The weather conditions were reasonable on the fifth of November, many visitors showed up in their own classic car at the regularly held Autotron show, including a small armada of all kinds of American vehicles. But first the Europeans and a pair of Japanese automobiles, usually the latter are largely underrepresented at these shows.
Here’s a 1974 Ford Capri, registered as a 1600 L.
On the windshield it says RS 1600, the designation 1600 RS II is on the hatch, and then there’s Silverstone Racing 1974 on its side. I assume it’s some sort of tribute.
1985 Mini 1000 E.
1995 Volvo 960 2.5i 24v.
1970 Saab 96V4.
1985 Skoda 120 LS. Rear engine, rear wheel drive.
1951 Citroën Traction Avant 15 Six. Front engine, front wheel drive.
1960 Borgward Isabella TS de Luxe.
1958 Volvo P544.
1998 Daimler Super V8.
The inevitable W114-W115, one of the most durable car models ever built. Above a 1974 Mercedes-Benz 230.
1973 BMW 520 (2.0 liter 4-cylinder).
1980 Citroën Visa, powered by a 652 cc air cooled 2-cylinder boxer engine. Bigger water cooled 4-cylinder engines were also available.
From the Ford factory in Cologne, a 1971 Ford 17M 2000 Automatic.
1972 Volkswagen Beetle, brought to you by Tattoo Gretje.
1979 Mercedes-Benz LP 813 car hauler.
Also present, a 2011 Mercedes-Benz Viano CDI 3.0 next to a Sprinter 216 CDI.
1980 Toyota Carina.
Back then it was worth mentioning that a car had a 5-speed transmission.
The other one from Japan, a 2007 Mitsubishi Fuso Canter 3C13.
Let’s have a look inside the main building, starting with a 1961 Renault 4 CV.
1993 Peugeot 405 GL 1.6i.
1959 Volkswagen Beetle.
1991 Mercedes-Benz 190D.
1982 Volkswagen Santana 1.6.
1978 BMW 318 Automatic (1.8 liter 4-cylinder).
1979 Ford Capri 2.0 GL.
1987 Audi 80 1.8S Automatic. This generation of the 80 really gave Audi momentum in Europe. Modern looks, combined with an excellent build quality and rust proofing.
1985 Ford Fiesta XR2, 97 DIN-hp from its 1.6 liter CVH-engine. Clearly an ancestor of the current Fiesta ST hot hatch.
Ford Escort Mk1 RS2000.
Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000.
1991 Volvo 780 Coupe 2.3 Turbo (by Bertone).
1979 Citroën Ami8 Break.
1970 Jaguar XJ6 4.2. Asking price € 4,999.99.
1979 Citroën Visa, with the same engine as the white Visa further above.
1954 Fiat 500 C Belvedere, a classic brown station wagon.
1959 Garelli Mocar.
1984 Citroën Acadiane.
The Fiat 1100 D was introduced in 1962, it was the third generation of the Fiat 1100.
The end, a 1989 BMW 320i (2.0 liter inline-6).
Next episode: plenty of Americans.
Johannes, you had me a “Capri”… I love both examples. Great post / pictures / feature – a feast for the eyes. I remember more than a few of these cars from a trip to Europe from 30 years ago.
I remember seeing cars like the Capri and Fiesta on the streets and marveling at the visual differences between the European-spec cars and the ones we had in the U.S.
I think I also had a toy model of a Citroen Visa like the one you featured. Its fate was not a good one, IIRC.
A guy in my highschool had a Skoda in 1985. I’m not sure why, maybe he thought having a brand new car would be considered cool. It sure wasn’t..
Yes folks, another great reason to be Canadian. We got Skodas…. 😛
Very nice 59 Beetle too, the only accessories I see is the rear stone guards and mud flaps.
I remember seeing Skodas at the Toronto Auto Show about 1983, they were rear engine air cooled piles of junk. I didn’t live in the GTA so I don’t think I ever seen one on the road. Lada’s were more prevalent but they were junk too, and back then you were helping the USSR get cash.
…water cooled…
Read Russell Bulgin’s article “Dad, can I borrow the Skoda?” from I think Car Magazine, if you can find it. It might change your opinion. I bought a 130 Rapid Coupe after reading it. Ok, it wasn’t exactly the best car I’ve ever owned, but it was a sweet handling motor, with a whiff of power overseer available in the wet, and a bit more (actually, quite a lot) of the same in lift-off mode. Educational and memorable. I’d have another as a weekend set of wheels if I could find a decent one.
