Ridiculous trim designations

[EyesWeldedShut]

  On 24/07/2023 at 13:08, grogee said:

Subthread for old versions of models produced alongside the newer replacement, eg Fiesta mk3, Range Rover etc. 

'Classic'. 

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I had a G Reg Range Rover (amongst others) that survived long enough to get billed as a Range Rover 'Classic' when I went to sell it. It was too early, too smol (not a 3.9 V8) but hey, go with the flow. It sold.

[edit] forgot this old boy out the front - runout 940 97/98 vintage

[EyesWeldedShut]

  On 24/07/2023 at 19:53, EspenO said:

I think that’s a Tempra (or is it a Sierra behind that one again? 😄) 

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Looks like its a Fiat not a Ford - my bad

[Jim Bergerac]

  On 24/07/2023 at 09:09, grogee said:

I find this really interesting: a regional special edition, exclusive to the 'South East'. Halogen driving lamps and overriders are just too sophisticated for northern folk.

Presumably this conglomerate of SE dealers persuaded Ford UK to produce this spec? Just weird that Ford didn't think to offer it elsewhere, even with a different name: 'Tartan', 'Tetley', or 'Whippet'.

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There were a few "Scottish Ford Dealers" specials back in the day. Escort Ecosse, Escort Harrier etc.

The Harrier was just a base Escort with some gold graphics:

Can't remember what was special about the Ecosse, despite seeing them at the time.

Non-regional but spotted yesterday, Kia Sportage "Titan". No bigger than a standard 08 plate one.

 

[quicksilver]

  On 24/07/2023 at 09:16, cort1977 said:

My memory is a bit vague but I think in the 90s there were 'Thames Ford' limited editions just for the sophisticated London elite. Mostly shitty aftermarket sunroofs hacked in and some stripes.

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There was a Capital Escort Mk2, a tie-up with Capital FM apparently. Said to be the rarest Mk2 with 1000 made (600 red and 400 beige) and sold only by London dealers. Never seen a beige one but a neighbour in the 90s had a red one and I'm sure dollywobbler was parked next to a barn find at one of the NEC shows. Lancaster Insurance discuss it here, along with the aforementioned Harrier and Huntsman, plus the Linnet and Goldcrest that I'd never heard of: https://www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk/news/2021/april/13/five-special-edition-ford-escort-mk2s/

[Markeh]

Classic was strangely the base trim for the PT Cruiser right from the start - it went Classic, Touring, Limited.

I seem to have owned a fair share of crap trim names:
Corsa Envoy, because nothing says governmental/organisational representative like a base model 1.0 3-cylinder shopping cart
Two 'dynamic's - a Sedici Dynamic which was just the base model as far as I can tell, and a Megane Dynamique which was pretty well equipped and one off the top. Neither of them were particularly dynamic!
Two Teknas - I don't know where Nissan went wrong, for some reason around about 2006/2007 they changed from logical trim names (I remember the Primera line up as S, SE, SVE, T-Spec) to Visia, Acenta, Tekna with some N-<insert random buzzword> thrown in the middle for good measure. Even better, they seem to have done the thing that some manufacturers did and realise they needed to shove another level at the top, so instead of inventing a new name, chuck a symbol or letter at the end of the existing one (e.g. Titanium/Ghia X, I've seen GT Line S on Kias), so a top spec Qashqai for instance is now a Tekna+.
Club - Is this meant to evoke some sort of parallel to Club class on British Airways or something, rather than just being a non-mingebag spec Vauxhall?

[horriblemercedes]

Classic has been a Mercedes trim level for a long time 

[adw1977]

The base model Sierra Sapphire was also called Classic at one time.  I owned one.

[mk2_craig]

  On 24/07/2023 at 20:55, Markeh said:

Club - Is this meant to evoke some sort of parallel to Club class on British Airways or something, rather than just being a non-mingebag spec Vauxhall?

