There's a part 2 to this video: ruclips.net/video/2q0tzHgM6kw/видео.html I include all the cars I missed from this video. Errata: Volvo made 6-cylinder engines before the Second World War.
Great video. In 1977 I graduated in engineering and began work at Hobourn Eaton. I bought my first car three months later, an E12 BMW 525i in mustard yellow, had to pay for it on the never never as it was a bit above my pay grade at the time. In the factory car park filled with Granadas', Rovers' and Jaguars' it stood out like a sore thumb. One of the manager's caught me one morning parking it and said to me buying a kraut wagon wont help my promotion prospects. He went on to berate me for not buying British saying that German cars are never going to catch on..... That E12 was such a beautiful car and took me four years to pay off that I could never bring myself to sell it. It's covered up in a barn in Ashford on my sister's farm, I must get around to digging it out one day.
In Australia, Holden grafted the opel senator front onto rekord body and significantly re-engineered the chassis to accept local 6 & V8's which became the Holden Commodore. This vehicle was stronger than anything out of Europe- it had to be in order to cope with poor outback roads.
The Opel Rekord and Ford Granada each had a huge influence on the design of the two top-selling Australian cars going into the 1980s and even beyond. The Opel Rekord was a loose template for the nascent VB Holden Commodore released at the end of 1978, still using the pushrod inline sixes and V8s from previous Holdens, whilst the design of the Granada was draped over the existing Ford Falcon floorpan to create the XD Falcon, released in early 1979. These two dominant models in Australia signified the shift away from the previously American-dominated design and handling models and instead providing more European-influenced vehicles. RIP The Australian Car Industry 😪
To me, it seems ironic that one of the main things customers were looking for in that market segment in those days - reliability - is also the one thing that seems to have been forgotten, or is not considered as important these days.
Longer warranties and finance deals could be the reason. Long gone are the days where most customers obtaining a car brand new are left to shell out for repairs after year one. Car breaks?; dealer’s problem. In theory, at least. Depreciation due to bad reputation?; dealer’s problem, as most are on finance, so monthly costs are fixed - if it’s been a nightmare reliability-wise just hand it back when the finance/PCP deal/whatever is coming to an end and walk into a competitor’s showroom to line up your next car. Now reliability for the second owner … Well that’s more of a concern. They undoubtedly have to pay for any repairs.
Finally someone talks about the Citroen CX being launched and shows the original "drum-speeds" rather than the later more conventional ones. I had an estate (Safari?) and boy was it wierd ... a real experience but scary on traffic jammed roundabouts if you forget the self-centering steering. Loved this video... so many memeories
As a new driver in the mid eighties I could only afford 70's cars and after my fathers experience with BL motors ( unreliable ) I opted for a fiat 132 with the 2.0l engine ( insurance wasn't what is now thankfully ) . You could watch it rust but you could also go sideways with rear wheel drive in the wet . Good times !
There are still options like the Skoda Superb which is actually bigger than a Granada and probably beats it performance and MPG wise. Meanwhile the Tesla Models 3 and Y seems to be the "Executive Car" of choice these days.
Yeah, mine too. My father drove a Granada for years, not the same one, though. His 6th and final Granada was a Scorpio (not the ugly one). That car was a beast, so fast and so comfortable. I learned to drive in it, but my heavy right foot meant I didn't get to take it out on my own when I got my license. I remember getting very frustrated about that at the time, but in hindsight, I'd have ended up putting it through a hedge. Great memories, indeed.
@@tsh1158 the family connection, when my Dad finally progressed to a Granada Ghia I really thought we’d arrived! However, it must be the 1970s cop show ‘The Sweeney’ which cemented the car in my affections!
Elite and peasants...destroyed by Marxist loving politicians! When you realise that 30m people were let into the UK In that time,and Labour only ruled for 13yrs,out of 43,both are different sides of the same coin...Middle Class is extinct!
The W123 was a very popular choice among taxi drivers in Greece as well, and the same should said of the Audi 80 B2, and Datsun/Nissan Bluebird (more specifically, the 910, U11, and T12).
The first new car my father bought was an Opel Rekord station wagon in 1964. Then he bought an Austin 1800, 2x VW K70, Dodge Dart, before he bought his first Audi 100 in 1974. After that he only drove Audis, about 15 total, petrol, diesel, Quattro etc. His brother was a keen Saab fan, with 99 EMS, 99 turbo, 900 turbo etc. Great video that brings back many memories of my growing up with a family with a great interest in cars.
My 2nd car at 18 was a Renault 30 TX 2.7 V6i manual. For the time it was an amazing car. Super comfortable and the UN1 manual box was bliss. Was not bad on fuel either. I was the envy of many at college with my 155bhp Luxobarge as they called it. From what i remember it was really reliable, never had any issues. I just changed oil and plugs. My Dad had a R20 TX 2.2. They were basically the same car as the R30 but with a 4cyl engine and slightly less options.
Many thanks for this look back. Your dad had great taste by sticking to the Audi 100 and then 200. My father also briefly owned an NSU Ro 80. The car my father owned longest was an Opel Caravan registered in 1959 and lasted over 15 years.
That was a trip down memory lane. In the 1960s a schoolmates Father had a BMW saloon which seemed very exotic back then. In the 1970s my best friends mother had a Mercedes, then a Citroen DS23 estate which I went in twice a week. The school headmaster had a Rover P6 while his secretary had a Lotus Eclat How did that happen ? Finally a mention for the Austin 18-22. The first time I saw one was while waiting for the school coach. I guess it was a company car as it was being driven like one with no regards for running in, more testing the performance. It really did look impressively futuristic back then. Regarding reliability, there were also problems with rust, which would eventually finish off the Lancia brand in the U.K. As people said you can bolt on new parts except for the body. Did anyone ever have a 1970s Ford that didn't need the suspension mounts welding before it reached ten years old ? p.s. A Lancia in the U.K. video would be good. Were they really as bad as the urban myths made out ?
Yes it really was that bad. Considering Lancia were part of Fiat at that time they seemed to bare the brunt of the rust problem. I remember seeing a Beta that was only a couple of years old with holes you could your fist through! It was a real shame because the Beta was a great drivers car and practical (in 5 door form) to boot!
In 1990 after graduating from Uni I was in the market for a cheap car. My cousin had a 1978 Ford Granada "Ghia. It was absolutely beautiful to me anyways. I later bought an Opel senator also known as the Vauxhall....... something 😀. The Opels 3.0 was a variant of the powerplant in the Opel Monza. Very potent indeed
My old man had a Senator too, 3.0i, absolute beast and then bought an Omega GSI3000 24v. That was written off in 1991 He was heartbroken. Loved that car.
The other problem with the Lancia Gamma was the engine, using full lock could break the timing belt to one of the banks of cylinders. The steering pump was driven off the camshaft on one side (flat 4 engine).
As a dependent of an US Army civilian in the late '80s, I bought an '82 Granada 2.8i. It was cheap. I Kept it until I returned to the States for college. Great on the Autobahn. Recaro seats. Had some flaws, but I miss that car.
Great video. Clearly I love your usual format of deep diving on one cars story, but I really enjoyed this switch up in format to more covering a whole segment of history.
Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s Wales, there weren’t many BMW’s, there was the odd Audi and VW, but there was a lot of Fords and Vauxhalls, cars like the Granada mk2, the Carlton and then later the Ford Granada Scorpio. I think Rover cars were only aspirational executive cars before they got sucked into British Leyland, the SD1 was a cool car but quickly fell out of favour due to build quality issues. Great informative video again sir, I did wonder when exactly the German brands started attracting more British buyers.
This is like my father’s wish list from the 1970s rather than what he actually drove. Although always ‘British’ (mostly Ford) and our next door neighbour who always had a Renault (school teachers who spent the summer holidays camping in France) was thought of as rather eccentric.
Great video! As an American kid growing up in the late 70s and 80s, I envied the variety of European offerings in this class. To my eyes, the first-generation BMW 5 series is one of the most beautiful cars ever produced.
@6:59 I see Wartburg 353 (East German car) in the background. My favourite executive cars from the 1970s are Mercedes-Benz W123, Audi 100/200 (C2), Ford Granada MkII, and Opel Senator (facelifted A2).
Yessssss! I actually shrieked when I saw the Wartburg :) 353s were imported into the UK until 1973 as Wartburg Knights, although a large stock compiled by dealers continued to be sold throughout the 70s. The one in the picture is a Mark4 (a pretty arbitrary pretence of offering 'new models') from 72/73
The Rover SD1 was great for building the Audi brand in the UK. Everyone I knew wiith an SD1 had so much reliability trouble they moved on, and it was to an Audi in every case.
