Shite Special Editions - many out there?

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I used to own a H reg Fiesta 1.0 that was a dealer special edition but I'm buggered if i can remember what it was called, it had a sunroof and while wheel trims and some strips on the side.

 

My Grandad had a dealer special MK5 Escort. The little silver door badges marked it out as an Escort Exclusive saloon. It came with the 1.6 engine and a sunroof but was otherwise poverty spec without even a cigarette lighter or rev counter.

[trigger]

I'd never heard of the GT4 before I found this brochure.

 

I hadn't neither until recently, Although there's two on ebay, one of which has just worked it's way onto my watch list.

 

Although funnily one of the ebay sellers (the one trying to get £7995 for his) states "it is rumoured on google that there are only 3 left in the country"

 

I've just found a 3rd for sale on pistonheads as well and a 4th that Thedoctor sold on ebay back in march!

[CreepingJesus]

I wanted a Nova 1.3 SR but they always went for top money.

Me too - despite working in the trade. My wages were lousy! Anyhow, my size 11's used to catch under the parcel shelf at the base of the steering column, making driving them tricky sometimes.

 

I had an A reg one, with the close ratio box. Apart from a dreadfully offset driving position and not wonderful handling, it was quite good fun.

 

Red it was, I always wanted a Jamaica yellow one.

 

Never even seen one in Jamaica Yellow; but there was a definite knack to pedalling them quickly. The late 1.4i's were pretty good. As was the 1.3SR one of the garage's mechanics owned, with a twin choke Weber, custom made springs and Billys!

 

Ooooh yeh. Always bursting at the seems with dodgy electronic gadgets.

 

The Mark 1 Laguna Monaco came with Sat Nav... in 1998!!!

 

Didn't realise they did Monacos that late on! Looking at it, I just can't see myself with that. The 25, or the 5, yes. But not that, somehow .

I worked for a Renault garage around 1990-91, and saw all of the original ones. They kinda made sense when you saw them all together, but some of the eccentric features just cannot be beaten. Bespoke soft luggage, and a matching umbrella...for an R5? Seats were comfy tho', they may have been worth the price tag, especially in the 25.

Ditto the R5 Turbo 'Raider'. What the hell was going on there?

"Ok Claude; we've painted it blue and put blue wheels on it. What else?"

*thinks* *Well Francois; do the interior. All of it. Seats, carpets, steering wheel, all of it." Sacre bleu...

[fotorabia]

New Zealand-Meet the Viva HC Score 7...which was a tarted up bog standard HC made to look like a GT...

[Spottedlaurel]

/\ Looks alright.

 

Dealer-edition Astra Mk2:

 

Vauxhall Astra "Carrington" (Motor, 1986) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

[mattblack]

What was the crack with the Fiesta 'Quartz'? I seem to remember it had some sort of brick-like pattern on the bottom half of the doors. The reason it sticks in my mind is the there was a large hosiery factory over the road from the garage I worked at, and the gaffer's PA had one... she was about six foot, voluptuous and wore tight jeans and knee boots...

[R9UKE]

My uncle gave me a big pile of brochures the other day. I'm not joking when I say EVERY Fiesta special edition from the 90s must be in here, all in individual six or four page brochures. Will do some scanning and sharing!

[eddyramrod]

The reason it sticks in my mind is the gaffer's PA had one...

 

Yeah, I can see why you'd remember that...

[CreepingJesus]

Just remembered: R25 Baccara...was that a spesh, or a catalogue model? From memory, it made the Monaco look pov-spec!

[ProgRocker]

/\ Looks alright.

 

Dealer-edition Astra Mk2:

 

Vauxhall Astra "Carrington" (Motor, 1986) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

I like those alloys!

 

Re: Fiesta mark 3, I recall that there was one called the 'Frascati' - quite liked that name. Its a small town in Rome, Italy.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Ooooh yeh. Always bursting at the seems with dodgy electronic gadgets.

 

The Mark 1 Laguna Monaco came with Sat Nav... in 1998!!!

 

Didn't realise they did Monacos that late on! Looking at it, I just can't see myself with that. The 25, or the 5, yes. But not that, somehow .

I worked for a Renault garage around 1990-91, and saw all of the original ones. They kinda made sense when you saw them all together, but some of the eccentric features just cannot be beaten. Bespoke soft luggage, and a matching umbrella...for an R5? Seats were comfy tho', they may have been worth the price tag, especially in the 25.

