Ford Cortina Mk3 vs Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1 - 70s Saloons Shootout! (1977 1.6 L/1975 1.9 GL Road Test) 

Since publishing this video, we've been made aware from various sources that there may exist an earlier Mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier. We were only informed that the car featured - LOU 848P - may be the earliest known example by the owner, on the day of the shoot. Various sources both endorse and dispute this claim and those interested are welcome to conduct their own research. We neither confirm, nor deny that the featured example is the earliest Mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier and apologise for any confusion or upset this claim may have caused. Still a lovely car, though!

The Mk1 Cavaliers and Manta's LOVE the motorway, they hunker down and go very quiet at 80mph, superb long distance high speed cars.

My Mk.3 Ford Cortina was used every day for 25 years, and I love the way it handled, I was 7 when it was launched in 1970, and I adored the styling, then at age 12 I walked in to a showroom, and fell in love with a 1974 1600cc 4 dr Saloon, in Fabulous Ford Modena Green, with Black vinyl roof, Tan interior, and Unique Gold Coach lines, (all other Modena Cars had white ones!), Despite being 2 years old as it was now 1976, the car had only done 250 miles, and so looked Brand New, it turned out she was built by Ford as one of their "Promotional Cars", (one of only two made in 1974 with the unique gold coach lines from Factory), I wanted to by the car as to my 12 year old eyes she was Beautiful, but I only had £900 in my bank Account, a lot of money for a 12 year old in 1976, but not enough for the cars sale price of £1,575, so my Mum & Dad also liked the Car, and agreed to buy it, with me, So age 12 I part owned a mint condition Mk.3 Ford Cortina, Dad drove it every day for 5 years, I passed my test 1st time at 17, and then I got to use my dream car every day for the next 20 years, and I took great care of it, she was never a rusty, multi coloured car like so many you saw on the roads in the 1980's, and I kept her factory original, For 12 years she was not used, while I put a relationship first, (my big mistake!), and serious rust took hold, The car had sat in the open on damp ground, and needed a "Massive" restoration, which no body shop wanted to take on, once they saw the work needed, eventually I found one that would, and the years of work began to restore the car back to a 100% rust free, as brand new, concourse shell, no matter what the cost, so far that has been £47.000 for Genuine Ford Panels, bodywork and paint, and there is still the refit and restoration of parts,to be done, To me the Mk.3 is a stunning car, a love affair that started when I was just 7 years old, and continued to this day, 52 years on, owning a car for over 46 years is a long time, so many memories connected to it, and happy times, it is as much a part of my family as my Mum & Dad were, Seeing the mint shell as she looked in the showroom back in 1976, and as she would of left the Factory in 1974 is amazing, and as a big fan of classic cars and especially the Ford Cortina Mk.3, nothing beats that for me.except for day she is finally back on the road and as Brand New, and I can relive my 12 year old self looking at her in the showroom, but not having to wait 5 years to drive her Brand New!.

I worked with both cars during the 70's but to be fair this Cavalier should be compared with a Mk4 Cortina GL as they were very much improved over the Mk3.

Griffin all the way. The landlady at my local when I was a kid had a late mk1 Cavalier 2000 GLS automatic in a sort of bronze metallic colour. I really liked that car. So rare now. Even at car shows. You go along to a show and it's, "Oh, another Cortina." But you see a mk1 Cavalier and it's, "Wow! A Cavalier!" That's the way I see it anyway.

The mk1 cavalier was a very competent car and they lasted well. My dad had a 76 mk1 that became a hand me down when I passed my driving test 12 years later in 1988, and it kept going strong for a couple more years after that. Most fords of that era were in the scrap yard well before then.

My Dad had a Mk3 Cortina, and though I was too young to drive it, the way it drove was extremely familiar from many family trips. By the time I could drive, I was able to try the Cavalier, and it was like night and day. So much sharper, faster and smoother in every way.

