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A survey by one of Britain’s leading vehicle checking institutions is sure to take your dad down Memory Lane ahead of Father’s Day 2011.
HPI is celebrating a bygone era of vinyl seats, live-axle suspension, scant infotainment and carburettors by compiling a list of Dad’s favourite drives of yesteryear.
Top of the poll so far is that "must-have" car of the 1960’s and 70’s, Ford’s Cortina, with 22% of respondents remembering this as the family vehicle of choice.
DEAD HEAT
The Ford Sierra comes in at No.2 with 10%, predictable as it was the spiritual successor to the Ford Cortina.
Third place in the HPI poll was dead heat between the Vauxhall Cavalier, Mini and Austin Montego with each totalling eight percent of the votes. Considering Vauxhall’s Cavalier had a 20-year production its ranking is understandable, and the Mini belonged to those families perceived to have had a "cool" dad, given its status as a 60’s motoring icon.
Curiously, the Austin Montego, unveiled with much fanfare and a talking dashboard, yet plagued with faults which the car never quite lived down, is still revered by owners.
TIME CHANGES PERCEPTIONS
"We may shudder when we think of the brown and orange monstrosities our dads drove us to school in, in the 60's, 70's and 80's, but they hold some fond memories" says Nicola Johnson, consumer services manager for HPI. "It’s no surprise that the ultimate dadmobile, the Ford Cortina, tops our list, but there are also some more unusual entries."
And for the dads who fancied a bit more power, the Chrysler Charger and Ford Capri Ghia were on the list, harking back to Nascar racing and the TV series ‘The Professionals’ respectively.
Johnson concludes: "Back in the day, car safety and security were an afterthought. Seat belts didn’t come in until 1967 and wearing one wasn’t compulsory until 1983. Car security has also evolved over time and today’s cars are much more difficult to break into than those of our childhood."
Below is a list of UK dads’ favourite cars – what was YOUR (or your dad's)favourite in South Africa back in the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties? Tell us what and why in the readers comments feature below.
HPI'S DAD'S CLASSICS:
1 Ford Cortina
2 Ford Sierra
3 Vauxhall Cavalier, Mini, Austin Montego
4 Austin Healey, VW Golf, VW Beetle, Citroen 2CV, Austin Allegro
5.Triumph Dolomite, Toyota Corolla
Ford Fiesta, Renault 4
Peugeot 405/505
HPI is celebrating a bygone era of vinyl seats, live-axle suspension, scant infotainment and carburettors by compiling a list of Dad’s favourite drives of yesteryear.
Top of the poll so far is that "must-have" car of the 1960’s and 70’s, Ford’s Cortina, with 22% of respondents remembering this as the family vehicle of choice.
DEAD HEAT
The Ford Sierra comes in at No.2 with 10%, predictable as it was the spiritual successor to the Ford Cortina.
Third place in the HPI poll was dead heat between the Vauxhall Cavalier, Mini and Austin Montego with each totalling eight percent of the votes. Considering Vauxhall’s Cavalier had a 20-year production its ranking is understandable, and the Mini belonged to those families perceived to have had a "cool" dad, given its status as a 60’s motoring icon.
Curiously, the Austin Montego, unveiled with much fanfare and a talking dashboard, yet plagued with faults which the car never quite lived down, is still revered by owners.
TIME CHANGES PERCEPTIONS
"We may shudder when we think of the brown and orange monstrosities our dads drove us to school in, in the 60's, 70's and 80's, but they hold some fond memories" says Nicola Johnson, consumer services manager for HPI. "It’s no surprise that the ultimate dadmobile, the Ford Cortina, tops our list, but there are also some more unusual entries."
And for the dads who fancied a bit more power, the Chrysler Charger and Ford Capri Ghia were on the list, harking back to Nascar racing and the TV series ‘The Professionals’ respectively.
Johnson concludes: "Back in the day, car safety and security were an afterthought. Seat belts didn’t come in until 1967 and wearing one wasn’t compulsory until 1983. Car security has also evolved over time and today’s cars are much more difficult to break into than those of our childhood."
Below is a list of UK dads’ favourite cars – what was YOUR (or your dad's)favourite in South Africa back in the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties? Tell us what and why in the readers comments feature below.
HPI'S DAD'S CLASSICS:
1 Ford Cortina
2 Ford Sierra
3 Vauxhall Cavalier, Mini, Austin Montego
4 Austin Healey, VW Golf, VW Beetle, Citroen 2CV, Austin Allegro
5.Triumph Dolomite, Toyota Corolla
Ford Fiesta, Renault 4
Peugeot 405/505
