Pre-Production Cars

[JeeExEll]

DVLA registered Jan 82, tax due July 83, 1748cc. (E-series Maxi / Allegro 1750 engine??). Official Maestro launch was March 83.

[quicksilver]

16 minutes ago, The Mighty Quinn said:

 

I doubt it. UK market RS2000's were all built at Saarlouis in Germany.  A good pub story though.

 

The Peppermint green 3000S Capri was a very early production car that was owned in later years by John Miles. Peppermint was a short lived colour avaiolable on the Fiasta, Cortina and Capri.

The Peppermint Capri still exists and has been modelled by Vanguards in 1/43 and Oxford in 1/76. The reg VHK 494S is immediately before Bodie's silver one from The Professionals, presumably also pre-production/pilot build.

Peppermint Capri by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

[quicksilver]

Here's some surviving pre-production cars I've seen, all with non-production features.

The only Droop Snoot Firenza that isn't silver

AXD 771M - 1974 Vauxhall Firenza HP 2300 by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

S-reg TR7 convertible, not only pre-production but made in a different factory. This came from Speke but production had moved to Canley before launch.

YRW 573S - 1978 Triumph TR7 by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

Even older TR7, later used as a Sprint development car

KDU 366N - 1975 Triumph TR7 Sprint by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

The wedge driven by dollywobbler. Morris chassis number, Wolseley styling, upgraded from HL to HLS trim and a non-standard colour.

SMG 413M - 1974 Wolseley 2200 HL by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

[sierraman]

33 minutes ago, The Mighty Quinn said:

 

I doubt it. UK market RS2000's were all built at Saarlouis in Germany.  A good pub story though.

 

The Peppermint green 3000S Capri was a very early production car that was owned in later years by John Miles. Peppermint was a short lived colour avaiolable on the Fiasta, Cortina and Capri.

It’s not a pub story it’s fact, here’s an example. 

[martc]

3 hours ago, quicksilver said:

The Peppermint Capri still exists and has been modelled by Vanguards in 1/43 and Oxford in 1/76. The reg VHK 494S is immediately before Bodie's silver one from The Professionals, presumably also pre-production/pilot build.

Peppermint Capri by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

That was the colour of the other factories Escort in my yarn above... no salmon pink Capris then?

[sheffcortinacentre]

Bloody spell checker it was supposed to say 1600 ohv.

Australia had 4dr RS 2000's ,plus 2000 Ghia will dig brochure out.

The UK had 4 Dr sport too in 75 .

[sheffcortinacentre]

Early maestro's were avl with a "1600" E series don't think the 1750 was a production option though.

[Richard_FM]

Thanks for the feedback,

One of the Pre-production Rover SD1s, MOC229P was used in The New Avengers, & later had it's reg reworked to MOO229R for use as Cowley's car in the early episodes of The Professionals.

Michael Edwardes used one of the Rover SD1 estates as he daily driver while running BL.

 

 

[sierraman]

Did say in the original post Australia though. 

[sheffcortinacentre]

Ford UK built between 50 & 1004 Dr MK1 escort Mexico's as well as 3 MK1 Mexico estates & an RS2000 est far as I know it & 2 of the Mexico's still exist as well as several of the 4drs.

They were built to evaluate the possibility of being part of the mk2 range to compete with the Vauxhall sportshatch which did actually make it into production though with only  just over 100 being made before be for the 74 fuel crisis killed them off.

The mk2 1300/1600 4 Dr sport was sold for approx the first 12 months in the UK.

[sierraman]

My brother had a 2 door Escort Sport. Absolutely insane money now those, at the time he ended up swapping it for a Mini 850. Bad deal...

[adw1977]

On 1/22/2020 at 2:12 AM, sheffcortinacentre said:

Early maestro's were avl with a "1600" E series

Not strictly speaking an E series, it was designated R series, although apart from the changed cubic capacity there wasn't much difference. 

Replaced by the S series, which was also based on the E series but with a more comprehensive update.

[adw1977]

On 1/20/2020 at 4:27 PM, martc said:

Not pre-production, but 'experimental'. When I started work in 1983 the company pool car was a salmon pink Ford Escort Mk2. Apparently it was from a small batch of cars sprayed in different colours as part of a styling exercise. Some of the radical 70's colours were adopted, the salmon pink was not and the car was included cheap in a deal they had for a fleet purchase of Ford cars.

Our Escort was roughly this colour -

I'm currently reading Ant Anstead's book "Cops and Robbers" about the history of British police cars.

This page seems to tie in with the above recollection of pink Escorts going to fleet customers:

[Richard_FM]

I heard Volvo made a one-off 165 by swapping the rear panels on a 164 with those from a 144.

When someone high up in the design team retired he was given it as a parting gift.

[quicksilver]

On 1/22/2020 at 11:51 PM, sheffcortinacentre said:

Ford UK built between 50 & 1004 Dr MK1 escort Mexico's as well as 3 MK1 Mexico estates & an RS2000 est far as I know it & 2 of the Mexico's still exist as well as several of the 4drs.