I had a 77 cavalier 1.9 gls 2 door. .loved that car.quite quick aswel

Growing up in the late 70s I always loved the distinctive shape of the MK III Cortina. My father had one, as did my uncle. In 1991, I bought my first car. And it wasn't a Cortina. It was a MK I Cavalier. A 2000 GLS (DCP 57V) to be exact. It was a '79 example in orange / brown with a beige velour interior. And I paid £450 for it. Despite being 11 years old at the time, it was still a very capable and comfortable car. Motorway speeds were a breeze for it, as were tight narrow country roads. They were great times to be a driver in Britain.

I think the stand-out difference between the Ford and the Vauxhall is that the Cavalier feels 'resolved'. The Cortina has that overall feeling - common to many 1960s/early 1970s conventional mass-market saloons - that it's lots of different components going down the road in loose formation. That they got 'a bodyshell', 'some front suspension, 'some back suspension', 'some steering', 'an engine' and 'a transmission' and bolted them altogether without doing any further work to get them to work in sympathy with each other. And that's not a knock against Ford or the Cortina specifically - lots of cars of the era feel that way. But the Mk1 Cavalier was - as far as the British market was concerned, certainly - the first time you could buy a cheap mid-size family/fleet saloon that really feels like it was thoroughly and properly developed. It will never get the pulse racing but it has a sense of everything being 'just right' and that it was actually developed to a specification rather than down to a price. In terms of the sophistication of its ride, its roadholding, its dynamic refinement and so on it's on a level that you'd have had to fork out for a BMW or a Rover to get when the Mk3 Cortina was launched, and it's far better than a (more expensive and supposedly far superior) Triumph 2000 with which it overlapped by a couple of years. I've said before that the Mk1 Cav is probably the first time the British motorist could buy an ordinary car that was also unquestionably an objectively *good* car.

Having driven both in all their different marks I always preferred the Vauxhall I loved them both but always felt Vauxhall was severely underrated by most people

My first brand new car was a 1980 Vauxhall Cavalier 1600L two door saloon, absolutely lovely car, should have never have sold, wish I still had it today in 2024. Reg number was MBU 280W.

My secod car was a Ford Cortina MkIII estate 2000E and I loved it. Ok it was second hand but it took four adults all the way to Davos in Switzerland and back and never missed a beat. A cracking car.

My Dad had a Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1 in that same yellow (when everyone else had a Sierra or MK3 Cavalier 🤣) I would love to get my hands on one now!

Wayne Cherry was involved at Luton design since 1965 and was promoted to deputy in 1971 and head of design in 1975. His earlier work, like the Firenza dropsnoot front to the Viva (1971) showed where he was going with the changes to the Ascona.

I Australia, the mk3 Cortina was known as the TD Cortina. They initially had only the OHC 2L 4Cyl engine. In later versions the Ford 3.3L and 4.1L 6 cyl engines were available. The 4.1L was a rocket in a straight line but cornering was a completely another matter. At the same time GMH had the 6 cyl Torana that raced and won our Bathurst race with the legendary XU1. In 1974, a new model Torana came out and it was an absolute banger of a car. It also won Bathurst with the 5L V8 SLR5000 and A9X versions. The Cortina never raced against the Torana's. This task was given to the larger XA, XB and XC 351 V8 Ford coupes . If you are interested there are some great videos of the 1972-1979 Bathurst races. Race on Sunday, Buy on Monday.

I remember that vauxhall as a kid being common on UK roads. Makes me feel so old

Now from a retro classic car point of view the Cortina looks fabulous because of its US inspired styling, but at the time in the 70's, the Cavalier seemed streets ahead and far more advanced.

The Cavalier for me but as a Manta owner, I might be a bit biased 😉 Nothing wrong with the Cortina looks though. Both cars look way better than all the modern rubbish on the roads now. See a classic car coming the other way amongst the bland modern stuff, you notice it! Saw an Allegro a few weeks ago and that even stood out like a sore thumb.

