Brand new 1980s Fords

[nvubu]

Saw this elsewhere

article said:

A timewarp car dealership – still stocked with unregistered Fords including three Sierras, including an estate, a Fiesta S MKII, an Escort 1.1 Laser MKIII, and a Ford Orion 1.6 D

article here, and there is a video here

Edited by nvubu on Friday 20th October 16:39

[Turbobanana]

nvubu said:

article here, linked video

Fascinating, thanks for posting.

A couple of thoughts:

- Remarkable lack of disturbance: no vandalism, sun damage etc, looks literally like a time capsule.
- Interesting mix of models. The Escort is a pre-March 1986 Mk3, the Orion a post-1986 facelift. The Sierras are all pre-1987 facelifts, and all seemingly fairly basic spec.

So what do we think: a dealership that went out of business after March 1986, having just started to receive delivery of the Escort & Orion in facelift guise but before it sold its last Mk3 Escort?

[99t]

Linked article says

‘The owner continued to be an independent car dealer until his death in 1994.

‘He had 300 cars on site, including 150 new Ford cars left over from his dealership days. In 1995, the family who owned all the buildings sold off the majority of his cars including most of the new ones.

‘These unsold cars you see here were moved into the showroom, which was then left as a memorial to the owner. The widow kept the building maintained, clean and tidy, and presumably the cars cleaned.’

[Turbobanana]

99t said:

Linked article says

‘The owner continued to be an independent car dealer until his death in 1994.

‘He had 300 cars on site, including 150 new Ford cars left over from his dealership days. In 1995, the family who owned all the buildings sold off the majority of his cars including most of the new ones.

‘These unsold cars you see here were moved into the showroom, which was then left as a memorial to the owner. The widow kept the building maintained, clean and tidy, and presumably the cars cleaned.’

Which just goes to show that I should have read the article and not just watched the video

In my defence, I only saw it as one link, not two. M'lud.

[Niponeoff]

99t said:

Linked article says

‘The owner continued to be an independent car dealer until his death in 1994.

‘He had 300 cars on site, including 150 new Ford cars left over from his dealership days. In 1995, the family who owned all the buildings sold off the majority of his cars including most of the new ones.

‘These unsold cars you see here were moved into the showroom, which was then left as a memorial to the owner. The widow kept the building maintained, clean and tidy, and presumably the cars cleaned.’

Quite sad really, when you consider it was his life's work.

[nvubu]

I have split the links to make clearer.

youtube said:

The widow kept the place maintained but ended up in a care home. Now the family have not kept up the upkeep of the cars / building and this is how they stand today.

I'd have thought as soon as she passes away, the cars and the building/land will be sold.

[Mikebentley]

I do love a base spec car.

[vpr]

Superb

[Rob 131 Sport]

Mikebentley said:

I do love a base spec car.

Old basic spec cars are interesting to look at, especially compared to the higher spec models such as Fords Ghia or Vauxhall’s GLS.

Owning a basic spec car back in this era was just pure misery.

[4rephill]

Rob 131 Sport said:

Mikebentley said:

I do love a base spec car.

Old basic spec cars are interesting to look at, especially compared to the higher spec models such as Fords Ghia or Vauxhall’s GLS.

Owning a basic spec car back in this era was just pure misery.

I can't say I agree with that - It all depends on what you owned previously,

If your previous car was a basic spec car from the 60's or 70's previously, owning a basic spec 80's car was still an upgrade.

Take the Fords for example:

If you went from a MK1 or MK2 1.1 Escort, into a MK3 1.1 Escort, you wouldn't have felt it was pure misery at all.

Come from a base spec Lada Riva into a base spec MK3 Escort, and you would have been mesmerised by the difference.

Of course, if you went from a previous generation higher spec car, such as a MK5 2.3 Cortina Ghia, into a base spec Sierra, then yes, you would feel it was more of a misery in the base spec car.

Making a blanket statement that: "Owning a basic spec car back in this era was just pure misery", is simply not true!

[s2kjock]

I know someone with a Sierra of that age in pristine condition and silly low miles. I think the owner is nearly 80, and throughout his life bought a new Ford every year or two (still does - currently with a Puma), but for whatever reason decided to hold onto his Sierra. He is some sort of record holder for Ford ownership - dealer loves him

I think his looks mid spec (velour seats, wind-up windows I think - engine would be 1.6 or 1.8 from memory), but otherwise nothing remotely special about it - very much a garage queen with summer outings to local classic car extravaganzas/club rallies.

Very odd to sit in something "modern" and perfectly usable, yet as old now as my first car (1965 Morris Minor) was when I got it.

[Mikebentley]

Rob 131 Sport said:

Mikebentley said:

I do love a base spec car.

Old basic spec cars are interesting to look at, especially compared to the higher spec models such as Fords Ghia or Vauxhall’s GLS.

Owning a basic spec car back in this era was just pure misery.

Old enough to know that’s not true.

[ItsBouquet]

s2kjock said:

I know someone with a Sierra of that age in pristine condition and silly low miles. I think the owner is nearly 80, and throughout his life bought a new Ford every year or two (still does - currently with a Puma), but for whatever reason decided to hold onto his Sierra. He is some sort of record holder for Ford ownership - dealer loves him

I think his looks mid spec (velour seats, wind-up windows I think - engine would be 1.6 or 1.8 from memory), but otherwise nothing remotely special about it - very much a garage queen with summer outings to local classic car extravaganzas/club rallies.

Very odd to sit in something "modern" and perfectly usable, yet as old now as my first car (1965 Morris Minor) was when I got it.

I'd love to see that Sierra!

[LuS1fer]

Is it even possible to register these old cars now?

Unlike registered cars, these would surely have to pass new vehicle emissions etc to get a brand new plate.

Does remind me how Ford lost the styling plot, back then.

[yellowjack]

LuS1fer said:

Is it even possible to register these old cars now?

Unlike registered cars, these would surely have to pass new vehicle emissions etc to get a brand new plate.

Does remind me how Ford lost the styling plot, back then.

I don't know about the German/European rules on registration of "new, old stock" vehicles. But I'd assume that such cars in the Uk would be issued with 'age related' plates based on their year of build rather than year of registration? I'm happy to be corrected by someone more knowledgeable on the subject, though. Same with emissions tests, etc. I'd have thought they'd be treated under the Construction And Use (and MOT testing) regulations that applied at the time they were rolling off the production line?

I can see how it'd be a problem, though, if that were not the case. It would be interesting to see what would happen to these cars if they were to be sold. They might well end up in museum (or private) collections and never see the road except from the back of a transporter. They'd need heaps of work doing too, surely? Any fuel in the tanks and fuel system would need cleaning up, and hoses and gaskets would have had no lubrication having sat still all this time. I think I'd enjoy seeing a documentary about these cars, and seeing just how much money and time would need to go in to getting them ready for the road. So many questions in my head about them.