The large chemical plant in my town ditched Austin Rover in the ‘80s for their company cars. They already offered Ford as a choice, but seemed to swap in Vauxhall or VW/Audi instead of Austin Rover. I think they stuck with them long enough to have bought a few 800 series, but that was the end of buying AR cars - no more after about ‘87.
everyone forgets the Chrysler 180/2L... not surprising it's the rarest car in the UK. (it looks like a big Avenger with big diamond shaped rear lights). my friends father had one and it was the smoothest car i'd ever ridden in for the time.
@@colrhodes377 Fewer than 20,000 Tagoras (Tagora? - what would the plural of it be?) were sold in the four years it was on sale. Across Europe. Your neighbour probably bought 1% or so of the Tagoras (Tagorii?) sold in the UK that year. Sorry, did I say sold? I should have said registered. Talbot resorted to giving a few away to staff at Coventry City FC when they were shirt sponsors in the early ‘80s. Their then MD Jimmy Hill was probably the only celebrity Tagora driver.
The first generation Holden Commodore (from 1978) was based on the Opel Commodore, so there's no surprise in their likeness. But what is amazing is how alike the second generation Ford Granada and the Ford Australia XD (& XE) Falcon are. When you put that picture of the two on screen together towards the end, it could have easily been the Falcon vs the Commodore! As far as I know the Granada and XD Falcon platforms are completely different, and the XD Falcon is larger. I believe the XD chassis was still largely related to that of the XR Falcon of 1966.
It went even further back, with elements of the original American 1959 Falcon, and parts even persisted to the very last Falcons produced in Australia, mainly in the wagons.
Before the Opel Senator/Monza, there was the 6 cylinder Commodore B in saloon and coupe form which ran from '72 till '77. Very stylish and in manual 160bhp fuel injected form was a match for a V8 Rover P6 3500S!
Before senator there was the KAD series (kapitän-admiral-diplomat) , senator was more something in between KAD and commodore actually. The KAD died in late 70s got replaced by senator but senator wasnt exactly KAD successor, it was between commodore and KAD
My father had a used car dealership in the 80’s..luckily I’ve owned/ driven most of these…thanks for the memories..( current Volvo owner)…my 76 Audi was a fave & my Saab 900 ( paid my 72 Merc)..( US)…even a Rover3500 & a few Peugeots..they were dirt cheap then
Lovely video that captured so many memories of my childhood! Like your Dad, mine changed cars every 2-3 years. The 70’s started with a TR4a, sold (to accommodate me) for a Triumph 2000 estate, followed by the Vauxhall Victor FE estate, Citroen CX (I’ve never been more excited by a car), Peugeot 505, and ending with an Audi 100. I think it was all this variety that sparked my obsession with cars!
One thing has me giggling: You introduce the German made cars of the era as the pinnacle of quality and luxury. My first car was a Volvo 244 GL black leather, tinted windows, automatic transmission, made 1977. I loved it for its smooth engine. The Borg-Warner BW55 automatic transmission also was used by Jaguar and Rolls Royce, wasn't it? It did however change gears superbly smoothly and was an absolute gem! I got my 244 when it was 14 years old. It was in pretty much mint condition! If you do the math, that puts that purchase into the early Nineties, so not too long after the wall in Germany had come down, and friends of my gran finally had scratched up enough money to replace their 2 stroke cardboard-car with something real. It was a white BMW 520, around the same age as my Volvo. The poor beamer had rust all over, was deafeningly loud and the ZF automatic shifted so bumpy and reluctantly, it was a pain! They had bought the car near ours and I delivered the car to them, some 400 Kms of drive. It was tinitus-inducing noise in there! From how I remember the era, the Audi 100 engines often were ridiculously weak, under 100hp for cars that big, they corroded away like sand castles (I did take a look at some before getting my Volvo, but their state of decay usually was so bad, I never even test-drove them). The reason Audi introduced zink galvanized bodies was that they were about to destroy their (not really brilliant) reputation with the poor durability of their cars. (Volvo had started that with their 100 series models in 1962, by the way. By another way, the 200 was not a new design, it was little more than a facelift of the 100 with a different front and rear. The inline-six of the 164 was replaced with the Peugeot/Volvo/Renault V6 in the 264 and the red block four cylinder had its camshaft moved to the cylinder head and slightly bigger bores, That was it, the model was basically ready to be one of the best buys for the next 19 years!) Mercedes were overpriced yet quite good with their corrosion resistance but the seats were a joke and again, that ZF transmission or the crazy loud and wimpy Diesel engines… Nah! 🥴 My father used to buy the big Opels, Admiral and Diplomat. He died when I was 12, so we never got to the Senator, but I remember at least 4 of them and brief switches to Mercedes (an older S-class, didn't last long with us. I vaguely remember that the maintenance was to pricey for his liking and its interior's smell made my sister throw up) and a Granada Turnier which was announced a total after a TÜV- examination not too long after we had bought it. Thing is, I owned my Volvo for longer than I had my father. Actually my good old 244GL sits in a friend's shed waiting for its restoration nowadays. Won't be too much work, and if I had the means, I would do it myself! This was the quality level of the German cars back then, in such a short time, my father went through so many of them. Yes, he never bought them new, he preferred to let others pay the drop in value of the first 5 years, but still. They weren't too impressing in quality after all! Oh, and the fantastic Citrôën CX was missing in your list! The E34 model was when the BMW 5-series became good. Still, when they had automatic transmission, they behaved weirdly. An uncle of mine got one of them when I already had my Volvo. Before his beamer, he had a Ford Scorpio 2.9 Ghia. Despite quite liking the E34's looks, I thought that both his Scorpio and my 244GL were comfier rides than his new car. …and more reliable… 😊 That beamer was one expensive mess! But it was fast, I'll give it that.
This has made me think I’d love to see a video about model suffixes like GTI, GSI, CL, GL etc, what they were all supposed to stand for and represent. I’m sure you’ve touched on some of this in what I’ve seen, but I think a deep dive would be great. Thanks for your lovely work!
I can remember being round your house in Walsall, when your Dad stuck is head in and asked you to ‘move cars’ on the drive, he must’ve needed to get out early each day ? From that era, I can also remember: - my first flight to the US started with being chauffeured to Heathrow T1 in an Senator 3L which was probably the poshest car I’d been in at that point (1994) . Shout out to Peter MacL whose borrowed his wife’s car and driver to make this happen - very thoughtful indeed as this was my first international flight and I was nervous… - my grandfather had 2 Opel Mantas , a 2L T reg (1977?) and a 1.8L B reg (1984)… he was convinced that a car couldn’t be ‘sporty’ if it didn’t have a hatched back … - around 1995 I started getting a lift to work in a Citroen CX estate, which seemed hugely long and low … Citroen was daring to be different again. - later I would have my own Citroen Xsara and Renault Scenic and while both were ok, the reliability issues were still very much there… I didn’t have any more French cars after that.
I feel like these cars have been replaced by things like the Lexus RX, Mercedes GLE, BMW X5. I find it strange how back in the day these buyers were against hatchbacks but found the impractical trunk more luxurious. It seems extra practicality is why they moved to crossovers. And it definitely seems like the German reputation for reliability as evaporated as well. It's a huge joke here in the US. Even people I have met who work for BMW say they would never own one out of warranty.
Great video! British Leyland designed an estate SD1 concept but chose not to put it into production. It must have been good though as BL Chairman Sir Michael Edwardes used it as his personal car. It's on display at the British Motor Museum now.
BL designed and tested many variants and new models and then bottled it when it came to invest in the production facilities needed. Triumph prototypes such as the Dolomite replacement SD2, and TR7 based Lynx 2+2 coupe spring immediately to mind. All that money spent, and engineering talent wasted, only to pull the plug late on in the process and not bring them to market.
@@BungleBarethe Lynx prototype is in the same area as the SD1 estate at the museum with the hatchback Mini replacement as well. You're right about these ideas being dropped late in the game.
The problem with BL was the BMC part. Leyland (Rover Triumph) were profitable before the merger. They would still be with us I suspect. If BMC had gone bust Leyland and others could have picked the good bits off their bones. Jaguar and MG probably. Who knows Abingdon might still be going.
Volvo 164 was the first 6 cyl since 1958. Except for the 444/544 and 210 "Duett" almost Volvos from the 30's and onwards was a 3.6-3.7 L straight 6. (There was a 3.5 L V8 prototype) The YT comment section a blessing and a curse 😅 Keep up the good work!