Bought my mk3 in 77 2.0l Bottle green with the slopping dash . Off came the air filter and replace with an oi soaked one to fit on your twin choke downdraft webber . Down to Halfords for some furry dice and seat covers for the horrible viynl ones. Oh and Halfords again for a centre console to fit your tape /radio with some classy parcel shelf speakers. And you could also add a fibreglass whippy aerial . Set myself on fire twice in that car doing modes. 1 spilt super glue on cord trousers and 2. brillo pad and bleach . Flames galore. Happy days indeed as I look back from 2023

Lovely video, brought back many happy memories of my first car - mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.9GL the same yellow colour as the one you drove here! As others have commented, you should have compared it with the Mark 4 Cortina, not the mark 3, but never mind, it was still a very interesting video! I blew up the engine in my Mk1 Cavalier not once, but twice (big ends blew from over-revving it constantly). So I bought a Haynes manual, and a new engine block from a scrapyard, and fitted it myself! (as a 20-year old student with no knowledge or training in cars). They were so easy to work on, even for novices, cars back then. The mk1 Cavalier was a smashing all-round car, as you rightly say. Sturdily built, comfortable, easy to service, and the 1.9 was brisk in its day. I even slept in it a few times, when too drunk to drive home.

I drove a 1.6 k.1 Cavalier which handled really well and could be driven quickly. I also drove a 2.0 Opel Ascona, and an Opel Manta Berlinetta, all excellent drivers cars.

I'd have to go with the Cavalier. I was a classic Triumph owner (Herald and Spitfire) but when I got a consultancy job I had to commute, and bought a second hand Cavalier with getting on for 100,000 miles clocked. "That will do me for a few weeks until I decide on a proper commuter car". Two years later I was still driving the Cavalier, which had never let me down, and was a great drive for an 'ordinary' saloon!

I owned the 1.9 GL cavalier in the same colour as the one tested in your video. A brilliant car once the stock carburetor was replaced by a twin choke Weber (carburetor kits still available for the car to this day). I still wished I owned it now but many years of family use and it was eventually worn out. The 1.9 had mechanical valve clearances as apposed to the later 2.0 litre hydraulic valves and better for it I'm my opinion. Yes my vote goes to the Cavalier.

I had a full set of Mk1 (1.6L), Mk2 (1.8GL) & Mk3 (2.0 8 valve Sri) Cavaliers. All company cars & much preferred them to Ford or BL models which were our only other choices at the time.

I come from a Vauxhall family; my parents replaced my dads FE Victor with a Mk1 Cavalier in silver. They also had 3 mk2’s, including 2 SRi’s, an Opel Manta 1.9 SR, a Victor VX4/90 and 2 Senators. As great as some Ford products have been over the decades, I’m afraid it’s Vauxhall for me.

I'd have thought the Mk4 Cortina would be a better car for comparison - as you said this came on the market only a few months after the Cavalier. I'm not sure how the Mk4 compares to Mk3, but I guess Ford must have made some improvements

Well done guys, great video, cheers from Christchurch NZ. Ford for me, Vauxhall body fit not as good- look at left side of boot, a prominent gap, but probably 1970s standard fit and finish.

great video, thanks, love them both, my dad had a cavalier mk1 which i recall as being a lovely car and my pal is prominent in the cortina mk3 owners club and i recall being a passenger in his first one before i got my driving licence

Had a Cavalier Mk 1 ‘Silver Special’. 1.6. 2 Door. Still miss it. The Mk 1 Cavalier 2000 GLS was fab esp in dark blue. Both cars were super smooth in ride and were ahead of their time. They also had lovely ‘tall gears’. The 2000 could do 90 mph in 3rd. Later had the Manta GTE Hatch. I preferred the Mk 1 Cavalier to the Mk 2 Cavalier. Apart from many other things, the Rear Wheel drive and ride made the Mk 1 Cavalier the best.

