{"id":82100,"date":"2026-02-09T07:35:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T10:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotive.einnews.com\/article\/890671335"},"modified":"2026-02-09T07:35:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T10:35:20","slug":"barge-poll-1970s-saloons-do-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/09\/barge-poll-1970s-saloons-do-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"Barge poll: 1970s saloons do battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

The MkIV Zodiac<\/a> had been one of Ford GB\u2019s more public mistakes, being big and clumsy and not especially reliable at first.<\/p>\n

With the Granada, and its cheaper Consul stalemates, Ford sought to re-establish its big-car reputation with a more internationally acceptable design that would be sold across Europe and thus complete the process of rationalisation with the German Ford range that had begun with the Escort<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It shares its Essex V6 with the old Zodiac\/Executive, but the Granada is in a different world of assured cornering power and pleasingly direct steering.<\/p>\n

It has a soft ride yet doesn\u2019t wallow, and it feels so grown-up and capable that it was clearly designed with the Jaguar XJ6<\/a> as a benchmark.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Ford Granada 3.0 Ghia\u2019s punchy Essex V6<\/p>\n

The Ford Granada 3.0 Ghia is livelier than a Zodiac, too, with an earthy V6 throb as it winds<\/span> out on loafing torque via the C3 auto \u2019box.<\/p>\n

Bullishly handsome in an angular sort of way, its front end gets more identity from the Ghia grille treatment, but the GXL also has plenty of kitsch appeal as a throwback to the aspirations of the early \u201970s.<\/p>\n

The Ghia looks almost excessively tasteful with its broad cloth seats and restrained wood trim.<\/p>\n

This example, belonging to Mark Marsdon (he bought it via eBay the first time he ever went online) is a genuine back-up car from The Sweeney<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Ford Granada 3.0 Ghia\u2019s roomy and rational cabin<\/p>\n

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Datsun Skyline 240K GT<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Datsun<\/a> introduced the 2.4-litre Skylines<\/a> in 1973 to plug the gap between the Laurel<\/a> and the 260C<\/a>, but there had been Skylines in Japan for years, the name having its origins within Prince Motors before Nissan\u2019s 1966 takeover.<\/p>\n

It offered great value for money, but the market didn\u2019t buy into the idea of big Japanese cars in the way it did the smaller ones, so 240Ks were always rare in the UK.<\/p>\n

This Datsun Skyline 240K GT belongs to David Silk, a Rolls-Royce<\/a> engineer at Goodwood who got his apprentices to respray it in non-original white.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Datsun Skyline 240K GT\u2019s styling shows clear Stateside influence<\/p>\n

If you were being generous, the Datsun Skyline 240K GT could be described as a four-door 240Z<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It has that car\u2019s straight-six engine, albeit in 130bhp form thanks to milder valve timing and single rather than twin carburettors. It looks a neatly planned installation in the roomy engine bay.<\/p>\n

The point about \u201970s Japanese cars was that they came with everything you could expect for the price, and the 240K GT lives up to this 
with seven instruments on its pseudo-sporty dashboard.<\/p>\n

Injection-moulded plastics are used unremittingly in the cabin, but there are surprisingly few of the florid embossed finishes that were a trademark of \u201970s Japanese cars. Thick rear quarters and low-set seating make the cabin slightly oppressive.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Datsun Skyline 240K GT\u2019s big \u2018six\u2019 is shared with the 240Z<\/p>\n

More to the point, the Datsun has an overhead camshaft and an independent rear end by semi-trailing arms, but these tend to raise expectations of a car that lacks something in personality.<\/p>\n

Neither is there anything especially \u2018GT\u2019 about the 240K, which has adequate rather than urgent pace that is shackled by a perfectly smooth automatic \u2019box when you feel that it deserves a manual.<\/p>\n

With its high, curvaceous waistline and big, circular tail-lights, it is styled like a late-\u201960s US car, yet it has an appeal of its own \u2013 the brittle, fleeting charm of cheap friction toys you got at the market as a kid, where the picture on the box always looked better than the car inside.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Brittle plastics inside, but the Datsun Skyline 240K GT still looks stylish<\/p>\n

