Mother had a Renault 5 Soleil - special paint trim/decals and a glass sun hatch.
There was also a Cortina Crusader with what looked lile (& probably was) the Daily Express logo on the boot.
The line seemed to be to take a basicish model, stuff in a few things from the parts bin for the GL or SL version and sell fro list + £250 or so. TBH I think all the manufacturers did them from time to time when sales were slack.
Edited by Bromptonaut on 02/01/2010 at 10:52
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MK2 Escort Harrier, 1600 OHV sport with RS alloys and interior in white or silver + decals in blue
tinyurl.com/ylovjfb
Edited by Dox on 02/01/2010 at 11:01
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Polo Harlequin ... ...
www.rossvw.com/harlequin/picturepage/hq3-4.jpg
... ... takes the prize, the most bizarre of all specials!!
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A friend of mine bought a 2yr old mkIV Escort Eclipse when we were 18. Finished in a lovely metallic blue, with XR3i alloys, XR3i boot spoiler and colour coded everything. Lovely looking car, but fitted with the "insurance friendly" 1.3 litre pushrod engine. A sheep in wolf's clothing, but we all admired it. And more importantly for an 18 year old bloke, so did the girls! :-)
i42.tinypic.com/315o3zt.jpg
Edited by DP on 02/01/2010 at 11:03
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"but fitted with the "insurance friendly" 1.3 litre pushrod engine"
Reckon it would have been a CVH, IIRC only the 1.1s were pushrod.
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You might be right Cheddar, but I seem to remember it was the HCS version of the old Valencia engine. My memory is fading these days :-)
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You might be right >>
IIRC the 1.3 HCS was Fiesta only, you equally might be right DP, as I say IIRC.
Edited by cheddar on 02/01/2010 at 11:08
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they were 1300 ohv with what i used to call the jiggle valves on the head (lots of pipes to lower emissions) those cars were very good sellers what with boot spoilers usually fitted and factory central locking and electric front windows and i seem to remember a stick for sending sound to all 4 panaromantic speakers
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they were 1300 ohv >>
Actually I think DP and yourself are right.
I was thinking MkIII where they were 1.1 OHV and 1.3 & 1.6 CVH though of course the MkIV had 1.1 & 1.3 OHV and 1.4 & 1.6 CVH
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I always thought the Eclipse was a CVH too from the sound. They were better cars than the MK5 that followed. Still see a few now.
The spec was also impressive for its day for a car that cheap.
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My first company car (back in '92) was a 'K' reg Escort 1.4LX. That meant a spoiler on the back, a sunroof and, IIRC, electric front windows. It replaced the '84 Fiat Uno 55S I'd had as a student, and I fell for the spoiler I think :-)
Though resplendant in metallic burgundy, with it's alloy wheel look-a-like plastic wheel trims, to drive it was dismal; no power steering of course, but no power either. Restless on motorways, and wallowy on other roads, with uncomfortable seats. I'm not even sure it had split rear seats? I'd only had it a few weeks when I drove the then then new Astra. I regretted falling for the spoiler on the Ford, for the next 11 months. I've never ordered a Ford since...
Peter
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I almost bought an Escort Eclipse myself when buying my first car, I always regretted not buying it as it was a much nicer looking car than the Fiesta that I ultimately ended up with even if it was a much older car!
I think I had a soft spot for it as it was very much akin to my dad's 1989 Orion Ghia which to this day is one of my most fondly remembered family cars.
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The Cortina 'Crusader' was a run-out model just before the release of the Sierra. It had a lot of what were perceived at the time as luxury items from higher spec models - wood veneer dash, cassette player, clock(!) etc. Oh and two-tone paint as well, I seem to remember.
Also around that time was the Fiesta Bravo II which also sported two-tone paint and snazzy seats.
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Here's a memorable special. The coloured lines down the side made it look better and go faster.
farm4.static.flickr.com/3658/3625994252_fb0aba7235...g
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The Allegro I had was the bog-standard 1300 - needed the stripes;)
I had a Mini Special though in 1980-something, 1100 engine, alloy look wheel trims, and go faster stripes down the sides. It didn't seem any faster than any of the Mini 1000's I had, and I remember the head gasket blowing after a trip back from Torquay.
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The Allegro I had was the bog-standard 1300 - needed the stripes;)
>>
Nope, it was an Equipe with a 1750 maxi derived engine
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Here's a memorable special. The coloured lines down the side made it look better and go faster.
