Rarest once-common cars on UK roads

el tel

LONDON (Reuters) - Once as ubiquitous as red telephone boxes, the humble Morris Marina has become the rarest car on Britain's roads, closely followed by the Ford Cortina, according to Auto Express.

Just 745 of about 807,500 cars made are still on the road, making Ferraris and Porsches look positively common for car spotters.

"Catching a glimpse of the Marina today is very rare -- you'd never imagine that it was regularly the third or fourth best-selling car in Britain throughout the 70s," the magazine said in its latest issue.

The magazine looked at cars from the 1970s, 80s and 90s that once sold in massive numbers but which are now rarities.

Using data from the DVLA and a formula that levelled the playing field for different vintage cars, the magazine came up with the top 10 of once-common vehicles which are now rarely seen.

At number two was the Ford Cortina Mark IV/V (1976-1982) of which just 2,101 remain working against over one million made while at number three was the Renault 18 -- 317 left out of a run of 131,241 in the country.

In contrast, the first incarnation of the Nissan Micra, along with the Mark III/IV Ford Granada (1985-1994) and the Mark I Volkswagen Golf (1974-1983) were all deemed to be among the best survivors with a high proportion still operating.

The 10 rarest list:

- Morris Marina (1971-1980)
- Ford Cortina Mark IV/V (1976-1982)
- Renault 18 (1979-1986)
- Renault 5 (1972-1983)
- Skoda Estelle (1977-1992)
- Vauxhall Cavalier Mark III (1981-1989)
- Austin/Rover Metro (1980-1994)
- Austin/Rover Montego (1984-1995)
- Austin/Rover Maestro (1983-1995)
- Fiat Uno (1083-1989)

mike65

Not suprised at the fate of the Marina (horrid rusty car) but that so many Mk4/5 Cortinas have gone is a shock 2,101 left of a million is a scappage rate of 99.80% approx.

Mike.

Max_Damage

What I'd like to know is how many of the following are left on the roads:

Fiat Ritmo / Regata
Yugo 55 Koral
All Lada's & FSO's

I remember hearing about 5-6 years ago that there was only 13 Ladas left regestered in this country. Undoubtably that number has reduced.

junkyard

I'd say all the Cortinas have been imported over here by the looks of things.:)

RoundyMooney

Like a lot of Fords, the humble Mk. 1 Fiesta excepted, they didn't last very long. The last of the "everyday" non cherished Cortinas perished around the time Brendan Kilkenny's mullet fell out of vogue, and J.R. got shot, while the Sierra and the early Mondeos have now suffered the same fate. Late Escorts are a notable exception, being the staple transport (along with Meganes) of council estate housewives everywhere.Tels list is notable, in that all of those cars were crap (in build certainly) to begin with.

Meanwhile 80's Corollas, Starlets and Micras are still a relatively common sight for their age.

Quality marque? Meh...

corktina

junkyard wrote:

I'd say all the Cortinas have been imported over here by the looks of things.:)

not quite all but i'd guess 90% +

corktina

RoundyMooney wrote:

Like a lot of Fords, the humble Mk. 1 Fiesta excepted, they didn't last very long. The last of the "everyday" non cherished Cortinas perished around the time Brendan Kilkenny's mullet fell out of vogue, and J.R. got shot, while the Sierra and the early Mondeos have now suffered the same fate. Late Escorts are a notable exception, being the staple transport (along with Meganes) of council estate housewives everywhere.Tels list is notable, in that all of those cars were crap (in build certainly) to begin with.

Meanwhile 80's Corollas, Starlets and Micras are still a relatively common sight for their age.

Quality marque? Meh...

i think the scrappage scheme mopped up the last few in this country.....the youngest would now be 24 years old so thats not a surprise.....how many of todays cars will reach 20 yrs old?

Cortinas in everyday use in the UK and elsewhere are quite common.....despite the allegation of only 2000 left...(that is Taxed or sorned cars...there are a lot more NOT in those categories....and that only mk4/5 BTW.....

BrianD3

This is something I've thought about quite often. It's cool that the DVLA releases this information to magazines, I wonder would the Irish authorities do the same.

I'd say there are many factors which influence the number of survivors of a particular car. For instance Fords always seem to have a classic/cult following both here and in the UK. I reckon the Mk1 and Mk2 Escort have a greater percentage survival than most other popular cars from that era.

But OTOH with the Cortina because it's bigger it would have been favoured by banger racers. Not sure how big the banger racing scene is here but in the UK you used to see banger races where the entire field was Mk 1/2 Granadas or Mk 3/4/5 Cortinas. And while a lot of these would have been basket cases only fit for scrapping, many would have been in alright condition. Thousands of Rover P4s and P5s, BMC Farinas, various Jags have also been slaughtered by banger racers over the years. Big Japanese saloons like Toyota Crowns, Datsun Laurels, Cedrics etc. were banger favourites too and these didn't sell in big numbers in the first place so there are almost none left.

Obviously we're talking about percentage survival here eg far more say Escorts would have sold than say Citroen GS or Renault 14s so naturally there wil be far more survivors. I actually would like to know how many R14s are left. I don't think these sold very well and wouldn't be surprised if the number left in UK/Ire is close to zero.

Even newer Renaults are getting rare it just occured to me that I haven't seen a phase 1 R19 (produced 1988-1992) for many months now and these were a pretty big seller. Also Citroen BXs had a near 10 year production run but when was the last time you saw one.

Rust has a lot to do with it but one of the worst rusting cars of recent years IMO is the Mk3 Fiesta (1989-1997) Yet i still see hundreds of them going around often with rust all over the sills, wheelarches and doors, advanced rust around the petrol filler cap and big holes in the front and rear valances. I'd say the Fiesta's popularity as starter car has kept numbers up over the years, a bigger less popular car showing that tendancy to rust might be scrapped quicker.