My parents bought a BMW 2500 in 1972. This particular model was sold in the US as the 'Bavaria' and it had fuel-injection. As I remember it, that was the car's undoing. My Dad loved the car but it was unreliable. After about 18 months, they got rid of the car and bought a Mercedes 250. Nothing could stop that thing. They drove that one for 7 years.
Very few people bought Exec cars with their own money in the 70s. They were a tax dodge due to the high income tax (upto 98% tax band). Most cars were bought by Company Fleets and were used to define job grades L, GL, GLS, Ghia etc. My Father changed cars frequently due job moves, cars such a Hilman Hunter, Humber Sceptre, Capri, Cortina THEN he moved to Audis, he had maybe 5 of those. I now lease a car and change every 5 years and get hammered by the BIK.
The 1980 Ford Capri I bought was previously owned by an advertising agency despite me knowing the sellers son. Nowadays, it is leased EVs which are the big tax dodge. Work have a "Salary Sacrifice" scheme where you pay just a minimal "Benefit in Kind" payment instead of income tax and national insurance if you lease one.
Great work! I was owner of Fiat 850, BMW 1600, Citroen BX19, Opel Ascona, Daewoo Cielo, Peugeot 405, Dacia Sandero, Suzuki Vitara and I like the fact that you cover in part my history!
The Peugeot 504 had a recent moment in the sun as it was the car of Martin Short's character in the Disney+ show 'Only Murders in the Building'. I think it was to suggest he was big in the '70s. I don't think Peugeot have been on sale in the US for a while.
I love this format of your videos. In other words, different car models related to market position and price/class. This video is like my childhood in my father's cars. I was born when my father had a Mercedes-Benz W110 190 ("Heckflosse"). It was a 1964 model and thus already 3 years old when I was born. Three years later in 1970, the Mercedes was replaced by an Audi 100 and my father got 10 extra horsepower to play with. We kept this car for 5 years when my father bought a Volvo 245 (station wagon) in 1975 and thus had 7 extra horsepower to play with (now a total of 97 horses). He must have been happy about this because 5 years later he bought a Peugeot 505 and it had 96 horsepower. He still had this car when I moved away from home in 1985. Incidentally, my first car a couple of years later was a well-used Mercedes-Benz W201 190E with 122 horsepower and a four-speed manual gearbox which was actually well optimized for the traffic of the time.
I think one of my new favourite videos. Some of my favourite cars are the RWD European exec cars from the 60s - 80s, hence the episodes about the Volvo 200/700/900 series are highlights for me I personally prefer the German models - especially the Merc W114/W123, and BMW 3 and 5 series, though may be interested in the Peugeot 504/505, and certain British models as well.
You are one of the best narrators on RUclips. Your diction is perfect and your voice is very pleasant. I’m in love with European cars from the 50s and 60s … so many to choose from. Great episode and great channel!!!
"Today its not unheard of for people to keep cars for 10 years or so" - that made me spit out my tea! Difference in continents (largely due to corrosion and running costs I expect). The average fleet age in Australia has sat at around 10.6 years for the last decade - this is far less than it used to be. During the 70's, 80's and 90's, it used to be around 15 years. from the 50's up to that point, our market had been dominated by large American style 6 and 8 cyl engines. With cheap fuel and less corrosion, and possibly better reliability (or maybe that should be longevity) I suppose there's less incentive to upgrade at times.
Really nice summary - that BMW and especially Audi only really took off in the 70s and Mercedes were still closer to ultra luxury beyond the German taxi ranks goes to show the German domination is not ancient.
My Primary Head-Teacher Mr. Hughes had a Rover P5 in the early 70's. Brown & Cream if I remember correctly. I used to just stare at it from the playground on breaks I have a 1 Series Beemer sitting in the drive-way that has all the bells and whistles that the P5 didn't have. It has no soul. That P5 was designed with love, built with love and my BMW was built to make money. Cheers Mr. Hughes, you taught me to appreciate beauty. I hope my grammar was OK.
Loved this video as it was all the cars from my era growing up a kid in Leicester and my parents were starting to get richer. They had cars like the Herald and Morris Minor but ended up with Granadas and big Vauxhalls much to the annoyance of the neighbours who couldn't keep up. Cars were just so much better then.....
I relate to so many of these. Thank you!! After watching this video, I tried to find a good official definition of "Executive Car" and ... I haven't yet.
Ford Granada was never seen in Australia. It's clear though that the XD Falcon (1978) took styling cues from the mk2 Granada. Around the same time, Holden (nee Opel) Commodore was a top seller - not only in the executive market.
Fun fact, the Audi 100 would go as far as China and Russia, where it served as the basis for Hongqi cars and the GAZ-3105 respectively. The Hongqi replaced the previous Hongqi CA770 limousines, which were based on their predecessor, the Hongqi CA72, which was a copy of the 1955 Chrysler Imperial, while the GAZ-3105 replaced the GAZ-14 limousine, which was basically a rebodied GAZ-13 limousine, which in turn was a version of the 1956 Packard Patrician. Obviously, the Audi based cars were much smaller and lighter than these previous vehicles. What a crazy story of "exotic-developed" vehicles.
Growing up in South Africa in the late 70s and early 80s, the two cars that were luxury kings were the Mercedes W124 and Ford Granada. My grandad had quite a few Granadas - the V6s were uprated to 3.0 rather than 2.8 because of the heat and a company in Johannesburg did a factory approved V8 Mustang engine conversion too! They also sold a 3.0 V6 Cortina and Sierra XR8 - again with that lovely 5.0 litre Mustang engine but was a factory built model. By the time he moved back to the UK in 1990 he was a big Volvo fan… I am too now being on my 11th! Great video.
British Leyland (or rather BMC) did actually launch a new luxury car after 1963 (in1967) - it was the Austin 3-Litre. But it was quite a failure and only on sale for a few years. Whoever thought it was a good idea to to reuse the doors from the Landcrab? It made the car look almost identical to the Landcrab to the untrained eye.
I set myself a size constraint for these cars, and the Alfetta was a little small (even shorter than the SAAB 99 which talked about but didn't really consider for this list as well).
Wow, what a fantastic video. Thanks so much for posting such a well researched video, excellent. Takes me back to when cars were cars. These days, yawn SUV and EV heaps of junk. Out of all of them, the 505 and CX were by far the best looking imho. Happy Christmas Mr Big Car. Keep up the good work and looking forward to next years videos already! 🙂
Dad had the Viscount, with its (faux?) wood accents and articulating map light , then the Victor and Ventora (eventually getting an estate version of the latter), closing out the decade with VX 4/90. Mom always had Viva estates, but to close out the ‘70s, got the Chevette hatchback. Somewhere along the way, we had a Cavalier. That must’ve been Mom’s car, but before the Chevette. The only other car that we had in that decade was a 1971 Austin-Healey Sprite Mk IV, which we bought used in ‘74 and which I began to drive in ‘75.
I really love the styling of the 1822 before it became the princess. It really reminds me of what might happen if the AMC gremlin and Javelin birthed a 4 door. I own Toyota today. I bet the taxes on my 5.7 v8 would be horrendous. I can't imagine Sequoias and Landcruisers are a daily sight over there as a result. You would have to be fairly well off just to afford fuel let alone the purchase price. It's what I call simple luxury, not like a BMW or Benz. Far more reliable too but that's besides my point on this. Definitely wouldn't be a cheap purchase. Another great video mate.
I'd like to see a video on Peugeot 505. My dad bought 1st get 1983 2.0 petrol 505 in US spec in 1997 (in Poland there were 2 or 3 of tose at the time), I learned to drive it at age 12 and eventually used it as my own when I got my license. It was at this time pretty worn out, rusted and I had to sell it. Now, 20 years later I still think how I'd want to save it, but didn't have the resources for it.
My late parents owned a couple of 1970s executive cars: the first was a '76 Granada 2000 L and after that was a' 79 Vauxhall Royale 2800. They weren`t brand new cars as we were very working class. Granada was bought in 1980, Royale was bought in 1985. I was 7 going on 8 years old when the latter was acquired. I recall seeing a few Audi 100 Avants (C2?) in the mid 1980s and the Ford and Vauxhall looked positively ancient compared to one of those.
It's funny how in Australia the commodore executive was the base trim spec. So a lot think that an exec is a lower spec car. But actually it's supposed to be more elite.
My memories of my dad's cars were having a succession of unreliable British Leyland cars (and a hillman hunter) before defecting to Japanese cars in the mid 70s and even back then they never went wrong. Maybe missing from the list was the datsun 200/240 laurel and the mitsubishi sigma/gallant.
