cjhillman
Posted a lot
1979 Capri (Rolling Project) 1985 Escort mk3 (Daily)
Posts: 1,588
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I keep thinking about this and wonder if anyone else feel the same. Does anyone else really love basic 1100cc Cars  My daily driver and my pride and joy for 7 years is a 1.1 Escort mk3. I always wanted a 1.3 but gravitated to this Car as it was all that was available plus its a chain driven engine. Its actually a great engine even if a little rough and ready. These days when people ask if its a 1.3 or 1.6 I'm really proud to says its an 1100  I just think 1100cc Cars from the 80s/90s have a charm that you don't get in other models and something that died out probably with pug 106s/Saxos. Maybe I should be saying 1.0 engines as well (used to have a Saxo 1.0 and could never catch up with my mate in his 1.1 Saxo) but I guess maybe most popular Cars like Fiestas came in 1.1 with the exceptions of Metros and Novas? I thought i'd share a picture of mine and a few of my favourites and see what peoples thoughts and stories are. Anyone else love the low powered models? Anyone modified a 1.1 that can rival much bigger engines? My Pov spec 1100 Escort  My old Saxo on its last ride (not quite a 1.1 but still )  A 1.1 I always wanted in yellow  A mate had one of these and I always wanted one...  Of course one of these although I think most of the old ones are 995cc??  |
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I had more fun in my 1.1 and 1.0 Ax, and 1.0 K10 Micra than should be reasonable, felt like you were doing a million doing national speed limit, I'd happily have another if I didn't need space for the family ive accrued since 2008 |
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1100 well 1098 is the fast morris minor!
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The second Mini I bought was a 1098 powered '79 Clubman. It was a better car than the '79 1275GT that eventually replaced it.
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jpr1977
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 656
Club RR Member Number: 18
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A 1.1 I always wanted in yellow That was my first car in 95, a 1982 lemon Gelb 1.1. I almost feel ashamed how much i abused that car. It finally went to the great scrapyard in the sky after piston met valves in the most terminal of ways... (and my head had been turned by a fire breathing Alfasud buts that's another story) They were definitely nippier than most of the equivalent 1.1 Nova's /Uno's my mates were driving at the time |
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Last Edit: Nov 10, 2020 8:02:00 GMT by jpr1977
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Ryannn
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,421
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A 1098 is loads better in a mini than a 998. Much better torque and doesn’t Rev its nads off as soon as you even look at the accelerator pedal!
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I had a mk1 '97 1.1 saxo in that salmon pink colour they did. It was new at the time and I hammered the tits off it everywhere. I remember it used to max out at 105mph. It didn't have a rev counter so I wasn't sure if it was limited or just flat out.
I traded it about two years later for a blue'99 vts. That would max out at 130 on the limiter. It needed another gear really. One of my favourite cars ever and I still miss it 20 years later.
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60six
Posted a lot
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Posts: 1,664
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The MK1 5 Door 1.1 Formel-E Golf was easily the slowest and worst car I had ever owned. Got real rusty, real quick too.
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Some 9000's, a 900, an RX8 & a beetle
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Had an 1100 mk2 Escort, it was glacial at best. Really slow & gutless even in 1982. Why anyone would think they were good is beyond me.
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Had numerous small engined cars, mk1 fiestas, mini 850 etc, never had a problem
IME the biggest problem is people who cannot adjust their driving skills to compensate for the fact that they're not in a supercharged jaaaaaag!
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Adey
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,362
Club RR Member Number: 171
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My first car was a renault 5 1.1 campus (1108cc). all the smaller engines of that era are built the same from renault. I learnt alot with that car. Ran it on pennies for fuel, bought the whole thing for £90 too. Used it for everything and drove it everywhere. I fitted the same size engine in my dauphine actually. Pushes it along well enough.
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Had numerous small engined cars, mk1 fiestas, mini 850 etc, never had a problem IME the biggest problem is people who cannot adjust their driving skills to compensate for the fact that they're not in a supercharged jaaaaaag!
As the aged parent with grandfather towing rights and driving other cars insurance I get roped into various adventures with offspring.
Youngest was helping a friend get his little Peugeot shopping trolley through its MoT. Whatever engine it had it was the smallest available in the lowest spec bodyshell. Single point injection and keep fit windows come to mind. It kept failing on emissions and was out of MoT, Tax and insurance. I got conscripted into giving it an Italian tune-up down the A40 to St Clears and back.
Good day. No tractors, no groggles, no locals pottering about with their brain in idle so damn near flat out all the way - slowing for roundabouts and the 40 limit bits excepted and lift off down the hill where the camera van is known to lurk.
I'd forgotten just how much fun can be had maintaining momentum in a small light nimble car with a stirring stick on curving A roads.
Nearly as much fun as borrowing one of their MX-5s.
But my ears, back and tooth fillings appreciated getting back into my supercharged XJ at the end of it!
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Yeah agree totally, your situation is very similar to mine, never actually owned a jag but driven loads ( demonstrator delivery, car fleet employment etcetc) but then again i wasn’t paying for the fuel either!
Actually had a fuel card rejected by BP when delivering a Supercharged Range Rover to one of JLR’s bigwigs from cambs to Glasgow, and bringing the old one back
BP didn’t believe it was possible to use that much fuel in a day!