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Audi 100 LS<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Audi<\/a> was still a relatively young marque in the early \u201970s, the name revived after decades dormant within the DKW<\/a>\/Auto Union<\/a> group.<\/p>\n

When Volkswagen<\/a> bought Mercedes\u2019 share in 1965, it inherited the Super 90<\/a>, powered by a four-stroke, Benz-designed engine.<\/p>\n

The 100<\/a> was essentially a longer, lower and wider version of the 90, using most of the same mechanical ingredients in a more handsome, five-seater body.<\/p>\n

That this 1.7-litre, four-cylinder car \u2013 this one is part of Audi UK\u2019s historic collection \u2013 can apparently stand comparison with six-cylinder rivals of up to 3 litres demonstrates the quality of the design.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Audi 100\u2019s angular shape has aged well<\/p>\n

The shape already showed the direction in which Audi was heading.<\/p>\n

Neither as majestic as a Mercedes-Benz nor as aggressive as a BMW, the Audi 100 LS looks clean, neat, sensible and grown-up.<\/p>\n

It has aged more gracefully than almost any of the others here and is much less obviously an \u2018old car\u2019.<\/p>\n

And if the over-styled, pretentious cabins of some of the more jumped-up barges present are an instant turn-off, then the calculated simplicity of the Audi\u2019s interior, with its general air of Teutonic harmony, no ugly materials or tacky finishes, will have instant appeal.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Audi 100 LS has the smallest engine here; it needs to be worked hard<\/p>\n

Behind the wheel, the Audi 100 LS doesn\u2019t have quite the immediate satisfaction of the Rover or the Triumph, it has to be said.<\/p>\n

The tappety, rather harsh \u2018four\u2019 needs to be revved quite hard to extract its performance via a fairly accurate four-speed manual transmission, and the experience isn\u2019t helped by the sharp clutch.<\/p>\n

Front-wheel drive should make the Audi feel a relatively modern experience, and it does have a sense of stability and security, but the heavy steering requires four turns between its locks for a 32ft (9.7m) turning circle, adding to the feeling that you have to put rather more effort into driving the 100 LS than you really want to.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Audi 100 LS has a simple, sensible cabin<\/p>\n

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Volvo 164<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Volvo<\/a> produced long-lasting, rugged, four-cylinder cars for sensible types, so the appearance of the seemingly rather suave 164 in 1968 would have likely been somewhat perplexing for the traditional Volvo buyer.<\/p>\n

Six thirsty cylinders, leather seats and power-assisted steering would have been an affront to the established customer base\u2019s more puritan sensibilities, but from Volvo\u2019s point of view it was a way to tap into a wealthier market using a car that had all of the marque\u2019s usual virtues, plus some refinement and luxury.<\/p>\n

Not that the 164 was a revolutionary vehicle.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Volvo 164 was the Swedish marque\u2019s flagship<\/p>\n

By stretching the nose of the 144<\/a> to accept the seven-bearing, oversquare, six-cylinder version of the B20 engine, the Swedes had in effect created an Austin Westminster for the 1970s. In other words, a classic barge.<\/p>\n

Not that there is anything wrong with that.<\/p>\n

I always thought the pre-impact-bumper 144s were rather handsome, and the 164, with its large, square front grille, looks strong and distinguished on those now remarkably skinny-looking 165-section tyres.<\/p>\n

To drive, it is a big, sensible car that doesn\u2019t tempt you to do anything rash behind its big, sensible wheel.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Volvo 164\u2019s \u2018six\u2019 was also used by Marcos<\/p>\n

Being an early, non-injected version, Volvo Owners\u2019 Club<\/a> 164 registrar Roger Sampson\u2019s car offers performance that is smoothly adequate rather than inspiring, with a remote but powerful thrum from an engine that was never used in any other Volvo; subsequent prestige models were powered by the joint-venture \u2018Douvrin\u2019 V6.<\/p>\n

