Executive Class Cars | Vintage Car Reviews | Retro Cars | Drive In | 1977

'Drive in' Presenter Tony Bastable visits the iconic Brookland's Race track to take a look at the latest 'Executive Class' cars that are coming to the market.
First shown: 19/10/1977
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Quote: VT18079

[@danieljames2015]

The Rovers look so much more modern than the rest. Tragic that BL problems could not be overcome.

[@horsenuts1831]

Ahhh, the days when 'luxury' was a self-reversing cassette radio!

[@JamieFrew]

Hand lamp in the tool kit! Luxury!

[@darthnagus5457]

Electric windows every expensive if I recall

[@StuartOliver83]

Hahahaaaaaa I still prefer that to the new mercs and BMW cars and I chauffeur them but always love getting in my old E34 with character at the end of a day after driving 20 plate cars 👍🏻

[@strictlyyoutube6881]

@@darthnagus5457 let us not forget PAS

[@matthewshaw8943]

And when owning a 15,000 pound car was considered “making it”

[@theaccidentalcaravanner5404]

The BMW still looks fantastic, they really were well ahead in the mid to late 70's

[@marwood1969]

And how refined the engine sounded when it was started. No wonder our old tat fell of a cliff.

[@golfmother3141]

Great car , had a 735i , could cruise easily at 200 kmh and you could watch the petrol gauge dropping very fast . magic smooth motor , very well built , blew a head gasket at 90,000km only issue .

[@ItsIdaho]

Friend has one, love it more than my 1985 Passat.

[@easydrive3662]

Certain cars have that unique look and whatever decade you put them in they look great, some over the many decades I feel Inc vw golf MK1, vw scirroco, ford Capri, fiat coupe, MK1 focus, Laguna MK1, these are just a few

[@arthuritchybollix5064]

They were built ten times better then than today's bmw crap

[@s.leochapman417]

The Lancia, the Rover and the Beemer are such classic designs.

[@alexfrance500]

Always interesting to have a look & see if our presumptions about longevity held up... Red Granada - 27 Sept 1986 Blue Granada - 1 May 1987 Opal - no details Audi - 12 May 1988 Cortina - no details White Rover - 1 Nov 1983 Blue Rover - 1 Oct 1988 Datsun - can't see the reg :( Lancia - 1 Dec 1985 Fiat - no details BMW - no details

[@r0smor]

Rover wins! Good old British Leyland longevity.

[@NIGUAVIUS950]

Opel not opal😂😂

[@MrTrull1]

I still think the interior of the Rover is fabulous.

[@fyshfysh]

it really was, i had an '84 2600 for a while. lovely place to sit while waiting for the aa

[@bernardkavanagh3528]

Nothing ever worked

[@MrTrull1]

I knew the responses would be like that. Yawn. We know the story - I'm just appreciating the design. Look how dire, design-wise, the Japanese car is in comparison & appreciate the qualities that *were* there in some British cars.

[@jamie7056]

I don’t think the Japanese have ever designed a decent looking car,look at the current Honda Civic or that Toyota CH R thing-abominations

[@melciveng]

Mike The current Mazda range looks good but they are pretty much the exception.

[@spankysmp]

These clips always get a thumbs up even before I have watched them. Funny how the majority of the cars still look great...except for the Audi Avant, looks a right bucket even then. Wish I still had my SD1

[@PiggyWiggyO]

The Audi here looks to be a better build quality than the Blue Granada.

[@dj_paultuk7052]

My dad had a 3500 SE back in the mid 80's. Awesome car at the time.

[@TheGalacticEmperorOfLabels]

Yeah, the Audi looks like it was ten years old when it rolled off the production line.

[@livingthroughtv]

That Lancia!

[@ronmccullock1407]

The silver Cortina looked stunning loved the alloy wheels on it

[@PiggyWiggyO]

In some respects the alloys were the only thing that was good about it.