RoundyMooney

corktina wrote:

i think the scrappage scheme mopped up the last few in this country.....the youngest would now be 24 years old so thats not a surprise.....how many of todays cars will reach 20 yrs old?

Quite possibly. Said scrappage scheme would also surely have decimated the ranks of Mark 1 Fiestas, Starlets, Micras and Golfs too.

Not quite though.

Sierra's, early Mondeos, and Granadas are noteably absent from Irish roads too, although I note that that survey suggests a high survival rate among the latter in the UK.

I think the biggest indication of a cars inherent build is its longevity, (exotics excepted of course).

My daily runner is 20 next year, and never garaged, cossetted, or restored. Still in Grade 1 nick IMO.

Modern stuff tends to be rustproofed-properly, and engineered to much closer tolerance than what went before. On the downside, we now live in a disposable culture, where people tend to suffer badge envy, and have no mass in the older stuff.

corktina wrote:

Cortinas in everyday use in the UK and elsewhere are quite common.....despite the allegation of only 2000 left...(that is Taxed or sorned cars...there are a lot more NOT in those categories....and that only mk4/5 BTW.....

The Brits loved, and love their Fords. Not for me personally, but different strokes I suppose. I would love a nice Series 1 Capri though.

I still hold that most Ford models are, up to recently at least, not as rugged as their image suggests. That is borne out IMHO by their former common as muck image, and now their comparitive rarity. Languishing up and down the country in various states of disassembly they may be, but the fact that they exist at all is a testament to nostalgia, and the determination of those that restore them and keep them running, rather than inherent toughness of the brand itself. All part of the magic of classics.

corktina

Fords (and Cortinas in particular) were built down to a price, were mostly destined for the rep market and were really only expected to last a handful of years....My guess is there are about 400 in Ireland.....of all Marques..
..A genuine Irish car (particularly a Cork assembeld one or a 1600E (different spec to the UK version) is rare and SHOULD be sought after...However most of the survivors are in a bad way and the UK price for a far better car is much lower....alas....

Silvera

Cars I spotted recently -

'89 Sierra Saloon (EDU)
'81 Escort (Red Rear Plate!) (EDU)
'84 Corolla Estate (Red Plate) (EDU)
'87 Micra (EDU)
'86 Micra (EDU)
'82 Cortina (Roosky Show)
'82 Granada (Roosky Show)
'70's Marina (Roosky Show)

(Roosky Show - last Sunday)

I'm always plesantly surprised when I see older cars still in everyday use (EDU) ......especially when they still sport their original red rear plates!

BrianD3

If you see a Sierra in EDU these days chances are it will have a PL, LT or LV reg!

corktina

Silvera wrote:

Cars I spotted recently -

'89 Sierra Saloon (EDU)
'81 Escort (Red Rear Plate!) (EDU)
'84 Corolla Estate (Red Plate) (EDU)
'87 Micra (EDU)
'86 Micra (EDU)
'82 Cortina (Roosky Show)
'82 Granada (Roosky Show)
'70's Marina (Roosky Show)

(Roosky Show - last Sunday)

I'm always plesantly surprised when I see older cars still in everyday use (EDU) ......especially when they still sport their original red rear plates!

I agree about the red plates...what a shame so many people opt for silver on black.....

RoundyMooney

The red plates are harder to get, but I have seen them. For the sake of authenticity, especially pre 1975 (just a date I'm pulling out of thin air), they should be mandatory!

RoundyMooney

BrianD3 wrote:

If you see a Sierra in EDU these days chances are it will have a PL, LT or LV reg!

The survival rate of older stuff is fairly high in PL. Old jetta taxis and Ladas whose descendants bit the bullet here long ago are common.

Condition is generally quite high too, I wonder why they last so well.

A combination of necessity and a slightly drier climate I suspect.

Silvera

RoundyMooney wrote:

The red plates are harder to get, but I have seen them. For the sake of authenticity, especially pre 1975 (just a date I'm pulling out of thin air), they should be mandatory!

I know of two places that can still supply red plates if anybody wants them (one place in Ireland, and one in UK)!

BTW, red plates were first introduced in 1969, and were/are valid on cars first registered in Ireland up to Dec. 1986.

corktina

please tell me the place that does the red plates......

MercMad

I saw a Mark 1 Fiesta yesterday in Tuam, being daily driven by a woman in her 50's ! It was a very early chrome bumper Ghia, a bronze/gold colour !

breanoh

Couple of early 19's in my Locality. All in excellent condition. Saw a pair of mk1 starlets yesterday, one could be restored. Saw a Mk1 Golf van on Inis Oirr at the weekend. Also saw a mk 1.5 fiesta recently, disappearing fast!, and there is a pair of mk1 fiesta's in ennis which are daily drivers. Saw an 86 escort in west clare, and there are still a lot of micras around. one car I haven't seen in ages is a mk3 escort, and the renault 4. anyone seen any recently?

Max_Damage

The only Mk3 Escort I see around these parts is a brown one with French plates. Rare cars nowadays indeed. I think I said this before, but there is a red Ford Escort Estate 1.6 Diesel with 'ZG' plates going around the Rathfarnham/Knocklyon area often, driven by an old couple. I swear this car looks like it came straight out of the factory, a cleanest example I've seen in ages.

Silvera

corktina wrote:

please tell me the place that does the red plates......

PM sent

corktina

have the details safely stored and am going investigating when the opputunity arises.....(next week I hope)