Classic Diesels

[Steve79]

5 hours ago, sierraman said:

Epically slow as well, didn’t the 2.3D top out at something like 85mph? The 2.0 Diesel Record must have been even worse. Maybe 75mph maximum? 

I'll show you slow! Ford Grandad mk2 with the indenor 1.9 litre putting out 54bhp. Replaced very shortly after by the Indenor 2.1D with 63bhp. Anyone who bought either of these must have been a masochist!

And don't even get me started on the 2.3D Sierra!

[bramz7]

Seen a fair few odd diesels over the years

 

powerBULGE Rekord seen in Rome

 

200D of raw power in Barcelona

 

More hot bulge action

 

Pretty weird diesel Sceptre

36 year old diesel Uno

 

 

 

[Asimo]

As for the Mk1 Golf, they were a bit of a flop. The press liked Golfs and made a fuss about the Diesel Golf but hardly any were sold. They were as rough as fuck compared to the TD in a Mk2 Golf and just hopeless compared to Peugeot / Citroen / Talbot with an XUD .My recollection is that the Renault 18 D was the other big seller amongst the early Diesels

[sierraman]

The Yanks got into diesel albeit briefly...

[sierraman]

Or Italian? 

[bramz7]

This has been the most unrefined diesel I ever owned:

 

 

One of those to file under 'not sure why I sold it' as it was a hell of a lot of fun and sounded so agricultural it was fantastic. Funnily enough though it was 5 speed and actually could get a move on reasonably well if you absolutely smashed the throttle, which was addictive. My other half didn't like the lack of refinement though, and to be honest it was so base it was hard to like, it even had vinyl headrests. 

 

[sierraman]

Ideal for those summer trips up and down the M5 pulling a twin axle caravan and a family of 5...

[sutty2006]

2 hours ago, Dirk Diggler said:

had a bonnet bulge though ?

 

Aye they did! Here’s a picture of one I spotted in Tenerife a few years ago. Couldn’t believe my luck and spent a few days hunting it down after spotting it in the street on the way into the hotels street. It was parted just round the corner from the hotel. This was a Turbo Diesel. We only got the straight diesel here. I blamed beer. 

[sutty2006]

6 hours ago, sierraman said:

Epically slow as well, didn’t the 2.3D top out at something like 85mph? The 2.0 Diesel Record must have been even worse. Maybe 75mph maximum? 

Yes epic misery right there. They even offered them up with an auto gearbox for those that seriously pissed the motorpool boss off. The auto didn’t make it to the Mk3 TD model, probably because of the failure it made in the mk2.

[ProgRocker]

8 minutes ago, sutty2006 said:

Aye they did! Here’s a picture of one I spotted in Tenerife a few years ago. Couldn’t believe my luck and spent a few days hunting it down after spotting it in the street on the way into the hotels street. It was parted just round the corner from the hotel. This was a Turbo Diesel. We only got the straight diesel here. I blamed beer. 

In 1988 I went on holiday with a friend's family to Cromer on the Norfolk coast (20 miles away - woo). The parents didn't drive at the time. One of the taxis that was ordered to get us back to the holiday home one time was a Carlton 2.3 diesel with the bonnet bulge...I think it was brown, probably L  spec. 5 years later my parents bought a 1986 D reg 2.2i CD.

On the subject of early diesels I bought an issue of Practical Classics that did a group test of 3 early diesel cars. One was the Vanguard, the other might have been a Merc like one as per @adw1977 ' s post. I think that the other might have been a Citroen Rosalie.

[puddlethumper]

You can't beat a 1.9 Xud designed in the seventies. Sounds like a tractor

and drinks veg. I love my 305 van.

[bramz7]

There was one of those mega early 1.5 diesel 305s for sale last year, has anyone ever experienced one of those? 

[djoptix]

^ wow, I didn't know that was a thing.

[Inspector Morose]

There’s still at least one of these on uk roads.

Borgward Hansa 1800 diesel. 43 bhp. 0-60 in 27 seconds.

[RED2stroke]

Had a few diesels, just as they started to become popular in the mid to late eighties, 85 cavalier, 88 Pug 405 GLD with no power steering, 91 Sierra 1.8td , best little oil burner was 86 Citroen Visa, it went quite well and  was a laugh to chuck into corners flat out, worst diesel for snail like progress was my mates 81 reg  passat estate , you could walk faster...... most reliable was a 406 that did 250000 miles and still started first time, every time.  Oooh nearly forgot early 106 with the 1.4 engine also nice n slow.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

In 1981 the company FathaN worked for ( Binatone, remember them?) decided to import direct from Pug and all in identical metallic gold with a brown vinyl roof. 6 305 GRs, 4 505 SRs all petrols and 2 604 Turbodiesels, not sure of the spec but they had TRXes on steels and I'd never seen another 604 like them.

