Your starter for ten!!!

Troo. I just answered the question I thought should have been asked. ;-)

My brothers first car, after he passed his test in the late eighties was a Bedford HA Viva (ex GPO) van.

That had a crank handle.

Well you would be wrong with 80's Skoda.

was always going to be some obscure foreign or oddball manufacturer to throw into the equation otherwise. Anyway thanks for your thoughts on the subject.

AFAIR Skodas never had a starting handle. Rear engine remember? I did have two (77/81).

I doubt it, it has Isuzu engines.

My 1969 Riley 4/Seventy Two has a starting handle which I have used a few times.As mentioned by someone in an earlier post the Cambridge/Oxford (and other Farinas) also had them so I would say the Oxford was probably the last car to come with one as it remained in production until 1971.Or it could have been the Wolseley 16/60-I don't know which one was deleted first.It's typical that these very underrated cars should have had this useful feature as they are very user friendly cars and have an integrity of build and finish that is totally lacking in some of their contempories ( i.e.Cortinas)

I could not agree with you more mark i have a A60 and an Oxford and they are great (that will make them play up!) they are my only transport and are used every day come rain or shine, as far i as i know the Oxford was the last of the range to be discontinued there are a few around on a `K` plate it seams such a shame that thses cars were not developed by that i mean disc brakes servo, power steering then again would they have lost the charm that have? who knows? Thanks George

Or you could read it that they're vastly overweight - the original 1200 Cortina was about the same size inside but would out perform them in every way.

Performance is not everything. I know I would prefer to drive a Cambridge to any cortina, come to think of it the cambridge was nicer than many modern cars too.

My A60s were all autos and were very pleasant to drive, eventually they all succumbed to rot, though they still drove well! Reliability was incredible, servicing was simple. Remind me why the cortina was better? oh yes, it is faster, big deal.

One of the other nice cambridge features is that it can take a massive hit without hurting the occupants too much, one of the reasons they were so popular for banger racing. Cortinas fold like cardboard.

mrcheerful

Well, the Farina range were invariably inferior to drive than the models they replaced - the MG Magnette being a prime example. Or the Morris Oxford - an early Issigonis design still made in India.

The original Cortina was a delight to drive, with a free revving engine, light all synchro box, light steering and good handling.

I'd not say the Cortina was difficult to service - would you?

Perhaps it's escaped your notice that all modern cars are designed to crumple on impact - this absorbs the energy of the crash. What car survives the sort of knocks you get in banger racing best has little relevance to passenger safety.

Not sure of the age of the vehicle, although it was a suffix/prefix plate. I imagoine it must have been mid to late 70's.

Yeah, not a starting handle, but a key to woind up the engines. Former owner of a 120L and a Favorit 136 forum, considering looking for

136 rapid as a Replacement for the 1984 Saab Turbo (which is bloody nice, a hoot to drive and give BMW drivers a shock but thirstier than a very beardy man at a CAMRA beer festival in July with a wooly jumper on snuggling a hot water bottle filled with boiling lead). the rapid will lose me a few toys (leccy windows, central locking etc) but I can add those back should I choose with aftermarket kit.

Citroen 2CVs always had starting handles (which doubled as the winding handle for the jack), so that takes us up to the early 90s or so. The GS/GSA also had a starting handle, but it went out of production earlier. Not sure about the two-pot Visa.

But even the 2CV isn't the last - Land-Rovers continued to have starting handles into the 90"/110" era and I'd not be suprised if they still do

- anyone feel like taking a peek behind the front number plate on a Defender?

I'd like to see you start a current Defender using a handle.

Perhaps if you were Jeff Capes you might be able to turn it over a bit, but a 2.5 diesel without compression-release isn't going to be hand crankable by normal mortals.

Snip

Oxfords were truly horrible to drive - gutless, wandered a floaded all over the road, shocks that weren't up to the job, horrible gearchange, poor brakes, one of the worst rust buckets of the 60s (only the 1100/1300 was worse). The Farina was inferior to the MG Magnette ZB it replaced it was even inferior to the MG YB that the the ZA/ZB replaced. production stopped eaerly in 1969 but they still were selling cars from stock as new in 1971.

The Cortina re-wrote the book in the 60s --- the differences between the Mk1 Cortina and the Classic weren't big but just enough to turn an odd ball curio into a trandesetter. The 1200 engine in the Cortina however was trouble only the 1500 was worth owning the engine was much more robust. The Cortina was followed closely by the Fiat 124, Viva HB and Hunter any of which would still make acceptable transport today. It would be fairer to compare the Farina with the Minx "series" range --- an older design than theFarina but still it beat it on every count. Imangine yourself in 1966 you have the choice beetween an oxcam Farina, a Super Minx, a Viva HB. a Cortina MK2 -- would anyone who enjoys driving choose the Farina ?

Never intended to imply that it might be any practical use, just that it was there (certainly in 90s, 110s and iirc in four-pot tdi Defenders too..)

Agree totally, and I doubt if the V8s would be much fun either

- but certainly the early 110s with the V8s had the winding handle.

If the Oxfords/cambridges were so bad how comes they were made for so long and how comes there are so many still going today as everyday transport? They are not fisrt away from the lights who cares i still get people trying to play silly sods for a race at the lights in my A60 for some unknow reason.

The brakes are up to the job if they are looked after and well adjusted there are no probs at all if you want them sharper pop a servo on.

The gear change is fine if you treat it with the respect no synco on first i can live with that thses cars well very well designed and made to go on and on the autos are lovely and smooth. All cars of the 60`s rot end of.

why i dotn hate the cortinalook how many A60s are still round around un everyday use compareed to early cortinas.

The A60 was on of the best cars every bulit i have been around Farinas all my life, they should of never stopped makeing them they should of developed them if i hd a penny for every one whos has said to me what a great car they were i wish i never got rid of mine.

dont be too harsh on teh old farina they were not all bad Regards George