Picking through the trash in the garbage bin of life.
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
How crap was your car?
Fascinating look at how the cars of the past have faded away. Here and here.
4 comments:
They Hate Her Because She Won
said...
These cars are nearly all gone because they were designed and built in Britain in the 70's and 80's. This was Britain at its worst. Made in Britain used to mean something good. In that period it guaranteed it was crap. We had the unions running the country. Night workers on the car plants used to go to sleep and if the managers tried to deal with it the unions went out on strike. The cars produced were rust heaps. New cars would be going rusty within a year of being new. The only ones that survive are the few which got under sealed by their owners. The Triumph Stag survived because it was an expensive design classic kept garaged by its owners and used only on sunny weekends. Even then the engine in it was crap and kept blowing up. Most Stags have got a Ford engine in now. The TR7 was one of the most unreliable cars ever built and another rust heap to boot. They became so renowned for their constant breakdowns that they became valueless and you couldn't give them away. Maggie took a while to sort out the unions, but sort it out she did. Britain now produces some very good cars, albeit for foreign based manufacturers.
"They Hate Her Because She Won" You are not wrong! However if you thought the cars were unreliable the British Motorbikes defied belief that a product that unreliable could even be sold.
They looked good and to be fair handled for their era quite well but broke down with such frequency that any rider to today would not believe you if you told them.
The tradgedy is the Brits can make great stuff when freed from that unholy trifecta of pigheaded unions, poor managers and stupid Government policy. Took a new Triumph Motorcyle for a spin a few years back, brilliant! Finish and performance the equal of anything from Japan and quite resonably priced.
"They Hate Her Because She Won" mentioned a couple of Triumphs. I have to add that the TR7, even when brand new, was a slow, ugly load of rubbish. The TR6 was the last of the good ones. I have to admit that I'm biased having owned and nurtured a Dolomite Sprint for a few years back in those days. It was rewarding.
As for the unions ... congratulations on your efforts to destroy the British economy during the Cold War as dictated by your masters in Russia.
What's sad is that there were some brilliant designs destroyed by the unions and the(labour) government.
4 comments:
These cars are nearly all gone because they were designed and built in Britain in the 70's and 80's. This was Britain at its worst. Made in Britain used to mean something good. In that period it guaranteed it was crap.
We had the unions running the country. Night workers on the car plants used to go to sleep and if the managers tried to deal with it the unions went out on strike.
The cars produced were rust heaps. New cars would be going rusty within a year of being new. The only ones that survive are the few which got under sealed by their owners. The Triumph Stag survived because it was an expensive design classic kept garaged by its owners and used only on sunny weekends. Even then the engine in it was crap and kept blowing up. Most Stags have got a Ford engine in now.
The TR7 was one of the most unreliable cars ever built and another rust heap to boot. They became so renowned for their constant breakdowns that they became valueless and you couldn't give them away.
Maggie took a while to sort out the unions, but sort it out she did. Britain now produces some very good cars, albeit for foreign based manufacturers.
"They Hate Her Because She Won" You are not wrong! However if you thought the cars were unreliable the British Motorbikes defied belief that a product that unreliable could even be sold.
They looked good and to be fair handled for their era quite well but broke down with such frequency that any rider to today would not believe you if you told them.
The tradgedy is the Brits can make great stuff when freed from that unholy trifecta of pigheaded unions, poor managers and stupid Government policy. Took a new Triumph Motorcyle for a spin a few years back, brilliant! Finish and performance the equal of anything from Japan and quite resonably priced.
So I should have hung on to the Viva?
"They Hate Her Because She Won" mentioned a couple of Triumphs. I have to add that the TR7, even when brand new, was a slow, ugly load of rubbish. The TR6 was the last of the good ones. I have to admit that I'm biased having owned and nurtured a Dolomite Sprint for a few years back in those days. It was rewarding.
As for the unions ... congratulations on your efforts to destroy the British economy during the Cold War as dictated by your masters in Russia.
What's sad is that there were some brilliant designs destroyed by the unions and the(labour) government.
Richard.
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