He had a 2.0L Mark 2 Granada ( DRK 28 T) and found the 604s slow , as did the MD who often used either a Rover 2600 pool car or my dad's Granada if he was going away for the weekend, mainly because he wouldn't fill it up, remember the derv pumps were round the back in muddy yards, not on the forecourt with the petrol. They weren't even that economical, better than a 2600 but not as good as a 2.0 Granada.

Both 604s were replaced with Ghia X Grannies after a year or so, the petrol 305s and 505s were still on the fleet when he left in about 1985.

 

[adw1977]

NRB662J  is a Morris Oxford diesel, there are some old photos of it on Flickr, but sharing of them is disabled.  Currently SORN.

[LightBulbFun]

2 minutes ago, adw1977 said:

NRB662J  is a Morris Oxford diesel, there are some old photos of it on Flickr, but sharing of them is disabled.  Currently SORN.

like that's going to stop me

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cortinaman/2883918980/in/photostream/

 

[artdjones]

1 hour ago, bramz7 said:

There was one of those mega early 1.5 diesel 305s for sale last year, has anyone ever experienced one of those? 

A lot slower than a 1.9,but very economical.

[GeordieInExile]

Does anyone still make an N/A diesel...?

[Heidel_Kakao]

19 minutes ago, GeordieInExile said:

Does anyone still make an N/A diesel...?

Not much of a car but Axiam still make those sans permis things with a 2 cylinder Kubota N/A diesel with a whopping 8BHP.

[adw1977]

I've got a May 1979 Glass's Guide which includes a guide to new car prices.  Diesels starting to get a little more common compared to 1974 and 1976, but pretty thinly spread through the listing:

Citroen CX 2500D : Saloon £6,323 - Safari £6,611 - Familiale £6,723

Ford Granada 2.1 Diesel - £5,099

Mercedes : 200D £7,531 - 240D £8,435 - 240D LWB £13,188 - 300D £10,468

Opel Rekord 23D : Saloon £5,680 - Estate £6,134

Peugeot 504 : Base Saloon £4,760 - Base Estate £5,195 - GL Saloon £5,425 - GL Estate £5,872

VW Golf LD 1.5 - £4,095

[strangeangel]

3 hours ago, Asimo said:

My '86 Diesel BX estate was the first oil burner, and the first foreign car my employers had run. I never thought of it as slow, with it's 65hp? XUD. The first Diesel car in this village was a Wplate Audi 100 Avant with about the same NA horsepower as the BX. The XUD engine was the start of succesful Diesels in GB, a real turning point.

 

 

I think I read somewhere that my '88 one has 73hp... I have to say I've never thought of it as slow.

[adw1977]

NTR820 seems to be a surviving, but off road, diesel Vanguard - photo from Kentishphil on flickr:

He also has an album with photos of another three diesel Vanguards!   Sounds like they got dismantled for parts, though and they certainly look pretty knackered.  FLICKR LINK

[dieselnutjob]

My first car was pre XUD Peugeot 305. a 1978 I think with the 1548cc XID diesel.  Very smoky and very slow.  I sold it still going with 348,000 miles on the clock.

Later on I had a T reg 504 diesel saloon with the 2.3 Indenor into which I transplanted a 5 speed gearbox.  That was a fantastic car.

[Noel Tidybeard]

mid to late 70's some legend at the top end of our road had a derv chrome bumper maurice marauder- i was somewhat gobsmacked when told by father it wasn't a conversion!

[Eddie Honda]

p9210058 by E Honda, on Flickr

I took this picture, 11 years ago, of an early 1950s Mercedes-Benz 170D in RHD.

[paulplom]

In 1993 or so I had a mk3 escort 1.6 diesel. It was a 'c' reg so about 1985/6.  Great car with super economy in red with zero rust. Would it fuck start off the key. Luckily I lived on a hill and it would bump 1st hic. It would be fine all day after that. I used to commute daily to Sunderland where I'd work for Home Housing. I wonder if they're still going.

[MorrisItalSLX]

This diesel Morris Oxford is for sale at the moment down under.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F283527436757

[Walter White]

8 hours ago, adw1977 said:

I've got a May 1979 Glass's Guide which includes a guide to new car prices.  Diesels starting to get a little more common compared to 1974 and 1976, but pretty thinly spread through the listing:

Citroen CX 2500D : Saloon £6,323 - Safari £6,611 - Familiale £6,723

Ford Granada 2.1 Diesel - £5,099

Mercedes : 200D £7,531 - 240D £8,435 - 240D LWB £13,188 - 300D £10,468

Opel Rekord 23D : Saloon £5,680 - Estate £6,134

Peugeot 504 : Base Saloon £4,760 - Base Estate £5,195 - GL Saloon £5,425 - GL Estate £5,872

VW Golf LD 1.5 - £4,095

Good research.

1980 UK average annual wage was £6000 (Telegraph), those were pricy diesels.