Ford Sierra GVG 510Y

[danthecapriman]

Lots of more premium brands were still offering the 4 speed with OD in the 80’s too. I remember working on quite a lot of Volvo 240’s and 740’s that still had the 4 + OD boxes.

With Fords, I’ve always much preferred the old 4 speed box. Ok, you lose a bit of ‘go’ at higher speeds and it gets a bit noisy, but it’s a really nice gearbox, and the selector action feels really nice and positive too. The 5 speeds always felt a bit loose and sloppy to me. Apparently the 5 speed isn’t as strong as the 4 either.

[MantaGTE85]

A few years back, YouTube channel Twin Cam reviewed an August '82 Capri injection which still had four speeds which I thought was surprising.

Quarter Light recently put out a video showcasing the early Mercedes 190 range, and he seemed equally shocked about the 5 speed manual being an option on both the carb'd 190 and the injected E. 

OMG, how far up the 1983 Mercedes range would you need to go to find the cheapest model with 5-speed as standard? 230E maybe?

[sierraman]

Earliest 2.8i all had 4 speeds up to about 83/84 ish

[adw1977]

8 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Earliest 2.8i all had 4 speeds up to about 83/84 ish

Yes, the 2.8i got 5 speeds in February 1983.

The 1.6 Capri didn't get 5 speeds until the end of 1984.

[Dobloseven]

What about the 1977 onwards,MK2 Granada's? Surely some of them would have 5 speeds fairly early on.Perhaps the diesel ones.

[adw1977]

1 hour ago, Dobloseven said:

What about the 1977 onwards,MK2 Granada's? Surely some of them would have 5 speeds fairly early on.Perhaps the diesel ones.

No, the first 5 speed Granadas appeared in the October 1982 brochure, the same month the Sierra went on sale.

The humble 1.3 Escort was the first UK Ford to be available with a 5 speed gearbox, sometime between October 1981 and May 1982 ( I don't have any brochures in-between those months).

[sierraman]

I remember when it was something worth mentioning on a car advert ‘5 speed gearbox’

[andrew e]

13 hours ago, MantaGTE85 said:

A few years back, YouTube channel Twin Cam reviewed an August '82 Capri injection which still had four speeds which I thought was surprising.

Quarter Light recently put out a video showcasing the early Mercedes 190 range, and he seemed equally shocked about the 5 speed manual being an option on both the carb'd 190 and the injected E. 

OMG, how far up the 1983 Mercedes range would you need to go to find the cheapest model with 5-speed as standard? 230E maybe?

Probably a fair way up the range as basic 190’s didn't initially even get two door mirrors! Blurb says October 1983.

[quicksilver]

2 hours ago, andrew e said:

Probably a fair way up the range as basic 190’s didn't initially even get two door mirrors! Blurb says October 1983.

Odd spec there. Someone was clearly more concerned about looking good than seeing behind them as they've splashed the cash on fancy cross-spoke alloys. 

[sierraman]

13 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

Odd spec there. Someone was clearly more concerned about looking good than seeing behind them as they've splashed the cash on fancy cross-spoke alloys. 

Mercedes were always difficult to just guess what the spec was. A base one you got fuck all, even a crappy Blaupunkt radio was extra. You could have potentially had a 2.5 with wind up windows. 

[Dobloseven]

40 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

Odd spec there. Someone was clearly more concerned about looking good than seeing behind them as they've splashed the cash on fancy cross-spoke alloys. 

That's a used car for sale at a classic car dealer in Italy!The wheels could have been fitted any time in the past forty or so years.

[quicksilver]

50 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Mercedes were always difficult to just guess what the spec was. A base one you got fuck all, even a crappy Blaupunkt radio was extra. You could have potentially had a 2.5 with wind up windows. 

They were ahead of their time really. Instead of predefined trim levels you got sod all as standard and everything was an option so you could pretty much build whatever spec you wanted. You want a big engine and fancy wheels but keep fit windows, vinyl trim and no radio? Sure, no problem.

[sierraman]

3 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

They were ahead of their time really. Instead of predefined trim levels you got sod all as standard and everything was an option so you could pretty much build whatever spec you wanted. You want a big engine and fancy wheels but keep fit windows, vinyl trim and no radio? Sure, no problem.

But that’s when they were a quality vehicle, even the most basic was not cheap. A very basic one would be same price as a top end Cavalier or mid range Carlton. 

[andrew e]

43 minutes ago, Dobloseven said:

That's a used car for sale at a classic car dealer in Italy!The wheels could have been fitted any time in the past forty or so years.

I know I took the picture at the Milan show in November 😁

[Zelandeth]

Saab certainly offered the 900 with a five speed as an option up till 1986/7.  