Would have done that in my fiesta on a tankful! (Maybe)
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I remember borrowing an 850 Mini for a few days. I took it from Clacton to Chelmsford and it was great fun. 10" wheels, big bus steering wheel, upright 70s vinyl seats, the works. I was literally flat to the floor everywhere and it had no issues. Flat out on the A12 it did an indicated 76mph. My Mini was a tired 998, and was much nicer to drive on long runs, but on the A roads, the 850 was just as much fun. And the A series Metros were 998 or 1275cc. The later K-Series 1100 & 1400  |
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jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,861 
Club RR Member Number: 40
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Nov 10, 2020 10:21:11 GMT
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My Clubman estate was an 1100 and the original engine took all the abuse I gave it. It also 'did' the posh kid with a daddy restored cooper on an uphill section of the A414 after school one day. He had a passenger which was probably the deciding factor but he didn't have bragging rights any more which mattered !
I've never really driven a car as hard since as to get anywhere you had to drive it as fast as possible ! LR is similar, but slower, keeping up with modern traffic at 30-40 is a challenge where you have to anticipate, maintain momentum and treat brakes with the disdain they deserve.
Had as much fun in the mini as anything that followed it.
James
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Nov 10, 2020 11:35:56 GMT
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My 1970 Morris Minor Traveller originally had the 1098cc A-series engine, which I thought did very well to pass the 100,000-mile mark; despite having a big end rumble, it would still do an indicated 80mph, and was always a good torquey slogger.
Back in the 1990s, I removed it to fit a 1275cc MG Midget engine I rebuilt, then stuck it in the back of the garage for years, but slipped in a new set of main and big end bearings to get it useable again, should I ever decide to refit it...
The only other 1100-engined car I've owned (aside from a few other Minors) was a 1999 Abarth Seicento, with 1108cc FIRE engine. It was actually very disappointing - not much quicker than my previous 899cc Fiat Cinquecento, only did half the mpg, and it kept cutting out in traffic due to a bad crank sensor design, which kept overheating.
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Nov 10, 2020 13:12:52 GMT
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I know what you mean, my Dad had a MK2 Fiesta van with a 950cc ohv when I first started driving. It was an old beater but surprisingly fun and it didn't feel slow until you got on the motorway. It was a really nice little engine.
We also had a Seat Arosa a few years ago with the chronically underpowered 1.0 engine, that thing really took some winding up but it was okay!
Have said all that, my missus had a MK3 Fiesta with a 1100 ohv as her first car and it was bad, the MK3 had gained weight over the MK2 and it really stuggled. Still, it did a couple of years of long commutes on the motorway reliabliy before the car got scrapped. By the end the engine rattled so badly and used so much oil that I started to occasionally top up with gear oil to keep the noise down....
Oh the shame!
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Nov 10, 2020 15:06:36 GMT
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Senior management had a mk 1 Fiesta Bravo when we first met. Previous owner was the Avon cosmetics company. One of many with consecutive reg nos apparently. We did see another once and it made her jump as it was the spit of hers, just one digit out on the reg.
Was a tidy and faithful old thing that did many miles flat out on the M3 /A303. It wasn’t quick, but it was willing and would wind up to a decent cruising speed. Fairly early on in my acquaintance with it I did the valve clearances (after digging the sludge out with a spoon - literally). That and some new points, correctly set civilised it considerably, and gave a useful performance boost.
Got replaced by an early 205 1.4GR, which was not entirely an improvement.
Nick
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1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend)
1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing)
1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)
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Nov 10, 2020 15:22:17 GMT
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My old blue clubman estate was originally an 1100, we fitted it with an MG Metro HiF44, alloy inlet manifold, freeflow exhaust manifold and a cobbled together Mk3 cooper S frontbox with a cherry bomb on the back. It was a good fun and very usable engine and pulled well from low down as well as being good for overtaking. I remember dad saying it was better than the 1300 Cooper S engine he put in his Riley elf. Later on I swapped it for a 1300 MG Metro Engine with twin 1 1/2 Special Tuning su's with an LCB and an RC40 exhaust. It was more responsive than the 1100, but not by as much as youd think. From what I can remember the 1100 engines used in minis were just leftovers from the 1100/1300 range.
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jimi
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,876
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Nov 10, 2020 15:29:03 GMT
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This was my first car, a 1961 Mini fitted with a MG1100 engine, also fitted a twin choke 28/36 Weber on waterheated manifold, 3 branch exhaust manifold (from the MG) Cooper S differential. Cooper S speedo, remote servo assisted brakes. Converted from a floor mounted start button to solenoid, fitted a rear wiper (and washer) and a boot mounted spotlight (for reversing). Also new rear subframe, sills and front wings Great car it could keep up with my mates 1275 Cooper S, but he just had the edge.  Just remembered, the bonnet scoop was made from an old Castrol GTX can the things you do when your young ! |
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Last Edit: Nov 10, 2020 15:30:22 GMT by jimi
Black is not a colour ! .... Its the absence of colour
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My daily driver and my pride and joy for 7 years is a 1.1 Escort mk3. I always wanted a 1.3 but gravitated to this Car as it was all that was available plus its a chain driven engine. Its actually a great engine even if a little rough and ready. These days when people ask if its a 1.3 or 1.6 I'm really proud to says its an 1100 