Wow incredible cars I had a M5 Cortina and a MK2 Cavalier SRI thanks for the trip down memory lane

Driven both ,had 3 Cavaliers and an Ascona 1.9 SR BERLINA the Cavalier were streets ahead of the Cortina better ride and handling..Good old rugged Cam in head engine ( Apart from the Viva/ Kadett 1256 cc ( 1196cc opel) OHV engine)

Cracking channel. Lots of interesting content that people actually have a chance of affording. Keep up the great work 👍👍

Choosing between these two is like being asked to choose which one of your two children you love the most. The only answer can be, well, both of them.

my first car was a cavalier mk1 2dr, fond memories

Interesting conclusion and an enjoyable video, i have had many Vauxhalls (and a few Fords) including three Mk1 Cavaliers and still drive an oldish Vauxhall today but was surprised and quite pleased that the Mk1 came out on top as i thought it would have been the Ford, mainly due to their popularity, worth buying a nice Mk1 whilst they are still relatively cheap.

1970s rear wheel drive Opels we're superbly engineereed cars, reliable, rust free due to use of galvanised sills etc. and great handling. German engineering saved Vauxhall for sure, just like recently with Mini, Bentley and RR.

My mate had a Cortina 3 with the 4.1 and a turbo 4 speed it was quick for the time 15 lb boost got your attention

Initially learnt on my Dads Cavalier L back in '77. In fact, when posted to Germany a few years later, I bought a mates LHD Ascona MK1 2.0E, Auto'. Great autobahn cruiser but a bit thirsty.

A saloon is a car. An SUV is a transit van with windows on the sides and a couple of seats thrown in the back!

Not quite a comparison - the mk3 was launched 5 years before the Cav, and although the mk4 was largely based on the mk3, the Cav, in my opinion was a much better resolved car - especially the interior, which in my view is an object lesson in simplicity, with excellent instruments. What the Cav lacked was an estate model, although the gorgeous Sportshatch made up for this.

That cortina is just perfect, Even to the 1.6 badges in chrome on the wings.

The colour of that Cav is just incredible 😍

My Dad went from a Cortina 2000E to a Cavalier 1600 GL in the same beige colour but with a vinyl roof. He must have pissed off his line-manager or it was the stagflation of 1977 that sealed his motoring humiliation. I never heard him complaining about it to be fair but when I turned 17 it was a Cortina Mk3 for me.

I'm torn it's not an easy choice for me my blood is mixed with ford and vauxhall I absolutely love the MK1 escort having had many of them in the late 80's and 97 to early 2000&s have also had cavalier MK1 and at few mk's they were all reliable and didn't give me any major problems just age related they all rusted but I loved all of em and have great memories of them they we're easy to work on my preference would be the MK1 cavalier over the MK2 I'm a rear wheel drive fan. great video guys ♥️

The Cortina was still higher in the sales charts

I had a mk1, same colour yellow, 1978 model loved it

My first car was a cavalier sports hatch. Bdm280w. In metallic bronze. Loved it

Coincidentally with this comparison, if anyone remembers the introduction to the MK2 Cavalier in 1982, the advert (or it may have been a promotional video shown at events, I'm too young to know the specifics) showed the new FWD Cavalier easily outhandling the "Ford equivalent" which was of course a MK5 Cortina, with an antiquated suspension, steering and RWD. The Sierra was out the same year (or perhaps introduced) and still RWD, but may well have given the Cavalier MK2 a run for its money in the bends.

My late father had new fords he purchased privately every 2 years between 1962 (Anglia) and then Many Cortinas until the last car he drove which was a 2005 Fiesta Ghia. The only non Ford car he purchased in that period was a Vauxhall Victor in 1970, it was again brand new. on our way down to Devon on holiday the complete exhaust system fell off, he quickly got rid of the car and never looked at a vauxhall again. He never had any issues with any of his Fords. So I am for sure a big Ford fan passed down from my dad. To me the mk3 had more classic looks and the cavalier much more modern. I did really like the mk4 cortina too. Still a Ford man today, styling, handling, engines and gearbox are done really well these days. RIP Ford Cortina and Cavalier.

That cortina looks amazing.

