Most irish car

passatman86

What car of the past would you most relate to Ireland. Obviously we could go by car sales "if anyone found that info easily". For me opel stands out - didn't they sponsor the Irish football team during big Jacks tenure. Then the cliche that loads of farmers drove a Toyota. But for you what car back in the day stands out as been popular or they were everywhere.

I'll say an opel kadett

Or a Toyota carina

I know Delorean was built up North - but it was hardly seen everywhere or popular

colm_mcm

passatman86

I do love the avensis shout lol.. Proud owner of a t27 here over 6 years

The saloon polo is a good one - and you got the color bang on - always green

colm_mcm

Allinall

The Morris Minor.

They were made in Rathmines.

ec_pc

The all time classic, who has not driven one, sat in one or known someone who owned one. My wife had a 1999 one of these that gave 13 years faultless motoring, still on the road. It's amazing how many of the 99 /00 vintage are still going strong, saw three of them on Sunday.

bazz26

Nissan Bluebird:

Every second one of these back in the 1980s was a taxi well before the Octavia was conceived.

Toyota Corolla/Carina II:

Rock up to any mass on a Sunday and most of the church car park would have been full of these:

As much as a Catholic Ireland institution as the blue rinse.

Flinty997

The Shamrock?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamrock_(car)

RobAMerc

this thread just goes to show how sad irish motoring culture is.

Considering we at one point assembled or build anything from Volkswagens, fiats, fords and probably many more, its sad to think a bit of advertising on a soccer mans T shirt makes people think a car or brand is considered a proper irish one.

PsychoPete

The things were everywhere most common outside mass or the mart and so many of them still around. There's a least 7 or 8 local to me that are still daily driven

Flinty997

https://theshopmag.com/features/seven-cars-you-didn-t-know-were-made-ireland/

Different generations associate with different cars.

I've never associated Ireland with Car Culture. Motorsport more so.

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118567545#Comment_118567545

Back when Irish people rarely went beyond the British Isles, a lot of people associated Vauxhall with the UK and Opel with Ireland. The football sponsorship was big too, it was certainly a huge factor in their relative popularity here and the brand would have had a lot of goodwill because of it.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/italia-90-opel-s-o-byrne-on-deal-that-allowed-company-to-ride-high-1.2268492

I wouldn’t say that many would still think that way, with them trying to tell us how German they were for a few years there,

passatman86

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118567545#Comment_118567545

Your talking nonsense.. i said kadett because my grandfather, Dad and Auntie all had kadetts. My dads navy esate kadett got stolen and more or less wrote off, then the insurance paid out - few months later he gets a call from a man who had bought the car all fixed up wanting the log book. My grandad traded in his saloon navy kaddet for an astra. My auntie crashed her silver saloon kadett onto its roof and she walked away.

So my kadett suggestion was on families motoring history - not a jersey.

Jeez motoring culture lol

Toyotafanboi

Had a proper lol at the Tucson, you may put that away for the ten year anniversary of this thread, park it beside the mk1 Qashqai.

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118567887#Comment_118567887

The mk2 Tucson resides at the very apex of everything that is Irish motoring life.

The zeitgeist on undersized wheels, if you will.

RobAMerc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118567641#Comment_118567641

there is a chap on DD trying to sell an Omega GSI for an absolute bag load of cash because it was Jack Charltons - more than what a really good one would cost anywhere else in Europe. You have to think he see a car * some celebrity factor = $$$$$$$$$$$$$

maybe someone will bite - is Jacks son loaded and looking on doneDeal ???

RobAMerc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118567854#Comment_118567854

so by your definition, the most irish car is the one your dad had. I thought you wanted to find out what car or brand sticks in the irish phsyche - similar to the way the Cortina does in UK ( to a certain generation )

I simply pointed out it was sad that a bit of advertising worked so well vs the actual history of building cars does.

Toyotafanboi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118567917#Comment_118567917

So good, even the Gards bought them.

I think it tickled me just right because you nailed it, they're coming out of the woodwork, they're absolutely everywhere yet they are so anonymous it never crossed my mind.

They really are the Ford Escort of the 2010's or something. The place is crawling with them, a vehicle with no redeeming features, whatsoever.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118567961#Comment_118567961

I don't get your point either.

He clearly said Opel were everywhere (and they were) as were the Carina's. The advertising was just an aside.

We also had the Datsun Cherry, the Bluebird, Punto, the Ritmo etc.

https://bestsellingcarsblog.com/2019/08/ireland-1974-2012-historical-data-now-available/

passatman86

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118568031#Comment_118568031

Correctamundo

pjmn

Ford Escort Mk 1

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118568031#Comment_118568031

Great link, Kadetts were everywhere in the mid nineties.

Mark lv Golf has to be up there too, still tonnes of them around every part of the country

passatman86

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118568234#Comment_118568234

Loads of kadetts ha ha

Good call on the golf mark 4

I had a silver gti mark 4 - would like another

NickNickleby

In the mid 70's my 2 mates and I drove Ford Cortina MK3 s. But they weren't the most numerous car on the roads - if my memory serves me right. I'd say it was Ford Escorts. With more than a few Austin/Morris 1100/1300 and Morris Minors battling for attention in my memory.

So I'll stick with Ford Escort.

I might have an old photo of my MK3 from around 76 (it was a '71). Must dig it out.

passatman86

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118567922#Comment_118567922

https://www.donedeal.ie/vintagecars-for-sale/open-omega-3000-ex-jack-charlton/30257559?campaign=3

Wow. I thought you were taking the pi$$. Turns out you were serious and opel is irelands number one most irish car - And Jack Charlton drove it, probably wearing Irish training gear with an opel emblem on them

Oh you couldn't make this up

Just humour - dont go on a mad one

passatman86

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118568316#Comment_118568316

Throw up a pic if you find one

NickNickleby

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118568510#Comment_118568510

Will do!

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

In my area in South Roscommon there is/was a Seat dealership which was pinging out the cars in the late 1990s and 2000s, so a good 30% of locals seemed to be driving them, you wouldn't see a huge amount of them outside our general area but the world of 15 year-old me was full of Seat Ibizas, Toledos, Leons and Cordobas.

Apart from that, Toyota Carina/Avensis, Nissan Almera, VW Passat and the old Jetta.

Honourable mentions for the Nissan Micra, VW Golf and Ford Fiesta.

whomitconcerns

The opel rekord, the Irish countrysider with a few bob's car of choice.

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118569016#Comment_118569016

.....and the Berlina for the more discerning customer. (I always associate the Rekord E with GP's and Vets).

fryup

The Pope Mobile ?