adw1977 Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 7 hours ago, paulplom said: An old gaffer of mine in the late '80's told me the passenger seat in our b reg transit was an optional extra. That may have been true. The passenger seat was certainly an optional extra on early Transits and on basic Sherpa vans. 1971 Transit brochure 1978 Sherpa brochure Shep Shepherd, HarmonicCheeseburger and JeeExEll 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglebus Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 One thing I found odd on my MK1 (this one is the same colour, spec and year) was black bumpers but chrome door handles and locks. Escorts were all black on boggers. I fitted black handles to mine, I liked the black/red look Annoyed me that it was just too new to be allowed to take that ugly fog light off! At least I didn't have the afterthought reversing light in the rear valance mat_the_cat, Tenmil Socket and UltraWomble 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightBulbFun Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 33 minutes ago, adw1977 said: That may have been true. The passenger seat was certainly an optional extra on early Transits and on basic Sherpa vans. 1971 Transit brochure 1978 Sherpa brochure also worth noting that IIRC back in the day if a vehicle only had 1 seat then a provisional licence holder could drive it without the requirement of full licence holder being present in the vehicle so some commercial vehicles etc where made with only 1 seat for this reason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Shep Shepherd, JeeExEll, Amishtat and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Norman Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 2 hours ago, HarmonicCheeseburger said: My k11 is the base spec, you get one blank on the central stack over the radio, I think it's for the alarm or AC if you got the SE-+ which hilariously I have the fuse for in the fusebox. Also you have a blank for the headlight aim adjust. and only manual mirror adjustment on the passenger side because fuck you. My second K11 was an N reg 1.0L and had no interior adjustment for the passenger door mirror, although it had a little nipple on the driver's side. It also had bare metal showing on the doors, no clock, no fag lighter, no trip meter and most annoyingly for someone who lives in the perma-drizzle that is the West of Scotland, no intermittent setting on the wipers. I'd have traded 5th gear for an intermittent wiper... stonedagain, puddlethumper, JeeExEll and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelandeth Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 I think this sums up base quite well... The stereo was fitted by an owner I have to guess given they appeared to have hacked the hole in the dash using an angle grinder. No sign of a speaker ever having been fitted to the factory location in the middle of the dash. Let's take a closer look at the instrument panel... Note that even the recess for the brake fluid level/parking brake light to the left has been blanked. Not ideal when you have to (violently!) pull the dash apart to check the damned fluid. Vinyl seats. No head rests. Surprisingly comfy seats actually though. 4-speed box. 1.6 engine with 40-something bhp. Single speed wipers. Decadent touch though in the form of a rheostat for the dash lighting! No trip meter. No clock. Someone decided to pick it to convert to a camper though... vulgalour, Datsuncog, bunglebus and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spurious Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 8 minutes ago, Zelandeth said: Let's take a closer look at the instrument panel... That's it, that's proper grim. Even where a poverty clock should be is instead just a blanking plug. Wow scdan4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiltox Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 10 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said: Lex Lease Hang on though, if some people on here are to be believed, nobody ever bought a car on finance / lease until around 2010 - everyone back in the day only bought with cash what they could afford ? Does anyone apart from Dacia make a “proper” base model car any more? I suspect even that is getting a bit diluted now they are raising the prices a bit.... you can’t buy a £5995 Sandero any more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglebus Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 7 hours ago, Zelandeth said: Decadent touch though in the form of a rheostat for the dash lighting! Mine didn't even have that! I did get the 2.0 engine though at least. Also of note is this is still in the era when VW fitted an orange full beam light.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artdjones Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 About 70% of cars used to be bought by companies.The only people I knew who bought new for personal use were usually some kind of professional or top management individual or their wives.And they often used to keep them until they were 10-15years old,then replace them with another new. I'm talking about the 70s and 80s here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter White Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 7 hours ago, Zelandeth said: I think this sums up base quite well... The stereo was fitted by an owner I have to guess given they appeared to have hacked the hole in the dash using an angle grinder. No sign of a speaker ever having been fitted to the factory location in the middle of the dash. Let's take a closer look at the instrument panel... Note that even the recess for the brake fluid level/parking brake light to the left has been blanked. Not ideal when you have to (violently!) pull the dash apart to check the damned fluid. Vinyl seats. No head rests. Surprisingly comfy seats actually though. 4-speed box. 1.6 engine with 40-something bhp. Single speed wipers. Decadent touch though in the form of a rheostat for the dash lighting! No trip meter. No clock. Someone decided to pick it to convert to a camper though... Absolutely. Volkswagen and other German manufacturers didn't give much away in the 1980's. My best friend at school, his Dad, traded his S reg Princess 2200 for a Y reg Mercedes 200 in 1985. The Merc was £10,000, it was beige with green cloth trim and had PAS and central locking. He took the radio cassette out of the Princess and fitted it in the Mercedes as there wasn't a radio. Here is a lovely Volkswagen Polo mk2 dashboard. Ignore the woeful lack of content and drink in the quality on offer. HarmonicCheeseburger, timolloyd and Yoss 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierraman Posted March 8, 2020 Author Share Posted March 8, 2020 Sierra Mk2 poverty spec. Ironically the list price is a thousand quid cheaper (1989 prices) than the L spec, all you got extra on an L was a radio cassette and some better seats. Thinking back I can’t remember seeing many Laser Sierras at all so I’d presume the L was heavily discounted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierraman Posted March 8, 2020 Author Share Posted March 8, 2020 Basic Escort, £800 less than the Pop Plus! Available with the incredibly unpleasant 1.3 or the equally coarse 