Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Webby the Bear on 17 February 2011, 21:03:12
-
.....gets a piano dropped on it. obviously funny from a TG point of view and sad from a marina fans point of view.
i just wanted to see what the thoughts were? TG funny or out of order for killing several ''classics''????
-
.....gets a piano dropped on it. obviously funny from a TG point of view and sad from a marina fans point of view.
i just wanted to see what the thoughts were? TG funny or out of order for killing several ''classics''????
Its Great especially the on going piano on marina's! There mainly pants classic's anyway from what i can see.
-
well when i saw them crash the omega in their remote control challenge i wasnt bothered. but i think this is such a pathetic car i sort of feel sorry for it lol
kind of like kicking your faithful old dog?!
-
Some people may not like the old Marina but in a few years time it maybe considered like the old Austin 7.
Frankly the idea of destroying any car for no good reason is a bit dumb in my opinion. clarkson could really regret some of his actions in years to come.
Anyway he is a sad old git who should have been put out to pasture years ago.
-
Marina and classic are words seldom heard in the same sentence.
-
Imo Cars which were sh1te when new - like the Marina was - shouldnt become classics just because they get old.
Classics should be old cars which were sought after even when they were new. ;)
-
Imo Cars which were sh1te when new - like the Marina was - shouldnt become classics just because they get old.
Classics should be old cars which were sought after even when they were new. ;)
Be fair Albs, the last of the E type jags had to be virtually given away because no one wanted them. Would you say they are not classics.
-
Fair point I suppose, but they still arent regarded (or priced) anywhere near as highly as the early ones. They also werent exactly regareded as utterly crap, like Marinas, allegros etc. Just that for the money the build quality was bad, and there were by then better cars available for the money.
I think the oil crisis was starting to happen around that time as well which cant have helped shifting a 5.3 V12.
I can remember seeing a few of them sitting in peoples gardens etc unused and unloved and starting to rot. Thinking back, they were probably not much more than 6 or 7 years old at the time.
Wish I had bought them up and stored them in a big shed somewhere. ::) :y
-
My sister knows the original owner. Not sure if it's the 'death by piano' or the one that got torched. (I'll find out which)
It was in excellent condition, with all the MOT's and service history etc.
He was chuffed to bits that it was to appear on TG...
....then he saw the episode. :o :o :o ;D
-
thats a good point. they do look sh*te... and omg that brown interior [smiley=thumbdown.gif]
at least the e type had the styling going for it!
-
My sister knows the original owner. Not sure if it's the 'death by piano' or the one that got torched. (I'll find out which)
It was in excellent condition, with all the MOT's and service history etc.
He was chuffed to bits that it was to appear on TG...
....then he saw the episode.
hahahaha see what i mean. thats a sad story and i imagine some poor old pensioner thinking his marina is going to ''get the great review it deserves''!!!!!
although i have to admit im PMSL ;D ;D ;D ;D
-
Yep, the Marina had no redeeming features whatsoever. ;)
-
My sister knows the original owner. Not sure if it's the 'death by piano' or the one that got torched. (I'll find out which)
It was in excellent condition, with all the MOT's and service history etc.
He was chuffed to bits that it was to appear on TG...
....then he saw the episode.
hahahaha see what i mean. thats a sad story and i imagine some poor old pensioner thinking his marina is going to ''get the great review it deserves''!!!!!
although i have to admit im PMSL ;D ;D ;D ;D
Not a pensioner tho', I think he's early 50's.
He told every man and their dog that his 'classic' car was to be on TG. ;D
-
hahahaha poor b*****d!!!! i genuinely feel sorry for him.
-
I feel more sorry for him being the owner of such a rubbish example of BL engineering at its very worst. The Minor and the 1100 were inspired pieces of work, whereas the Aggro and Marina were cynical botch ups no better in many ways (indeed in some they were worse) than the cars they replaced.
