The rise of foreign cars | Common Market | Vintage cars | Drive In | 1974

Thames TV's 'Drive in' investigates the rise in popularity of foreign produced cars.
First Shown: 31/07/1975
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Quote: VT11307

[@mudskipper0075]

The Japanese had this radical concept where when you turned the key in your ignition in the morning it started the engine ,BL thought this should be an option ....👍

[@mymymy9452]

Llllllllllolllllllllll

[@sg8539]

🤣

[@citywise8773]

Too true!! Remember a string of British cars that gave nothing but trouble…then we bought a Datsun Cherry and it worked like a charm for years

[@RalfFinne]

🤣. So true. My first car was '77 Datsun 100A aka Cherry . It has a heating system that could be compared to Saab and Volvo . A very good feature when you live in Finland

[@ralphsmyth9635]

😂😂…..so true!!

[@felixarbable]

that golf looks so amazingly fresh. funny how good design lives on.

[@darrenwilson8042]

its also amazing how VW got away with a car that rotted so badly in the eraly days and in the mid 2000's still rotted away round the front wheelarches ( as did most VW/Audi's of the era - only Merc seemed worse ) yet still tried to advertise fundamental quality. No better than a Ford KA mk1

[@Mr_Chumpy]

The semi estate body really seals the deal.

[@todortodorov940]

@@darrenwilson8042 I can't speak of other brands but my first car was an Audi (1998 model, built in 2000). The chassis and other relevant parts were galvanized. After driving it almost 14 years in southern Scandinavia, where the roads are salted every winter, after a good washing, the think was as good as new without any hint of rust. American built cars in this environment rust away in 5 years. Mercedeses rust too, but Mercedes had a policy of replacing rusted parts free of charge, no questions asked.

[@ki2791]

@@darrenwilson8042 crap quality cars mate, appear to be well made but they aren't

[@planestrainsdogsncars4336]

Except for the skew-whiff front bumper ...wtf

[@Kiinell]

You simply couldn't do an interview in the mid 70's without a random Womble walking into your shot.

[@DiscoFang]

6:09 Wellington!

[@FatherJack-b1u]

He was looking a bit sad

[@Kiinell]

Oh, that too, Simon. Ha haaa.

[@TONE11111]

cos he'd just bought a Morris Marina

[@andrewcorcoran9396]

genius!!! very good..

[@waltertaljaard1488]

My late uncle overhere in the Netherlands started as a BMC dealer. And because British cars in the late fifties and early sixties were quite good they sold well overhere and were rather popular. He was proud of the motors he sold and spoke of ''English class and quality products.'' But later on the BL nightmare began and the previously acknowledged build and engineering quality of British cars went down the drain. In 1977 he finally had enough of selling what he then called ''filthy junk'' (gore rotzooi) and switched to.....Datsun.

[@gotham61]

Interesting the the concept of a "hatchback" wasn't yet firmly established. They kept referring to them as "mini estates" or a "sort of estate".

[@ABCDEF-yf4yu]

Cars built in Britain in the last century include the Nissan Bluebird near Newcastle, the Honda Civic at Swindon, Toyota Carina at Derby, and Peugeot 405 at Coventry. Foreign cars were the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Nova in Spain, the Ford Granada and Capri, and Vauxhall Carlton and Senator in Germany, and the Ford Sierra in Belgium.

[@cambs0181]

Nissan Bluebird from 1981 was UK built. Some Fiestas, Granadas and Capris were built in the UK, though think it was 2 out of 3 capris were German built.

[@fredbloggs8072]

In the days when cars used to brake down about once a month (if you were lucky), people bought the Cherry in large numbers because Datsun had worked out how to make cars ultra-reliable. It wasn't flashy, but it worked.

[@team3383]

Brilliant. A Womble walking by in the background at 6:11. Made my day. Uncle Bulgaria by the looks of him.

[@pigknickers2975]

No it was Wellington. I used to have his poster!