Wow, what an overdose of some of my favourite cars. Not many here may agree, but I absolutely loved the MK4 Ford Zodiac, in Executive trim of course. The Granada was a giant leap forward, and a very impressive car for 1972. Our doctor had three P6 Rovers on the trot, then went for a Peugeot 505. Having owned a Rover P6, I think they were one of the greatest cars ever put on tarmac. Great idea to do this format. Really enjoyed, and thanks.
2 minutes walk from my house there are a pair of Fiat 130 saloons sitting on a driveway, they've been there at least 20 years and it's a miracle they have survived at all but one doesn't look too bad. Can't be many around
Pleased you featured the Series 1 Audi 100! My parents had an LS automatic in white from 1973. They’d had a couple of P6s before that. And then we had a Series 1 Granada L automatic in the famous caramel brown metallic.
I owned a 1983 Audi 5000s in 1987. Audis were cheap after the 60Min disaster. It was a solid machine. Drive well. Interior was nice. It was an automatic but was still fun to drive. I replaced it with an ‘88 5000s quattro. I miss both those cars.
One correction though: Opel Commodore name was dropped when the new generation was launched in 78 or so... and it was "Senator" here in Europe. Monza was the coupe model.
Rover and Triumph in my view invented the ‘exec car’ - but Ford’s Granada and Vauxhall/Opel made the sector accessible - and arguably the Granada was the car to have - even the lowly versions gave you driveway gravitas. Unfortunately, more competitive lease deals for Audi, BMW and ultimately Mercedes meant that user choosers picked the German brands - and why not - why have a Ford, who made the Focus and Fiesta, when you could have a BMW 3 Series? If you had a choice between a Ford or a Merc, BMW or Audi, which brand would you pick?
Reminds me of my Ford Falcon XE in Australia. Similar shape and design but with smaller engines, compared to Ozzy straight sixes 3.3 and 4.1 as well as v8s 4.9 and 5.8
Fun fact, despite looking nearly the same there was not a single body part exchangeable between Granada and Falcon. Not even the doors and windows. Other at GM, where the Holden and Opel Commodore around 1980 indeed started identical.
Lots of nice cars to look at back then - no SUVs (almost), no crossovers, no oversize "trucks", no blacked out "privacy" glass, no black wheels, no black interiors and no Nissan Pukes. Also no 20mph zones, no speed bumps, no traffic calming street furniture and no "holier than thou" cyclists in rubber suits. Happy days.
I have just aquired both a Wolseley 1822 and a Rover SD1 Vitesse. When I've done with them, they'll be fantastic. Both a bit ropey right now. I'll add modern brakes and power steering plus modern radio but otherwise they'll be what should have come off the production lines.
Dad had Granadas as a company car from the late 70s to the late 80s (replaced every 2 years from a 2.3L to 2.9i Ghia X). Only had a couple of odd balls in between- 30tx and 760 GLE, always went back to Granadas. The one car I wish he'd gone for was the Thema turbo but the rust reputation put him off. Luckily, the MD regularly gave dad his company car so it was normal for dad to do the school run in a 635 or 750il. Wonderful days.
Had an early shape 1981 Audi 200 in the late 90s. Loved it in many ways, the seats in particular were superbly executed, very plush materials, and that gruff 5 cylinder. Vacuum operated central locking with a pump in the boot! But a lot of the dashboard and switchgear was shoddy compared to BMWs of the same era, everything was always going wrong with it, and the corrosion was epic. The heavy nose with the engine forward of the axle made handling entertaining to say the least at times. I miss it like no other car i have owned though. You cannot beat that 4 square headlamp nose, saloon quattro look. So cool. Then had and still have a Mk2 Granada which was a massive step forward over the old Audi, but by this stage my father had bought an E32 735, and that thing was on another plane entirely. Never had a Merc so far.
Interesting about the Audis fog lamps being stolen. My father collected a Volvo 264 GLE series at the factory in 1978, drove it around Britain for a year then shipped it to Australia only to find the power steering unit had been stolen in transit. A year later he sold it in New Zealand for more than he paid for it thanks to the import tax rules in each country.
When I was in 6th grade, my Dad began looking for a replacement for our failure-prone 74 Chevy Nova sedan. He seemed very impressed with the 4-speed manual Audi Fox he test-drove. In the end, though, the Nova was traded for a new 76 Ford Torino coupe with the 351M V8.
I had a Renault 30tx V6. It was fabulous, like driving in your favourite armchair. I had it from new for 3 years and never had one problem with it. It was ice blue with a tan leather interior. Bought LHD when I was in the forces in Germany in 1979.
Growing up in 70's Australia, this was very interesting to see what was happening in the UK. The Ford Granada (Ford Falcon) and Opel Rekord (Holden Commodore) duelled for the hearts of Aussies. I was hoping to see some coverage given to the Toyota Crown, but it mustn't have sold in the Mother Land.
I can remember clearly visiting my late dads cousin who was the sales manager at the Keithley co -op Renault garage an seeing the new out 30 ts on a slowly rotating turntable in the centre of the showroom, looked very nice.
Thanks for such a great summary of 70s large family and executive cars. I adored following all the new car releases back then and had boxes of brochures, including all the 18/22 marques prior to the model becoming the Princess. Such a shame BL failed so badly and we ultimately lost our home owned motor industry. I loved the German cars back then, heightened by a couple of exchange visits there. It was a long while before I could afford anything upmarket. I bought my first BMW in the mid 90s - a 4 year old ex company 3 series, and currently have several of their cars (& bikes), though none are the exec class covered here. I'd happily buy British but there's just no options, indeed finding any non SUV cars seems tough these days. The 2/3/4 series BMWs plus several of the Skoda models are just about the only things left on the market that I like now. Sad times.
There's a part 2 to this video: ruclips.net/video/2q0tzHgM6kw/видео.html
I include all the cars I missed from this video.
Errata: Volvo made 6-cylinder engines before the Second World War.
6:53 a blue wartburg 353 behind your dad's audi 100 💀
Also the VW 411 and 412.
the RO80/K70 and 260C were very niche in the UK.
Tatra 613
Another video for another time. 😊
Really big fan of this format of covering a market segment over a specific time period, I hope you’ll continue to do more of these!
I'd like to!
yes me to love to see more
Great review, took me back.
I absolutely second that.
Great video. In 1977 I graduated in engineering and began work at Hobourn Eaton. I bought my first car three months later, an E12 BMW 525i in mustard yellow, had to pay for it on the never never as it was a bit above my pay grade at the time. In the factory car park filled with Granadas', Rovers' and Jaguars' it stood out like a sore thumb. One of the manager's caught me one morning parking it and said to me buying a kraut wagon wont help my promotion prospects. He went on to berate me for not buying British saying that German cars are never going to catch on..... That E12 was such a beautiful car and took me four years to pay off that I could never bring myself to sell it. It's covered up in a barn in Ashford on my sister's farm, I must get around to digging it out one day.
In Australia, Holden grafted the opel senator front onto rekord body and significantly re-engineered the chassis to accept local 6 & V8's which became the Holden Commodore. This vehicle was stronger than anything out of Europe- it had to be in order to cope with poor outback roads.
It did pretty well at Bathurst as well.
The Opel Rekord and Ford Granada each had a huge influence on the design of the two top-selling Australian cars going into the 1980s and even beyond.
The Opel Rekord was a loose template for the nascent VB Holden Commodore released at the end of 1978, still using the pushrod inline sixes and V8s from previous Holdens, whilst the design of the Granada was draped over the existing Ford Falcon floorpan to create the XD Falcon, released in early 1979.
These two dominant models in Australia signified the shift away from the previously American-dominated design and handling models and instead providing more European-influenced vehicles.
RIP The Australian Car Industry 😪
To me, it seems ironic that one of the main things customers were looking for in that market segment in those days - reliability - is also the one thing that seems to have been forgotten, or is not considered as important these days.
Longer warranties and finance deals could be the reason. Long gone are the days where most customers obtaining a car brand new are left to shell out for repairs after year one. Car breaks?; dealer’s problem. In theory, at least. Depreciation due to bad reputation?; dealer’s problem, as most are on finance, so monthly costs are fixed - if it’s been a nightmare reliability-wise just hand it back when the finance/PCP deal/whatever is coming to an end and walk into a competitor’s showroom to line up your next car.
Now reliability for the second owner … Well that’s more of a concern. They undoubtedly have to pay for any repairs.
Finally someone talks about the Citroen CX being launched and shows the original "drum-speeds" rather than the later more conventional ones. I had an estate (Safari?) and boy was it wierd ... a real experience but scary on traffic jammed roundabouts if you forget the self-centering steering.