[@ronmccullock1407]

@@PiggyWiggyO guess your not a Ford fan

[@PiggyWiggyO]

@@ronmccullock1407 You could not be more further from the truth! Loved the old E's and the GXLs of the era before the video. Not a Ford fan from 1977 to 1984. Here's why.... I actually have a Corsair 2000E in the Garage. With the exception of the Ford Capri it would be fair to say that from 1977 to 1984 the Ford cars were very squared, tinny and stretched. How did it go from the Granada GXL mark 1 plus the nice coke bottle cortina GXL mk 3 to what they built in 1977? ...Even in Germany no less! My mum who drove a 1979 1.6 Cortina GL from 1984 to the end of 1986. She wore down the steering wheel area where her wedding ring was and the driver handle came off! The driver door also would not close properly and of course it has its share of starting/overheating problems. Car seats were just ok. My parents bought a 1980 Opel Rekord after the Cortina and it was a better solid car like you see in this video. The opel Rekord petrol engine was bad, 3 speed auto so my Parents decided to put a 5 speed Nissan Bluebird diesel engine in it. A great car . It was from 1985 when the Granada mk 3 Scorpio came out and the fiesta mk 3 also that Ford were building more rounded solid cars. The 1983 sierra GL was an improvement on the cortina in looks but its quality build left a bit to be desired. THX

[@ronmccullock1407]

@@PiggyWiggyO True what you say

[@melvyncox3361]

Liked the mkIV Cortina.Had a GL for nine years,bought for £500.Went everywhere in it worry free.Still miss it! Replaced with a B2 Audi 90 quattro!

[@TheBlaert]

Had a Granada 2.8 Injection about 20 years ago. God I loved that car

[@leeenglandland2978]

Car manufacturers can only dream of waiting list's for their car's now day's !

[@rooftopjump]

Are you a greengrocer?

[@fasthracing]

Stop Press Waiting list are back on!

[@garysimpson3900]

Rover "Well made". Maybe in the past but the SD1 series was plagued with build quality issues.

[@kristallpalats]

Both Rover & Lancia were known as very reliable cars of high standard & quality in the 50s. In 1977 that quality stamp hadn´t yet been flushed away. In 1977 point of view it was different.

[@sarjim4381]

So you could get a Datsun or Fiat with immediate delivery. If you were a real "executive" (only the British would come up with such a term), you'd wait 1-2 weeks for a BMW. If you were a loyal British car buyer, you'd have to wait between 10 weeks and 4-6 months for your car to show up so it could be reassembled with all the missing parts at the dealership. Gee, I can't imagine why 1977 wasn't a great year for British cars.

[@mattconnelly3867]

Perhaps...but the Datsun or Fiat at the time would have started corroding within weeks. They all had rust issues then. Actually it was shocking. But Japanese and Italian cars were the worst back then. As for the Rover SD1. I remember plenty of them just sat waiting to be sold at our local dealership. I used to pass it every day in the late seventies. It all depended if you wanted a certain spec or colour. The six cylinder version was a terrible car. My landlord had one. The only redeeming feature on the Rover was the V8 if you could afford it.

[@sarjim4381]

@@mattconnelly3867 So if those Japanese and Italian cars were so terrible, the British car industry had a golden opportunity to deliver their superior cars in a timely manner. If that was the case, why was it taking 10 weeks to 4-6 months to get a car? That was a really shocking situation. Someone that needs a car can't wait that period of time but, even worse, what the heck was wrong with a company like BL or Ford that they couldn't produce as many cars as could be sold?