[@mrrolandlawrence]

looks like wellington. uncle bulgaria had glasses and a waistcoat?

[@MarkPMus]

Definitely Wellington. He had a blue cap.

[@keithmartin1328]

Uncle Bulgaria out looking for a new car, just not a british one.

[@Zero_Ninety]

"What makes more and more British car buyers go foreign?" Gee I don't know, maybe they wanted a car that would actually start in the morning..

[@saxongreen78]

Owned an early 1970s Datsun in the 1990s - it was as reliable as a claw hammer, ran on fumes...wish I still owned it!

[@abergethirty]

Impossible. They were made of very cheap steel and they've all rusted away. My cousin had one in 2001 and was a complete rust bucket. He welded straps to support the frame because it collapsed on him.

[@timbunker4529]

I worked for a Leyland dealership, the cars where appalling nothing but faults and returns for warranty correction. Then the boss got a Datsun franchise, what a difference reliable modern cars. They sold like hot cakes. On one weekend 16 sold!

[@martinwebb1681]

@@abergethirty ... Yes they were terrible for the rust.

[@mymymy9452]

*The last guy had the balls to say it the cars start when you want the cars to start.*

[@praetorian9943]

Lotus =Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious

[@zeeteavathepipe3184]

@Ricsi bacsi Or Fix It Again Tony

[@fartgarfunkel2433]

@Ricsi bacsi Well yeah. But where is British Leyland now and where is Fiat and Ford now ? I can tell you. British Leyland is Dead like most of British Car Brands and Ford and Fiat are pretty popular in Europe

[@terryjacob8169]

Dead right, I once had a Lotus Excell. Great car to drive, but I could have assembled it myself way better.

[@conleymacp]

I've got a '75 Datsun B210, the version of the 120Y that went to the States

[@darrenwilson8042]

Loved the Womble walking by in shot at the back ha ha ha

[@xsduprwd3937]

so british!

[@-doggy-6670]

Think we may have destroyed its habitat now!!

[@MrWeekendoff]

That Womble in the background just walking past was pure hilarity!!!!

[@dogmatic_goat]

Thank you for uploading these videos! I was born in '95, but it's so neat to see these old news reports. Please keep them coming!

[@benjones1180]

“Put together properly “ not 3 words ever used at British leyland 😂

[@voiceandbody]

Kudos to Sue Baker for not reacting to outrageous sexist remark! Great to see the models of the time.

[@Allan9966]

I always thought the Datsun Cherry was a nicer looking car than most of its competitors.

[@seed_drill7135]

Wait, was that a Womble at 6:10?

[@rdouthwaite]

Seed_drill Yup, Wellington to be precise.

[@Allan9966]

There were a lot about in the seventies!

[@adrianmorris3772]

Get it shot.......!

[@rexluminus9867]

That was a time traveller spy.

[@MrSlugny]

Just did

[@Mr2pint]

The best part about this video was the womble casually walking by hands behind back..

[@fightersweep]

Already spotted of course, but Wellington at 6:10 is probably the best photo bombing of a TV interview I've seen in 50 years. Priceless.

[@speakfreeley4473]

Foreign or not, they are proper, 'lap-top' technology free cars. By today's standards watching this could almost be mistaken for a classic car show. One car featured was a Renault 16, which first my Dad had & later my Mum inherited when he went on to something newer. It was an automatic so the column shift gear-lever didn't matter so much.

[@EdgyNumber1]

@King Brilliant With the Japanese ones, you didn't need to do any of that.

[@andynixon2820]

Though many of them quickly fell to bits with rust , Japanese cars were mechanically excellent and you got tons of extras for your money . Many new immigrant families in the 70s had to be prudent with their money and that's why they drove datsuns - reliable and good value .

[@eddkennedy6458]

The Datsun cars of this era were more reliable than anything made these days. even though the smaller cars had Bmc derived engines.

[@MrThecarebear]

"What makes more and more British car buyers go foreign?" Answer - because British cars were crap.