Ditto the R5 Turbo 'Raider'. What the hell was going on there?

"Ok Claude; we've painted it blue and put blue wheels on it. What else?"

*thinks* *Well Francois; do the interior. All of it. Seats, carpets, steering wheel, all of it." Sacre bleu...

 

I learnt to drive in a 1998 Laguna Monaco with sat nav! The benefit of my dad not being a badge snob was the ability to stretch a company car allowance a lot further. I remember the built in sat nav wowing his BMW owning boss at the time.

[Station]

What was the crack with the Fiesta 'Quartz'? I seem to remember it had some sort of brick-like pattern on the bottom half of the doors. The reason it sticks in my mind is the there was a large hosiery factory over the road from the garage I worked at, and the gaffer's PA had one... she was about six foot, voluptuous and wore tight jeans and knee boots...

 

Probably the edition of a clock in the dashboard! It wouldn't surprise me. My mate's dad bought a Fiesta Quartz brand new in 1995 - I remember the next time I saw it (6 months later), it had that unmistakable tappety engine noise. I love that sound!

[R9UKE]

As promised. Did a bit of scanning of my newly acquired box of brochures of shite.

 

Looks like the Fiesta often got the special edition treatment, many of which I have never heard of. Only about half of them included here. Lots more to come when I can be arsed.

 

The Diesel Bordeaux:

 

 

Nice roof on this....

 

 

This looked pretty plush. Alloys, leccy windows and a rev counter

 

 

 

 

I love how the Fanfare and Festival have been taken to the nearest car park for their brochure shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mondeo Aspen. What was special about this I hear you say? A Mondeo LX with the leccy windows and rev counter dropped!

 

 

Pretty obvious what the special feature is here

 

 

 

Following on from the stunning Fiesta Calypso:

 

 

There was one of these on ebay with 25k miles not long ago:

 

 

Peugeot 205 Trio:

 

 

A completely basic 205 tarted up with body stickers:

 

 

205 Lacoste. Looks nice!

 

 

 

 

 

My favourite Peugeot special edition... the Roland Garros.

 

 

A Beautiful denim-esk interior in this!!

 

 

I remember seeing these EVERYWHERE

 

[GrumpyCat]

Wow, great selection there!

 

Here's another Fiesta special, the Meridian http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/mivana/mediaplayer.php?id=d9e3b8bb998a5a1852646f4f4446411a&media=firstadbreak&type=mp4

[Spottedlaurel]

Thinking of Fiestas, here's a shabby old flight I see on a regular basis:

 

1992 Ford Fiesta 1.4 Flight by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Azura:

 

1992/93 Ford Sierra Sapphire Azura by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Real life Chausseur:

 

1991/92 Ford Sierra 1.8 Chasseur by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

[fordnut]

I've owned a few Fiesta Frascati's, they have a quite a good spec: C/L, Sunroof, Electric Windows, PAS, Twin Airbags, Rear Wiper, Boot Release everything bar the heated front screen and electric mirrors.

 

I also had a Fiesta Azura which was the poverty spec MK3.5 / Classic the didn't even come with a stereo as standard.

 

Germany got some interesting spec MK3s - Chianti with RS Accessory Rear Lights, 6 Spoke RS Wheels and RS Springs. There was also a Black Magic with full leather.

[CreepingJesus]

^Fiesta Azura diesel was one of the runarounds, in a Ford garage I worked in. Without doubt, one of the most miserable driving experiences ever!

 

One of Ford's better spec-eds...

...Sierra 2000E.

 

Yet another Renner...

...5 GTL 'Panache'. That's what the indecipherable scrawl to the right of the numberplate says anyway!

 

There's an '84 Honda Goldwing 'Aspencade' in me 'Bucket too; but I think it was the top trim level for US 'Wings rather than a special. Ducati really take the biscuit for bike spec-eds: the legendary Mike Hailwood Replica (MHR) was supposed to be a limited run of modified Mille's, in '79 iirc. By '85 and on the fourth run, they were only killed off as they were the last Dukes running the bevel-drive engine! Not to mention the plethora of spec-ed 916's and Monsters they dreamt up.

I really like this thread, it's making me think I ought to look a bit harder when I'm shite hunting, for the old spec-eds. A sadly neglected area of my guerrilla photography! It's also pulling closer the day I actually seek out my big old box of brochures, and see what's in there...