[@PiggyWiggyO]

and don't forget the delays due to car strikes LOL

[@HowardLeVert]

It was the waiting times for British cars - never mind the reliability issues - that drove many buyers to the Japanese, especially when the 1st of August was coming up! Certainly at that time some of my family members went and bought Datsuns rather than wait for another Vauxhall that experience had taught them would fail on them :(

[@sarjim4381]

@@HowardLeVert I turn 73 next month and live in the US. I have purchased nine new cars in my life starting with a 1966 MGB (in British Racing Green, of course) and my what i presume will be my last, a 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara. You'll note I have a penchant for buying orphans. I had to wait two weeks for the first one and two weeks for the last one. All the others, American, German, and Japanese, took a week or less. No matter how much I wanted some of them, circumstances were such that I couldn't wait 10 weeks to get the car. The first of August holidays are a huge deal in Britain, especially for the working class, and there's no way I'd wait 10 weeks either. The British car industry was not able to organize itself to deliver a decent quality product in a reasonable waiting time for the customer right at the time that Datsun and Toyota were managing to ship cars 6,000 miles to Britain and have them ready when the buy wanted one. This is the kind of thing that kills any industry, and it was certainly a contributing factor to killing the British car industry.

[@AaronSmith-kr5yf]

Man no mention of the Citroen CX, that pains me. That was probably my favorite late 70's car we never got in the states.

[@PJ-om2wq]

or Renault 30, or Peugeot 604

[@JohnSmith-ei2pz]

Shitr0n!

[@marwood1969]

My first car was a 2.3 V6 Cortina. It was 13 years old and full of rust and as you'd imagine, it all ended badly with a tree, a fence and a lamp post being involved in the story.

[@MJ-rz3ny]

That 2.3 Cortina is sublime

[@paulanderson79]

It's just a shame no one thought to offer a 5 speed manual and perhaps adopt the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection from the 2.8i Granada models.

[@MJ-rz3ny]

paulanderson79 I had a metallic brown 2 litre mark 5 W reg Cortina MK GLS auto with factory fitted sunroof in the 80's , bought used from a dealer in Purfleet, great car, sadly written off by an non apologetic brother

[@franzchong5889]

@@paulanderson79 if only ford australia had the sense to offer the 2.3l v6 in the remaining years of the cortina run instead of stuffing it with falcon sixes prior to the switch initially to the mazda sourced meteors stopgap and the actual asia/pacific cortina replacement the telstar.

[@toonmag50]

fords were _unt cars then, bmw have partly taken this crown but fords are still in the top 5 of cars for _unts and ragers.

[@parreraz]

Sweet mama,that Granada 2.8 Ghia in red metallic.I,ve had more then 50 cars,but not one of them have been as comfortable and lovely to drive than the 1982 2.i Ghia i had a few years ago:)

[@Nick-ye5kk]

Found myself thinking "Its Alan Partridge"

[@paulanderson79]

7 Series is a different market segment from the others shown here. 5 Series is a far more relevant comparison.

[@MrTheMiguelox]

That is what he said: The 7 is for the executives boss.

[@tjfSIM]

To be honest even the 5 series was in a different league to most of these - the Audi 100, Mercedes W123, Jaguar XJ6 were its market competitors. A Granada Ghia was a long way down the pecking order from there.

[@av.burakhosgoren6846]

Rover's front face looks like Ferrari Daytona. I really like it!

[@mathewgreen4099]

Many thanks for posting, these snippets of yesteryear are fascinating.

[@lodgecav490]

I was always late for school until my dad bought a Japanese car (Datsun), it actually started first time every time even in the Winter, unlike the Fords of the time (1970’s).

[@wasitacatisaw83]

I checked all the registration numbers on the DVLA website as I was watching this... Not one of these cars survived past 1988. All scrapped over 30 years ago.

[@g00dfeeling]

Really like that Lancia!!

[@AtheistOrphan]

g00dfeeling - Same here. Never saw one in the flesh though!

[@raycroal]

it should have had a vee 6 though thenit would be awesome

[@danijelbukovec7844]

I have seen one, and I can tell you the interiors are also fantastic.

[@ventadour]

One was demolished by Alain Delon... kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3qTqn2lYqaHo9k

[@lazycalm41]

I loved the Datsun Laurel with its little red light on the steering column to tell you when you were having fun! LOL

[@01322521959]

Black electrical tape beckons ..