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Club for me was a wonderfully late-80s special edition range of Vauxhalls, white with yellow and grey accents. Or, less appealingly, a cost conscious Citroen Visa.

[grogee]

  On 24/07/2023 at 20:55, Markeh said:

Teknas - I don't know where Nissan went wrong, for some reason around about 2006/2007 they changed from logical trim names (I remember the Primera line up as S, SE, SVE, T-Spec) to Visia, Acenta, Tekna with some N-<insert random buzzword> thrown in the middle for good measure.

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This is one of the culprits that made me start the thread. What a load of old bollocks. N-Tec or something. Twats. 

If you feel embarrassed describing the trim level to someone else, it's a bad name. 

[grogee]

  On 24/07/2023 at 21:00, horriblemercedes said:

Classic has been a Mercedes trim level for a long time 

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Presumably, if you were rich and foolish enough, you could option-spec your Classic with loads of options such that it out-ranked Avantgarde and Elegance...? 

[Richard_FM]

  On 24/07/2023 at 21:20, mk2_craig said:

Club for me was a wonderfully late-80s special edition range of Vauxhalls, white with yellow and grey accents. Or, less appealingly, a cost conscious Citroen Visa.

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[Richard_FM]

 

A couple of odder Vauxhall ones, is it just me or the woman on the right look a bit like Janice Long!?

[Metal Guru]

  On 24/07/2023 at 19:45, EyesWeldedShut said:

That was a football tournament, surely ?

Not a trim but .... my brother decided to collect the 1970 Esso World Cup Coins (which was tricky as nobody in the immediate family drove) and I can remember my aunt driving us about popping a couple of shilling's worth in at each garage trying to get Martin Peters or the like.

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I bought that World Cup collection in a junk shop a few weeks ago. One coin missing, yes , Martin Peters!

[sheffcortinacentre]

  On 24/07/2023 at 10:14, Yoss said:

Admittedly I never knew it was a regional thing until yesterday. And like you, nobody has ever seen a Cortina one. Did they really exist or was it just a publicity stunt? Admittedly the Escort is more visible because the gold stripe is far more prominent. The Cortina had a much thinner one lower down.

Actually one might still exist as I've just googled them and every picture on the internet is of this one car.

Though the most recent picture is still eight years old.

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Yes that's the only known survivor.

[83C]

The Nova ‘Spin’, which I’m fairly sure is the one thing I’d rather not happen when driving a Nova.

Would have been followed by the Nova ‘Understeer’, Nova ‘Slide’, Nova ‘Skid’ and Nova ‘Smack into a wall’.

[timolloyd]

Surely @motorpunkSherlock Holmes Talbot Horizon wins this thread? https://www.motorpunk.co.uk/carclub-18-30/the-cars/no-shit-sherlock-bizarre-talbot-horizon-special/

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

I've never understood but always been fascinated by this...

Was there a reason for this?  Suppose I could wiki it but I'm honestly on the bog at work about to go into a meeting. 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

  On 24/07/2023 at 20:13, Jim Bergerac said:

There were a few "Scottish Ford Dealers" specials back in the day. Escort Ecosse, Escort Harrier etc.

The Harrier was just a base Escort with some gold graphics:

Can't remember what was special about the Ecosse, despite seeing them at the time.

Non-regional but spotted yesterday, Kia Sportage "Titan". No bigger than a standard 08 plate one.

 

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You know who would have known exactly what differences an Escort Ecosse had ? And probably known the registration run and which dealer.

RIP @Hendry

[NorfolkNWeigh]

  On 24/07/2023 at 13:54, Dave_Q said:

I was going to post a post about how they don't seem to do special editions any more but then I found The Puma Vivid Ruby Edition and The Kuga Graphite Tech Edition as well as these Vauxhall Griffin Editions so I've proved myself wrong

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Audi call the first few of a posh new model, RS, Q8 etc the Vorsprung. Normally loaded with extras but unlike a pop up sunroof and stripe for  free, they throw the contents of the options list at it and charge a premium!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

  On 24/07/2023 at 07:38, sierraman said:

I don’t think that was an official thing though was it? 

