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shed driver

Original Poster:

2,782 posts

180 months

Yesterday (09:48)
quotequote all
I was thinking while reading this thread https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... about automotive things you don't see any more.

Which was the last mainstream car in the UK market that had a carburettor, or points? What about the first mainstream car with fuel injection, tinted windows or other things we now take for granted?

Needs to be popular UK spec cars, rather than exotica or imports.

SD.


silentbrown

10,210 posts

136 months

Yesterday (09:54)
quotequote all
shed driver said:
What about the first mainstream car with fuel injection?
BMW 2002tii, or Triumph TR5 maybe?

Super Sonic

11,257 posts

74 months

Yesterday (09:54)
quotequote all
Last carburettor car I had was a MK4 Civic EC 1.4, built in 1990

StuntmanMike

12,296 posts

171 months

Yesterday (09:55)
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I remember a long ago girlfriend buying a new Fiesta.
It was L reg and was a facelift.
Think airbags, cat, clear indicators.
It had a single point injection system, while it had a carburettor housing it had an injector inside it.
The prefacelift, maybe on a K reg would have had carbs.
Emissions bringing catalytic converters in would have killed off carburettors imo.

Slow.Patrol

3,420 posts

34 months

Yesterday (09:58)
quotequote all
Manual choke.

Last one was on my Nova.

Having to remember to push it back in after the engine had warmed up a bit.

dontlookdown

2,297 posts

113 months

Yesterday (10:02)
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Gullwing 300SL is the example usually cited as the first road car with fuel injection. 1954. Not exactly a mass market model though.

TR5 PI must have been amongst the first Brit injected cars.

My mum had a 92/93 boggo Audi 80 2.0 which also had a single point injections system. Not quite a carb but not really injection either. More like an electronically controlled variable jet carb really.

Baldchap

9,301 posts

112 months

Yesterday (10:09)
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I had a lateish Hyundai X2 with a choke and carbs, I think that was about 1993. The last one has to be a budget brand, I'd assume.

My 2005 R6 was the first year they went fuel injected, but probably not the last bike to do so.

I *think* the 2002 BN-1 Robin was still on carbs. As far as brand new cars go there can't be many later than that, surely?

WPA

12,963 posts

134 months

Yesterday (10:33)
quotequote all
dontlookdown said:
Gullwing 300SL is the example usually cited as the first road car with fuel injection. 1954. Not exactly a mass market model though.

TR5 PI must have been amongst the first Brit injected cars.

My mum had a 92/93 boggo Audi 80 2.0 which also had a single point injections system. Not quite a carb but not really injection either. More like an electronically controlled variable jet carb really.
1957 Chrysler 300D, DeSoto Adventurer, Dodge D-500 and Plymouth Fury were available with electronic fuel injection, they sold the tech to Bosch who then designed D-Jetronic from it.

I am also sure the 57 Corvette had an injection option.

In terms of first volume production car I would say the Volkswagen 1600TE which had Bosch D Jet in 1968.

Dynion Araf Uchaf

4,988 posts

243 months

Yesterday (10:33)
quotequote all
Carbs were phased out on Jan 1st 1993 because of mandatory catalytic converters

So basically all cars at that time of sale that had carbs , didn t have carbs in 1993.

I remember my 92 Citroen AX having carbs but the 93 model has SPI, and about 5 more ponies. IIRC

Baldchap

9,301 posts

112 months

Yesterday (10:45)
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Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
Carbs were phased out on Jan 1st 1993 because of mandatory catalytic converters

So basically all cars at that time of sale that had carbs , didn t have carbs in 1993.
My 1994 Robin is on carbs with a manual choke. I don't believe even the MK3 (to 2002) had EFI.

Unreal

8,192 posts

45 months

Yesterday (11:01)
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Slow.Patrol said:
Manual choke.

Last one was on my Nova.

Having to remember to push it back in after the engine had warmed up a bit.
Clothes peg to hold it out.

Ian_SW

904 posts

105 months

Yesterday (11:02)
quotequote all
I don't know what the first would have been (probably something in the 1970s), but what about the last car that had a single DIN radio?

I think it might have been the VW e-UP, discontinued in 2023, unless anyone knows of a car (or even a van) you can still buy which has one.

Dapster

8,516 posts

200 months

Yesterday (11:14)
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My friend's dad picked us up from school in his brand new Renault 11 back in about 1984 - nothing remarkable about that apart from a new reg plate, until.... he unlocked it remotely. He may as well have arrived in a DeLorean from the future. I'm pretty sure Renault pioneered the "plip" remote locking as they called it in mass produced cars

Alex_225

7,220 posts

221 months

Yesterday (11:16)
quotequote all
Ian_SW said:
I don't know what the first would have been (probably something in the 1970s), but what about the last car that had a single DIN radio?

I think it might have been the VW e-UP, discontinued in 2023, unless anyone knows of a car (or even a van) you can still buy which has one.
I couldn't say for sure on single or double DIN units but I'm pretty sure the Subaru Outback was the last car to offer a CD player and that was this year.

WPA

12,963 posts

134 months

Yesterday (11:30)
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Dapster said:
My friend's dad picked us up from school in his brand new Renault 11 back in about 1984 - nothing remarkable about that apart from a new reg plate, until.... he unlocked it remotely. He may as well have arrived in a DeLorean from the future. I'm pretty sure Renault pioneered the "plip" remote locking as they called it in mass produced cars
The Fuego was the first I believe in 1982 plus also the first to have steering wheel audio controls

croyde

25,191 posts

250 months

Yesterday (11:43)
quotequote all
My 1996 Renault Mégane coupé had that unit just below the right bottom quarter of the steering wheel for controlling the stereo.

Endless fun changing the station and/or volume when the passenger decided to take over the radio hehe

That same unit turned up 25 years later in my '21 Duster and my '23 Alpine. A modernized version is also in my '25 Dacia Bigster.

Alex_225

7,220 posts

221 months

Yesterday (11:54)
quotequote all
croyde said:
My 1996 Renault Mégane coupé had that unit just below the right bottom quarter of the steering wheel for controlling the stereo.

Endless fun changing the station and/or volume when the passenger decided to take over the radio hehe

That same unit turned up 25 years later in my '21 Duster and my '23 Alpine. A modernized version is also in my '25 Dacia Bigster.
Renault loved chucking that one in! My very first car was a 1993 Clio 1.2, wind down windows, no power steering etc. But had it a remote control on the steering column for the radio cassette player haha

zalrak

661 posts

105 months

Yesterday (12:20)
quotequote all
Unreal said:
Clothes peg to hold it out.
You mean "Autochoke"?

Available here: https://www.ohsoretro.co.uk/product/choke-pegs/

Frankthered

1,666 posts

200 months

Yesterday (12:52)
quotequote all
Baldchap said:
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
Carbs were phased out on Jan 1st 1993 because of mandatory catalytic converters

So basically all cars at that time of sale that had carbs , didn t have carbs in 1993.
My 1994 Robin is on carbs with a manual choke. I don't believe even the MK3 (to 2002) had EFI.
Did Robins have a CAT though? I believe this was the reason carbs disappeared because they were too prone to allowing unburnt fuel to make it through into the exhaust.

The Robin was probably exempt from the requirement for a CAT because, like other lightweight three wheelers, it was considered to be a motorcycle for legislative purposes.

TwigtheWonderkid

47,381 posts

170 months

Yesterday (12:56)
quotequote all
Ian_SW said:
I don't know what the first would have been (probably something in the 1970s), but what about the last car that had a single DIN radio?

I think it might have been the VW e-UP
Was that a limited edition available thru Yorkshire dealers only?