So for daily government mandated moderate exercise I’ve decided to explore all the roads and tracks in my parish that I usually ignore because they go nowhere – dead ends that you can’t turn into a loop.

Todays dead end took me into an area of moorland pocked and scarred by first mining and then open cast- at the end of the track as it decays into nothingness (and a warning about open shafts) is a car – that clearly met its dead end here.

But what car?

the view from the top of a bing just before the track fades out which leads to….

the mystery motor

Square headlights by the look of it

alloy wheels – classy. And is that a semi trailing arm independent rear axel?

Landrover? Only 4 wheel drive can think of

Edit. Axels are wrong and it’s a steering rack not front drive shafts!

Dont think it’s four wheel drive – appears to be RWD with an unusual IRS design

It has a longitudinal engine, rear wheel drive and an independent, semi trailing arm arrangement, which rules out a Cortina, the square headlight apertures and the chrome bumpers rule out a Sierra. My vote is for a pre-1985 Granada, a Mk1 or Mk2.

Would a grandad have bolt on front wings?

Maybe a Merc?

Granada looks possible. Independent rear suspension, 5 bolt hubs (with the remnants of an alloy wheel attached) the wrapped ends on the bumpers look like the Mk2 rather than the Mk1.

Ayrshire.

Taking SORNing a car to extremes.

I would have gone for a Ford. That front subframe mounting looks mk3 cortina. But can’t remember the back end. It’s 40 odd years since I was a Ford body shop apprentice 😳

The allow wheel does have a whiff of Mk11 Granada about it.

Axels are wrong

Axels are jumps in figure skating. Not sure it’s relevant here.

Taking SORNing a car to extremes.

chapeau

The wheel if marked 6J x 14 x (what looks like) 47.5.

five studs

Those steering rack rubbers are randomly well preserved aren’t they

Morris Marina estate in that beige

Grandad wings do bolt on it looks like a 77.

That high offset points more towards Vauxhall than Ford, maybe an old Senator?

It’s got to be pretty old, it’s got drum brakes.
Nah, stet that, looking at the front hubs they’re discs, so a bit more recent.
Looking at the rust, 70’s-80’s Ford, can’t think of a larger Vauxhall with rectangular headlights off the top of my head.

Bit of T-Cut needed.

Discs at the front, though. Drum brakes at the rear were still used quite recently. The RWD hints at an older car.

Drum brakes at the rear were still used quite recently. The RWD hints at an older car.

Renault Captur still have rear drums, but as you say, RWD is a rarity these days…
BMW?

I’d say zippykona has it right, ignition coil mount and direction, screen wash bottle mount and headlight size and shape.
That was a good game, go and look for more!

Drum brakes at the rear were still used quite recently

oi! My car has drums 🙂

OK – bonus round.

on the way there I passed through asteroids  that had what appeared to be civilisation destroying meteorites in it. But what are they really?

can’t think of a larger Vauxhall with rectangular headlights off the top of my head.

Original Cavaliers had square headlights.

can’t think of a larger Vauxhall with rectangular headlights off the top of my head.

Opel’s of that era- the Rekord in particular – had very similar looks to Cortinas and Granadas

Must have been burnt out.

Wonder what happened to the engine.

Rear subframe is a Mk2 Granada

Shame, if it were an early escort it’d be worth good money on ebay as a “almost ready to run but lost interest” resto project

Vauxhall victor?

Give Car SOS a call, tell them it belongs to a relative who’s fallen on hard time. It’ll be on the road in a couple of weeks. They’ve fixed worse.

Morris Marina estate in that beige

That colour, was Sandglow not beige – when did we start using BS names for colours?

I’ll chuck a vote in for a Granada.

I think the meteorites are grout stabilised soils that have been subsequently ripped up.

Its old mining so it could have been for any number of reasons. Semi permanent pads for plant? Some slope stabilisation improving a softspots In an access track?

This IS a good game. Here’s a couple of easy ones for you:

O/P, its a mk2 Granada, with those wheels its probably a Ghia or maybe a 2.8 Ghia S so obvs. quite desirable…edit, just checked and the rear subframe is defo from a Granny (jeez I’m sad)

Knneththecurtain, Those are a Hilman Imp and a Ford Zephyr (both in surprisingly good condition for their age, how do they drive?) and I claim my £5

I’m going something like a Talbot maybe sunbeam or possible avenger

My neighbour, until last summer, had a hillman imp, complete with a big bore exhaust and sticky semi slick tyres.
The thing that is amazing about it is the (lack of) height!
The roof is barely higher than my hips.
(I’m 5’9”, so average)

It’s not a Marina, no way it would have lasted that well.

Knneththecurtain, Those are a Hilman Imp and a Ford Zephyr (both in surprisingly good condition for their age, how do they drive?) and I claim my £5

Correct on both counts. Now that you have proven your mettle, we move onto the bonus round.

Ooo oo, Hilman Imp… Can we say “Coventry Climax” in a really sleazy way (Jessica Rabbit, Jessica Rabbit…) without incurring the wrath of the Mods…? 🙃