[@Tracertme]

I remember a 2.8 straight 6 SGL version of that laurel it was fabulous..

[@Dr.D00p]

I drove a 1982 'X' Plate, Metallic blue MK5 Cortina 2.0L Ghia Automatic (must have been one of the last made before the Sierra took over) for a time in the late 1980's. Lovely Deep velour seats & carpets, the faux wood capped interior doors, Electric windows & sunroof and the same alloys as the MK4 Cortina in this video, They really packed those last Cortina Ghia's with all the extras. It was a lovely car to drive. I bet it would be worth quite a bit today in nice condition.

[@davidwinthrop7077]

My late father bought a 2-tone silver/blue Mk5 Cortina 1.6 Crusader in late 1982 on a Y-plate, simply because he didn’t like the shape of the Sierra. It was a lovely car, far better equipped than say a Sierra L model and probably at a much, lesser cost. It was purchased from the County Garage in Carlisle, (I used to pick up the Ford complete range brochures they used to change every few months there) which now sadly gone (the building now a DFS store), and was probably a handful of run-out Cortinas they were trying to sell off. Like the garage the Crusader is most likely long gone but I’ve very happy memories of the car and it’s proud owner.

[@Dr.D00p]

By the time I got the Cortina in late 1988 it was past its best, it had done 70K+ miles (but good main dealer service history up to about 55k miles) and the first signs of rust were appearing on the rear wheel arches but the non smoker interior (very rare for the time!) and most importantly the auto gear box were in perfect condition, ran it for 18mths or so and put on about 15k miles and never had any serious problems with it. If i ever see a Cortina on the roads today, it certainly brings back good memories.

[@davidwinthrop7077]

Same goes for me but I can’t remember the last time I seen one on the road. The late ones do crop-up at the classic car rallies though.

[@ronmccullock1407]

@@davidwinthrop7077 I worked for CG Ford

[@davidwinthrop7077]

I remember the salesman who my father dealt with was called Benny Bell.

[@trabali5168]

that 7 series bmw though!! it was made for 10 years in that shape.

[@bobeden5027]

I had a Fiat 132 . Great car , luxurious, lively and great for long trips.

[@aaronjones8036]

I liked the rarer 130 and 130 coupes, saw a few in London, back in the seventies.

[@AtheistOrphan]

Lancia Gamma: Wow! Never seen one. (Nor ever likely to!)

[@andrewbuckley3948]

Where is Volvo and Mercedes! Volvo’s and Mercedes of this era are still on the road!

[@off_mah_lawn2074]

Andrew Buckley I have a W123 that is still very much on the road

[@jayswarrow1196]

The media's goals were to *sell*, rather than provide_with.

[@gutworm686]

Volvos of that period were looked upon as jokes. A 245dl anyone? No thank you. Awful things.

[@notroll1279]

@@gutworm686 Which is supposed to be why they were continued to be built until the early nineties? Because nobody bought them??

[@raycroal]

@@gutworm686 even the police used volvos in the 70's they were desireble

[@TheDivineicons]

My dad had the bmw 735i ... The quality was years ahead of its time, Still drives as smooth as most cars today..

[@dj_paultuk7052]

Strange they missed the Renault 30. I used to have the TX 2.7 V6i, and it was miles ahead of the Granada of the same era.

[@colinsummerfield8851]

i had a laurel so smooth quiet very comfy fast and very very reliable

[@npet6842]

Tony was a Class act . Great presentation skills .

[@juanpabloarena2724]

Luego de ver esto... Quiero la máquina del tiempo a mi disposición urgente! Visité Europa en 1991 siendo un niño pero pude disfrutar de ver (aún buena parte )de estos autos rodando y fué hermoso. Gracias por compartir este material. Saludos desde Argentina.

[@Mr2pint]

Modern bmws do nothing for me the old styling however yes please...

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

Designed by a Frenchman - Paul Bracq. Possibly the best years of BMW design.

