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Cars turning 50 in 2025: part 2 | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

30th January 2025
Gary Axon

Continuing on from last week’s Anorak, here follows the second batch of selected cars reaching the grand age of 50 this year. As previously mentioned, the British motor industry experienced a rocketing of prices of new cars courtesy of high inflation, the result of which being that European brands such as Renault and Volkswagen experienced major growing UK demand throughout the 1970s.

Examples from both of those manufacturers feature on this list, though there are a handful of British models amongst the selection of continental cars, all celebrating their golden jubilee in 2025.

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Mercedes-Benz W123

The extensive Mercedes-Benz W123 range debuted in 1975 to replace the eight-year-old mid-size W114/W115 family with a completely new unit-construction bodyshell, including the first ever production Mercedes estate T-Series models.

Popular from the word go, the robust W123 range was over-engineered in the Stuttgart marque’s best traditions and enjoyed all success globally, the model proving to make the ideal taxi, as is still commonplace in the Middle East. A stylist coupé was later added to the W123 range. The legendary costly, but thirsty 6.9-litre version of the profligate Mercedes 450SEL was also introduced during 1975.

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Opel Ascona B & Manta B

After barely five years on the market, the first-generation mid-sized Opel Ascona saloon and Manta coupé were replaced by more modern and stylish Ascona B and Manta B successors in late 1975. Mechanically similar to their rear-wheel-drive predecessors, the new German General Motors ‘B’ models were smoother and dimensionally larger than previously.

The Ascona went on to form the basis for the subsequent Vauxhall Cavalier (see below), with a badge-engineered Manta-derived Cavalier Coupé as well. The Ascona proved to be a successful rally weapon, whilst the Manta went on to live a long life, being eventually phased out in 1988.  

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Peugeot 604

Peugeot’s first post-war top drawer luxury executive saloon, the 604 had class and restrained Pininfarina styling mated to the new PRV V6 engine. The 604 later saw the introduction of the world’s very first turbo diesel motor, in 1979. 

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Porsche 924

Porsche’s first ever front-engined and water-cooled model, the 924 was previewed in late 1975 for retail sale from 1976 onwards. Powered by a 2.0-litre VW LT van engine, the 924 had smooth but bland styling with a large wrap-around opening glass hatch and 2+2 seating.

The model lived on for 11 years and evolved into the more dynamic 924 Turbo and 944 derivatives. Having previewed the 911 Turbo (930) the previous autumn, Porsche began production of this iconic model in early 1975.

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Renault 30

Sharing the same PRV V6 as its Peugeot 604 rival, and also launched on the same day in March at the 1975 Geneva Motor Show, the Renault 30 was a prestige five-door hatch as a larger R16 sibling, featuring the French firm’s first V6.

Later in the year, a more basic four-cylinder 20 model with the 30’s bodyshell was introduced to ultimately replace the popular R16.

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Rolls-Royce Camargue

The Camargue was introduced as the world’s most expensive new car, costing more than £29,900 at launch. Mechanically based around the Silver Shadow, the handsome but always misunderstood Camargue was the very first Rolls-Royce to be officially designed by an outside specialist company, with Pininfarina penning the large, elegant yet controversial two-door coupé.

Just 550 Camargues were hand-built over a decade. A significant but oft overlooked Rolls-Royce, the Camargue deserves a better reputation today.  

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Vauxhall Chevette & Cavalier

General Motors (GM) British Vauxhall division had a busy and important 1975. The year kicked off with the March introduction the UK’s first ’supermini’ hatch, with Vauxhall’s version of GM’s global T-Car programme: the Chevette. The Chevette became Britain’s best-selling hatchback between 1975 and 1978, before the Ford Fiesta took over that baton, with not much domestic competition around, but the Fiat 127, Renault 5 and Honda Civic hatchbacks all selling steadily here.

An Opel City version of the T-Car-related Opel Kadett gained a Chevette-derived hatch body option in 1976. The new B 1975 models of the Opel Ascona and Manta spawned an important new mid-sized Vauxhall in late 1975 – the Cavalier – as a modified badge-engineered model. Initially only built in Belgium with 1.3 and 1.6 versions, eventually Vauxhall began UK production itself of the rear-wheel-drive Cavalier in Luton. 

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Volkswagen Polo

Initially introduced in 1974 as the Audi 50, the following year a badge-engineered Volkswagen version of the transverse-engined front-drive entry hatchback was announced as the Polo, the first in a line of very long and successful Polos, which remain popular today.

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Notable mentions

Mitsubishi (Colt) Celeste: New to Britain in late 1974, the Colt Car Company introduced its third new model range in 1975 as the Lancer-based Colt Celeste coupé. A Capri-rivalling three-door coupé, the Celeste was just as conventional with rear-drive and mainstream saloon running gear.

Panther Rio: Never one to miss a business opportunity, Panther announced the hand-built Rio in late 1975 as a posh Triumph Dolomite-based prestige luxury saloon. A more frugal answer to the fuel crisis and high Rolls-Royce-type running costs, only 38 examples were made.

Reliant Kitten & Scimitar GTE II: Fifty years ago, small Tamworth-based specialist car maker Reliant had an exceptionally busy year, launching not one, but two new cars at the 1975 Earls Court Motor Show. The first of these was the Kitten, a cute four-wheeled version of its Robin three-wheeler as a cheap-to-run Mini rival with a glass rear hatch.

Reliant’s second new model was a fully revised version of its popular and trend-setting Scimitar GTE. The revamped SE6 version of the Scimitar grew in size but retained the earlier model’s Ogle styling and Ford V6 powertrain.

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Seat 1200/1430 Sport: Based on the front-wheel-drive Seat-built version of the Fiat 127, the Sport was Seat’s first ever bespoke model, with no Fiat equivalent. It used an appealing coupé bodyshell originally designed for NSU as a replacement for its ageing rear-engined Prinz models. Never sold in the UK, the Sport was a minor success in Spain and the remainder of continental Europe, where it was sold as a Fiat.

Volkswagen Golf GTI: The hotter GTI was the higher performance derivative of the instantly successful VW Golf. Although not the first hot hatch as is often and incorrectly claimed (the Autobianchi A112 Abarth and Simca 1100Ti long beating Volkswagen to that title as the originators of the mainstream performance hatchback), the Golf GTI quickly became the benchmark for its sector. UK imports took a while to arrive, with the first GTIs sold here all being LHD, with right-hand steering not officially available until 1979! 

 

So, there we have it. Not a vintage crop, perhaps, but one that bought us some welcome additions that today enjoy classic status at they celebrate 50 years on our roads.

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