Starsky & Hutch
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The Cortina 'Crusader' was a run-out model just before the release of the Sierra. It had a lot of what were perceived at the time as luxury items from higher spec models - wood veneer dash cassette player clock(!) etc. Oh and two-tone paint as well I seem to remember.
By force of circumstances I had two 1.6 versions in white, one had the Express logo and one did not.
It had no bootlight, the rear view mirror did not dip and there were several other cheapskate omissions.
My first one was stolen and when recovered 12 hours later had absolutely no interior.
when it was hauled out I had to steer it with a molegrip on thesteering column.
I was informed tby the BiB they knew the culprit but could not get enough evidence.
So somebody was upgrading a poverty spec version.
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So somebody was upgrading a poverty spec version.
This still goes on. A few years ago, my mate got a Mondeo ST24 as a company car (before the CO2 based tax system came in of course). He'd had it three days, came out to go to work one morning and found it exactly where he'd parked it, but on bricks with the wheels, seats, steering wheel, door cards, front and rear bumpers, tailgate and stereo missing. Happened outside his house, overnight, and nobody heard a thing.
The recovery boys had fun with that one.
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The Hillman Imp Californian wasn't a tarted-up 'special edition', it was a coupe version of the ordinary saloon - as was its 1950s predecessor, the Hillman Minx Californian.
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There was a printers opened up donkeys years ago near where i worked and he bought a new machine that could make decals so i had lots made up saying something like sunshine.
Every boring escort /fiesta type vehicle i bought in had these stuck on the boot and usually the obligatory bit of rust coming through on the lower front doors to hide this rust and then the advert was run
People back then used to lap up fiesta sunshine and expect a ghia when they arrived and some were a bit upset to find plastic seats no nearside overtaking mirror and not even a hole for a radio never mind a fitted aerial
anyway someone always bought them
happy days.
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Lada were well up on the special editions, check these babies out:
www.lada-owners-club.co.uk/lada_%20cars_in_the_UK....o
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yep only lada could turn a carrot into a turnip
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My grandad had a C reg Lada Riva 1200 Special Edition. It came with leather skin seats, a FIAT/Lancia 3 spoke steering wheel, a sunroof, radio cassete, stereo speakers and a high level brake light (when Ford were not even fitting rear heaters to their basic cars).
He had it years and was always very relaible I think he only used his AA breakdown limit once and in the 4 years or so he had it he only went through about 6 radiators, four clutches, 6 alternators, 10 start motors and a couple of flywheels.
I also rememebr the Mondeo Aspen sold in about 1995 as a special edition. It came with no central locking or no electric windows, I never understood why people bought them must have been a pain to shift.
My mate had a special edition 1100 Fiesta MK3.0 one of the last of the carb versions. We once spent an hour dismanteling it trying to find out what the bonus feature was. We eventualy concluded bonus meant it came with a 3 speed heater. It was basicaly a Fiesta Popular with a different name. Must have been a run out model before fuel injection and airbags were introduced.
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The wife used to own a Peugeot 106 Mardi Gras.
Wow what a motor. It was basically a roller skate with a rear wash wipe!
Still only had four forward gears mind you.
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My mate had one of them, seam to remember it having blue carpets. Five us went it once from Salford University to the Trafford Centre. I tried to tell her to go down Ordsall Lane and through trafford park, she insisted on going on the motorway one of my mates was about 20 stone at the time.
The result 40mph top speed down the M60 with the engine doing about 5500 revs. It was so emberassing more so than the Ladas my family have owned.
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I liked the look of the Cavalier Commander from the mid-1980s.
There are still a few about:
tinyurl.com/yfdu9h5
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Very 80's, I almost inspect to see
**** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2 ****
64K RAM SYSTEM 38911 BASIC BYTES FREE
Printed on the dashboard!
Still looks very dated now, more late 70's than 80's. Those cavs must have seemed acicent by 1989.
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They were cracking cars in their day; I think they look less dated than the original Sierra. That aged quicker than it rusted, which was no mean feat for the Sierra!!
Love the styled steel wheels; who needs alloys!!
Peter
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I agree with Peter. I had the SRI version and it's still one of my favourite of all the cars I've owned. Mine was a 4dr saloon, in black.
The single overhead cam engines they put into these cars are among the gutsiest, smoothest and most reliable ever fitted to a mass produced car IMHO. The 1.6 would see off a 1.8 Sierra without any trouble at all, and the injected 1.8s were capable of sub 9 second 0-60 times. In 1983!