Loved this video... so many memeories
The original speedo looks so cool.
As a new driver in the mid eighties I could only afford 70's cars and after my fathers experience with BL motors ( unreliable ) I opted for a fiat 132 with the 2.0l engine ( insurance wasn't what is now thankfully ) . You could watch it rust but you could also go sideways with rear wheel drive in the wet . Good times !
I had a Toyota Starlet. It was fun too. I miss it.
I’m sad this class has all but evaporated.. my Dad had almost all of them at some stage. Great memories, but the Granada will always be my favourite.
There are still options like the Skoda Superb which is actually bigger than a Granada and probably beats it performance and MPG wise. Meanwhile the Tesla Models 3 and Y seems to be the "Executive Car" of choice these days.
Yeah, mine too. My father drove a Granada for years, not the same one, though. His 6th and final Granada was a Scorpio (not the ugly one). That car was a beast, so fast and so comfortable. I learned to drive in it, but my heavy right foot meant I didn't get to take it out on my own when I got my license. I remember getting very frustrated about that at the time, but in hindsight, I'd have ended up putting it through a hedge. Great memories, indeed.
Why was it your favorite?
Why was it your favorite?
@@tsh1158 the family connection, when my Dad finally progressed to a Granada Ghia I really thought we’d arrived! However, it must be the 1970s cop show ‘The Sweeney’ which cemented the car in my affections!
European middle class is dead. So is executive cars class. No more Omega, Scorpio, 605, XM, 166, Thema and so on.
Scorpio live on in India as SUV.
Now it's all stupid SUVs and useless Crossovers, both hideous and completely unnecessary vehicle classes. I hate it.
Nobody knows what you’re talking about 🙄 Middle class is bigger than ever and executive options are better than ever 🙄
@@verttikoo2052you dont even know what midle class is😂
Elite and peasants...destroyed by Marxist loving politicians! When you realise that 30m people were let into the UK In that time,and Labour only ruled for 13yrs,out of 43,both are different sides of the same coin...Middle Class is extinct!
The W123 was a very popular choice among taxi drivers in Greece as well, and the same should said of the Audi 80 B2, and Datsun/Nissan Bluebird (more specifically, the 910, U11, and T12).
The first new car my father bought was an Opel Rekord station wagon in 1964. Then he bought an Austin 1800, 2x VW K70, Dodge Dart, before he bought his first Audi 100 in 1974. After that he only drove Audis, about 15 total, petrol, diesel, Quattro etc. His brother was a keen Saab fan, with 99 EMS, 99 turbo, 900 turbo etc. Great video that brings back many memories of my growing up with a family with a great interest in cars.
On a different note - It's good to see LEGO 853 and 8860 taking pride of place on your shelving in the background.
My 2nd car at 18 was a Renault 30 TX 2.7 V6i manual. For the time it was an amazing car. Super comfortable and the UN1 manual box was bliss. Was not bad on fuel either. I was the envy of many at college with my 155bhp Luxobarge as they called it. From what i remember it was really reliable, never had any issues. I just changed oil and plugs. My Dad had a R20 TX 2.2. They were basically the same car as the R30 but with a 4cyl engine and slightly less options.
Many thanks for this look back. Your dad had great taste by sticking to the Audi 100 and then 200. My father also briefly owned an NSU Ro 80. The car my father owned longest was an Opel Caravan registered in 1959 and lasted over 15 years.
That was a trip down memory lane.
In the 1960s a schoolmates Father had a BMW saloon which seemed very exotic back then.
In the 1970s my best friends mother had a Mercedes, then a Citroen DS23 estate which I went in twice a week. The school headmaster had a Rover P6 while his secretary had a Lotus Eclat How did that happen ?
Finally a mention for the Austin 18-22. The first time I saw one was while waiting for the school coach. I guess it was a company car as it was being driven like one with no regards for running in, more testing the performance. It really did look impressively futuristic back then.
Regarding reliability, there were also problems with rust, which would eventually finish off the Lancia brand in the U.K. As people said you can bolt on new parts except for the body. Did anyone ever have a 1970s Ford that didn't need the suspension mounts welding before it reached ten years old ?
p.s. A Lancia in the U.K. video would be good. Were they really as bad as the urban myths made out ?
Yes it really was that bad. Considering Lancia were part of Fiat at that time they seemed to bare the brunt of the rust problem. I remember seeing a Beta that was only a couple of years old with holes you could your fist through! It was a real shame because the Beta was a great drivers car and practical (in 5 door form) to boot!
Love all your videos. Great insights and no histrionics as per other RUclipsrs more please! . My dad had a Granada . Happy memories ❤
In 1990 after graduating from Uni I was in the market for a cheap car. My cousin had a 1978 Ford Granada "Ghia. It was absolutely beautiful to me anyways. I later bought an Opel senator also known as the Vauxhall....... something 😀. The Opels 3.0 was a variant of the powerplant in the Opel Monza. Very potent indeed
My uncle had a Monza 3.0 coupe. Very cool car
@@GShockWatchFan. I agree 💯
My old man had a Senator too, 3.0i, absolute beast and then bought an Omega GSI3000 24v. That was written off in 1991 He was heartbroken. Loved that car.
The other problem with the Lancia Gamma was the engine, using full lock could break the timing belt to one of the banks of cylinders. The steering pump was driven off the camshaft on one side (flat 4 engine).
As a dependent of an US Army civilian in the late '80s, I bought an '82 Granada 2.8i. It was cheap. I Kept it until I returned to the States for college. Great on the Autobahn. Recaro seats. Had some flaws, but I miss that car.
Great video. Clearly I love your usual format of deep diving on one cars story, but I really enjoyed this switch up in format to more covering a whole segment of history.
Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s Wales, there weren’t many BMW’s, there was the odd Audi and VW, but there was a lot of Fords and Vauxhalls, cars like the Granada mk2, the Carlton and then later the Ford Granada Scorpio.
I think Rover cars were only aspirational executive cars before they got sucked into British Leyland, the SD1 was a cool car but quickly fell out of favour due to build quality issues.
Great informative video again sir, I did wonder when exactly the German brands started attracting more British buyers.
This is like my father’s wish list from the 1970s rather than what he actually drove. Although always ‘British’ (mostly Ford) and our next door neighbour who always had a Renault (school teachers who spent the summer holidays camping in France) was thought of as rather eccentric.
You knew you had made it when you were given a Ford Cortina with a cassette radio and vinyl roof.
Someone I knew had that and Aircall. A bit like a mobile phone except the only people you could speak to were the secretaries at a message bureau.
Ford Granada
Great video! As an American kid growing up in the late 70s and 80s, I envied the variety of European offerings in this class. To my eyes, the first-generation BMW 5 series is one of the most beautiful cars ever produced.
You should see its European version. It was completely spoilt as seen here by your safety bumpers and the unnecessarily blobby sidemarkers.
A video actually worth making,no one talks about the 70's
@6:59 I see Wartburg 353 (East German car) in the background. My favourite executive cars from the 1970s are Mercedes-Benz W123, Audi 100/200 (C2), Ford Granada MkII, and Opel Senator (facelifted A2).
Yessssss! I actually shrieked when I saw the Wartburg :) 353s were imported into the UK until 1973 as Wartburg Knights, although a large stock compiled by dealers continued to be sold throughout the 70s. The one in the picture is a Mark4 (a pretty arbitrary pretence of offering 'new models') from 72/73
The Rover SD1 was great for building the Audi brand in the UK. Everyone I knew wiith an SD1 had so much reliability trouble they moved on, and it was to an Audi in every case.
and was way reliable than Audi
The large chemical plant in my town ditched Austin Rover in the ‘80s for their company cars. They already offered Ford as a choice, but seemed to swap in Vauxhall or VW/Audi instead of Austin Rover. I think they stuck with them long enough to have bought a few 800 series, but that was the end of buying AR cars - no more after about ‘87.
everyone forgets the Chrysler 180/2L... not surprising it's the rarest car in the UK. (it looks like a big Avenger with big diamond shaped rear lights). my friends father had one and it was the smoothest car i'd ever ridden in for the time.
Chrysler had the 180, a bigger, automatic Avenger.
Originally designed to be Hillman and Humber
Also forgotten is its successor the Talbot Tagora. A car that, if you were being charitable, could be described as adequate.
@johnmcgrady2985 we had a neighbour who bought matching Tagoras for him and his wife. They were the only ones that I saw.
@@colrhodes377 Fewer than 20,000 Tagoras (Tagora? - what would the plural of it be?) were sold in the four years it was on sale. Across Europe. Your neighbour probably bought 1% or so of the Tagoras (Tagorii?) sold in the UK that year.