I am a mk1 Cavalier owner and a friend of mine loaned me his mk3 Cortina i took a corner on my return journey and the back end broke away. I was completely taken by surprise as i routinely drove this journey and never had any trouble in my Cavalier, i later found out that the Capri allegedly also had this unfortunate trait.

I owned a light blue Mk 1 Cavalier 1.6L automatic ALY896S in 1985. Beautiful but had an intermittent starting problem that was never resolved & the entire exhaust pipe fell off as I was driving on the M5 that summer. I traded it in for a Metro. With hindsight I should’ve spent the money to get the Vauxhall sorted. I remember it fondly, unlike the shitty Metro.

I loved my dad's Mark 3 Cortina - it was the car I learned to drive, and passed my test in. At the time, I drove both Mark 3 and Mark 4 Cortinas, which apart from the styling and seat materials (cloth was becoming standard) you could have been in the same car. I also drove various Cavaliers/Asconas at the same time, and with the exception of the gear shift and its quite a bit smaller fuel tank (by 2.5, or even 3 gallons) the GM outclassed the Ford. As for the brakes, the GM was simply in a different league. Needless to say, when our Ford was ready for changing, it was the far superior GM which replaced it. Although the Ford Interiors had more showroom appeal, and the seats appeared more comfortable initially, I would have a bit of a stiff back after anything more than 90 minutes, whereas I felt nothing even after 3 hours in the GM.

My dad had a beige Cavalier 1600L in 1976 with a brown houndstooth cloth interior. I loved it, especially the interior. Love both these cars though; the Mk1 Cavalier must be almost entirely extinct now though.

I have to say, my choice would have been the Cavalier. In fact my first car was a Cavalier 2.0 GLS Sports Hatch, which, unfortunately, my mate wrote off. Loved the Cavalier.

"In Australia, it's Ford vs Holden." Not so much now, mate. The Holden brand died two years ago and is no longer on sale. Ford sell Ranger utes and the related Everest SUV, Mustangs, Escape (Kuga) and Puma and that's all. There are still plenty of both Falcons and Commodores around of course, but it's not like it used to be.

I had two Mk3s, both were cheap and easy to work on and never broke down !

I had a P reg Cavalier (given to me by the father of my sister in law!). It went OK, I passed my driving test in it, but like many cars of the era did get rusty around the sills. My brother had a Cortina estate which I think was a bit roomier.

Dad had a ‘72 Cortina L that he says wasn’t a bad car. He always wanted that chrome/steel plate on the back and in Feb ‘76 (unaware of the Mk4 coming) bought a brand new 1.6 XL, resplendent in Carnival Red with the black vinyl roof and rostyle wheels. Then things all went terribly wrong (it must have been a rogue car). He says it was horrific, the worst car he ever owned: On delivery the car had grit in the paint finish on the boot lid. The dealer resprayed it under warranty, but of course it didn’t do well when it came to going a bit pink. Two camshafts went in the 6yrs he owned it. The driver’s seat collapsed (mum and dad were not in any way overweight). The top door hinge on the driver’s door collapsed, he had to use a nail to try and keep it in place. One of the earliest photos of me (born November ‘78) as a toddler shows me sat in the driving seat and there are chips out of the paint in the top of the rear offside door confirming this. The speedometer gave up the ghost when it was about 4yrs I’m old, leaving him dependent upon the rev counter to judge his speed. The fan only blew cold air, all year round. The 1.6 performed like a 1.3 (despite the car being properly maintained). It drank too much. For Aug 1st ‘82 he had sold the Cortina privately and between selling it and the new owner collecting it, the camshaft went a third time. Dad wasn’t a boy racer. Dad worked about 12 miles from home and had been used to putting petrol in the Cortina twice a week (£7 a time I think). Out of habit he went to put the usual twice weekly and was shocked when the pump clicked off having put a much smaller amount in the car. He put the cash he saved into an old metal tea tin and saved a shed load over a matter of months. I appreciate the Mk2 Cavalier 1.3 was a much newer design but it was far more refined, out performed the 1.6 Cortina at its best and was of course cheaper to run. Clearly the Red 1.6XL was a rogue car. Dad maintains to this day it was by far and away the worst car he ever owned, regretted trading in his ‘72L and never bought another Ford again.