[@aaronhussain3873]

Top level brands are a different story. But if you're comparing (for example) a Rover SD1 against a Mercedes W123 or BMW 5 Series of the time, then it's obvious that the German cars were superior!

[@charlesregan4576]

@@aaronhussain3873 Not obvious to someone who had an SD1 and a BMW 525...

[@charlesregan4576]

@fifthof As I drove and still drive British cars every day, cars which started every day and did precisely what I wanted them to do and did it very well, your point is moot.

[@hoodwinker7932]

@@aaronhussain3873 the SD1 was only let down by the build quality, the design was good enough.

[@aljack1979]

So were French, I rember my father's Peugeot failing to start, as did the volvo. SOME British cars were crap but so were the Europeans aswell. Datsun weren't that much better. Look at the cars that are classic today and stood the test of time? Jags, triumph etc.

[@McVaio]

That Toyota Crown is nice. I wouldn't buy any Toyota today except for the Century.

[@pinkyn0se]

Lol at the front bumper fit on that Golf. I'm presuming it's had a smack already, as I can't imagine they let it out looking like that!

[@adrianadrian1887]

Renault 12/Dacia 1300 everyone had it in the 70s 80s 90s 2000s even now in Romania, goes to show that French cars really are reliable. Seeing the engine in that Renault 12 brings back memories. Very easy to work on and parts easy to get... Thanks for the video.

[@660einzylinder]

I paid £90 for a 12 in about 1985, added engine bits from a scrap 5TS and rallied it for two years. It only died because I hit the scenery rather hard one night.

[@philhawley1219]

My brother blew up his Renault 12 trying to race a Porsche! The block cracked and you could see the centre main bearing. After it cooled down it still got us to the pub and back that evening. Brave car performed one last vital mission even though it was mortally wounded.

[@brisman1963]

Cars of 1975: "Even if it is slightly more complicated ......" Cars of 2021: Hold my beer.

[@corsairnutta1]

Love watching these, more please👍

[@leeenglandland2978]

I owned a Datsun Cherry and the engine run like a Swiss watch but the body rusted away in 3 year's !

[@CEEPMDEE]

I miss the 1970s

[@terryjacob8169]

I miss the 70's women......🥰

[@CEEPMDEE]

@@terryjacob8169 Yeah.. all natural for the most part

[@arshadasghar9936]

The green VW Golf in this video has a wonky front bumper, but it doesn't look like its been hit or damaged in an accident, more like its fitted badly

[@stevebrodie7777]

What about the Renault with cracked indicator/park light lens ?

[@robfuller7841]

Numberplate looks fake

[@stevebrodie7777]

Legit , you went to auto shop and had them made too spec

[@lawrencebond8371]

@Julie.. Definitely a real plate.. HJJ was tested in various magazines at the time

[@blinski1]

I remember those bumpers, sometimes you just sat on it and it could have ended up like this.

[@k956upg]

Renault 5 looks like it was made over a weekend in someone's garage using random car parts.

[@AmigaA-or2hj]

My mum passed her driving test in a Triumph Dolomite.

[@onepalproductions]

My mum got whiplash in a Triumph Dolomite.

[@brianwalmsley447]

Good to watch I remember all of those cars I've had some of the cars lots of Datsuns and I still got a Datsun blue bird and still happy with it 👍

[@jerryorange6983]

As the time shows, it is not about the price (unless really high) but it all about whether the car is going to start next morning. That's why Germans and Japanese won this time.

[@AnthonyNewman-lp5qq]

Well…. It did take them decades to win (in the uk). The British stuck to their home brands (even if they weren’t actually British owned and the product manufactured abroad). Remember the Marina was actually one of the best sellers for years despite being a truly cruddy car in every respect.

[@jerryorange6983]

@@AnthonyNewman-lp5qq Yes Marina looked cool. Germans are now going same way and their faith will be similar.

[@Cyberdyne-kg8ku]

I love the wonky bumper on the Golf. The left side sits higher than the right.