Sorry, did I say sold? I should have said registered. Talbot resorted to giving a few away to staff at Coventry City FC when they were shirt sponsors in the early ‘80s. Their then MD Jimmy Hill was probably the only celebrity Tagora driver.
The first generation Holden Commodore (from 1978) was based on the Opel Commodore, so there's no surprise in their likeness.
But what is amazing is how alike the second generation Ford Granada and the Ford Australia XD (& XE) Falcon are.
When you put that picture of the two on screen together towards the end, it could have easily been the Falcon vs the Commodore!
As far as I know the Granada and XD Falcon platforms are completely different, and the XD Falcon is larger. I believe the XD chassis was still largely related to that of the XR Falcon of 1966.
It went even further back, with elements of the original American 1959 Falcon, and parts even persisted to the very last Falcons produced in Australia, mainly in the wagons.
@@owenshebbeare2999 And the Barra straight-six was a descendent of the original 144 c.i. Falcon six of 1960.
Before the Opel Senator/Monza, there was the 6 cylinder Commodore B in saloon and coupe form which ran from '72 till '77. Very stylish and in manual 160bhp fuel injected form was a match for a V8 Rover P6 3500S!
Before senator there was the KAD series (kapitän-admiral-diplomat) , senator was more something in between KAD and commodore actually. The KAD died in late 70s got replaced by senator but senator wasnt exactly KAD successor, it was between commodore and KAD
My father had a used car dealership in the 80’s..luckily I’ve owned/ driven most of these…thanks for the memories..( current Volvo owner)…my 76 Audi was a fave & my Saab 900 ( paid my 72 Merc)..( US)…even a Rover3500 & a few Peugeots..they were dirt cheap then
Lovely video that captured so many memories of my childhood! Like your Dad, mine changed cars every 2-3 years. The 70’s started with a TR4a, sold (to accommodate me) for a Triumph 2000 estate, followed by the Vauxhall Victor FE estate, Citroen CX (I’ve never been more excited by a car), Peugeot 505, and ending with an Audi 100. I think it was all this variety that sparked my obsession with cars!
Love this class of car so individual unlike the current SUV trend, like all trends I hope this one dissapears as soon as possible.
One thing has me giggling: You introduce the German made cars of the era as the pinnacle of quality and luxury.
My first car was a Volvo 244 GL black leather, tinted windows, automatic transmission, made 1977. I loved it for its smooth engine. The Borg-Warner BW55 automatic transmission also was used by Jaguar and Rolls Royce, wasn't it? It did however change gears superbly smoothly and was an absolute gem! I got my 244 when it was 14 years old. It was in pretty much mint condition!
If you do the math, that puts that purchase into the early Nineties, so not too long after the wall in Germany had come down, and friends of my gran finally had scratched up enough money to replace their 2 stroke cardboard-car with something real. It was a white BMW 520, around the same age as my Volvo. The poor beamer had rust all over, was deafeningly loud and the ZF automatic shifted so bumpy and reluctantly, it was a pain! They had bought the car near ours and I delivered the car to them, some 400 Kms of drive. It was tinitus-inducing noise in there!
From how I remember the era, the Audi 100 engines often were ridiculously weak, under 100hp for cars that big, they corroded away like sand castles (I did take a look at some before getting my Volvo, but their state of decay usually was so bad, I never even test-drove them). The reason Audi introduced zink galvanized bodies was that they were about to destroy their (not really brilliant) reputation with the poor durability of their cars. (Volvo had started that with their 100 series models in 1962, by the way. By another way, the 200 was not a new design, it was little more than a facelift of the 100 with a different front and rear. The inline-six of the 164 was replaced with the Peugeot/Volvo/Renault V6 in the 264 and the red block four cylinder had its camshaft moved to the cylinder head and slightly bigger bores, That was it, the model was basically ready to be one of the best buys for the next 19 years!)
Mercedes were overpriced yet quite good with their corrosion resistance but the seats were a joke and again, that ZF transmission or the crazy loud and wimpy Diesel engines… Nah! 🥴
My father used to buy the big Opels, Admiral and Diplomat. He died when I was 12, so we never got to the Senator, but I remember at least 4 of them and brief switches to Mercedes (an older S-class, didn't last long with us. I vaguely remember that the maintenance was to pricey for his liking and its interior's smell made my sister throw up) and a Granada Turnier which was announced a total after a TÜV- examination not too long after we had bought it.
Thing is, I owned my Volvo for longer than I had my father. Actually my good old 244GL sits in a friend's shed waiting for its restoration nowadays. Won't be too much work, and if I had the means, I would do it myself!
This was the quality level of the German cars back then, in such a short time, my father went through so many of them. Yes, he never bought them new, he preferred to let others pay the drop in value of the first 5 years, but still. They weren't too impressing in quality after all!
Oh, and the fantastic Citrôën CX was missing in your list!
The E34 model was when the BMW 5-series became good. Still, when they had automatic transmission, they behaved weirdly. An uncle of mine got one of them when I already had my Volvo. Before his beamer, he had a Ford Scorpio 2.9 Ghia. Despite quite liking the E34's looks, I thought that both his Scorpio and my 244GL were comfier rides than his new car.
…and more reliable… 😊 That beamer was one expensive mess! But it was fast, I'll give it that.
Yes BMW were fast and now more than ever o be avoided if you look for a sensible used car.
This has made me think I’d love to see a video about model suffixes like GTI, GSI, CL, GL etc, what they were all supposed to stand for and represent. I’m sure you’ve touched on some of this in what I’ve seen, but I think a deep dive would be great. Thanks for your lovely work!
Agreed!
Enjoyed the video. Thanks. Surely Fiat were producing the 132 for a fair chunk of the 70s? Not a great seller in the UK though!
I can remember being round your house in Walsall, when your Dad stuck is head in and asked you to ‘move cars’ on the drive, he must’ve needed to get out early each day ?
From that era, I can also remember:
- my first flight to the US started with being chauffeured to Heathrow T1 in an Senator 3L which was probably the poshest car I’d been in at that point (1994) . Shout out to Peter MacL whose borrowed his wife’s car and driver to make this happen - very thoughtful indeed as this was my first international flight and I was nervous…
- my grandfather had 2 Opel Mantas , a 2L T reg (1977?) and a 1.8L B reg (1984)… he was convinced that a car couldn’t be ‘sporty’ if it didn’t have a hatched back …
- around 1995 I started getting a lift to work in a Citroen CX estate, which seemed hugely long and low … Citroen was daring to be different again.
- later I would have my own Citroen Xsara and Renault Scenic and while both were ok, the reliability issues were still very much there… I didn’t have any more French cars after that.
Hope you're doing well Jo.
I feel like these cars have been replaced by things like the Lexus RX, Mercedes GLE, BMW X5.
I find it strange how back in the day these buyers were against hatchbacks but found the impractical trunk more luxurious. It seems extra practicality is why they moved to crossovers.
And it definitely seems like the German reputation for reliability as evaporated as well. It's a huge joke here in the US. Even people I have met who work for BMW say they would never own one out of warranty.
Great video! British Leyland designed an estate SD1 concept but chose not to put it into production. It must have been good though as BL Chairman Sir Michael Edwardes used it as his personal car.
It's on display at the British Motor Museum now.
Been a Knight of the Realm says it all...had engineers ran BL,we could have been like Germany today!
BL designed and tested many variants and new models and then bottled it when it came to invest in the production facilities needed. Triumph prototypes such as the Dolomite replacement SD2, and TR7 based Lynx 2+2 coupe spring immediately to mind. All that money spent, and engineering talent wasted, only to pull the plug late on in the process and not bring them to market.
@@BungleBarethe Lynx prototype is in the same area as the SD1 estate at the museum with the hatchback Mini replacement as well. You're right about these ideas being dropped late in the game.
The problem with BL was the BMC part. Leyland (Rover Triumph) were profitable before the merger. They would still be with us I suspect.
If BMC had gone bust Leyland and others could have picked the good bits off their bones. Jaguar and MG probably. Who knows Abingdon might still be going.
My dad had a 1985 Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia and I was 7 years old. It had rear headrests which was amazing back then
incredibly handsome cars. especially the estates.
Volvo 164 was the first 6 cyl since 1958. Except for the 444/544 and 210 "Duett" almost Volvos from the 30's and onwards was a 3.6-3.7 L straight 6. (There was a 3.5 L V8 prototype)
The YT comment section a blessing and a curse 😅
Keep up the good work!
Thanks - I've posted a correction in the pinned comment.