The question did occur to me, as to who was the King of Spec-eds. For sheer quantity, and miserableness of the dealer/dealer area efforts, it would have to be Ford, wouldn't it? There again, for total OTT-ness, there was the Porsche 911 Turbo Martini, with its' unique Martini paint and interior, and Blaupunkt stereo which had a mic poking out of the dash to allow one to record memos...barking mad!

[R9UKE]

...5 GTL 'Panache'. That's what the indecipherable scrawl to the right of the numberplate says anyway!

 

 

I really like this thread, it's making me think I ought to look a bit harder when I'm shite hunting, for the old spec-eds. A sadly neglected area of my guerrilla photography! It's also pulling closer the day I actually seek out my big old box of brochures, and see what's in there...

 

The Nissan Micra Passion was the same. I had one last year... Passion was scrawled across the bootlid in an attempt to make it look like lipstick.

 

Yes... get the brochures out! I'm sure there's many more horrific ones to come. Following on from the Fiestas, I seem to have a rather sizeable amount of Citroen AX spec.ed brochures. Will add them soon

[Tayne]

I forgot about the Rangie CSK (altho' I know where there is one, parked up with the front wheels pointing in odd directions, now I think about it), wasn't that the one with the huge options list, which could see you signing for a £100k+ if you ticked everything? Or was that the Autograph?

 

The CSK story started in '87 when there was a hint that Birmingham may get to hold the Olympics.

Land Rover showed the Range Rover Olympic, basically a two door Classic (only available to special order in the Uk at that time) in a gray/brown colour with one piece rear windows, red lettering, coachline, wheel centres and a sporty recaro interior. It also boasted an experimental 3.9 engine (the RR didn't get the 3.9 until two years later).

 

E976 CGN - Range Rover - Olympic limited edition by homer----simpson, on Flickr

E976 CGN - Range Rover Olympic - Limited Edition by homer----simpson, on Flickr

E976 CGN - Range Rover - Olympic limited edition - Interior by homer----simpson, on Flickr

 

When Brum didn't get the games, the car quietly disappeared.

 

In 1990 LR announced the CSK, a limited edition of 200 two-door classics with a Vogue SE interior, black paint, chrome bumpers, white coachline, unique alloy wheels and the "CSK" script from the hand* of Mr Range Rover, Charles Spencer (Spen) King himself.

The point of this car was to publicise the new anti-roll bar suspension which didn't limit the off-road capabalities but did improve on-road handling.

The combination of the lighter two-door body shell and 3.9 engine meant that this was the fastest production RR Classic ever made.

It was a total flop.

The public weren't ready for a two-door sporty Range Rover...

 

*Spen sat down with a marketing chap and used half a notepad writing "CSK" over and over to get a script they were happy with.

 

 

The Autobiography was a personalisation program that LR started for Range Rovers (and briefly the rest of the range) in the mid 90s which meant that customer could choose any colour of paint, interior, wood, any option etc. They would fit almost anything including TVs, computers, drinks cabinets etc.

Autobiography is now the top trim level on the RR and gets you a few more toys, a bit more leather and six more colours to choose from.

 

 

In 1999 Land rover announced a Holland & Holland edition Range Rover featuring unique paint, more colour coding (including the wheel spokes), unique leather and wood (more than standard) of the same finish used to make H&H gun stocks.

Numbers were in the hundreds.

 

They also announced a Linley edition as a tie-up with Viscount Linley and his Metropolitan furniture range. black paint, extra black leather, thicker black carpets, polished black wood, and polished blacked out windows.

LR claimed 100 extra hours work went into building the car and charged a few pennies shy of £100k.

They sold 10.

Worldwide.

[AnthonyG]

^^^Didn't the H&H Range Rover have a built-in gun locker?

 

On the subject of Land Rovers, a family friend had a 50th anniversary Freelander in a sort of turquoise green colour. He burnt the clutch out and it spent ages at the dealers, they originally offered him a Rover 100 as the courtesy car , he was not happy as he lived down a long farm track. Still killing the clutch was his fault, trying to tow a double axle trailer full of slate up a hill did it no favours .

 

Also Renault still do 'Baccara' models? - and what's its origin?

[R9UKE]

No idea what the origin of the Baccara badge is but it hasn't appeared since the Mark 1 Laguna. The Mark 1 Clio Baccara changed to the "Initiale" when it was facelifted - a badge still used on range topping Renaults today, so I presume this was a direct replacement?