1.8D. Tenmil Socket 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter White Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 1 minute ago, sierraman said: Sierra Mk2 poverty spec. Ironically the list price is a thousand quid cheaper (1989 prices) than the L spec, all you got extra on an L was a radio cassette and some better seats. Thinking back I can’t remember seeing many Laser Sierras at all so I’d presume the L was heavily discounted. I remember seeing a Sierra Classic, it was a gold colour Sapphire but only one. It belonged to the owner of a private hire taxi business who had bought Sierras from a refrigeration company when they were selling on their company cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scdan4 Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 There were loads of lasers in Devon. I remember the disappointment the first time I looked through the windows and saw the complete lack of handbrake elbow pad. Festa mk2 retained an illuminated choke nob all the way down to the base. Pure decadence. mk2_craig and HarmonicCheeseburger 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieInExile Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 I love the notion of a detuned engine for the base model. Like they'd already built it in full power mode but just to punish you for being a miser they've taken 10bhp back. Datsuncog, SRi05, warch and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETCHY Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 The standard (base spec) Ford Anglia 105e, had a small front grill, no passenger sunvisor, no front parcel shelf, no glovebox lid, no temperature gauge, no opening back quarter lights, no door arm rests & no chrome around the tail lights (just painted). A heater was optional. I have seen 105e standard models in scrappers without it fitted & the factory blanking plates in place on the bulkhead. I had a deluxe which had all the aforesaid luxury but even on that a heater was optional (thank god mine had it). Shows how attitudes & what people will live with has changed. Could you imagine having a car in Britain without a bloody heater !!!!! bigstraight6 and Walter White 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierraman Posted March 8, 2020 Author Share Posted March 8, 2020 My grandfather worked for the Electricity Board, the Ford Vans they had all had the heater deleted on the basis they didn’t want you getting comfortable sat in the van when you could be working. Walter White, HarmonicCheeseburger, Kiltox and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard_FM Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 10 hours ago, Timewaster said: Not like BL who made one component and fitted it to every model for the next 30 years. The interior lights come to mind, my mum’s metro had one with a bl plug hole logo moulded into it. I heard these were used into the Phoenix 4 era for boot lights. The marinas door handles were used on Range Rovers into the mid 1990s at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierraman Posted March 8, 2020 Author Share Posted March 8, 2020 They definitely got their money’s worth from those Marina Van tail lamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New POD Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 4 minutes ago, sierraman said: They definitely got their money’s worth from those Marina Van tail lamps. Discovery rear end was designed around them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timewaster Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 9 minutes ago, New POD said: Discovery rear end was designed around them. Maestro van Shirley? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeeExEll Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 (Cough, ahhemmm, 'Mmmaestrovan'). Ahh, that's better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
155V6 Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Not quite the same but my Volvo C70 was slightly unusual as it had the lower spec trim with the T5 engine. That meant vinyl/cloth seats,aircon instead of climate control,no cupholder in the centre armrest,no computer on the dash,no passenger airbag,and plastic gearknob & handbrake grip. I only ever saw 1 or 2 more like that,most were quite highly specced up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Snipes Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 17 minutes ago, Richard_FM said: The interior lights come to mind, my mum’s metro had one with a bl plug hole logo moulded into it. I heard these were used into the Phoenix 4 era for boot lights. The marinas door handles were used on Range Rovers into the mid 1990s at least. I was curious so googled rover 75 boot light. Certainly looks like it's got the old Austin Rover stripes on it. adw1977 and mk2_craig 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard_FM Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 14 minutes ago, Sir Snipes said: I was curious so googled rover 75 boot light. Certainly looks like it's got the old Austin Rover stripes on it. Thanks I see they changed to logo to the Austin rover one eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard_FM Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 18 minutes ago, Timewaster said: Maestro van Shirley? It used the Sherpas headlights too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adw1977 Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 57 minutes ago, GeordieInExile said: I love the notion of a detuned engine for the base model. Like they'd already built it in full power mode but just to punish you for being a miser they've taken 10bhp back. Even in the "executive" class, you could get the rather plain looking bottom of the range Renault 21 TL with a uniquely low powered engine: Moving up to a TS got you the same capacity engine but 14 more horses. Flickr link Walter White and ProgRocker 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rantingYoof Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 A few 'misery' spec cars I'd love to experience... Peugeot 405 1.4 Skoda Octavia 1.4 Skoda Fabia estate 1.1 Vauxhall Omega 2.0 8v (Select) 2001 (X-plate) Volvo V70 Mk2 in Torslanda spec (i.e. maximum blanking plates, cloth seats), and with the 140hp 2.4 where power and torque is all delivered at unusably high revs @Supernaut's 1995 BMW 316i is also a very alluring prospect. I don't know why I find these older cars in miserable, underpowered spec so appealing yet I get irrationally wound up by moderns with small capacity lower powered engines (turbo charged or not). Brodders 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorfolkNWeigh Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 2 minutes ago, adw1977 said: Even in the "executive" class, you could get the rather plain looking bottom of the range Renault 21 TL with a uniquely low powered engine: Moving up to a TS got you the same capacity engine but 14 more horses. Flickr link Not just a smaller engine , entirely different layout with transverse instead of longitudinal engines which meant shorter wheelbase and different front wings. adw1977, HarmonicCheeseburger, bunglebus and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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