likely more feasable). 

My aunt didnt drive then but now has a 2011 Citroen C3 so she would probably own a 1971 Citroen Dyane Weekend or an Ami 8. 

My uncle didnt drive either but now has a 2017 Kia Sportfridge (... oh boy). I'm just gonna say something BL like a 1977 Austin Maxi which would be likely in 70s Britain.

Finally, my other aunt had a 1975 Mini 1000, she now has a 2018 Mini 5 door so i guess she wouldve had a 1978 Mini 1000.... that one was easy.

[quicksilver]

1979 was six years before I was born but if I was somehow teleported back then with everything else being equal I guess it would be the following.

1978 Maxi: a late pre-war Austin or Morris 10

1972 Renault 6: some sort of small vintage Renault. I wouldn't be driving it though as it would be broken and almost impossible to fix.

1999 Zafira: MPVs weren't a thing in 1959 so I guess the closest equivalent would be a PA Velox Friary

My sister's 2006 Hyundai Getz: no Korean cars in the sixties so I'll have to go Japanese, maybe an early Toyota

[Ghosty]

As captain_70s also had issues, there weren't any 28 year old Honda cars in 1979. So, a small early '50s car popularly engine swapped? 

Seems I'd have a poprod, then.

 

 

Volvo wise, I have a 25 year old 850 T5. 
Volvo didn't have many offerings in 1954, but there was the PV444:

 

 

I'd also be being encouraged to acquire an early 164 going to waste for a pittance.


As for Mother Ghosty, she has a ten year old Bini Cooper S. 

She gets a 1969 Mini Cooper 1275S. 

[BL Bloke]

I started taking driving lessons in 1979, back when BSM used Triumph Dolomite 1300s. My first car was a 1970 Austin 1300 2 door so by the time I passed my test I already had experience of front and rear wheel drive .

As for my current fleet, the equivalent of my 6 year old Skoda Fabia 1.2 would be a Skoda S100.

As for the Rover 45, there weren't any small engined Rovers back in 1963 so spreading the net wider for a mildly posh BMC product the closest I could get  if you go by engine size would probably be a Wolseley 1500.

I wouldn't mind having these on the fleet now, I've always fancied some Wolseley illuminated badge action and the Skoda S110R is my favourite Skoda.

[myglaren]

I don't know what the 1979 equivalent of the current 16 year old C5 would be but I was driving a ten year old Hillman Minx but soon graduated to a much older Renault 4.

[Austat]

I don't have anything yet, but my dad currently owns a VW Caddy short-wheel based "Trendline" (a mini crew van essentially), which seems to be quite a rarity as nearly all of them that I've seen are long-wheel based versions. The Caddy was introduced in '79 but only in pickup form first off. I'd say the 1979 alternative to my dad's Caddy would be a 412 "Notchback", as they're quite unusual even for it's time.

[Conan]

I already posted before but I want to revisited the idea. If we're looking at similar type of car regardless of brand. Historically accurate, my 1989 Corolla would be this.

 

 

This was indeed a very popular family car back in 1949. And it'd also have Dauphine 1093 Gordini engine.

 

I also have modernz. 2011 Corolla which would be 1971 Corolla. And a 2016 Mazda 2 which would be the new hatchback shape 1977 Mazda 323.

[Eyersey1234]

In 1979 my grandparents had a Mk1 Fiesta which my mum learned to drive in during the early 1980s. My stepdad now has a 17 reg Vauxhall Viva so I suppose the equivalent of that is a Chevette, my dad has a Mk4 Mondeo estate so he would have either a Cortina Estate or possibly a Zephyr. His first car in reality was actually a van, some kind of Fiat which blew up on him and was abandoned at the side of the road, this would be early 80s.

[bunglebus]

I was two in 1979, but the equivalent to the 22 year old VW I drive would be

[dc2100k]

ME:

WAIFU:

[bunglebus]

4 hours ago, Austat said:

I don't have anything yet, but my dad currently owns a VW Caddy short-wheel based "Trendline" (a mini crew van essentially), which seems to be quite a rarity as nearly all of them that I've seen are long-wheel based versions. The Caddy was introduced in '79 but only in pickup form first off. I'd say the 1979 alternative to my dad's Caddy would be a 412 "Notchback", as they're quite unusual even for it's time.