 

LHD Renaut 25 Baccara on ebay at the mo. Just look at those seats!!!

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1991-RENAULT- ... 062wt_1139

[trigger]

Austin Metro Moritz Advert 1984 by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

[Tayne]

^^^Didn't the H&H Range Rover have a built-in gun locker?

 

On the subject of Land Rovers, a family friend had a 50th anniversary Freelander in a sort of turquoise green colour. He burnt the clutch out and it spent ages at the dealers, they originally offered him a Rover 100 as the courtesy car , he was not happy as he lived down a long farm track. Still killing the clutch was his fault, trying to tow a double axle trailer full of slate up a hill did it no favours .

 

The recent H&H/Overfinch mk3 RR had a gun and drink box. Not sure about the p38.

 

LR did 50th editions of Disco, Freelander, RR and Defender in that colour.

The Defender 90 was the only special one but I'll come to that in a Defender spec ed post.

[CreepingJesus]

Cheers for the write-up there, Mr T; look forward to the LR one. I'd a feeling I'd mixed up RR Classic and P38 there, sometime after I'd written that; dunce's hat for me.

I remember there being a fairly standard puff piece for the Linley in various LR mags at the time, somehow it just didn't seem that special. The H+H I didn't know about, but that's what an interior should look like! Love the gunstock wood. I was going to ask about LR's, but I'll leave that for now. Mind you, there's a G4 Defender kicking about here I keep meaning to catch, but it never stands still long enough!

Going back to the Renner thing: when I worked for the Renner garage, there was an old guy lived halfway between home and work, who had a both a 5 and 25 Monaco. The 25 got traded for a 25 Baccara, which was how I got my grubby mitts on one, and very nice it was too! There was something very, very right about those seats, as if they'd been especially designed for French presidential derrieres to be wafted along the Champs-Elyesses.

Surprised this long-running line hasn't been mentioned...

...the Peugeot Rallyes. I had to have a double take at this one, the other day, as I hadn't realised they'd Rallye'd a 306. Not strictly shite per se I know, but hey, it's a Pug...and they tuned it! What could possibly go rong? And there's a bonus MX-3 in the background.

[Shep Shepherd]

The Opel Corsa "Steffi", produced in the 1980s by Opel to commemorate the West German tennis player Steffi Graf:

 

 

Rover 25 "Henman", anyone?

[DSdriver]

We had an AX Splash (Citroen)

If there are any left I would be very surprised

[25v6turbo]

The Renault baccaras where great cars,top luxury for Renault i remember them well,the 25 then the clio and the phase 1 laguna.Don,t forget there was actually a Clio 1 phase 3 Paris!!! this was as good as a later initiale and very rare.

My Safrane seats are superb,fully electric,memory,heated,leather and ergomatic aswell...and don,t forget the individual electric rear seats aswell with a 50/50 split but still individual adjustments,the U.K prelaunch brochure lists electric drivers headrest but this didn,t make it to U.K cars.

[Shep Shepherd]

In the early 1990s, there used to be an AX "Tyrolean" not far from where I grew up, which I am sure was either a dealer-derived edition or something that sprung from the mind of the original purchaser. It had large graphics depicting a stylised Swiss bloke playing an alpenhorn on its flanks

[ashmicro]

Rover 25 "Henman", anyone?

 

 

Cheeky git. Nowt Wrong with the 25, unlike Tim the Turkey.

 

This thread reminds me of an NI dealer spesh last-gasp mark 4 Escort called the Etoile. It was like the Bonus 90 but with bugger all bits, not even a rear wiper, and no wheeltrims. A mate bought one in 1994, and me, him and another chap did the rounds of the county Antrim breakers. XR3i dogleg alloys, full mark 3 3i interior and dash (steering wheel didn't fit ) and rear wiper. It was strangely satisfying to put all the bits on that it should have had, (in our opinion, of course). The whole time, we worked on it, the music from The A team was buzzing around in my head. We later got the tinted glass, XR3i brakes and suspension, an RS Turbo bodykit and the engine and box from an Onion Ghia Injection, which was taking the piss. Good fun though, and he had the car about 10/11 years.

[Shep Shepherd]

Cheeky git. Nowt Wrong with the 25, unlike Tim the Turkey.

 

Only joshing! He was the first contemporary British tennis player to spring to mind when I was making the post

 

That Escort sounds like it was a nice car after the upgrades. Any pics?