Mine was a 1.1 petrol and was not fast.
You could fit a washing machine in the back though 
I have the same chassis now.
Ford 1600E,it was 18 months old, I was 20 and the insurance was Ā£165 a year which was an awful lot of money in 1973.
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My first car was a 1.0l VW Polo, which I bought off my parents. I still remember getting it to 105mph. Down a very long hill.
Come the first service, I took it to a guy who was recommended, who knew VWs well. He said that it might have been a good car once, but it had been so badly serviced in the last few years that the price to put it right was more than it was worth. Thanks, folks.
Still lovely looking cars
I was 20 and got given a brand new company car.
There were three cars on the list to choose from.
A Ford Cortina
A Vauxhall Cavalier
or one of these
I had a bright red 1.6L Ford Capri, no one else in our road had a brand new car (my Dad certainly didnāt) and of course The Professionals was on TV.
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Nice! Youāve wone the thread.
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Haha,
it looked great but the 1.6 engine had 70hp, did 0-60 in about 14 seconds was rear wheel drive and wouldnāt go round a corner unless you had a bag of cement in the boot over each wheel.
I had a lot of fun it, I remember āracingā my little brother on Croydon Old Town bypass, he was 17 and had a Yamaha RD250LC, I didnāt stand much of a chance but how we didnāt kill ourselves or anyone else is still a mystery.
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Haha, my brother had a brand new Capri 1.3 L !!! Now that was painful 
My first car was one of these. I bought it for 80 quid off a mate of my Dadās. It had an MOT of about 8 months iirc and used to pull seriously to the nearside. A mechanic friend of mine said that the wishbones on the nearside were bent after a probable collision (it had been resprayed BRG) and needed replacing. I found a donor in a breakers yard in Old Ford, Hackney and proceeded to remove the things with the help of another friend which took hours with our rudimentary tools. The next day was spent removing the wishbones on my car and replacing them with the others which took probably all day. Finally, filthy dirty, exhausted and with bumps, bruises and scuffed knuckles we took it for a spin, only to find that the repair had made absolutely no difference! I took it to a proper mechanic when the MOT was up and he told me the chassis was bent and it was basically fucked.
I found out later that my Dadās mateās father in law had taped a pipe from the exhaust into the drivers side quarter light and topped himself in it!! Maybe he couldnāt face changing the wishbonesā¦
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My first car was a 1985 Astra 1.3 GL. Like this one. Except it had a dent in one door and some arsehole nicked the wheel trims. Nothing since has matched the exhilaration of horsepower into double figures, beige velour upholstery and instrument lighting that was intermittent in the dark. http://www.flickr.com/photos/45623348@N05/7131663603/
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Didnāt realise you came from an extremely wealthy background.
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Started with a Astra you flash git 
. Still, Iāll bet everything since seems tameā¦
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Yep, everything since has been a letdown in comparison. Even Peteās Beetle felt a bit tame, and lacking in beige.
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Our family discovered the North Sea oil. We spent the first three years profit on the Astra and the accompanying insurance bill.
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Ford Capri same colour as pic but not as good. Proudly took it to show my Uncle who said "who did the paint job, Joseph? " I was broken 
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Austin Mini 7. With straight throā exhaust, wooden racing steering wheel, bumpers removed, 4 spotlights along the grill and wheel spacers. Number plate GOO 61 and 0 to 60 in about 18 secs. Bliss.
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Your brothers name is not Matt by any chance?
I remember that quite clearly - it was only a couple of miles down the road from where I lived.
Didnāt exactly go down well with the locals.