Battle, East Sussex, June 1984
Gothic architecture meets Eighties motoring
No, that isn’t a church or some othero, that isn’t a church or some other religious building being complemenN religious building being complemented by a Mazda 323 and Morris Marina pick-up. It’s actually Battle railway station situated on the line between Tonbridge and Hastings, designed in Gothic style by William Tress and opened in January 1852. Happily, it still exists today in much the same form.
Rather less likely to survive, sadly, are the vehicles outside its grand façade. On the right is a Ford Capri MkIII and it’s a little special, a 2.8 Injection model with its stylish ‘Pepperpot’ wheels and side graphics. Back in the Eighties, putting ‘Injection’ on something meant almost much as ‘Turbo’ branding. Rather more pedestrian is the Mazda 323, with its ‘AKN 660T’ registration pinpointing it as a 1978 1.3-litre. It only lasted until 1989.
Champagne Beige
Adjacent to the Mazda is the Morris Marina pick-up. Introduced in 1972, these utilitarian successors to the Minor commercials were never big sellers. Its grille suggests this is a pre-1975 facelift example, too. Next to it is a 1978-93 Honda Prelude, the Japanese manufacturer’s stylish coupe reworking of the Accord saloon. There’s another Honda just down from it, in the form of a brown 1980-83 Civic. A Champagne Beige Austin Allegro MkIII, in mid-range HL spec, is the sandwich filling between them.
In a mass of black plastic grilles framed by headlamps either side, the pointed nose of the Fiat Strada heading up the row of cars over on the left immediately stands out. It’s a pity we can’t see more of this futuristic-looking small Italian hatchback. Given the model’s propensity for t
