, the first home-produced car to sell more than 1 million units. Since then, manufacturers have devised special versions for three main reasons: to mark an important anniversary, as with the Morris, to boost mid-run sales or to clear the showrooms of lingering stock before the arrival of a new model.
These 10 often-overlooked European saloons encompass all three sub-genres – as well as celebrating an era when a passenger door mirror was a desirable extra.
1974 Morris Marina Jubilee
On 1 August 1973 British Leyland unveiled an exclusive Marina, based on the four-door 1.8 TC, to celebrate the 60 years of Morris Motors – £1,500 gained the owner Sundym tinted glass, a vinyl roof, twin door mirrors, front fog lights, headrests and navy cloth upholstery. What’s more, the Citron paintwork would have stunned outer suburbia. BL made 2000 Jubilees; this shining example owned by Tim Williams is believed to be one of only 16 survivors. He says: “It has only done about 30 miles since the engine rebuild, so there will be no thrashing it around yet.”
The Morris Marina Owners’ Club and Ital Register
1975 Hillman Hunter Topaz
, is the custodian of one of the three Topaz believed to remain on the road. Chrysler UK unveiled this enhanced version of the Hunter Super in October 1975, priced at £2,079; according to the advertisements, this represented a saving of more than £230 on “special extras”. Not only was there Copperbeech metallic paint and a radio, but also “sports wheels,” and even “side repeater flashers”. The example shown here proved a major attraction of the 2022 NEC Classic Motor Show – and it is also one of the last cars to bear the Hillman badge.
1980 Volvo 244 GLE Thor
The Thor was an elaborately appointed GLE launched in 1979 to mark the 100,000th Volvo sold in the UK. It was the second limited edition 240, following the Silver Jubilee of 1977. At £8,500, the Thor was not cheap, but the proud owner could impress Ford Granada-driving business rivals with its black metallic finish, stereo radio-cassette player, front spoiler and alloy wheels. Volvo built 300 Thors; today, fewer than 10 are thought to exist. Adrian Wainwright is painstakingly restoring his example and remarks: “It is like driving a giant-sized automatic luxury Lada – and I love it!”
1980 Talbot Horizon SPL Special
, the Horizon struggled to find a niche in the UK, so the Special was intended to lure Ford Escort owners to their local Talbot dealership. The formula was the LS trim level with the larger Alpine’s 1,442cc engine, alloy wheels and exceedingly Tartan upholstery to create a car “for the driver who demands performance and individuality”. As for the price, £4,494 was surely a reasonable sum for a Talbot in either black with silver stripes or red with black stripes.
1980 Austin Princess 100 Club
. In reality, it was British Leyland’s 100 most successful dealers and in 1980 the Austin-Morris division rewarded its 100 best-performing franchisees with a customised Princess 2200 HLS Automatic.
Such sales efforts merited a “Wedge” fitted with an electric glass sunroof, a radio-cassette player and electric windows, while the Spanish Rose velour trim complemented the Pewter Metallic over Romano Purple paintwork. British Leyland made only 87 of the 100 Club “Wedge”. Paul Vincent’s Princess, one of two known survivors, originally hailed from a Mann Egerton dealership in Cambridgeshire. And BL even gave the lucky prize-winner a complementary tie and briefcase set.
The Leyland Princess Enthusiasts’ Club
1980 Vauxhall Chevette Sun Hatch
In June 1980, Vauxhall promised potential buyers “a new motoring dimension”, which was only true if your expectations were fairly limited. But 44 years ago, a Chevette L variant in either Silver Beige or Light Blue with a detachable sunroof was enough to cause a stir in the Asda car park. The driver could also revel in the radio, cigar lighter, clock and “Bright Plaid” cloth-trimmed seats that resembled a pair of golfing trousers. Steven Gray’s Sun Hatch has the optional automatic gearbox. He notes: “The ’box does make the Chevette feel sluggish – but in a stylish way.”
1980 Ford Escort Huntsman Estate
. This Escort Huntsman is believed to be the sole survivor of the smaller model.
1981 Ford Fiesta Sandpiper II
In December 1979 Ford launched the Sandpiper, one of a myriad of limited-edition Fiesta Mk1s. It proved so popular that in March 1981 it unveiled the Sandpiper II. Your £4,060 gained you a 1.1L with such decadent fittings as tinted windows, a glass sunroof and twin vanity mirrors. Best of all was the duotone Roman Bronze/Solar Gold paintwork and the seats upholstered in “Tan Verona and Chocolate Crushed Velour.” 4,000 Sandpiper IIs departed the factory; Paul Matthews’s Fiesta is the sort of car for the owner with an avocado-coloured bathroom suite.
1989 Austin Maestro Advantage
debuted the following month. For those motorists who were not dedicated followers of fashion, the sum of £8,770 allowed you to “surge down the motorways”. The reality, as Bradley explains, was a combination of the L’s interior with the S-series engine, an MG bodykit and white MG wheels. The fortunate buyer could also revel in the sunroof and “smooth five-speed gearbox” in a quasi-Yuppie Maestro possessing, in the words of the advertising copy, “The Look Without The Price”.
1993 Peugeot 309 Goodwood
In 1991, Peugeot UK introduced the Goodwood, a 309 GTi in Pinewood Green with anthracite Speedline alloy wheels, a CD autochanger and an interior trimmed in black leather. Owners with Graham Hill dreams could specify a wooden steering wheel at no extra cost. Peugeot sold only 398 Goodwoods; its high price – £13,456 for the three-door – resulted in many remaining in showrooms for months. Neil Martin notes of his very handsome Goodwood: “In 1994 I was looking for a car that my fiancée, now my wife, could drive and that I could also enjoy. We went to Warwick Wright in Chiswick and on the forecourt there were four Goodwoods parked alongside one another. Both she and I fell in love with the colour straight away.”
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