[@rotwang2000]

There is a kind of sweet spot in 70's car design that is imho really hard to beat.

[@StuartOliver83]

Mr2pint agreed I love my E34 and would never sell it👍🏻🇬🇧

[@1cmman]

Ill never forget that orange Cortina I ran into on my bike as a little kid in the early 80s. :)

[@ricado372]

It got its revenge by driving into the side of me on my scooter in the late 80s lol

[@ketoking9435]

Awesome,,, I had a couple of SD1s S and an Vanden plastic both V8's,,,,after they were new and long before they were collectors cars,,,cracking fun,,,went in a red 2.3 Cortinas nice motor,,,Thanx for a trip down memory lane and have a great weekend,,,

[@ciaranburke3243]

Love all of them, rust break downs and the odd fire aside 😄

[@ketoking9435]

Nearest I get to these now is restoring old Lesney Matchbox cars,,but he'll yeah each one I do takes me back to simpler times,,,when I used to save my 30p for them and the summer of 76,,watching Concorde fly over Twickenham,,,,wishing the uploader,family,fellow Subscribers a great Sunday,

[@paulhunter123]

bmw paid extra to add their pimp mobile in this video - bmw oh then you really are the man

[@zaphodbeeblebrox6627]

Some very interesting cars from 40 years ago. Some of them still wouldn’t look out of place on the roads today. Those Rovers with their new straight six engines were a con. The engine was just the old Triumph Straight six engines that had been reworked ( bored out & had an OHC head nailed on). From what i can recall, they weren’t too reliable and drank like a fish.

[@shand1967]

The PE166 engine was a clean sheet design and although initially had the usual BL quality problems, over time it became a reliable lump. www.aronline.co.uk/facts-and-figures/engines/engines-rover-sd1-six/

[@newforestroadwarrior]

The intriguing thing is that the registration numbers of both Rovers indicate they were 2600s. I don't think they were any more economical than the V8 version.

[@hjp1hjp22]

The Opel Commodore and Senator were almost identical to the Vauxhall Carlton and Royale, and there was the not very well known Vauxhall Viceroy, that had the rear of the Carlton, and the front of the Royale. The Datsun Laurel was shown, but the biggest Toyota, the Crown was not. The Lancia Gamma has to be the most eccentric.

[@tonypp.7093]

The Audi still looks very contemporary, although all of them could still handle today's traffic. I would go for the BMW.

[@M.S-Music]

That Audi looked horrible

[@banpowel9784]

Bmw, great cars, great marketing, and the more expensive price tag, made them even more appealing to social climbers

[@armjos1]

Love the sd1 rovers

[@darrensmith6999]

Rover 2200??? 2300 surely.

[@robertmarsh3588]

Yep. I questioned this on another video. Seems there was a wrong assumption made. 2600 was the better choice anyway though ;-)

[@rjft7003]

Strangly the French are missing. What about the Citroen CX and the Peugeot 604? Anyway the BMW is clearly the winner as easily spotted by the presenter's enthusiasm. Rover interior was absolutely fantastic for the 70's, perhaps only the CX was more advanced regarding ergonomics.

[@mipmipmipmipmip]

It's 3 times the price of the Fiat. What a ridiculous comparison, not even a hint of irony.

[@volvo480]

What about the Swedes... I would prefer a Volvo 264 (with V6 engine) over a Ford Granada and a Saab 99 over an Audi 80.

[@rjft7003]

@@volvo480 Absolutely right! Saab 99 sedan or Volvo 242 were very competitive cars. This comparison seems quite silly. They included the Fiat 132, a car that was never a success in sales, except in Italy I reckon, and was later so underdog that was replaced by the modernized 132, called Argenta and was even manufactured as Seat 132 in Spain.

[@volvo480]

@@rjft7003 Unfortunately, almost all 1970s cars were rusting like there's no tomorrow. I had a friend with an Italian father, he drove a 132 which was a brilliant car if it lasted. Not half as refined, but the Swedish cars were designed to withstand northern European winters, that's why they were dying slower than the competition. But in terms of driving fun, you'd prefer a 2 litre fuel injected Fiat unit above anything else!

