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The 2.8 was SWMBO's car when I met her, she drove it like a demon but never lost it. I think the 2.8s were better than the 3.0 litre ptobably a combination of better power delivery, tyres and suspension set up.
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The limited-slip differential probably helped too. If only they hadn't put the wrong lubricant in on assembly. I repeat: I have never had a problem with my car's handling and I suspect that the reports of those who did come a cropper probably ought to include the reckless youth factor as much as the car's intrinsic qualities. I can well imagine word gaining currency that "they break away if you push them", so they got pushed even more. You can put anything in a ditch if you try hard enough.
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There was a huge difference in handling as the marque went on, and dependent on the power plant used. I think I drove every marque and every variant over the last 30 years. They draw me like magnets. You cant take the essex out of the boy.
The early Mk1's were very crude suspension wise. The long bonnet meant that the lesser power plants (1.3, 1.6 and 2.0 litre)were against the bulk head with a big empty gap to the front so had a fair weight distribution. The animal three litre filled the engine bay, and pushed a lot of weight in front of the front wheels. Given the poor suspension, huge torque and RWD this became the real animal.
The later marques had much better suspension, better weight distribution, fatter and better tyres, and when it got to the last of the 2.8is and 280s was actually a much tamer beast. Anything with a hatch was a comparitive doddle.
The 3 litre Mk1s were the ditch seekers and in my mind the prettiest and sexiest of cars ever made.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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The 3 litre Mk1s were the ditch seekers and in my mind the prettiest and sexiest of cars ever made.
RS2600 and RS3100! IIRC the former was Cologne developed (as were the 2.8i's by the way) and the latter Essex, Dunton I guess.
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Wasn't that the V6 Essex engine ? A fine British made lump that powered Ambulances of that era. I'm trying to remember the name of 2.8 engine,,,,was it the Cologne (?), anyway it was a far smoother motor than the Essex. Professionals on Men and Motors, watch it and weep !
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Ref The Professionals - I watched this over Xmas too - this was 'not to be missed TV' as a lad and to my surprise I still enjoyed it even now. Its not very PC by today's standards but coming back to a motoring link I always wanted the Escort not the Capri !!
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I owned a 1978 2.0S (the one with twin headlights) from new ? it was silver with Recaro seats, alloy wheels etc. I?ve never owned any other car that drew such a lot of admiring glances ? my then girlfriend hated it!
I never had a problem with oversteer ? I guess it didn?t really have the power. However understeer in the wet was ridiculous ? it just wouldn?t go around corners, roundabouts etc, at *any* sort of speed. I had quite a big crash in it after a few months when a country lane turned right and the car didn?t.
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"The car you always peomised yourself" FoMoCo's buy line !
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was the tag line to the first "story" advert made.
It was, and I did.
I first saw one ( a mk1 ) outside school as I left for the day. Inside was a sharpsuited yoof picking up the prettiest girl in the school. He was of course parked across the school gates.
I knew I would have one from that moment.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I remember the MKII coming out, we lived very close to a German Ford Dealer at the time and I recall trying to steer my dad towards them (especially the red 2.0 with those glorious elongated number graphics in matt black). My dad did an impressionof a big engined one and fishtailed away home.
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Ok guys you have to watch "Life on Mars on TV next week. About a detective who gets whisked back in time to 1973.
The star of the show is a .........................
Mk3 Coke Bottle Cortina, a GXL no less.......... I have seen a pilot and it has more 1970s motoring in it than the Sweeney....
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Now the best MkIII Cortinas were the facelift ones, '74 on, much better dash, model of clarity at the time.
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Adam said "Rubbish!"
Glad you agree with me on my views of Capris..:-))))
madf
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OOOo no. Mk3 with teh dials down tunnels......Utterly hideous..... The revised dash was a fairly short upgrade (18 months?) as the whole car rapidly turned into the pre sierra Mk4.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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OOOo no. Mk3 with teh dials down tunnels......Utterly hideous..... The revised dash was a fairly short upgrade (18 months?) as the whole car rapidly turned into the pre sierra Mk4. >>
The facelift was approx late '74 (N) to late '76 (R) when the MkIV was launched. It was also distinguished by the re emergence of the 'E' badge due to the 2000E replacing the GXL, also 'GL' replaced 'XL', 'GT' was dropped IIRC and was only replaced by the 'S' on the MkIV.
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Also did'nt the early MKIII's have the pushrod 'Kent' 1.6 and the 2.0 V4 from the Corsair, IIRC the 'Pinto' 1.6 and 2.0's OHC's were introduced shortly before the facelift, perhaps mid '73.
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www.bbc.co.uk/drama/lifeonmars/about.shtml
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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My BiL used to have a white Tickford Capri. What a car this was,looked great on the outside & inside but alas the tetley tea men had squatted underneath through time & was swapped for a VW Jetta GTI.
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Try this site - the guy has a few nice ones for sale
www.affordableclassics.co.uk/carsforsale.htm
My dad had one when I was a wee lad - 16oo GT. lots of show, but not much go I recall, although always reliable
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I like the 2000E with GXL front and 5 speed box!
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XDL 726L Mk1 2.0 GTXLR Evergreen Metalic, steel sunshine roof, REMOTE CONTROL (on a cable) 8 track stereo, first 'good' car I ever bought myself. £825 & my D reg Spitfire, way back in the summer of 75 - a 19 year old single lad, who wore a suit to work, in those days, too!
MEMORIES!!!!!!
VB
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TB,
Apart from the rosey tint of nostalgia, they were cars of their time. You can still repair them without a laptop, you can probably still buy bits for them, hell you can even change the headlamp units/bulbs yourself. Go buy one and tell us about it.
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XDL 726L Mk1 2.0 GTXLR Evergreen Metalic, steel sunshine roof, REMOTE CONTROL (on a cable) 8 track stereo, first 'good' car I ever bought myself. £825 & my D reg Spitfire, way back in the summer of 75 - a 19 year old single lad, who wore a suit to work, in those days, too! MEMORIES!!!!!! VB Nearly the nifty fifty then. Will be catching you up soon. As you say, such memories. Oh!, by the way.........where did all that time go?
vvbr.........md
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I like the 2000E with GXL front and 5 speed box!
Ah nostalgia ! I had a Cortina Mk3 2.0 GXL, what a fabulous car that was IN ITS DAY.
Okay the handling was stodgy to say the least, but the cool quasi-American styling and strong performance made a refreshing change from the boring norm at the time.
Even BMW weren't making particularly enticing stuff in the early 70s.
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Try this site - the guy has a few nice ones for sale www.affordableclassics.co.uk/carsforsale.htm
This site has some of the best 280's in the land www.brooklands280.com
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Ok guys you have to watch "Life on Mars on TV next week. About a detective who gets whisked back in time to 1973. The star of the show is a ......................... Mk3 Coke Bottle Cortina, a GXL no less.......... I have seen a pilot and it has more 1970s motoring in it than the Sweeney.... ------------------------------ TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
One of my best mates at the time had a coke bottle GXL auto. He and I thought it was the bees knees, about 1975 methinks. Another had a 1.6 GT 'bout '76 and god did we think that it was fast. We ruled the world on the way to the Red Lion at Brentford on those friday nights. aaah! VERY happy days. Sadly he is no longer with us. Only the good eh! (and no fault of his)
VVBR................MD
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