Remembering iconic cars from 50 years ago

IF you are currently in your early 50s or older, you might remember some of these unforgettable cars we have decided to highlight today. Cars that might not be worth much today in the classic car market (well, some are) but these are the cars that have been forgotten, yet they were part of our lives in the major cities in Malaysia.

When the British ruled our motoring scene

The Austin Allegro was a small compact family car manufactured by British Leyland under the Austin brand name from 1973 until 1983. The same vehicle was built in Italy by Innocenti between 1974 and 1975 and sold as the Innocenti Regent.

In total, 642,350 Austin Allegros were produced during its ten-year production life, most of which were sold in the British market and some trickled into Malaysia. Today you will need to search hard to find an Allegro in running condition in Malaysia.

Then came the ear of Japanese tin-cans

The Honda Civic arrived in 1973 as a compact 3 door car. It was Honda’s first global car. It was introduced first as a two-door model followed shortly by a 4 door. With a fuel sipping 1169 cc engine the Civic provided good interior space despite overall small dimensions. The first Civic was a simple family car with basic amenities and dependable performance.

As the years went by, it has become much more upscale with options such as air conditioning, power locks, power windows, leather upholstery and a six-speed manual transmission. Initially gaining a reputation for being fuel-efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly, later iterations have become known for performance and sportiness, especially the Civic Type R.

The Toyota Starlet was a small car manufactured by Toyota from 1973 to 1999. The first generation Starlet was called the 40 series, the Starlet was offered with 1,000 and 1,200cc engines. Generally, the car looked like a shortened Corolla and the first model was not very well received. You can still see a few running around in small towns and some others are actively being restored.

The Mitsubishi Lancer entered the very competitive family segment market with success. This four-door sedan saw success in all markets it was introduced and in Malaysia it slowly became a cult car with its success in rallying. The Lancer was sold as a basic family car and also as the hot EVO which took the global rally races by storm with numerous wins. Only a handful survive today.

Then the tin-cans got more soild

The Mazda 929 was designed to be a luxury sedan in a market predominantly led by the European brands. The Mazda 929 was originally a mid-sized sedan from 1973 to 1987 and then grew to be a full-sized car thereafter. Marketed over three decades, the 929 was originally the export name for the Mazda Luce.

Later, after the "Luce" name disappeared in Japan, the "929" badge was applied. The 929 has always been a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive vehicle and usually the largest sedan sold by Mazda to date. Today the 929 name has been retired and we wait for a large sedan to re-appear in the Mazda lineup.

When American sports cars influenced the Japanese

The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of popular coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica (IPA [selika]) meaning "heavenly" or "celestial".[citation needed] The Liftback was introduced for Japanese market in April 1973.

Models that arrived in Malaysia were the Liftback 1600ST, 1600GT, 2000ST, and 2000GT. All the Liftback models, which are commonly referred to as the 'Mustang' shape, had flat noses. Although there is no "B" pillar in the Liftback, the rear windows do not roll down (as they do in the hardtop coupe).

Today, the Celica is as valuable as any modern Toyota model on sale and collectors are spending heavily restoring them back to their former glory.

We will visit some more modern classics from our past in coming months. Watch this space. – The Vibes, December 25, 2020

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