Classic Cortina. My dad had a white one,sports wheels and a black vinyl roof. Then got a Granada.

There was nothing like driving a Cortina with knacked Void bushes .. which you were lucky if they lasted until its next MOT

my 2nd car was the mrk1 Caviler it had hols in the floor and ran for years on machine oil as i could get hold of it easily for the old banger but I loved it a brilliant car.

I've had had both cars and the escort and granada so my vote goes to the cortina as it was a better workhorse

Had both. Cav was streets ahead.

At the time of the 70s American cop TV series, Ford's must've seemed 'cool' and dad had a red Cortina XL. Lovely in its Americana, especially the interior. But 12-yr- old me was disappointed he didn't get the GXL with the black vinyl roof .Then he got a Sweeney-ish Granada, (well a Consul{with aforesaid vinyl} . Later he'd switch to Opels, oops sorry, Vauxhalls. Cavaliers. Much more Germanic feel . Not many people know this but in Spanish, "Cortina" means curtain and "Manta" means 'blanket'. Viva nostalgia!

It seems to me that Ford always seemed to have a tendancy to start out with strong visuals and then consistantly make their cars look duller as new marks came onto the market. This happened with both the Cortina and the Escort. Having said that at this stage the Cortina still won the looks battle over the Cavelier (IMO).

Vauxhall for me. Just remember.....the coke bottle styling was seen in the mid to late 60's on a VAUXHALL VIVA HB and VAUXHALL VICTOR FD.

(Car nerd corner coming up!) The Cortina is evidently a South African grey/personal import, borne out by the SA spec reflectors - unique white ones to the front, and supplementary red at the rear, stuck over the original item - although only one one remains on each side.

I have owned both in my past. 2 Cortina Mk3's in fact. The Cavalier was more modern I think with its aero front end. Both were great to drive. The Cortina was always easier to service and fix, and with that short throw lovely Ford gearbox, the Cortina just pips it for me. The Cavalier had that weirdly long throw gear change, however Cavaliers were later made in coupe form, unlike the Ford. I would kill for an Opel Manta today!!

Many years ago I owned a Cavalier Coupe I seem to recall it was the GLS spec, essentially the Opal Manta, great car, rubbish oil pump! But on looks alone the Mk3 has it by a mile, the twin headlamp models look better, but I always had a weakness for a 2000E...oh those were the days...

I remember Chavvy Herbert's driving Cortinas in the 70's (particularly painted red with the broad white stripe down the side a la Starsky & Hutch) So it's the Cavalier for me!

My Mk4 and Mk5 tina's were so comfy to drive, loved them. My analysis having driven and owned both (mk4/5 Tinas) . The Ford rode better, the Pinto was a smoother nicer engine, and I liked the styling of the Ford more, the Vauxhall was more punchy, better on fuel, felt more sporty in the corners, but just a whisker rougher all round in general - both great cars honestly IMO.

Had a mk 1 cav ,1.9 bit thirsty ,but nice drive thou ,went onto front wheel drive cav not quite as thirsty ,nice car .

I love the styling of the Cortina but I would take the Cavalier for the better engine and handling. A mate of mine had a late M3 Cortina soon after I passed my test in 1989 which was in great condition but I remember it rolled too much.

The Mk3 GXL in Daytona yellow with black vinyl roof was the best looking car in the 70's.

Vauxhall for me, maybe biased as Dad had an Opel Ascona 1.9 SR Berlina when I was a kid...and I've now imported an Opel Manta to Australia.

Contrary to what most people think, the 70s, 80s and 90s, I always thought Vauxhall were ahead of Ford. I mean it really depends on what point of measurement you take, but the MK1 Cavalier looks more modern than the MK3 Cortina and indeed the MK4. I thought the Mk3 Cavalier looked better than the MK2 Sierra (and definitely had more modern underpinnings), the Senator and Carlton were more handsome than the Granada although only just. An early 90s Granada Scorpio saloon definitely looked fantastic. MK2 Astra has also aged better than the MK4 Escort and indeed I'd always pick a GTE 16v over an RS Turbo. I'm not a Ford hater, quite the opposite, but Vauxhall, for a time produced some really rather good cars and I feel many are massively under estimated.