[@otdosa]

qUaLiTy

[@marcelb7259]

When you compare the quality and equipment of the Toyota Corona and the rest of European cars, you quickly understand why they took such a large place in the automotive market. The same thing happened here in North America.

[@robhosking9399]

The Womble In The Shot Had Just Put A Deposit On A Datsun Cherry. (A Womble Knows A Reliable Car When He Sees It).

[@greengrass9572]

Born in 76 these cars were what I used to walk past, rotting on the side of the road on my way to school in the early to mid 80s. People took advantage of the fact that road tax was not really enforced, well not were I lived anyway. I also remember the sweet smell of leaded exhaust fumes and starter motors ringing out loud repeatedly on damp and frosty mornings as the frantic adults tried to get them going, as they were late for work, and the common sound of a carburettor fed engine puffing and spluttering away on full choke.

[@martindunne9971]

Womble at 6.11 - Love seeing those old cars...

[@robertmarsh3588]

Great period piece. Love the womble at 6'10" as well!!

[@Synthematix]

love the look of the renault 12, i always thought they should have been called the renault eclair for some reason. but out of them all only the golf stood the test of time.

[@PaulHojda]

The 12 was an extremely successful car worldwide, and it was sold under multiple names, so doubtless it was called the eclair in some markets haha. It's also the car that made Dacia the famous budget brand that it is today.

[@rexluminus9867]

Yes the VW golf. *** Later came the VW 🐇rabbit.

[@zeeteavathepipe3184]

Renault 12 was assambled or manufactured under licence in a few countries.

[@kollusion1]

"What colour's that Datsun over there? That's 120Y brown mate... Hmmm, very attractive. Come on Shep!"

[@lewis72]

Within a year, VW gave us the Golf, Austin/BL gave us the Allegro. Golf was showing the motoring world the way forward, Allegro was still stuck in the past; should have been a hatchback and less dumpy-looking.

[@tonydelo7292]

@6.12 the character in the background lololol

[@anthonyperkins7556]

When you had strike ridden UK car factories with unions calling the shots turning out build fault ridden cars, is it any wonder the public become wary of anything we can make and bought foreign? You cannot blame Joe Public for buying cars that were better made, more reliable and built right.

[@anyscaleclassics6880]

Its only taken me 35 years to latch onto this idea and buy a nissan. Bloody glad i did.

[@essell5482]

I switched to Japanese cars 20 years ago and it's saved me a fortune!

[@zacharyf.568]

The Renault 5 looked very modern for its time.

[@zenbudhism]

Pale blue Datsun 120y looks great even today

[@user-PoltanovDmitriy]

Very much in British Style: to talk over European & Japanese cars and Ignore Soviet. Clients at the background showed what they really interested in: cheap&robust Russian fiats.

[@zebedep]

Shame they overlooked the Ladas on display; they would have been new to the UK market at the time.

[@pcno2832]

I've always heard that Canadians appreciated Ladas more than most westerners; they probably held up to Canadian winters better than a lot of more advanced cars. Early Hondas were know for having problems in the cold.

[@IceMan-il7dx]

Ladas????? Soviet cars?......you're smoking something special!

[@Rayfaedundee]

Anyone notice the indicator sidelight bulb lens on the “New” Renault 5 is cracked and broken. !!!!

[@countdown2xstacy]

Ray Brewer I saw that too. Some of those cars look a bit worn to me to be considered brand new. Unless I missed him saying some are older models ?

[@dan11438]

…and now in 2023 we have not a single British-owned car manufacturer left (Rover was the last). Shameful.

[@johnmorrow7080]

Worked at a Vauxhall dealers , we had a Datsun branch up the road , Datsuns were more reliable but rot boxes , even working on new ones you would always snap a wing bolt or 2 .

[@23hublock1]

2:39 that front bumper is so pissed!

[@pigknickers2975]

Looks like they threw it on to fit it. Honestly, I hate 2020 but the cars of the 70s were hilariously bad sometimes.