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Pretty sure I’ve got a 4 page XRV brochure in the shed, I’ll have a look when I get home.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

  On 22/07/2023 at 18:40, EyesWeldedShut said:

As driven by M-People  

Now you're talking - if you substitute peanut butter (crunchy, not smooth - that's for pussies)

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Kinda the point..

[ProgRocker]

  On 24/07/2023 at 19:45, EyesWeldedShut said:

That was a football tournament, surely ?

Not a trim but .... my brother decided to collect the 1970 Esso World Cup Coins (which was tricky as nobody in the immediate family drove) and I can remember my aunt driving us about popping a couple of shilling's worth in at each garage trying to get Martin Peters or the like.

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I actually sold a 1972 FA cup version of this on eBay a couple of months ago. I think it was my uncle's and ended up with my parents' LP collection after he died. The coins were of the football teams and the coin representing Newcastle United was missing. Sold it for around £16.

[Metal Guru]

  On 25/07/2023 at 09:42, ProgRocker said:

I actually sold a 1972 FA cup version of this on eBay a couple of months ago. I think it was my uncle's and ended up with my parents' LP collection after he died. The coins were of the football teams and the coin representing Newcastle United was missing. Sold it for around £16.

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I only paid £5. 

[sierraman]

  On 24/07/2023 at 19:42, ProgRocker said:

"California

Knows how to party

California-a-a-a..."

How could I forget? My parents owned this damaged repaired limited edition Astra California 1.4 hi torq. Based on a Merit - but you green coach stripes and black cloth seats!

Very "West Coast gangsta" don't you think? 

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My dad had a 1.4 Hi-Torq. It was anything but, it should have been the 1.4 Fuck All Torq. 

[chaseracer]

  On 24/07/2023 at 21:57, Richard_FM said:

 

A couple of odder Vauxhall ones, is it just me or the woman on the right look a bit like Janice Long!?

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Maybe - but that's definitely the twin towers of the World Trade Center in the pic.  Odd choice for a small Spanish-built hatchback...

[rml2345]

Sure it's not the Pollock Centre?

[grogee]

  On 25/07/2023 at 08:51, NorfolkNWeigh said:

Audi call the first few of a posh new model, RS, Q8 etc the Vorsprung. Normally loaded with extras but unlike a pop up sunroof and stripe for  free, they throw the contents of the options list at it and charge a premium!

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Yes this is a Thing now, to get new models out of the door JLR do First Edition which is high spec and lots of options. I think this is so they can say, "sorry sir, no discount". 

[ProgRocker]

My old 1990 Rover Mini Racing Green that I owned between 2001 and 2002. Cooper lookalike of course but based on the 998cc City. It lacked the opening rear windows of the Cooper's. 

 

[sheffcortinacentre]

  On 25/07/2023 at 08:40, Crispian_J_Hotson said:

I've never understood but always been fascinated by this...

Was there a reason for this?  Suppose I could wiki it but I'm honestly on the bog at work about to go into a meeting. 

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Where known locally as the salvage model. As they looked like the multi coloured insurance jobs running about.

[robinmasters]

  On 23/07/2023 at 20:45, grogee said:

Whether anyone would actually want such a creation is a different matter entirely. To paraphrase a fellow shiter: "people like Adele and Love Island so who cares what they think".

(Apologies for not crediting the shiter, you know who you are). 

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As they were paraphrasing Super Hans I think you can get away without crediting them. 

I've had a Citroen 'Desire', an 'Aura', and my wife currently has a 'Flair'. 

The whole concept of giving cars, or any other product, a name is daft. Give it an alphanumeric code or a factual description. Anything else is marketing, which Shirley no-one with an IQ higher than single figures falls for?