I love both. When I was a kid my dad owned Cortinas and my first car was a Mk3 Cortina. When I started work the company cars were Vauxhalls. I just despise the loss of these beautiful saloon car shapes in favour of obnoxious SUVs.

My brother had a 2.0 cavalier back in the mid eighties he had ot sprayed from orange to black loved goin out in it....

Cave was my first car, oddly I replaced it with a MK2 Cortina! The 1600E was great, but I did miss my cav, which was the far better motor

In the 2000s, I always got company hire cars and I always wished I could have a car with the focus interior with the astra running gear.

Mentioning what you guys said I think I would liked to see the Cortina mk4 or TE Cortina as we call it in Australia to go up against the Vauxhall Cavalier would be more of a fair test.

I'd have the Cavalier any day (though I do like the mk3 Cortina) The history of Vauxhall and Bedford is about as varied a car manufacturer history as you can get

I remember many years ago my late father having to make a choice between these two for his brand new company car!

Really should compare MkIV Cortina with Mk1 Cavalier…. I like the Cavalier, but I prefer the style of the Opel Ascona.

Hmmmmm so hard to choose... I think I'll go for the Vauxhall

When I was a tot my late mother had a red mk1 Cavalier. Don't remember it much, but I do remember the shape very well. The Chevette come along after as mini twin of the Cavalier. ❤️ That yellow Cavalier only had 40k back in 2017....is it MOT exempt as it is tax exempt?

The time has come for old Vauxhalls, Opels and Fords to be loved in equal measure. Vauxhalls especially are underrated in that respect, many of their 1960s and 1970s models, like this cavalier, really looked rather handsome. Certainly more modern than the mk3 cortina by the mid-1970s too; if you think about it, Ford was a little behind on styling in the 1970s as the mk3 cortina introduced the coke bottle styling at Ford in 1970, when Vauxhall was already moving away from that, as witnessed by the HC-viva (their new model at the same moment). Being an ascona with a different nose, the cavalier already had the more Germanic look in 1975 that would become popular in the 1980s; there was definitely something BMWish about its styling, for example in its C-pillar.

I overtook the Cavalier in a Bedford CF last month!

That Cavalier is really attracting the flies 😅

The Cortina at left is a South African import - key giveaway being the front reflectors. Daresay the MPH speedometer is retrofitted into the car.

Wish we had these cars here in the states

I had a Sunset Red Ford Cortina Mk3 1974 - GSA 655N - It rusted away nicely. The washer bottle held about 1 pint and I had to drive with the window open pouring water on the screen from a 2 litre coke bottle to see where you were going. On a trip over 90 miles you got out at the other end with total body cramp in the sitting position. Clutches lasted 30k, Timing belts a bit longer and it pished oil on the driveway. Radiators were another leaky issue - I replaced it with a Mk5.....which rusted even faster all over externally and internally. They were junk as was the Cavalier which was the nations top "company car".

My first car was a Mk1 Cavalier 2000GL. Not a bad car at all, at least until I rolled it!

Ooh, I don't recall seeing any Mk1 Sierras with headlight washers.

Well I didn't know the Mk1 Cav was such a good seller

I inherited my dad's mk 3 Cortina, loved it. It blew its headgasket in 86' and I chopped it in for a Fiat Uno 60s. Both great cars and the only cars I've owned. Been riding motorbikes.

A friend of mine had the Cavalier MK1 and I had a Manta 1.8 exclusive, they were both fantastic cars, the Cortina's were nice cars and had a lovely gearbox but not quite up to the Vauxhall's 👍.

Looks wise... The mk3 is way way more appealing... The 70s was all about mk3s..!! Still gorgeous today.!!