[@MisterHampshire]

Even as late as the mid-80s foreign manufacturers were giving customers what UK manufacturers only started to give - like cloth seats - in the upper ranges of any one model. Moreover, whilst some of the foreign cars were odd by design, they listened to what the customers wanted - and gave them it. Sure, we had the Rover SD1, what a gorgeous car that was, and what a car it could have been. But unreliability and shocking build quality of biblical proportions, when you had foreign manufacturers designing and building modern, reliable and better equipped cars than the UK, what did we expect? There they were, producing exciting new shapes and a whole new world of performance and reliability, and what were we dong? Still producing the Morris Minor that farted every time you changed gear.

[@Hillcrest54]

Yup. My father bought a Jag in 1975 (after numerous British cars) and as a consequence it was the last British car he owned until his death nearly 40 years later.

[@xaraxen]

Tony's voice becomes louder and louder toward the end

[@clipstone]

Yes, there were racing cars buzzing by in the background, didn't you notice?

[@goclunker]

The Seat 133 looks like a Fiat 126 knock off

[@tonivaripati5951]

British Car Plants suffered from years of under investment, a make do and mend attitude was not enough for their future survival, as for the work force they were on a sinking ship, it was just about getting as much as you can before it sinks.

[@davetate77255]

My mum had a 120y until 1998 when she upgraded to a new Nissan Pulsar, we live Australia so it was nice to have Air conditioning. My first car was a 84 Nissan Bluebird. Which I got in around 2001, lol.

[@shukryyeoh9145]

I still keep my first car the datsun 120y which I bought in 1977. Although it is not running but the engine can easily start up!

[@HostileLemons]

I've got a 1998 nissan bluebird u14. Never failed me once

[@gan9e]

1:31 in 1974 I was a five year old lad interested in cars, my parents every week would get a visit from this loan repayment dude named Ted Heath who owned one of these Datsun's... Ted used to allow me to sit in the front passenger seat and play with the ( wait for it... wait for it... ) knobs on the dashboard... I remember the smell, that new plastic excitement... the flick of a switch and a light would illuminate... amazing, it was such a fascinating machine to me at the time, yet I never learned to drive in later life... which is odd... yet I often wear a dress and swish around the house singing moonlight & roses... which is odder.

[@kneetrembler3249]

Hope it wasn't the Ted heath who later went on to become prime minister. He loved children that liked to play with nobs haha.

[@gan9e]

@@kneetrembler3249 oh God... I've just realized... well I was lucky then... I wasn't fiddled with by that Ted chap... and I didn't blackmail him to try and join the UK to a byzantine style authoritarian dictatorship like the EU or something :)

[@kneetrembler3249]

What's the European union got to do with it

[@paulhunter123]

all these cars are so much better than the shit we get today with over tech and no DIY choice

[@JamesMullarneyIsAFraud]

4:49 - white RX3 coupe in the background. 150k cars now

[@markthorpe1528]

It's Raining Datsun Cogs.Tony Bastable's Flares and Kipper Tie are hilarious.

[@georgejacob3162]

As is the Womble walking past at 6:11!

[@DaraM73]

6:10 even the Union of Amalgamated Womble Workers representative hadn’t a clue how to solve the slump in British car sales

[@Synthematix]

I always thought the renault 12 and 16 looked very classy back in the 70s

[@keithrose6931]

Japanese cars always started, had a radio, tinted windows . How did they catch on ? Fiat's fell apart with rust .

[@essell5482]

Love the Womble at 6.09!!!

[@spider_hoss]

The 120Y was called the B210 here in the US. Learned to drive a manual transmission in one of those.

[@LesBrecknell]

My first ever car was a bright green 1975 N reg Datsun Cherry that I acquired before I could even drive. I swapped a rather nice Fender guitar for it from an RAF colleague who couldn't sell it in time for his posting to Germany the very next day. I remember being in it when a grim sounding BBC announcement came over the radio to declare that John Lennon had been shot dead in New York.