Back when they were new my family were entitled to BL's employee discount - I can still remember the little triple-folded printed price guide for staff only. They were almost giving the Marina away with a ridiculous amount off and yet the old man wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
And then they replaced the Marina with the Ital. Jesus! >:(
-
Aaaaah!! Back in the day, I had a Morris Marina 1800TC Coupe, Mustard, with black go faster stripes and a big bold black stripe up the bonnet!! :y
It cost me £50 with 6 months MOT and Tax, it never missed a beat and I loved it ::) After 6 months of fun, I optimisticly put it in for its MOT and it failed miserably..... I was gutted :'(
I must admit it didn't do much for my street cred (My mate had a 205 GTi), but at 19 it was my first experience of a big motor and rear wheel drive!! :y :y :y
-
Aaaaah!! Back in the day, I had a Morris Marina 1800TC Coupe, Mustard, with black go faster stripes and a big bold black stripe up the bonnet!! :y
It cost me £50 with 6 months MOT and Tax, it never missed a beat and I loved it ::) After 6 months of fun, I optimisticly put it in for its MOT and it failed miserably..... I was gutted :'(
I must admit it didn't do much for my street cred (My mate had a 205 GTi), but at 19 it was my first experience of a big motor and rear wheel drive!! :y :y :y
They were a pretty quick car........ :y
-
My sister knows the original owner. Not sure if it's the 'death by piano' or the one that got torched. (I'll find out which)
It was in excellent condition, with all the MOT's and service history etc.
He was chuffed to bits that it was to appear on TG...
....then he saw the episode.
hahahaha see what i mean. thats a sad story and i imagine some poor old pensioner thinking his marina is going to ''get the great review it deserves''!!!!!
although i have to admit im PMSL ;D ;D ;D ;D
Not a pensioner tho', I think he's early 50's.
He told every man and their dog that his 'classic' car was to be on TG. ;D
now that is "classic" ;D ;D ;D
seriously tho, did he never watch the show? it'd be like donating a prized caravan :y
-
Aaaaah!! Back in the day, I had a Morris Marina 1800TC Coupe, Mustard, with black go faster stripes and a big bold black stripe up the bonnet!! :y
It cost me £50 with 6 months MOT and Tax, it never missed a beat and I loved it ::) After 6 months of fun, I optimisticly put it in for its MOT and it failed miserably..... I was gutted :'(
I must admit it didn't do much for my street cred (My mate had a 205 GTi), but at 19 it was my first experience of a big motor and rear wheel drive!! :y :y :y
The only one worth saving
1300 Marina - yuk
HOWEVER they do all have one redeeming feature RWD, but were a generation behind the Escort and two generations behind the Cortina Avenger & Viva.
-
The only one worth saving
1300 Marina - yuk
HOWEVER they do all have one redeeming feature RWD, but were a generation behind the Escort and two generations behind the Cortina Avenger & Viva.
I'm not so sure about that. I reckon all the RWD cars of that era were absolute sheds, TBH. Newer FWD replacements in the pipeline for most manufacturers, so each RWD model was just a parts-bin emptying exercise, trying to get a little more life out of an utterly outdated platform before its' imminent replacement.
The Ital / Marina did have all the dynamic capabilities of an oil tanker, though, which made the pokier ones a liability, IMHO. ;D
As to classic status? Depends. I get as much enjoyment out of seeing the sh1te cars preserved as the sexy ones. Not saying I'd own one, personally, but it's refreshing that sometimes you come across an absolutely mint Austin Maxi at a show and recall memories of getting carted around in one by your parents 30 years ago.
Kevin
-
Yep, the Marina had no redeeming features whatsoever. ;)
The 1.8TC Coupe looked alright and sounded good.....
-
Yep, the Marina had no redeeming features whatsoever. ;)
The 1.8TC Coupe looked alright and sounded good.....
went pretty well at the time as well,until you came to a corner :P
-
I'm not so sure about that. I reckon all the RWD cars of that era were absolute sheds, TBH. Newer FWD replacements in the pipeline for most manufacturers, so each RWD model was just a parts-bin emptying exercise, trying to get a little more life out of an utterly outdated platform before its' imminent replacement.
The Ital / Marina did have all the dynamic capabilities of an oil tanker, though, which made the pokier ones a liability, IMHO. ;D
As to classic status? Depends. I get as much enjoyment out of seeing the sh1te cars preserved as the sexy ones. Not saying I'd own one, personally, but it's refreshing that sometimes you come across an absolutely mint Austin Maxi at a show and recall memories of getting carted around in one by your parents 30 years ago.