That's a squareback or Variant to use the VW terminology - they didn't do a Notchback so there was this or the superbly ugly saloon. I would have thought a T2 crewcab would be the closest match though

[junkyarddog]

When I bought my current daily a mk4 Mondeo zetec estate it was 3 years old.

Go back to 1979 and this I reckon would be the equivalent of it today.

I'd be happy with that!

 

[Cheezey]

I currently drive 13 year old Civic Type R.  
Based on late sixties cars I think I’d be in an Austin 1300GT. 

[Macscrooge]

Given that my Lexus RX is (before anyone else says it) basically a posh Toyota, maybe a Crown estate? Though at five years old it’d probably be rusted to buggery.   More likely that I’d be channelling my inner Jerry Leadbeater with a Volvo 145. Her indoors’ Shogun is more of a challenge. A Landie perhaps?

[Bradders59]

I currently have a 3.2 Omega and a Clio. So the equivalents would be a Royale and a Renault 5. I was actually driving a 1500 Avenger for the first half of 79 and a Chevette HS 2300 after that.

[motorpunk]

Great thread but I can’t get my head around what my answers would be.

I have a 30 year old MX5 now. What would a smol, very rusty Japanese sportscar of 1949 be?

And my ‘72 Fiat 500 would be a 1931 something? A Velocycle, probably.

My boring daily, 2007 BMW estate, were BMW much of a car thing in ‘66?

Help. Can I have another drink now, please?

[outlaw118]

One of these....

[dc2100k]

1 hour ago, junkyarddog said:

When I bought my current daily a mk4 Mondeo zetec estate it was 3 years old.

Go back to 1979 and this I reckon would be the equivalent of it today.

I'd be happy with that!

 

Rare example of the 4-Wheel-Steering Granada Mk 1 estate.

[LightBulbFun]

29 minutes ago, motorpunk said:

Great thread but I can’t get my head around what my answers would be.

I have a 30 year old MX5 now. What would a smol, very rusty Japanese sportscar of 1949 be?

And my ‘72 Fiat 500 would be a 1931 something? A Velocycle, probably.

My boring daily, 2007 BMW estate, were BMW much of a car thing in ‘66?

Help. Can I have another drink now, please?

I think theres 2 ways of looking at this question

theres the literal sense of "I own a 30 year old so and so, so what would a 30 year old so and so be in 1979"

or you could look at it as "I have such and such car" what would its direct 1979 equivalent be ie "I own a 1996 land rover what would a 1979 Land rover look like"

 

for example for me I own a 43 year old 1976 Invacar Model 70, so in 1979, its direct equivalent of "what would a Model 70 be in 1979" well I would own Invacar Model 70! (since REV already existed by 1979! or if it had to be "from" 1979 then UOI8025 an Invacar Model 70 which was not registered/put into until December 1979 in NI)

but if I look at it in 1979 what would a 43 year old invalid carriage be, that would probably a be 1936 Carter Model G!

(1955 example shown but they looked the same in 1936!)

 

[Richard_FM]

Timeshifted I would be driving a 1976 Datsun Cherry probably a late 100a.  
 

I’m not sure what it would have replaced as Toyota weren’t being imported in 1961 so maybe an Austin A40 Farina.

[Three Speed]

I run a 72 Citroen DSuper as a daily driver (when it lets me). If it was 1979 I guess that would be a Light 15 - or a Light 12 to be precise - very similar to the 51 Traction Avant sitting next to it.

The D is currently mid starter motor change. Not an easy thing to do it seems as I can’t even see it under the exhaust manifold. It’s a 10 minute job on a Traction - none of this modern cross-flow nonsense cluttering up both sides of its engine. Progress eh?

[Dannyk]

5 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I wasn't born in 1979, but the equivalent to the 22 year old VW I drive would be

easier than finding a picture myself.

And the '79 version

[Ghosty]

THREAD RESURRECTION

My answers have changed since my last post. 

 

My daily would be a P1800ES... 



and I'd also have an SS Jaguar Mk. IV 2.5 litre saloon...

[rickvw72]

I’d guess it would be a mid 50s Vw Bug, so an oval window bug most likely.

it would have the engine from a 356, found in the local scrappy. Cool!