[@howardkerr8174]

Right at the very beginning the presenter describes the engine of the Seat 133 then plants his hand on the front of the car, but isn't the engine in the rear? I mean, there is no opening for the passage of cooling air at the front of the car.

[@samuesoeilyoriy6581]

datsun 100a had the A SERIES ENGINE from the mini a version there of

[@kiritanJ]

keep thinking of all those LADAs in the background.

[@judethaddaeus9742]

I absolutely adore how terrible they were at even the most basic rules of video presentation at the time… Tony had his back to the camera as he was awkwardly shuffling the narrow path between each car several times. Wrapping up at the end as race cars loudly drove past on the track behind and competed with his final summation was just the cherry on top.

[@davids8449]

You are ideal voting material for the next General Election..............You cannot see what are witnessing

[@lordkorner]

Once upon a time one had to sound like the queen before one could appear on TV. And it took 5 minutes for someone to mention reliability.

[@aliimran5503]

Beginning Background music and image is so cool. Love it

[@IDann1]

So what happened to Renault in the 80s, abysmal reliability

[@joaopedrobittencourt9524]

4:22 dat golf bumber

[@shellacandvinylarchive3370]

Special guest at 6:10

[@garywinterbottom4930]

U cant beat the old datsuns later to become Nissan they were well engineered and reliable i miss my Toyota avensis that was bulletproof i then went on to suzuki reliable cars but my diesel model has a fiat engine nofhing but problems with it so will ensure next car is 100% Japanese.

[@IntyMichael]

Memories, my parents had a Renault 5 TS, more than 60HP back then was a crazy thing. :)

[@dorleysflir5350]

6:08 A Rare sight, they must be near Wimbledon.

[@RoadCone411]

I love how he refers to the Japanese cars as "little chaps"...

[@beijingbond]

That Womble at 6:10

[@mike969696]

Good programme. Didn't hear the common market mentioned.

[@johnaugsburger6192]

The British do such a good job on these news issues.

[@DavidFraser007]

Frank Page 4:40 from the Observer is wearing his pyjamas with a black tie, I love the 70s

[@bennetfox]

Where's the Datsun Fairlady?

[@Truthseeker1515]

These cars were so easy to drive.....dad had a Renault 16, great car.

[@davidhayes4814]

The Japanese cars were well equipped, decent performers, competitively price AND RELIABLE.

[@helenloughton2418]

And rusty bucket Japanese cars

[@niklasgroning5792]

@@helenloughton2418 Not as much as the German cars!

[@jfv65]

that left corner on the Golf bumper is crooked... and the indicator lense or the R5 has cracks in it... Nice to see some DAF cars in the background. DAF was taken over in i believe 1977. Volvo started selling the DAF 77 as the Volvo 343 .

[@ammr3870]

Funny to see Tony struggling to squeeze between two cars when he could’ve just walked down the other side of the Golf.

[@brianjohnson5063]

Constant strikes build quality made brits go for foreign cars better build quality more toys for your money less time to wait for the cars

[@jamesgoodwin2450]

Loving the flares

[@gpo746]

Wellington Womble at 6:09 out looking to buy a Datsun Cherry

[@briansaiditsoitmustbetrue4206]

1970's was the start of the end for British mass produced cars. It was a slow and long goodbye with the final nail in the coffin in 2005 when Rover cars went bust. You can't blame buyers for turning there back on British cars...

[@keithfrmcov]

What did not help our british motor industry. Is the fact that Japan's government subsidised the Japanese motor industries. So that their cars and other motor vehicles we sold at a lowest price they could go down to. So they could be sold over here at a low price. Plus our government did not have a high import duty either.

[@38foreal]

Weirdly enough the Ford escort now is worth more than all those small cars out together , if you can get one

[@person.X.]

I reckon that the vulnerability to rust of those 70s Japanese cars caused a backlash to Japanese marques in the UK that lasts even to this day. Despite the Japanese building numerous factories in the UK they still have a relatively low market share in the UK vs virtually every other car market in the world.