My parents bought a BMW 2500 in 1972. This particular model was sold in the US as the 'Bavaria' and it had fuel-injection. As I remember it, that was the car's undoing. My Dad loved the car but it was unreliable. After about 18 months, they got rid of the car and bought a Mercedes 250. Nothing could stop that thing. They drove that one for 7 years.
Very few people bought Exec cars with their own money in the 70s. They were a tax dodge due to the high income tax (upto 98% tax band). Most cars were bought by Company Fleets and were used to define job grades L, GL, GLS, Ghia etc. My Father changed cars frequently due job moves, cars such a Hilman Hunter, Humber Sceptre, Capri, Cortina THEN he moved to Audis, he had maybe 5 of those. I now lease a car and change every 5 years and get hammered by the BIK.
The 1980 Ford Capri I bought was previously owned by an advertising agency despite me knowing the sellers son.
Nowadays, it is leased EVs which are the big tax dodge. Work have a "Salary Sacrifice" scheme where you pay just a minimal "Benefit in Kind" payment instead of income tax and national insurance if you lease one.
Great work! I was owner of Fiat 850, BMW 1600, Citroen BX19, Opel Ascona, Daewoo Cielo, Peugeot 405, Dacia Sandero, Suzuki Vitara and I like the fact that you cover in part my history!
The Peugeot 504 had a recent moment in the sun as it was the car of Martin Short's character in the Disney+ show 'Only Murders in the Building'. I think it was to suggest he was big in the '70s. I don't think Peugeot have been on sale in the US for a while.
There was one in the Ben Affleck film, 'The Accountant',stunning looking car...it's 21st Century EV upgrade is £3/4m,only around 20 built!
Peugeot, along with Saab, Volvo, etc. were very popular here in the 1980's due to a strong dollar and our domestic suppliers gross incompetence.
Also rather big part in Bond's For Your Eyes Only
I love this format of your videos. In other words, different car models related to market position and price/class. This video is like my childhood in my father's cars. I was born when my father had a Mercedes-Benz W110 190 ("Heckflosse"). It was a 1964 model and thus already 3 years old when I was born. Three years later in 1970, the Mercedes was replaced by an Audi 100 and my father got 10 extra horsepower to play with. We kept this car for 5 years when my father bought a Volvo 245 (station wagon) in 1975 and thus had 7 extra horsepower to play with (now a total of 97 horses). He must have been happy about this because 5 years later he bought a Peugeot 505 and it had 96 horsepower. He still had this car when I moved away from home in 1985. Incidentally, my first car a couple of years later was a well-used Mercedes-Benz W201 190E with 122 horsepower and a four-speed manual gearbox which was actually well optimized for the traffic of the time.
I think one of my new favourite videos. Some of my favourite cars are the RWD European exec cars from the 60s - 80s, hence the episodes about the Volvo 200/700/900 series are highlights for me
I personally prefer the German models - especially the Merc W114/W123, and BMW 3 and 5 series, though may be interested in the Peugeot 504/505, and certain British models as well.
You are one of the best narrators on RUclips. Your diction is perfect and your voice is very pleasant.
I’m in love with European cars from the 50s and 60s … so many to choose from. Great episode and great channel!!!
"Today its not unheard of for people to keep cars for 10 years or so" - that made me spit out my tea!
Difference in continents (largely due to corrosion and running costs I expect).
The average fleet age in Australia has sat at around 10.6 years for the last decade - this is far less than it used to be.
During the 70's, 80's and 90's, it used to be around 15 years. from the 50's up to that point, our market had been dominated by large American style 6 and 8 cyl engines. With cheap fuel and less corrosion, and possibly better reliability (or maybe that should be longevity) I suppose there's less incentive to upgrade at times.
Well, according to ThamesTV some Japanese cars were considered luxurious enough to be pure "executive car" in late 70's.
Indeed. Names like Toyota Crown, Datsun Laurel or Mitsubishi Galant Sigma come into mind.
No matter what car was put in front of him though, Thames’ Tony Bastable seemed unimpressed and borderline angry.
@@BungleBare well, I always like his comments on US cars.
Really nice summary - that BMW and especially Audi only really took off in the 70s and Mercedes were still closer to ultra luxury beyond the German taxi ranks goes to show the German domination is not ancient.
My Primary Head-Teacher Mr. Hughes had a Rover P5 in the early 70's. Brown & Cream if I remember correctly. I used to just stare at it from the playground on breaks
I have a 1 Series Beemer sitting in the drive-way that has all the bells and whistles that the P5 didn't have. It has no soul.
That P5 was designed with love, built with love and my BMW was built to make money.
Cheers Mr. Hughes, you taught me to appreciate beauty. I hope my grammar was OK.
Loved this video as it was all the cars from my era growing up a kid in Leicester and my parents were starting to get richer. They had cars like the Herald and Morris Minor but ended up with Granadas and big Vauxhalls much to the annoyance of the neighbours who couldn't keep up. Cars were just so much better then.....
I relate to so many of these. Thank you!! After watching this video, I tried to find a good official definition of "Executive Car" and ... I haven't yet.
It's a thing in the UK, but yeah, I don't have a definitive definition: www.topgear.com/car-reviews/find/body/executive
Ford Granada was never seen in Australia. It's clear though that the XD Falcon (1978) took styling cues from the mk2 Granada. Around the same time, Holden (nee Opel) Commodore was a top seller - not only in the executive market.
Fun fact, the Audi 100 would go as far as China and Russia, where it served as the basis for Hongqi cars and the GAZ-3105 respectively. The Hongqi replaced the previous Hongqi CA770 limousines, which were based on their predecessor, the Hongqi CA72, which was a copy of the 1955 Chrysler Imperial, while the GAZ-3105 replaced the GAZ-14 limousine, which was basically a rebodied GAZ-13 limousine, which in turn was a version of the 1956 Packard Patrician. Obviously, the Audi based cars were much smaller and lighter than these previous vehicles. What a crazy story of "exotic-developed" vehicles.
Growing up in South Africa in the late 70s and early 80s, the two cars that were luxury kings were the Mercedes W124 and Ford Granada. My grandad had quite a few Granadas - the V6s were uprated to 3.0 rather than 2.8 because of the heat and a company in Johannesburg did a factory approved V8 Mustang engine conversion too! They also sold a 3.0 V6 Cortina and Sierra XR8 - again with that lovely 5.0 litre Mustang engine but was a factory built model. By the time he moved back to the UK in 1990 he was a big Volvo fan… I am too now being on my 11th! Great video.
British Leyland (or rather BMC) did actually launch a new luxury car after 1963 (in1967) - it was the Austin 3-Litre. But it was quite a failure and only on sale for a few years. Whoever thought it was a good idea to to reuse the doors from the Landcrab? It made the car look almost identical to the Landcrab to the untrained eye.
I think Alfa Romeo's Alfetta saloon should have got a mention, it was a good rival to the BMW 5 series.
I set myself a size constraint for these cars, and the Alfetta was a little small (even shorter than the SAAB 99 which talked about but didn't really consider for this list as well).
Wow, what a fantastic video. Thanks so much for posting such a well researched video, excellent. Takes me back to when cars were cars. These days, yawn SUV and EV heaps of junk.
Out of all of them, the 505 and CX were by far the best looking imho.
Happy Christmas Mr Big Car. Keep up the good work and looking forward to next years videos already! 🙂
Dad had the Viscount, with its (faux?) wood accents and articulating map light , then the Victor and Ventora (eventually getting an estate version of the latter), closing out the decade with VX 4/90. Mom always had Viva estates, but to close out the ‘70s, got the Chevette hatchback. Somewhere along the way, we had a Cavalier. That must’ve been Mom’s car, but before the Chevette. The only other car that we had in that decade was a 1971 Austin-Healey Sprite Mk IV, which we bought used in ‘74 and which I began to drive in ‘75.
I really love the styling of the 1822 before it became the princess. It really reminds me of what might happen if the AMC gremlin and Javelin birthed a 4 door. I own Toyota today. I bet the taxes on my 5.7 v8 would be horrendous. I can't imagine Sequoias and Landcruisers are a daily sight over there as a result. You would have to be fairly well off just to afford fuel let alone the purchase price. It's what I call simple luxury, not like a BMW or Benz. Far more reliable too but that's besides my point on this. Definitely wouldn't be a cheap purchase. Another great video mate.
I'd like to see a video on Peugeot 505. My dad bought 1st get 1983 2.0 petrol 505 in US spec in 1997 (in Poland there were 2 or 3 of tose at the time), I learned to drive it at age 12 and eventually used it as my own when I got my license. It was at this time pretty worn out, rusted and I had to sell it. Now, 20 years later I still think how I'd want to save it, but didn't have the resources for it.