[@HowardLeVert]

@@mipmipmipmipmip I agree - wouldn't a 525 have been a better choice? And regarding the Volvos - a 264 surely?

[@abbragg1]

I think the clip is too short.

[@bid84]

Vegan Cuisine So is my penis.

[@01322521959]

I slow the the speed to 0.75.

[@dzonikg]

Film Track was expensive

[@TheGalacticEmperorOfLabels]

Good luck getting them to film it again.

[@TheGalacticEmperorOfLabels]

@@01322521959 Slow it to 0.5 speed and he sounds pissed witless.

[@primacasacostruzionicampom1085]

Bellissime queste automobili!

[@MrClingclong]

The BMW styling is really neat and still looks good today. BMWs of today have a very confused and awkward look. Some of them look very ungainly. The Rover looks smart as well. When the six cylinders came out in '77 my mum bought the 2600 (WAF 51T) and it was (at times) a fabulous car. Sadly, it was let down by it's inability to stay running. Every time it got to traffic lights it would die and then mum would then frantically try to start it, which it didn't want to do. No matter how many times it went back to the dealer, Carlyon Bay Garage, they couldn't fix it.

[@Karol-ds1qs]

Hard to believe cars like Jaguar, Citroën and especially Mercedes W116 were forgotten. One of the best in those days.

[@ULTRA_2112]

Only the new 1977 modells are presented!

[@muir8009]

actually none of the cars you've mentioned were particularly considered to be thrusting young executive cars. we are looking back at them as being cars we're very familiar with but as cars. then, of course, they all fitted in to particular market segments, with brand appeal that can differentiate to the same brand today. that was a substantial failing of the rover brand losing its perceived direction.

[@chriswhipps4250]

The Cortina in Australia came with a 200ci and 250ci Falcon 6 cylinder motor nice cars with plenty of power.

[@markjohn4802]

Dip dip dip my blue ship! It's the Granada but then I was a huge fan of the MK1. Respect to the BM, soild! It felt very flash driving a new MK2 at 17.

[@grandadgamer8390]

I had the Cortina 2.3 Ghia, was nippy for it's day, especially as mine was a manual, shame only 4 speed though ☺

[@esssexboy]

My fave is the MK2 Granada. I had a 79 pre facelift 2.3gl with a vinyl roof and I swear it was one of the nicest motors i ever owned

[@dano4572]

Cool video!!!! Cool!

[@user-rc1ke1ef3t]

Love the Granada and Cortina, I remember that my head teacher drove a gold Lancia Gamma, beautiful!

[@janeeccleston9196]

Maybe just nostalgia-But I think there is some beautiful cars there 😁

[@ewilloch]

I‘d take the Datsun. After all, it comes with a tape deck with auto-reverse!

[@peterhess6039]

Erik Willoch haha

[@notroll1279]

I think that in all it's Japanese faux-baroque way, the Datsun is eccentric to the point of coolness.

[@aaronjones8036]

I remember the Toyota Crowns 4dr and coupe.

[@g.j.koster1986]

My grandfather drove the rover v8 Vitesse or vanderplass. A gold one! Very luxuriouse car back then.

[@S7EVE_P]

Just imagine being Ford sales manager and reporting to your manager that sales were "neck and neck" with a *Leyland Princess* !! Its hard to imagine picking the Princess over the Ford Granada

[@derekmmmm]

The Rover's with the fantastic invention of the steering square!

[@damos_cars]

This is pretty much how the banked circuit looked on New Years Day 2019! Nothing has changed. lol

[@jo05dk]

"Oh-pell". That's one way to say Opel i guess :) Didn't know about the coupe version of those old 7-series cars. Will be investigating :)

[@mordejaimelamed8898]

En los 80, los Fords del video se veían en mi Uruguay querido...también el Opel Berlina, que se llamaba Rekord. El Audi se le llamaba Passat en Brasil.