Kevin
I agree. It's wrong for anyone to start determining what constitutes a classic or not as that is only opinion, as well as it bordering on being elitist. Cars like the Marina should be preserved, if nothing else to remind everyone of the basket case that was BL and the rubbish it at times turned out, but the Ford Escort was in many ways just a better built example of lowest-cost manufacturing cynicism. But some people do like them and however horrendously misguided that might be it's their choice. Bit like me with the old Austin 1800. In some ways Issigonis was too uncompromising with the design and it suffered badly for it, but in part it was quite brilliant.
Thiking about it, I can recall one saving grace of the Mk1 Ford Escort. It had the best gearchange quality of any manual transmission I have ever experienced, far superior than the myth perpertrated by hacks about BMWs or the utter conkers about Ferraris. :D
-
[/quote]
went pretty well at the time as well,until you came to a corner :P
[/quote]
That was the fun bit..... Especially as a slightly reckless 19 year old in the Darzet lanes!! :o ;D
-
The only one worth saving
1300 Marina - yuk
HOWEVER they do all have one redeeming feature RWD, but were a generation behind the Escort and two generations behind the Cortina Avenger & Viva.
I'm not so sure about that. I reckon all the RWD cars of that era were absolute sheds, TBH. Newer FWD replacements in the pipeline for most manufacturers, so each RWD model was just a parts-bin emptying exercise, trying to get a little more life out of an utterly outdated platform before its' imminent replacement.
The Ital / Marina did have all the dynamic capabilities of an oil tanker, though, which made the pokier ones a liability, IMHO. ;D
As to classic status? Depends. I get as much enjoyment out of seeing the sh1te cars preserved as the sexy ones. Not saying I'd own one, personally, but it's refreshing that sometimes you come across an absolutely mint Austin Maxi at a show and recall memories of getting carted around in one by your parents 30 years ago.
Kevin
Funny front suspension and cart springs, also long stroke 1950s engine
Escort front struts, carts 1960s square to oversquare engine
Cortina struts coils and the Pinto
Avenger struts coils late design oversquare pushrod lump
Viva only engine is old fashioned
-
Funny front suspension and cart springs, also long stroke 1950s engine
Escort front struts, carts 1960s square to oversquare engine
Cortina struts coils and the Pinto
Avenger struts coils late design oversquare pushrod lump
Viva only engine is old fashioned
Yes, but, technicalities aside, did any of them actually perform significantly better? Offer better reliability? (in standard form, of course)?
My recollection of the above is that they were all pretty woeful in most respects.
Kevin
-
Funny front suspension and cart springs, also long stroke 1950s engine
Escort front struts, carts 1960s square to oversquare engine
Cortina struts coils and the Pinto
Avenger struts coils late design oversquare pushrod lump
Viva only engine is old fashioned
Yes, but, technicalities aside, did any of them actually perform significantly better? Offer better reliability? (in standard form, of course)?
My recollection of the above is that they were all pretty woeful in most respects.
Kevin
Only driven two of them, but my parents had an Avenger estate for a while, (wanted cheap car), very comfortable, and handled pretty well.
-
The Escort imo was a car that was greater than the sum of its parts. Going by the spec sheet it didnt have a lot going for it, but it was a very sweet handling car straight from the showroom and in its ultimate development form was all but unbeatable in rallying until the quattro came along.
As a former Viva owner (and my dad had 4 of the bloody things) imo they had nothing going for them whatsoever.
Avenger - not a great car, but as a tuneable Escort rival, they were quite under rated in their day imo.
Having read back my earlier post, it did come across a bit eletist - sorry about that. :-[ :y
-
I agree with Mr Wood that wanton destruction of any old car is a bit unsavoury. Don't mean to sound too po-faced, but I'd prefer to see a Wolseley 2200 being used rather than a 250GTO in a hermetically sealed bubble. I read 'Practical Classics' every month, and enjoy the 'discovered' section and the classifieds, scanning for interesting survivors.