A Skoda definitely wouldn’t put you among the cool kids in any Canadian high school, but it was always great to see something different. I made do with a ’78 Gutless Cutlass.
The beetle is unusual in that our versions had flashing indicators by 59, yeah we got Skodas too local assembly quality was patchy good ones did exist but bad ones outnumbered them.
Thanks for the tour. We never got that Carina here. The Visa is such an ugly duckling. Nice to see that Fiat 1100; they were so popular in Austria.
Skoda is now part of the VW group of car manufacturers (they are considered to be a bargain brand…but you still nearly everything that makes a VW a VW) and has a fairly decent reputation in Europe.
It is always a fun ride with Johannes. The “Oh, what’s that?” Curiosity gets me happy each time. Thank you, Sir.
The Fiesta XR2. My Dad rented one of those when we visited the isle of Jersey in 1987. Zippy little thing on those tight roads!
Another great group of cars. My favorite might be the Borgward Isabella, if for no other reason than it is fun to say :=)
1979 Ford Capri 2.0 GL. has been fitted with a V6 engine.
2.0 liter Ford Cologne V6
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Cologne_V6_engine
I feel like there would be a whole CC article to be had about 2-liter sixes, vee and otherwise.
Why 2 liter sixes specifically?
Or if you prefer, sixes under 2 liters. I think it’s interesting that tax rules created a whole genre of small sixes in a displacement range normally dominated by fours, which in some cases persisted despite the availability of four-cylinder engines of similar displacement that were as powerful or more powerful.
Not a single piece of evidence on the exterior of the Skoda 120 that it’s a rear-engine car, is there; no scoops or vents back there, etc ?
Yeah, the rear spoiler has louvers all the way across.
It’s a real scopp by the way. These cars were bought by people who couldn’t care less about cars and bought second hand by people who somehow cared even less. It’s amazing to see one today. It may well be the rarest car up there despite being (at least in Denmark) very common in the eighties.
Agreed. We got them here in oz and i have not seen one in years
Is it just me or doesn’t that Toyota Carina look a lot like an early 80’s Honda Accord sedan?
Perhaps more the other way around, since the Carina was a rival/target for the ’80s Accord (although the A40 Carina seen here was still RWD).
We happened upon the Northwest car club show at Beamish in September and there was this lovely 1700M 6-cylinder coupé. My wife and kids were not really that impressed with my enthusiasm for it ?
I’m a fan of this shape. Stick around, next year I’m going to take a closer look at it.
Apart from the Skoda, tweener Capri wins for me. Minus the stripage if its driveaway, thanks.
All good shots. For my own garage, it would be a toss-up between the Traction Avant or the Volvo 544. Great old cars. For some reason I also like the Skoda. As Dougd said, we got them here in Canada back in the ’80’s but after that they disappeared and I haven’t seen one since. Besides cars, Skoda was quite well known for their guns. Google Skoda Guns sometime.
Beautiful cars Johannes – can’t remember last time I saw a Borgward Isabella – wonderful. Jim.
Did any one notice the Jag is a US model judging by the side marker lights?. Still a good price considering shipping etc?.
Also the small outer pair of headlights is an indicator too.
The Capri “RS1600” is a strange one – presumably an owner creation?
The 1980 Toyota Carina in this post is interesting to me in that it appears to be a hybrid of sorts; the basic body shell is the same as the Japanese models, but with a unique rear treatment and the front of the upscale JDM only Celica Camry (yes, that was the first use of the Camry name). Europe must have received these details only?
Fun fact: the Canter is made in Tramagal, Portugal
Another nice post Johannes, thanks for giving us some look at the Netherlands old car scene.
Was Santana a local name for the Volks Passat Mk2 or is it an antique import from somewhere else ?
(Santana was the Passat Mk2 designation in Brazil, built here BTW, but only with 1.8 and 2.0 liter engine displacements).
It was indeed based on the platform of the 1980 Passat B2, from 1981 (year of introduction) to 1984 it was built in Germany. It never became a success in Germany or other European countries. It was quite successful in other parts of the world though, and built till 2010!
In the nineties I had a client who had one, in exactly the same color as the one in the article. It had the 70 hp 1.6 liter turbo diesel.
Right from the start the Santana has always been a rarity here, it was a surprise to see one!
Thanks for the information. In Brazil it had a long production run (well in the 2000s), but as far as I can remember it was outsold by the contemporary Chevrolet Monza (Opel Ascona) and later Vectra. Anyway it is a car I have fond memories as my old men owned one in 1.8 liter CD trim (1985) in the late 80’s.