
Eighties revival: how the Escort is becoming the ‘must have’ classic car – HeraldScotland
Some may well think 1980s style — with those boxy shoulder pads, electropop tunes and mullet haircuts – would be best parked in the past.
But a new generation of motorists with money to spare and a yearning to turn the clock back in order to simpler times are being credited for a surge in demand for the very cars their parents couldn’t wait to be shot associated with.
A growing nostalgia with regard to late 20th century motors of the 1980s plus 1990s – particularly Ford Escorts – is said to be fuelling demand regarding ageing models, sparking a mini boom among car restoration and classic vehicle businesses in Scotland .
The surge in interest intended for ‘bangers’, with their chunky lines and lack of power steering, Bluetooth or airbags, is also being linked to a rush to preserve the era’s combustion engine vehicles within the face of mounting pressure on motorists to switch to greener choices.
Ford Escort has been lovingly restored. Photo credit Car Cave Scotland. (Image: Car Give Scotland)
It’s also reckoned to become partly down to a kickback against modern ‘lookalike’ cars with their own high-tech features designed to take the stress out of motoring, but which enthusiasts say has made driving the less thrilling experience.
Rising demand has meant prices to get 30- plus 40-year-old vehicles such as Mk2 Ford Escorts, Talbot Sunbeams, Renault 5s and Peugeot 205s : particularly if they are limited edition or higher spec ‘hot hatch’ versions – are hitting the roof.
According to the particular owner of an East Kilbride-based car restoration business – which is expanding due to soaring need for its services – some enthusiasts are happily spending tens of thousands of pounds reviving late 20th century motors in order to drive them for just a few thousand miles a year, not unlike collectors of more traditional vintage cars might use their prized motors.
“We are getting a lot more eighties and 90s cars in for restoration work, ” says David Mutch, owner associated with Clydesdale Classic Cars.
“These are being bought up by people who are now in their 40s, who have disposable income and feel nostalgic for that time.
“The most common thing I hear is that it’s the car that their particular parents drove. ”
In some cases, he adds, motorists are swapping their contemporary cars in favour of ‘greener’ modes of day-to-day transport and keeping their restored Eighties and Nineties classic vehicle for the weekend treat.
“One current customer is having his car refurbished and plans to use it simply for pleasure and will make use of his bike to get around for the rest of the time, ” he adds.
“Quite often we find customers are planning to only get their vehicles out now and again and drive maybe two or three thousand miles a year and use public transport throughout the particular time. ”
Looking the part – a 1983 Ford Capri 2. 8 Injection. Photo credit Car Cave Scotland (Image: Vehicle Cave Scotland)
Demand for the particular 80s plus 90s vehicles has pushed prices in order to levels that might make their original owners’ eyes water: a basic 1990 Renault 5 Campus, for example, is currently being sold upon eBay for more than £4000.
The same online auction site lists a sportier 1989 Peugeot 205 1 . 9 Hatchback for almost £16, 000.
At Car Cave Scotland in Bonnyrigg near Edinburgh, which usually specialises inside Mk1 and Mk2 Kia Escorts, the number of cars sold per month has leapt from around 12 prior to the pandemic to closer to 20 now.
It is currently selling a restoration project W-reg Mk2 Ford producer Escort Estate – along with “scruffy” interior, faded patchwork paintwork plus its differential lying on what remains of the front seats, for £3750.
While a gleaming 1980 V-reg restored Honda Escort MK2 RS2000 with 90, 500 miles on the clock is on sale for just short of £28, 000.
Alan Potts, owner associated with Car Give Scotland said: “A lot of people were bored during the outbreak: some people bought motor homes and caravans plus others bought a car to work on.
“It’s a bit of nostalgia – everyone wants to go back to what they or their own parents had when they were young.
“They might have experienced a basic model when they were young and couldn’t afford the top model in the range, but they can now.
“We also get a few younger individuals who are usually buying cars because it’s what their particular parents drove. ”
Buyers are also looking for models which stand out within the supermarket car park, this individual adds.
“Cars today seem to come in simply three colours – black, silver plus pale grey – and everyone seems to be driving a mini SUV type car.
“It’s all a bit ‘samey’. ”
The particular rise from the ‘modern’ traditional car continues to be put within the spotlight by programmes like Richard Hammond’s Workshop which follows the former Top Gear presenter’s efforts in order to establish his own garage specialising in restoring cars.
One of the first cars the particular garage worked on was a 1979 Escort RS2000 Mk2 Rallye Sport model, which usually fetched just over £43, 000 when it was offered at public sale last September.
Whilst Bangers plus Cash, around the Yesterday channel, traces the restoration of a car from its sale to being re-auctioned. The latest series, Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics, has focused on the 1980s Vauxhall Astra GTE, and early 80s classic Talbot Sunbeam Lotus.
Its high spec designed it was priced at close to £7, 500 new, however, a similar model today costs around £25, 000.
Among the most ‘in demand’ 1980s model will be a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth: one low mileage 1988 ‘barn find’ which had lain in the particular owner’s garage for 30 years, recently sold at auction pertaining to £80, 000.
Soaring interest in vehicles from the past due 20th hundred years comes as the clock ticks loudly meant for future associated with the combustion engine: Ford recently confirmed the hugely popular Ford Fiesta is to be discontinued, sparking renewed nostalgia for the hatchback.
Owners of older Fiesta models might want to think twice about scrapping all of them: Peugeot stopped making their Peugeot 205 models in 1999, nevertheless old versions have been creeping upward in price inside recent years, with a restored 205 GTi model through the late 1980s marketing for £17, 000 on online marketplace, Autotrader, along with a basic 1990s 1. 6 version hitting nearly £5000.
Although retro-fitting classic cars to run on electric batteries is an expensive option, David says most buyers are seeking a classic combustion motor experience.
“Anyone who loves old cars loves the noise of the engine, the smell from the fuel – they’re petrol heads, not electric heads, ” he says.
It’s furthermore argued that will reviving eighties and 1990s models may be a ‘greener’ option than the environmental costs of constructing the new vehicle.
“We are recycling more than people think – we will make use of what all of us have rather than buy new parts if we all can, and we recycle tools plus equipment that would otherwise be scrapped, ” adds Jesse.
Even though a professional restoration can cost tens of thousands of pounds, a few enthusiasts are also looking in order to revive the particular rapidly disappearing art associated with tinkering with car in the driveway.
“Modern cars are usually so complicated that the average DIY mechanic can’t really do much with them, ” adds Alan. “But along with older cars, the average guy with a bit of knowledge could fix his own car. ”
Motoring within the Eighties and Nineties, however , is not really for those too used to modern comforts.
“You definitely know when you’re driving one of these old cars, these people drive like a 50-year-old car, ” he states.
“Drivers are used to the particular modern stuff like power steering, with these cars you find yourself wrestling with the wheel. ”