[@Kingdonnerkebab]

Lancia Gamma 😍😍😍

[@Rayfaedundee]

I.could see the lancia fizzing away with rust just looking at the video clip.. I bet they had to film that part very quickly before they had to get there bucket did shovel out to sweep away the rust particles falling off the underside.. !!!!

[@r0smor]

James May will be driving the coupé version on the North Coast 500 in Scotland in season 3 of The Grand Tour.

[@Kingdonnerkebab]

r0smor superb! Love those too. Cheers 👍

[@01322521959]

Lovely looking car. In terms of looks, gives the gorgeous Rover a good run for it's money.

[@01322521959]

@@r0smor Sad that's only on Amazon

[@doodemog]

Cortina and Granada’s great cars

[@stephenrose9157]

My friend Jeremy Turner loves these videos

[@phil955i]

Slight miss-quote there with the Rover "2200" (was a 2300) but I'd have any of those cars now, wonderful.

[@eudaldguell3004]

Great and beautiful cars

[@malcolmclements9254]

That BMW still looks classy.

[@wernerbloemwagen6878]

My Dad had the Datsun Laurel and yes, it was ugly even back then, but it was BIG inside (&out) and VERY RELIABLE. He also had the Cortina - much better looking but less reliable.

[@tariqmahmood7160]

I preferred the cortina mk3 the twin headlights was much cooler then the rectangle headlights and body shape curviar

[@MrRea112]

Jan Bloem The subsequent early 80’s Laurel had a four door coupe version which was rather pretty and had a two litre 6 cylinder engine. Nice. The Japanese learn fast except Honda with the latest hideous Civic type R.

[@garysimpson3900]

The words "Well made" & "Rover" in the same breath! Especially not with the SD1's.

[@heckmacbuff]

Tony Bastable was the template on which Alan Partridge was formed.

[@waytosacramento3843]

Lancia was the abandoned stepchild back then already. How successful can a car be with only a four cylinder engine available but with a 50% higher price tag than the competition?

[@vintagecarnews5899]

Great job

[@trabali5168]

the bmw looks waay ahead of its time!

[@michaelb6729]

Nice VC Commodore SL/E.

[@eddiecaplan1908]

I remember my dads ford executive zephr?, the one that had lights that went all along the rear,

[@energymc22]

2.8 V6, just 100mph and low twenties mpg - how times have moved on!

[@mosesberkowitz3298]

That Lancia was the best looking of the bunch. These old BBC films are great!

[@hodder44]

BBC?? Did you not notice the Thames TV beginning?

[@mosesberkowitz3298]

@@hodder44 Uh oh....you're right. I'm a yank and don't really know the difference, sorry to say. Thames is a studio? I remember watching the Thames intro before every Benny Hill show when I was a lad, and I enjoy a lot of British productions.

[@martinhughes2549]

@@mosesberkowitz3298 Thames had the regional commercial franchise for London area Monday to Friday from 1968 to 1990. When they lost their franchise they became a TV programme producer.

[@mosesberkowitz3298]

@@martinhughes2549 Thanks; most of my viewing was in the years of 1977-1985 so that makes sense.

[@Tourist1967]

@@mosesberkowitz3298 The BBC was created through a Royal Charter in 1927, is funded by a mandatory TV licence fee and covers the whole of the UK. It was the only radio, and later TV, broadcaster for many years. Independent - that is, privately-owned and funded through advertising sales - TV stations didn't start until 1955 and different regions of the UK had different stations serving them. Thames was a London broadcaster, although the different stations bought programmes from each other. Independent radio stations didn't start until 1973.

[@studiocalder818]

Missing someone... The Alfetta, the best sport sedan of that age

[@tariqmahmood7160]

surprised the Mercedes executive range was not mentioned

[@colmfarrel4742]

Because they were ahead of everyone at that time.