They were built to evaluate the possibility of being part of the mk2 range to compete with the Vauxhall sportshatch which did actually make it into production though with only  just over 100 being made before be for the 74 fuel crisis killed them off.

The mk2 1300/1600 4 Dr sport was sold for approx the first 12 months in the UK.

There were also some 1.6 L Mk2 Escorts, never officially listed and built only for evaluation. One has survived and won the FOTU concours a few years ago.

[lesapandre]

I was taken round the Rover test track in the late 60's in a pre-production prototype of  the original Range Rover. It was turquoise blue with a tan interior. Rubber mats inside. Impressions - completely unlike anything I had ever seen at the time - especially the huge glass area. We went right round the test track on huge inclines and up to it's axels in mud. Interesting days. 

Not a prototype story - I met Sir William Lyons on the Jaguar stand at the Motor Show in the late 60's. Amazing - Jaguar at the time was largely his vision. 

[Vince70]

A mate of mine had a pre production T5 dark blue metallic saloon which was on an L plate and it clocked up some miles and my uncle bought it years later and was a reliable old beast and my mate really did use and abuse it but I wouldn’t of touched it with a bargepole.

 

It was an ex police traffic car and had the obligatory wires cut here and there and apparently the police got hold of a few to trial before it went on sale to the general public.

He did say it was hard getting insurance on it as they shouldn’t exist on that year.

It ended up getting a set of Northern Irish number plates as he registered it at his family’s home address.

[Richard_FM]

1 hour ago, quicksilver said:

There were also some 1.6 L Mk2 Escorts, never officially listed and built only for evaluation. One has survived and won the FOTU concours a few years ago.

I think Spotted Laurel found one when checking the out the visible plates on those pictures taken around Preston 40 years ago.

[adw1977]

The Mighty Quinn just beat me to it!

Here's a brochure link

Flickr link

[JeeExEll]

5 hours ago, quicksilver said:

There were also some 1.6 L Mk2 Escorts, never officially listed and built only for evaluation. One has survived and won the FOTU concours a few years ago.

I know the ones you mean, from mid 1979 they were a regular production 1.6 model in L and GL trim, but in 1978 they did something like 150 round headlamp 'L' models for evaluation. At one point a couple of years ago someone was asking over £7k for this one on ebay, price later dropped to around £5k, described as 'the Holy Grail of Escorts, rarer than a RS1800'. Errm, ok, good luck with that.

(A very basic 'L-spec' 4-door with a 1600 pushrod crossflow).

[Timewaster]

On 1/20/2020 at 11:37 PM, omegod said:

 when an employee ordered car went down the line it would have lots of "extras " fitted 

I bet they did. 

Especially if it was someone that nobody likes. 

?

[richardthestag]

I know of a chap whose dad might have liberated pre prod Metro from the scrap pile and also a pre prod Range Rover Aluminium Bonnet and all. Just he probably could never sell for what it is on the open market.

Gaydon had a nice line up of Pre Prod Range Rovers and Disco 1s

 

[richardthestag]

more stuff that I papped over the years because this whole malarky interests me

XJ Coupe prototype

Prototype TR8 Chassis X898

[richardthestag]

My first RR was the first factory painted BRG Classic before the colour even appeared on the option list

scrapped it over a decade ago, kindo wish I hadnt done that really

[richardthestag]

#1 Triumph Stag - in Micholetti's styling studio. Triumph's Harry Webster saw it and requisitioned it for Triumph

Triumph sent it back for roll over hoop and hard top design

it eventually got chopped into a fastback and was scrapped shortly after

 

This one did survive...

X777 chassis

Had an accident on its way back from testing and was destined to be scrapped

still looks like this

 

 

[sheffcortinacentre]

There used to be a blue 1600L on the next street to me in the early 80's.

I'm a big fan of oddball versions of cars pre or post production.

Somewhere I've a copy of I think triple c with a test on a proposed Clubman's escort cosworth that was fitted with a 16v RS2000 eng.

Just finished reading "traction for sale"  Ferguson did a few other 4wd road car conversions I'd not heard off.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

That blue 1600L might have been one of these , unnamed, special editions. I'd never heard of these specials and just stumbled across this in @adw1977 Flickr brochure scans that he linked to .

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

Just finished reading "traction for sale"  Ferguson did a few other 4wd road car conversions I'd not heard off.

When I was going through my MkIV Zodiac-licking phase, I used to daydream of stumbling across one of the 22 Zephyr 6s converted to 4wd for police evaluation, using the Ferguson AWD System and Maxaret ABS...

[Muniphobia]

I have seen a triumph stag coupe at a car show at Warwick castle so one still exists

[richardthestag]

7 hours ago, Muniphobia said:

I have seen a triumph stag coupe at a car show at Warwick castle so one still exists

X815

Interesting but not sure it would have been a winner, especially with that engine ?