Oh god no. I can't listen to an hour of him saying "Pazhowe"
You are one of the best ones out there. Thank you for this!
I really enjoyed this and hope to see other segments covered in future videos. Great format. Thanks.
My late parents owned a couple of 1970s executive cars: the first was a '76 Granada 2000 L and after that was a' 79 Vauxhall Royale 2800. They weren`t brand new cars as we were very working class. Granada was bought in 1980, Royale was bought in 1985. I was 7 going on 8 years old when the latter was acquired.
I recall seeing a few Audi 100 Avants (C2?) in the mid 1980s and the Ford and Vauxhall looked positively ancient compared to one of those.
It's funny how in Australia the commodore executive was the base trim spec. So a lot think that an exec is a lower spec car. But actually it's supposed to be more elite.
My memories of my dad's cars were having a succession of unreliable British Leyland cars (and a hillman hunter) before defecting to Japanese cars in the mid 70s and even back then they never went wrong.
Maybe missing from the list was the datsun 200/240 laurel and the mitsubishi sigma/gallant.
Yeah, maybe the 1976 Sigma/Galant should have been included. I'll add it to my pinned comment on cars I missed!
I love this 😍 please make more of these 'decade by decade' videos 💛
Wow, what an overdose of some of my favourite cars. Not many here may agree, but I absolutely loved the MK4 Ford Zodiac, in Executive trim of course. The Granada was a giant leap forward, and a very impressive car for 1972. Our doctor had three P6 Rovers on the trot, then went for a Peugeot 505. Having owned a Rover P6, I think they were one of the greatest cars ever put on tarmac. Great idea to do this format. Really enjoyed, and thanks.
2 minutes walk from my house there are a pair of Fiat 130 saloons sitting on a driveway, they've been there at least 20 years and it's a miracle they have survived at all but one doesn't look too bad.
Can't be many around
Always love to see a new video on the best car channel on YT. Thank you!
Pleased you featured the Series 1 Audi 100! My parents had an LS automatic in white from 1973. They’d had a couple of P6s before that. And then we had a Series 1 Granada L automatic in the famous caramel brown metallic.
Just a point of order you featured a picture of a 4 door Range Rover in the video. The 4 door however wasn't introduced till 1981.
I owned a 1983 Audi 5000s in 1987. Audis were cheap after the 60Min disaster.
It was a solid machine. Drive well. Interior was nice. It was an automatic but was still fun to drive.
I replaced it with an ‘88 5000s quattro. I miss both those cars.
But the 60 minutes thing was fake. Independent tests never showed there was a problem. But it hurt Audi's reputation for years.
@@BigCar2 yep… but the story drove down the cost of used Audis to the point I could afford one in college.😂
Great vlog as always! From 1976-1982 we had a VW K-70, the grandfather of the VW Passat. Great car! Keep up the good work!
One correction though: Opel Commodore name was dropped when the new generation was launched in 78 or so... and it was "Senator" here in Europe. Monza was the coupe model.
Rover and Triumph in my view invented the ‘exec car’ - but Ford’s Granada and Vauxhall/Opel made the sector accessible - and arguably the Granada was the car to have - even the lowly versions gave you driveway gravitas. Unfortunately, more competitive lease deals for Audi, BMW and ultimately Mercedes meant that user choosers picked the German brands - and why not - why have a Ford, who made the Focus and Fiesta, when you could have a BMW 3 Series? If you had a choice between a Ford or a Merc, BMW or Audi, which brand would you pick?
Reminds me of my Ford Falcon XE in Australia. Similar shape and design but with smaller engines, compared to Ozzy straight sixes 3.3 and 4.1 as well as v8s 4.9 and 5.8
Fun fact, despite looking nearly the same there was not a single body part exchangeable between Granada and Falcon. Not even the doors and windows. Other at GM, where the Holden and Opel Commodore around 1980 indeed started identical.
My father had three 2nd gen Granada's, all V6. 2.3L, 2.3GL and 2.8iGLS. Loved them all.
Thanks for another excellent material. It was a pleasure to drink a beer and listen to you.
Lots of nice cars to look at back then - no SUVs (almost), no crossovers, no oversize "trucks", no blacked out "privacy" glass, no black wheels, no black interiors and no Nissan Pukes. Also no 20mph zones, no speed bumps, no traffic calming street furniture and no "holier than thou" cyclists in rubber suits. Happy days.
Your dad had great taste in his cars - love the Audi 200! Fabulous video. Cheers from Brisbane
I have just aquired both a Wolseley 1822 and a Rover SD1 Vitesse. When I've done with them, they'll be fantastic. Both a bit ropey right now. I'll add modern brakes and power steering plus modern radio but otherwise they'll be what should have come off the production lines.
Dad had Granadas as a company car from the late 70s to the late 80s (replaced every 2 years from a 2.3L to 2.9i Ghia X). Only had a couple of odd balls in between- 30tx and 760 GLE, always went back to Granadas. The one car I wish he'd gone for was the Thema turbo but the rust reputation put him off. Luckily, the MD regularly gave dad his company car so it was normal for dad to do the school run in a 635 or 750il. Wonderful days.
I love this channal, brings me back to my youth....all those beautiful cars.
Had an early shape 1981 Audi 200 in the late 90s. Loved it in many ways, the seats in particular were superbly executed, very plush materials, and that gruff 5 cylinder. Vacuum operated central locking with a pump in the boot!
But a lot of the dashboard and switchgear was shoddy compared to BMWs of the same era, everything was always going wrong with it, and the corrosion was epic. The heavy nose with the engine forward of the axle made handling entertaining to say the least at times. I miss it like no other car i have owned though. You cannot beat that 4 square headlamp nose, saloon quattro look. So cool.
Then had and still have a Mk2 Granada which was a massive step forward over the old Audi, but by this stage my father had bought an E32 735, and that thing was on another plane entirely. Never had a Merc so far.
Interesting about the Audis fog lamps being stolen. My father collected a Volvo 264 GLE series at the factory in 1978, drove it around Britain for a year then shipped it to Australia only to find the power steering unit had been stolen in transit. A year later he sold it in New Zealand for more than he paid for it thanks to the import tax rules in each country.
As usual brilliantly researched and presented. A lot of memories for me in there. Many thanks.
Thanks for the memories - my favorites were the BMW 5 series, Ford Granada and Audi 100.
This is a great video. My Dad had a Rekord back in the 70s in Ireland. I always aspired to own a Senator. They looked so cool.
When the blue car turns off the road at 8.36 it reminds me of the area where the film Clockwise was filmed.
When I was in 6th grade, my Dad began looking for a replacement for our failure-prone 74 Chevy Nova sedan. He seemed very impressed with the 4-speed manual Audi Fox he test-drove. In the end, though, the Nova was traded for a new 76 Ford Torino coupe with the 351M V8.
See this is not fair. Now i want get a skoda superb. Ur content is so good. Allways well put together and delivered.
And i love modern skoda cars.
My videos make you want to get cars that aren't featured in the video? Wow - that's powerful! 😉
I had a Renault 30tx V6. It was fabulous, like driving in your favourite armchair. I had it from new for 3 years and never had one problem with it. It was ice blue with a tan leather interior. Bought LHD when I was in the forces in Germany in 1979.
Growing up in 70's Australia, this was very interesting to see what was happening in the UK.
The Ford Granada (Ford Falcon) and Opel Rekord (Holden Commodore) duelled for the hearts of Aussies.
I was hoping to see some coverage given to the Toyota Crown, but it mustn't have sold in the Mother Land.
It was sold, but I missed it (it was almost invisible here).
I can remember clearly visiting my late dads cousin who was the sales manager at the Keithley co -op Renault garage an seeing the new out 30 ts on a slowly rotating turntable in the centre of the showroom, looked very nice.
Love seeing the VB commodore as we called em in Straya 😂 and now I know where ford got the headlights for the XD.Falcon
Thanks for such a great summary of 70s large family and executive cars. I adored following all the new car releases back then and had boxes of brochures, including all the 18/22 marques prior to the model becoming the Princess. Such a shame BL failed so badly and we ultimately lost our home owned motor industry.
I loved the German cars back then, heightened by a couple of exchange visits there. It was a long while before I could afford anything upmarket. I bought my first BMW in the mid 90s - a 4 year old ex company 3 series, and currently have several of their cars (& bikes), though none are the exec class covered here. I'd happily buy British but there's just no options, indeed finding any non SUV cars seems tough these days. The 2/3/4 series BMWs plus several of the Skoda models are just about the only things left on the market that I like now. Sad times.