[@tariqmahmood7160]

+Colm Farrel exactly bruv you speak the truth ,different league altogether , I own a 1968 Mercedes 280se bought it on a whim after graduation ,good job I did ,not many left ,solid quality cars

[@lorenzoluciano1430]

@@tariqmahmood7160 mate, you got yourself an executives car

[@muir8009]

not surprising really, different market...

[@perkin2000]

If only I had the foresight to buy a bunch of these when they were sold at throwaway prices. As an example, in the early '90s, some friends and I bought a white Cortina for £50. The interior was knackered, like someone had used it for bull fighting, but it ran well and the body was near mint. Bought it to be used essentially as a street legal dodgem. Took it up to Box Hill and tried to roll it on the twisty road going down the back of it. We were not particularly bright as young men. What was ubiquitous has now become the rarest of sights, and, yeah, I wish I had bought a fleet. Not for the financial investment, purely because I miss seeing them so much.

[@jamesproudlove1527]

Where is the Triumph 2500S? That's an executive class car. Shame on you for not showing this remarkable Marque. It was great to see you include the Rover Marque.

[@silenthunteruk]

Brooklands is now a museum. They have a Concorde there.

[@darrenmartin7398]

I know it not cool, but I still find the Rover the the best looking car. It's still got presence.

[@SpitfireFortyFour]

I think a good number if people would disagree about the "cool" thing. Most would say it's the last Rover that was cool, it looked good, it was comfortable and it had a V8 to give it good performance too.

[@mancavehobbies6213]

RIP TONY

[@adampowell5376]

Ford Granada Mk 2 2.8 was a lot faster than 100 mph. It was capable of about 115 mph.

[@vicfulcher9834]

The cortina 2.3 and the BMW 733 the best of the bunch. Wonder how many of those 2 of them are left on uk roads today

[@TheMuzikall]

The Ausi is the best all rounder for Speed Durability and Economy and is more expensive too Parts wise but it was worth it✅

[@billybellend1155]

The 7-series looks timeless and was built like a tank. Makes the other cars look like they were made out of paper.

[@zzhughesd]

Looked the minge the bmw then and now

[@MonkeyHunch1]

Great car but the price reflected it. That BMW would cost about 70 thousand pounds in todays money :)

[@MonkeyHunch1]

@@zzhughesd Looked the minge? First time i`ve heard that saying !

[@mipmipmipmipmip]

Weirdest comparison ever, Grenada, Cortina and 7 series in same "executive class" review, and a Princess?? Was there not a Senator above the Rekord ?

[@RustyPetterson]

@@mipmipmipmipmip- The Senator didn't come out until 1978. I wondered that too so I checked! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Senator

[@abilioteixeira1735]

I love Granada

[@paulnash4425]

When he said the "Lancia won't be with us until next March", he meant to say the "The Lancia won't be with us next March"

[@mattw8332]

I was five weeks old when this was originally broadcast. I really don't know which car I would have out of those...The Italian contenders (+ added rustproofing!), the Japanese one or the Cortina 2.3 V6.

[@scottwheeler1641]

Yes i was nine years old, however. I think these cars hadn't changed much into the eighties and i remember the enormous fuss over the Sierra release. At the time it looked like it had come from outer space! I had a Mk4 escort Ghia and a facelift Sierra Ghia, before the Sapphire. Both were old when i had them The Sierra was rusty and the Escort was mint! Wish i still had it!

[@rossturnbull8632]

2.3 corti...out came that lump and in went the 2.8...seen it done,and the results were scary...tuned 2ltr pinto on twin carbs a better bet..good times.

[@cyprosam]

We had a datsun 200L it was like a limo so quite..

[@saxongreen78]

The Datsun may not have been very exciting or prestigious, but it was the one I would choose - very good value, reliable as a claw hammer, lovely engine.

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

Aah, that BMW door thunk.

[@mvrck-pb5pk]

That should be sampled.