THE WAY WE WERE
We begin a triple-helping of Eighties nostalgia in the North East as historic vehicles large and small cross the River Wear
BYE-BYE GS
Citroën replaced the long-running GS with the technically-advanced BX in 1982; it featured transversely mounted engines and front-wheel-drive.
ROCK-SOLID REPUTATION
Volvo introduced its determinedly angular flagship 760 range in 1982 and added new 360 GLS and GLT models to the 300-series.
AUSTIN SHAKE-UP
The Allegro was withdrawn from sale earlier in March 1982. The same month, the Ambassador took over from the Princess, having being extensively redeveloped to include a hatchback rear.
FURTHER FORD PROGRESS
The same year this shot was taken saw the introduction of five-speed gearboxes for Escort MkIIIs while the 115bhp RS1600i was a newcomer to the range in spring.
What a superb and awe-inspiring example of robust British engineering we have here. But enough about that Russet Brown Austin Allegro – the bridge isn’t bad, either.
Our location is Sunderland and the final River Wear crossing before it meets the North Sea, named, appropriately enough, the Wearmouth Bridge. It was built in 1927, replacing one that had originally been constructed in 1796. Responsibility for fabricating the bridge fell to Sir William Arrol & Co., whose other works included the second Tay Bridge, Tower Bridge and the Forth Rail Bridge. It was Grade II listed some 20 years ago.
Back to 1982, though, and the Eastern Coach Works-bodied Leyland Olympian bus is looking somewhat fresher than the Wearmouth Bridge, with its sparkling National Northern General livery matching the bridge’s red and white paint scheme; it was painted green in 1991, incidentally and that Olympian would have been practically brand-new when this shot was taken.
One of the definitive small vans of the Eighties – and certainly distinctive in bright orange – a Ford Escort MkIII, is to its left. This one, HCN 957W, was registered in June 1981; the commercial model was only introduced in February of that year – a full five months following the debut of the passenger range as Ford apparently wanted to shift existing stocks of Escort MkII vans first.
Behind the Ford is a 1977 Volvo 343, which would have been launched as a DAF 77 had the Swedish marque not taken the Netherlands company over in 1975. Volvo donated a white 340 to the Dutch Red Cross to help raise funds for the charity when the 100,000th 300-series was completed in December 1983.
Alongside the Volvo, but heading in the opposite direction, is Citroën’s