When I was in my early twenties (early '80's), I campaigned as a banger racer at circuits around the south - my home track was Smallfields, near Horley in Surrey. I sent many a Rover 3.5 (P5), Triumph 2000 and Humber Super Snipe plus many other similar vehicles to their final resting place, and I regret that now. Nobody then regarded those cars as precious, yet most would now.
It's easy to denigrate the Marina and other similar vintage BL & Rootes / GM products as worthless now, but scarcity and nostalgia will play a part in their preservation and re-evaluation by the motoring public, if it isn't already happening now.
As an aside, it's a sure-fire certainty that the better-equipped Omega models will be considered classics in 10 or so years time.....
-
a second class ride is better than a first class walk
not much love on here for the old workhorse [ donky ] :-?
-
My sister knows the original owner. Not sure if it's the 'death by piano' or the one that got torched. (I'll find out which)
It was in excellent condition, with all the MOT's and service history etc.
He was chuffed to bits that it was to appear on TG...
....then he saw the episode. :o :o :o ;D
Just found out from my sister, it was the one that got 'torched'.
-
This thread has just reminded me of a Hotel I passed on the Isle of Wight a couple of years back....
(http://images.omegaowners.com/images/kevin/IMGP2476.JPG)
Kevin
-
Is that white with stripes Marina falsely claiming some kind of competition pedigree, far right of pic??
My, that is a bit desparate!!
-
you lot are talking a load of trunnions.
-
Oh dear. We have a heathen or two here. Granted Marinas were never that good new or as classics now. That said a tidy example today is a classic in someones eyes despite BL making some total dross in the 70's, Maxis, Allegros & princess/Ambassaor wedges...funnily enough KW these were all FWD.... ::) FWD is lousy period. In my early 20's when some where settling into marriage & parenting all i wanted to do with my meagre 7.5t wages was live in the pub (proper pubs back then) & sleep around like a big male tart, nothing else mattered. I needed a car but it had to be cheap. Run it till it dies & buy another. NEVER spend any money on it, just grab another one for £20/30 maybe even £40 legal or not as long as it ran & love or hate them Marinas did, not much fun granted but they were tough as old boots & i had a few just for that.
I'm a Cortina man all the way but i've never had a Marina let me down regardless of what's knackered on it, they were the modern Morris Oxford.
Stick your supercars, what's the point of loving a car you could never afford?
A well preserved/restored Marina today IS a classic whether you lot like them or not. Love Guy!!!xxx :D
WHAT A WASTE OF A GOOD PIANO!!!! ;D
-
Oh dear. We have a heathen or two here. Granted Marinas were never that good new or as classics now. That said a tidy example today is a classic in someones eyes despite BL making some total dross in the 70's, Maxis, Allegros & princess/Ambassaor wedges...funnily enough KW these were all FWD.... ::) FWD is lousy period.
Right you are, and I don't disagree. :y I'm not saying the FWD models were much good, but they were in development, going to be the next revolution, and prevented the bean counters from turning out anything but the same old dross in the last days of the RWD saloons we're talking about. IMHO.
I had a shItal and, despite the woeful front suspension setup that served only to stop the sump dragging on the ground (a parts-bin left-over never designed for a car that big and heavy) it did me OK.
I suspect if I got behind the wheel of it now after years of Omega / Westfeld / MX5 driving I would have a fit. ;D
A well preserved/restored Marina today IS a classic whether you lot like them or not. Love Guy!!!xxx :D
Yep. Agreed. Anything old is worth preserving, even if it does nothing more than bring back memories. Even if they're bad memories. ;)
Kevin
-
But hey, one less Marina is as good as one less Crapi.....which is very good :-X ;) :y
-
..... as one less Crapi.....which is very good :-X ;) :y
:-? :-? :-? :-? you trying to upset someone again? ;)
-
..... as one less Crapi.....which is very good :-X ;) :y
:-? :-? :-? :-? you trying to upset someone again? ;)
MDTMarina!!!! :D
-
..... as one less Crapi.....which is very good :-X ;) :y
:-? :-? :-? :-? you trying to upset someone again? ;)
MDTMarina!!!! :D
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :y
-
Has a certain ring to it. :y :D ;D
-
..... as one less Crapi.....which is very good :-X ;) :y
:-? :-? :-? :-? you trying to upset someone again? ;)
MDTMarina!!!! :D
could be worse MDTMoskvich :D :D ;D
-
..... as one less Crapi.....which is very good :-X ;) :y
:-? :-? :-? :-? you trying to upset someone again? ;)
MDTMarina!!!! :D
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :y
Steam driven of course, they produced enough for Fred Dibnah, especially the 1800's!!! 8-)
-
Ow no, it has to be diesel.