The ribbon speedometer and column shifter for the Borg-Warner automatic give a flavour of the \u201960s, but the latter blunts the effortless cruising ability that would have made the four-speed manual plus overdrive, with its pleasing change, a more versatile<\/a> option.<\/p>\n

The Volvo\u2019s seats are comfortable and hold you well as the body roll builds, and understeer takes the fun out of enthusiastic cornering activity.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Volvo 164\u2019s rational cabin is trimmed with leather<\/p>\n

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Rover 3500S<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Although the P6<\/a> was almost a decade old by the time the manual \u2018S\u2019 version<\/a> of the 3500 appeared in 1971, the Rover maintained an air of superiority over its generally more superficial rivals.<\/p>\n

That two contenders here are from the same British Leyland corporate stable shows how confused was the big-car line-up of the soon to be state-owned giant.<\/p>\n

Personally, I like the original chrome-grille 3500 \u2013 or Three Thousand Five as it was called at first \u2013 and always thought the post-1970 jazzy wheeltrims, plastic grilles and fake bonnet bulges were a little beneath the car\u2019s dignity.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Rover 3500S has a boot-mounted spare wheel, an odd yet popular P6 option<\/p>\n

Even with the big V8, the Rover 3500S is really more what used to be called a \u2018sports saloon\u2019 than a barge, and it fitted neatly into the vacuum left by the small-bodied S-type and 420 Jaguars<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It rides softly and roll builds quickly, but the optional power steering makes the Rover feel much wore wieldy than the unassisted versions.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t help thinking the automatic \u2019box better suits the car\u2019s character, but with a five-speed from an <\/span>SD1<\/span><\/a> (a popular conversion),<\/span> the 3500S has a long and quite economical gait.<\/p>\n

From the inside, the Rover 3500S feels relatively narrow and close-coupled, and it is a strict four-seater with those pleasing (and much-imitated) individually sculpted rear seats.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Rover 3500S has a Buick-derived V8<\/p>\n

The Rover\u2019s doors shut beautifully, plus it has highly effective face-level ventilation and ergonomically crafted light and wiper controls that feel different to the touch and glow a soft green at night.<\/p>\n

It says everything about this car that it is the only one here that is used every day by its owner, Neil Castle, who calculated that it would be cheaper to run than a modern.<\/p>\n

Even without the silky pulling power and refinement of three and a half litres and eight cylinders \u2013 which really put the 3500 in another league from its smaller-engined rivals \u2013 the Rover would be a marvellously planned car that just makes you ask: where did it all go wrong?<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Rover 3500S has a clean dashboard and bright trim<\/p>\n

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The verdict<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In a classic-car culture focused on \u2018fun\u2019 sports cars and all that goes with that particular fantasy, it is fascinating to get a close-up view of the big saloons that make up our relatively recent automotive past.<\/p>\n

They represent real variety plus the mores and attitudes of a society that seems like another world.<\/p>\n

Today, these cars\u2019 attempts at conveying authority, luxury and status appear almost touchingly na\u00efve.<\/p>\n

They get relatively little attention and in some cases face extinction; I seriously wondered when, if ever, I would see some of these classic cars in the metal again.<\/p>\n

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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Wolseley Six\u2019s stately badge<\/p>\n

Sports cars seem to get endlessly rebuilt, but 1970s barges are locked in a cycle of attrition as interest in them wanes and spares become, for many, difficult to find.<\/p>\n

Feeling privileged to have them all in the same place at the same time, I find choosing a favourite difficult.<\/p>\n

The Rover, Triumph and Audi stand out as having best weathered the test of time, but they lack the kitsch appeal that makes the Vauxhall, Ford, Datsun and, to an extent, the Volvo such essential barge material.<\/p>\n

And yet the Wolseley, a product of the coldly analytical mind of a man who avowedly disliked big cars, has a strange allure.<\/p>\n

Images: Tony Baker<\/em><\/p>\n

This was first in our January 2012 magazine; all information was correct at the date of original publication<\/em><\/p>\n

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Factfiles<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\"Classic <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Vauxhall Ventora <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n