I've never viewed any of Vauxhalls cars with the same affection as the ones they produced in the 80's and early 90's.
Edited by DP on 02/01/2010 at 15:36
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I liked the look of the Cavalier Commander from the mid-1980s. There are still a few about: tinyurl.com/yfdu9h5
My one and only brand new car was a Commander, kept for 9 years or so until I worte it off :-((. The usual formula of a base model ( no glovebox light) with added parts bin bits, 5 speed box, glass sunroof,adjustable steering wheel, wheels off an Astra SRi ( IIRC) and the fancy decals / seat trim.
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I worked at a dealer that made up its own specials. We used to take the Astra Merit (what was of Merit, i'm not sure) 1.3 with optional 5spd gearbox and add a pop up sunroof, rear spoiler, mudflaps, mats, clock, Pioneer radio cassette and some lovely stripes. It was sold for under the list price of the Merit model, relying on the big discounts and bonuses that were around in the late 80s.
They did the same with the Nova, originally with the 1.2 with optional 5spd gearbox, and then later with the "new techonology eco" 1.4 60bhp model with catalytic converter. That model had a bigger discount, more bonus and standard 5spd gearbox making it a reasonable deal.
Vauxhall used to bring out their own specials, normally a set of stripes, different wheels (or wheel trims) and possibly some 2 tone paintwork. I did like the look of the Cavalier Calibre (an SRI 130 saloon with Irmscher bodykit - not to be mistaken for a Calibra which is a different car altogether)
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I remember the 'Antibes' Special Edition Vauxhalls; all white, with white plastic wheel trims and yellow striped upholstery IIRC. Available on the Nova, Astra and Cavalier if my memory serves me...
Peter
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'Antibes' Special Edition Vauxhalls; all white,
They wern't all white - I learnt to drive in a Red one. The all white one was a 'club' istr.
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'Antibes' Special Edition Vauxhalls; all white They wern't all white - I learnt to drive in a Red one. The all white one was a 'club' istr.
Antibes were red/white or bright blue. I liked the bright blue one.
The club had grey and yellow seats, nasty.
They once did a Nova Sport, that was a 1200cc job with irmscher modified manifold and twin carbs (and bucket seats etc) - they were nice :) I think they were Homologation specials, so they could use them for rallying. www.townparks.co.uk/nova-sport
Edited by J500ANT on 02/01/2010 at 20:27
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'Antibes' Special Edition Vauxhalls; all white They wern't all white - I learnt to drive in a Red one. The all white one was a 'club' istr.
My mate had a blue Astra Antibes, the only thing I can remember about it is that it had no clock - a new departure in limited editions where bits were removed not added!
Agree the white only special editions were 'Club', particularly lurid white plastic wheel trims IIRC.
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>I worked at a dealer that made up its own specials.
The 944 I owned was a special produced by AFN to celebrate their 60th anniversary.
I think that they were all versions of either the 944S, Turbo S, 911/930 or 928 S4 in Diamond Blue metallic with discreet "60" logos and a few dealer fitted options.
Mine was an ex-management car and the front suspension and steering had been setup for road and track use. Beautiful pin-sharp handling but boy did it chew tyres.
It gained a few extra modifications while Mrs K. and I were out of the country for a few months. I'd asked a friend to keep an eye on the house and keep the car exercised while we were away. When we got back it had gained fluffy dice hanging from the mirror, a pair of Paddy Hopkirk driving gloves and a very wide sunstrip complete with Mr and Mrs K's names in pink letters.
Kevin...
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He had it years and was always very relaible I think he only used his AA breakdown limit once and in the 4 years or so he had it he only went through about 6 radiators four clutches 6 alternators 10 start motors and a couple of flywheels.
Nice!
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There was a ton of special edition Kas which nobody seem to know anything about. From what I can tell, it seems like most of them were for various non-UK markets.
Ka 1st Edition
Ka Special Edition Lufthansa
Ka D2 CallYa
Ka Kool
Ka Sound
and tons more...
Full list on German Wikipedia:
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ka#Sondermodelle
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The Hillman Imp Californian wasn't a tarted-up 'special edition' it was a coupe version of the ordinary saloon.
You're right. I meant the Caledonian.
Remember seeing one of these in red at the Birmingham Motor Show in '75/76 - based on the Imp saloon with cloth seats, vinyl roof, etc.
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