I remember looking at one in about 1978. If my memory is correct it had the 1.6 OHV engine and this was coupled to a 4 speed gearbox. It was only about a year old but the previous owner had upgraded to a brand new one which had just been changed to a 5 speed gearbox.

On the test drive it absolutely flew especially compared to the 1.8 Magnum I had at the time. It even seemed quick compared to my dads 2.0 Cortina. The engine was definitely an eager rev monster.

The rust stories and expense of maintaining imports back then terrified me so I stayed safe and sensible and bought a 1.6 Avenger which was slow in comparrison.