Top Gear

[mjheathcote]

Remember my grandparents buying a new e21 316 when they retired in the early '80.
Was a nice car but my grandfather was obsessed about using the "5th gear" when it was totally inappropriate. He was also very upset with the Shell fuel scandel, can't remember what it was called, but he always filled up with Shell.
It didn't see them out though, and they finished off with a diesel Renault Cleo, with no power steering. They were farmers, and he couldn't see the point of having power steering after a lifetime driving post war tractors! Also obsessed again with economy, hence why diesel but they didn't go anywhere really. He got me to crawl underneath it to waxoyl it when new.
Handed in his driving licence at 90.

 

[Harry]

Remember my grandparents buying a new e21 316 when they retired in the early '80.
Was a nice car but my grandfather was obsessed about using the "5th gear" when it was totally inappropriate. He was also very upset with the Shell fuel scandel, can't remember what it was called, but he always filled up with Shell.
It didn't see them out though, and they finished off with a diesel Renault Cleo, with no power steering. They were farmers, and he couldn't see the point of having power steering after a lifetime driving post war tractors! Also obsessed again with economy, hence why diesel but they didn't go anywhere really. He got me to crawl underneath it to waxoyl it when new.
Handed in his driving licence at 90.

Funnily enough, my father (also a farmer) was always putting my mother’s maxi into 5th gear too, usually at about 35mph. I can remember being told 5th gear was something special when we got the car in 1976.

 

[Silvercat]

Quite enjoyed, obviously Chris comes from the posh side of town - even Flintoff with a GL Cortina was a set up from us we had to make do with a 1.6L

I had a Cortina Mk5 1.6 GL (bought it off me Dad) ... great car but shite colour....beige outside, dark brown inside..

 

[mjheathcote]

Funnily enough, my father (also a farmer) was always putting my mother’s maxi into 5th gear too, usually at about 35mph. I can remember being told 5th gear was something special when we got the car in 1976.

Can so remember going out in the car, and my Mum would be driving, and my Grandfather was forever saying 'Elizabeth put it into 5th gear', drove my Mum up the wall!!

 

[Andyk]

I had a Cortina Mk5 1.6 GL (bought it off me Dad) ... great car but shite colour....beige outside, dark brown inside..

My sisters boyfriend he one in exactly the same colour. The beige was something to behold.

 

[Devonboy]

They drove past my old house in Orthwaite in Cumbria in the first 10mins - I recognised the barn, the lake and then the hamlet....surpassing what you remember after 20yrs away!

 

[Wack61]

Funnily enough, my father (also a farmer) was always putting my mother’s maxi into 5th gear too, usually at about 35mph. I can remember being told 5th gear was something special when we got the car in 1976.

when I was a kid an old bloke down the street had a brown Maxi , he never ever took it out of 2nd gear, you knew it was him coming because you could hear it screaming along at 25mph in second

a couple of years later I saw a young lad driving it then a day or so later it was stuck in the middle of the road with the front suspension collapsed and him crawling about underneath it, the old guy might not have been able to drive but he knew when to get rid of it

 

[Jamin]

I've very fond memories of the cortina, my mum had a mk4 1.6 estate that I used to borrow when I was 17.
2 months after my 17th birthday I borrowed it whilst on L plates and drove 3 friends to Brighton from Canterbury for a lads day out, we got stopped by the rozza's, rightly so as I probably looked like I'd stole it and I produced my provisional licence, my mate in the back had a full licence and was politely reminded that he should be sitting in the front with me if supervising.
Although I didn't like the look of the estate, I certainly appreciated the er ...... "leg room" as a young single man

 

[montravia]

Column change=bench seats. Sigh

 

[Marco07]

when I was a kid an old bloke down the street had a brown Maxi , he never ever took it out of 2nd gear, you knew it was him coming because you could hear it screaming along at 25mph in second

a couple of years later I saw a young lad driving it then a day or so later it was stuck in the middle of the road with the front suspension collapsed and him crawling about underneath it, the old guy might not have been able to drive but he knew when to get rid of it

When I started driving cars I had an Avenger and when I needed something bigger to lug amplifiers, PA’s, & guitars around I bought a maxi. It was bl**dy fantastic. Pneumatic suspension, 1.7 litre engine and tons of room in the back. I ran it for 3yrs, never serviced it, then sold it for what I paid for it. Would genuinely like another.

 

[jasst]

I had a Cortina Mk5 1.6 GL (bought it off me Dad) ... great car but shite colour....beige outside, dark brown inside..

I had a 2.3 GL in the same colour, had to sell it when I got married as they wouldn't insure the wife on it.

 

[ScaldedCat]

My Dad would always go up through the gears, missing out every other one. When he got to a reasonable speed he would knock it out of gear and coast until he lost momentum and then start the process again. He reckoned it saved petrol. An absolutely awful driver, never indicated ('everybody knows where I'm going'), but as far as I remember, never had an accident, probably because he left carnage in his wake and just didn't notice!

 

[Silvercat]

My Dad would always go up through the gears, missing out every other one. When he got to a reasonable speed he would knock it out of gear and coast until he lost momentum and then start the process again. He reckoned it saved petrol. An absolutely awful driver, never indicated ('everybody knows where I'm going'), but as far as I remember, never had an accident, probably because he left carnage in his wake and just didn't notice!

My Dad used to do exactly the same. Must have been the result of the 1970's oil crisis.

 

[ScaldedCat]

I remember going to work with him (builder) during the summer holidays in his old van. One year he was working at a house the other side of the Downs and getting there involved going down Harting Hill. A low gear was selected so that he didn't have to use the brakes too much as it 'wore them out' and that poor old van howled all the way to the bottom. Coming home was worse as the only way the van could get up the hill was backwards. Back then there was little traffic, but generally by the time we got to the top we had a following of exasperated car drivers looking daggers at Dad as we pulled over at the top to give the van a breather and turn it round.
I was too young to know that this was not normal van driving behaviour and that other vans could in fact go up hills forwards!