I had one registered in early 1987 which still had a four speed box.  Think the radio (no tape) and centre console with the storage bin in were literally the only options ticked on that car.  Was still lovely though!

[ianb Sierra]

The work continues.....

All new (2nd hand and not rusted away) doors are stripped and at the paint shop.

I've started to remove the door cards and trim to enable the old doors to be removed etc when it goes to the paint shop in Feb.

The PS I use already has my mk4 fiesta up, so not able to have room for the sierra.

I think a small mouse or squirrel may have been holed up at somepoint as on the n/s, behind the glove box and ihe insulation, was a lot of something fruit Centre ish with holes in them.

 

[Essex V6]

On 06/01/2026 at 11:10, danthecapriman said:

Lots of more premium brands were still offering the 4 speed with OD in the 80’s too. I remember working on quite a lot of Volvo 240’s and 740’s that still had the 4 + OD boxes.

With Fords, I’ve always much preferred the old 4 speed box. Ok, you lose a bit of ‘go’ at higher speeds and it gets a bit noisy, but it’s a really nice gearbox, and the selector action feels really nice and positive too. The 5 speeds always felt a bit loose and sloppy to me. Apparently the 5 speed isn’t as strong as the 4 either.

 

[Essex V6]

100% agree when it came to the Capri 2.8i

[Volksy]

On 09/01/2026 at 17:59, sierraman said:

But that’s when they were a quality vehicle, even the most basic was not cheap. A very basic one would be same price as a top end Cavalier or mid range Carlton. 

Yep, I remember my best mate at high school bragging about the fact that his old man was going to get a Mercedes W124 200 as his next company car. 

Well, that was until his dad realised that the W124 came with absolutely nothing for that price. No radio, manual windows etc etc

If I remember correctly he went for a Mk3 Cavalier CDi in the end as it was the best spec in the same bracket. 

 

The 'no radio' thing was possibly normal in Europe, I remember my boss in Italy getting her new company Golf Mk4 and that had a blanking plate. Was this the case?

[MantaGTE85]

Yes, quite possibly. I can recall visiting Hartwell VAG Cardiff with my dad in 1992, and being surprised to see a blanking plate instead of a radio whilst sitting inside an early bright turquoise VR6 Golf. 

[Rustybullethole]

9 minutes ago, MantaGTE85 said:

Yes, quite possibly. I can recall visiting Hartwell VAG Cardiff with my dad in 1992, and being surprised to see a blanking plate instead of a radio whilst sitting inside an early bright turquoise VR6 Golf. 

To be fair if my engine sounded like one of those instead of a wheezy sowing machine about to put a leg out of bed a wicked entertainment system would be further down the list than it is currently.

[Tenmil Socket]

16 hours ago, ianb Sierra said:

The work continues.....

All new (2nd hand and not rusted away) doors are stripped and at the paint shop.

I've started to remove the door cards and trim to enable the old doors to be removed etc when it goes to the paint shop in Feb.

The PS I use already has my mk4 fiesta up, so not able to have room for the sierra.

I think a small mouse or squirrel may have been holed up at somepoint as on the n/s, behind the glove box and ihe insulation, was a lot of something fruit Centre ish with holes in them.

 

Which MK4 Fiesta is it?

[ianb Sierra]

11 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Which MK4 Fiesta is it?

Just a 1.3 Finnese....I'm broken...I love standard!

[Lord Sterling]

1 hour ago, ianb Sierra said:

I've mentioned this before. But I notice on your late Sierra the alloys. I've always wanted to see those alloys on a Mk1 Mondeo, I reckon they'd have suited it, in a 90s way.

[ianb Sierra]

10 hours ago, Lord Sterling said:

I've mentioned this before. But I notice on your late Sierra the alloys. I've always wanted to see those alloys on a Mk1 Mondeo, I reckon they'd have suited it, in a 90s way.

They are late Ghia alloys, shouldn't be on a GLX, but I think they look perfect.

[Tenmil Socket]

40 minutes ago, ianb Sierra said:

They are late Ghia alloys, shouldn't be on a GLX, but I think they look perfect.

I had Orion pepper pots on my Sierra. 

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, ianb Sierra said:

They are late Ghia alloys, shouldn't be on a GLX, but I think they look perfect.

I’m sure they were fitted on the Sapphire 4x4 or was it those machine finished ones? Forgot all this in the midsts of time! 

[Lord Sterling]

3 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

I had Orion pepper pots on my Sierra. 

I still have a set of 5 pepper pots I took off my old Sierra Sapphire Ghia about 20+ odd years ago.

[sierraman]

I had a set of those, they were quite good, not dear for the tyres and easy to keep clean.

[Tenmil Socket]

I’m sure I’ve seen a MK1 Focus on XR2 pepper pots and it looked like a roller boot.