Can the Marina be classed as a Classic car?

[James1300]

A never ending argument I have with my friends at uni is can the Marina and other similar cars of the era like Cortinas, Allegros, Vivas, Avengers be regarded as classic cars? We all know the stereotypical image of a classic like a Jaguar or a Morgan or MG etc but can these old family cars be called classics? What makes a classic a classic? Is it the age or whether it broke the mould for the time? One of my friends says that a Triumph Stag and a Ford Capri are classics but Marinas arent, why would they be called classic cars but not marinas? Share your views on this and give me some ammunition to fire back in an argument as I cant say much other than it being over 30 years old.
James

[JubileeNut]

I would say if that car holds fond and good memories then it can be a classic.
So many people owned one and had good times then I think it has achieved it.
Plus the rare factor comes in as well.

I was asked the other day what other classic cars I could have bought or even restored for the money I have spent on restoring my Marina.
My answer was loads of good classic cars, but none would mean the same as I grew up with the very model I have restored and any other car be it a jag or Triumph etc would not hold the same feelings.

I think any car that has 25 years under its belt and is still going and cared for is a classic.

It is the same old argument that if someone restores a Skoda because that is what floats his boat, then even if you don't like the car you have to admire his drive and passion and the dedication to the work put in and the end result.
It also changes depending on when you grew up. there will always be the cars that were great for looks or performance but not all the cars are in reach of Mr A or Mr B.

You want to ask then what their classic car would be and why?
I like loads of cars of the 1970 but you can't own them all and I think the Marina was a basic simply engineered car that all could buy and run so again for that it is a classic and the fact it sold so many.

I am sure others will pop up soon as I have only touched on the subject.

[scoot]

Of course they can be !! Not wanting to "stereotype" your friends, but the examples of Stag & Capri are often used by "normal folks" as examples of classics as they are sports cars & generaly people without any perception of the classic car world tend to view sports models over & above bread & butter cars. The cars you mentioned aren't out there in the public's mind set so much, which I guess means if they don't see them in the media etc etc...how can they be considered classics in their eyes ? The majority of people that aren't into classics wouldn't consider things like Mk1 Polo's or 70's Jap stuff (for examples) as classics, but look what money these are fetching now. As generations & ages of car lovers evolve so therefore the car's they admire do too. Kids in their 20's will remember seeing late 70's/early 80's cars during their childhood & these cars in turn become their classics.....which I think is healthy for the scene to keep rolling on.
Every dog has it's day as the saying goes & I personally feel that the "Joe Public" ignorantly paints the 70's BLMC, Rootes type cars as crap because of the union unrest in the industry at the time, therefore if the factories were seen as inefficient the cars, by default, must be too ?!? But we in the know, know that's not completely true.....ok they have their faults, but what classics don't ??
The crux of it is, there's no hard & fast rules as to what makes a classic....if you love & find something attractive in it....go for it !! & if it's unloved & considered a bit naff all the better, it just adds to confusing "the normals" even more !!
I ride a 60's BSA bicycle to work most days (10 mile round trip) & a "normal" asked me the other day if I wished I'd been born 40 years earlier as I love all things retro/vintage ?? Uuuumm no thanks, that would make my birth date 1927 so I would have had the joys of being a teen during WW2 & being too old to be swingin' in the 60's !!......They just don't get it do they......"Oh you like old things, I bet you yearn for butter rations & powdered eggs don't you !?!"

[Kilroy]

Interesting thread.
According to Wikipedia, there were no classic cars after 1959..!
Obviously there is a need to differentiate between sports cars and saloon cars - I would rate the Marina as a "Classic Saloon Car".
If you read any "Classic" car magazines, then I guess you would use their inclusion as a measure of whether your car was classic or not.
I would have thought that a Ford Anglia or MkII Cortina was "Classic" by todays standards - so it seems that age alone can supply the prerequisite status.
Apart from the late Mk3's and the Itals, Marinas are now over 30 years old - that would tend to suggest to me at least that there was a degree of "Classic" status deserved.

As a one-liner for your mates - wine can be "Classic" in a few years.
A movie can be a "Classic" in a few years.
Cars seem to take longer.
Is 30 years long enough.?

I say "HELL YEAH.!"

Kilroy

[MarinaCoupe]

Ahhhhh the never ending story! For my four penneth, classic status is gained through age, availability and a following, not whether it is a sports car or a saloon etc.

So Marina/Ital

Age - yup all at least 26 years old.
Availability - less than 1,000 in UK, cars now being done up, as good cars are hard to find for sale. Enthuisiasts only sell them when times are hard. Prices creeping up compared to a few years ago.
Following - lots of new members on this forum, MMOC membership is going up, as I'm sure is Marina Ecosse membership.

For me it's the Following that creates classic status, it's the people that own/drive them that consider them classics.

[Clan Chieftain]

I would not class any of them as classics.....collectors cars yes but not classic.

[Clan Chieftain]

I find it strange that the " classic " Mk2 Escort commands such amounts of money. Its crazy. To begin with they were as bad for rusting as any other 70/80s car.It hasnt got the lines that the marina coupe has. Its certainly not as sturdy. I have yet to see a Mk2 Escort pull a caravan to any shows.The Mk1 Escort was a far better car. The only decent Ford was the Transit van. So why does the Mk2 Escort sell for crazy amounts of money. Answers on a sheet of A4.

[Number 63]

'cos the hot ones handle well and the motorsport success is still there?

I like escorts, more Mk1's than Mk2's but I still like the shape of the Marina Coupe better. We used to have a bit of fun giving the local escort boys a run for their money in our marinas cos they were lighter than the escy's.

There are some right sheds of escorts out there getting silly money though. :roll: :roll: :roll: