Orkney Image Library

This was a super looking car. Modern cars are pretty ugly. As for the driver.......?

It's great how most mature people hate modern cars, yet they drive no bother & hardly break down, but the cars we love from our youths, had no handling, no power, and were about as reliable as New Labour politician, and went from O to rust in 6 days.

Mk 1 Escort 1300E one of the best of that model, just before the Mk 2 came out in late 1975. Though Fords (and many other makes) had pretty poor rust-resistance in those days the Mk1 was possibly one of the better models in that respect.

That model of Ford Escort was good-looking I agree, and the 4-door better-looking than the 2-door. But that opinion doesn't necessarily make me 'mature' - which may be why I agree also with Al. Elderly drivers can find modern cars daunting, with all those computerised gizmos, but they leave earlier models standing - in every sense of the term (including, on the whole, their looks).

I bought the old Ford Anglia that Billy's BS number came from. It was re-registered CST 190C and I ran it as a winter car up and down to the cheese factory for a while. It was a bit light at the back in the snow so we loaded a big heavy gear wheel (off one of the milk drying machine in the factory) in the boot which helped a lot. Unfortunately one Saturday night while driving along Broad Street there was an almighty crack and the gear wheel (and most of the boot floor) ended up on the ground. I feel quite ashamed of how badly I treated a car that was to become a bit of a classic - but in those days it was just "an auld kerr".