-
The only one worth saving
1300 Marina - yuk
HOWEVER they do all have one redeeming feature RWD, but were a generation behind the Escort and two generations behind the Cortina Avenger & Viva.
I'm not so sure about that. I reckon all the RWD cars of that era were absolute sheds, TBH. Newer FWD replacements in the pipeline for most manufacturers, so each RWD model was just a parts-bin emptying exercise, trying to get a little more life out of an utterly outdated platform before its' imminent replacement.
The Ital / Marina did have all the dynamic capabilities of an oil tanker, though, which made the pokier ones a liability, IMHO. ;D
As to classic status? Depends. I get as much enjoyment out of seeing the sh1te cars preserved as the sexy ones. Not saying I'd own one, personally, but it's refreshing that sometimes you come across an absolutely mint Austin Maxi at a show and recall memories of getting carted around in one by your parents 30 years ago.
Kevin
Funny front suspension and cart springs, also long stroke 1950s engine
Escort front struts, carts 1960s square to oversquare engine
Cortina struts coils and the Pinto
Avenger struts coils late design oversquare pushrod lump
Viva only engine is old fashioned
Only the later ones had the pinto, My Cortina GT was 1500cc and pre crossflow....Memories..... :) :) :)
-
This thread has just reminded me of a Hotel I passed on the Isle of Wight a couple of years back....
(http://images.omegaowners.com/images/kevin/IMGP2476.JPG)
Kevin
Meets using a hotel for accommodation, now there is a novel idea.......I just guess the Marina was more reliable and they did not need to spend the weekend fixing their members cars...... :D :D :D
-
well i used to rally a 1300 marina and later a 1800 tc coupe and you are all falling into the lets kick the uk.
the car could be made to go its just a mini engine/mgb engine and there are hundreds of tunning bits for these engines.the suspension could be swapped from lever arms to dampers with a kit.
yes the car wasnt goodlooking typical 3 box style[just like a omega]and the interior was pants.
there where lots of plus points it was diffrent and you got lots of attention.nobody expected you to do well and when you did what a buzz,it made you a better driver as you had to over come the cars shortcomings.but one of the best things was that parts where dead cheap,so you could drive it at 10/tenths all the time and when you crashed/broke it was cheap to fix.
yes its easy to laugh when you have a big budget but when you are poor and your budget is in 20 pound notes you can overcome most proplems.you might have even laughed at me as you stood at the side of the road watching me try to negotiate a tight bend,but you where watching and i was doing.
-
This thread has just reminded me of a Hotel I passed on the Isle of Wight a couple of years back....
(http://images.omegaowners.com/images/kevin/IMGP2476.JPG)
Kevin
Meets using a hotel for accommodation, now there is a novel idea.......I just guess the Marina was more reliable and they did not need to spend the weekend fixing their members cars...... :D :D :D
I would imagine they were all in the residents' bar, trying not to think about the journey home. ;D
Kevin
-
My first car was a 1972 Marina 1.8 Super. It was 12 years old when I inhereted it when I was 18. It's become fashionable to knock Marinas but they weren't that bad by the standards of the day. It was pretty quick, was dead easy to work on and there were loads of spare parts to be had in the days you were allowed to clamber around scrap yards. A perfect vehicle for an impoverished student. I remember thinking I'd have preferred a Mark 3 Cortina, but very soon realised there was very little difference in terms of handling and performance. I grew to really like that car.
I think it's a shame that Top Gear thinks it's funny to take the piss and destroy these cars especially as there are hardly any left now.