How to park a caravan | Towing with a Caravan | Drive in | 1974

Nov 6, 2005
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For people new to caravanning, treat all of the information is this video as obsolete.

Lovely bit of Woolarding though.

As obsolete as it may be, I needed a 50 sticker when I started otherwise the towing limit was 40mph - no Cortina for me, I made do with a mk2 Escort 1.6.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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First car I used for towing was a 1964 diesel Peugeot 404 pick up with column gear change. To start you had let a heater thingy glow before turning over the engine. I towed the CI caravan to places where no one would dream about going to even in these days.

Next tow car 20 years later was a 1981 BMW 520 pettol but towed a trailer fold out caravan and that was a real swine to reverse!
 
Mar 27, 2011
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this topic should have been called “all our yesterday’s) I had cortina mk1, 2E, 3 which was my favourite, I hand painted it with proper car paint but I used a brush lol, I had a Mk 5 then there was another but I’m sure it wasn’t callEd a Mk6 someone will know, I remember how my late father always maintained the cortina was absolute rubbish and when they finally got it right they killed off the cortina completely.

BP
 
Jul 18, 2017
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this topic should have been called “all our yesterday’s) I had cortina mk1, 2E, 3 which was my favourite, I hand painted it with proper car paint but I used a brush lol, I had a Mk 5 then there was another but I’m sure it wasn’t callEd a Mk6 someone will know, I remember how my late father always maintained the cortina was absolute rubbish and when they finally got it right they killed off the cortina completely.

BP
Nothing wrong with the Cortina Mk1 engine as it was brilliant and never gave me any issues. However bits and pieces like window winders, door handles etc would constantly drop off. Same with my 1960 Zephyr and 1965 Corsair.
 
Nov 6, 2005
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this topic should have been called “all our yesterday’s) I had cortina mk1, 2E, 3 which was my favourite, I hand painted it with proper car paint but I used a brush lol, I had a Mk 5 then there was another but I’m sure it wasn’t callEd a Mk6 someone will know, I remember how my late father always maintained the cortina was absolute rubbish and when they finally got it right they killed off the cortina completely.

BP

There was never a mk5 Cortina, officially although many call it that , it was the facelift mk4 - and then followed by the Sierra.
 
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Mar 14, 2005
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Great stuff ! Even a Retrovisor periscope - lost mine at moderatly high speed on German autobahn from Volvo towing Sprite Alpine in 1970 . Didn't see or here it go - nearly dark. Expected to see some impact damage on the caravan but not a touch.
Something not mentioned was that caravans then generally did not have brakes allowing reverse as we all have now - you needed either to swing over a lever preventing the damper from retracting or drop a pin into the hitch with the same effect - the latter had an upmarket version operated by 12v and switch in the car ( but you still needed to get the holes lined up)
Many caravans of that age - typically the Sprite - were sufficiently light to be easily pushable onto pitches without hitched reversing or motor movers.
 
Jan 9, 2021
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For people new to caravanning, treat all of the information is this video as obsolete.

Lovely bit of Woolarding though.

I just feel the need to correct the error where "Woolarding" was mentioned. Obviously referring to William Woolard who was mostly seen on BBC (Top Gear and Tomorrows World). The presenter in the video put up by Wayne S is in fact Tony Bastable who worked mostly for ITV and was one of the co-presenters of Magpie. Poor chap died in 2007 at the age of only 62
 
Oct 17, 2010
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Had a MK1 Cortina towed a trailer tent for a number of years. it only had a small petrol tank, couldn't pass a garage. Loved the umbrella handled hand brake, came out of the dash.
Then a MK3 had to replace the cam twice, and prop shaft once. liked it though.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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Had a MK1 Cortina towed a trailer tent for a number of years. it only had a small petrol tank, couldn't pass a garage. Loved the umbrella handled hand brake, came out of the dash.
Then a MK3 had to replace the cam twice, and prop shaft once. liked it though.
I had the MK1 and to be honest I do not remember the hand brake under the dash, but the car was not built in England. Great car and had a lot of fun in it taking it to places no man had been before. LOL!
 
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Oct 17, 2010
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I had the MK1 and to be honest I do not remember the hand brake under the dash, but the car was not built in England. Great car and had a lot of fun in it taking it to places no man had been before. LOL!
Yes looked like an umbrella handle, just by the left knee. One annoying thing was that the rear brakes had a form of self adjustment, operated by the hand brake, to take up any ware, when the hand brake was used. On mine the near side rear brake would lock on after a number of operations, had to take drum off to ease it off. Used hand brake carefully. Remember it was good in snow, liked it.
 
May 12, 2021
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Had a MK1 Cortina towed a trailer tent for a number of years Hope I reversed better than that though.
and For people new to caravanning, treat all of the information is this video as obsolete.
 
Sep 24, 2008
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Had mk 1 Cortina 1500 pulling our Alpine, enclose photo of caravan . Cost £600 sold it fours years later for £600m the guy said can I also buy the crockery!.
 

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Jul 18, 2017
11,937
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Had mk 1 Cortina 1500 pulling our Alpine, enclose photo of caravan . Cost £600 sold it fours years later for £600m the guy said can I also buy the crockery!.
£600m is an awfully lot of money for a caravan. Buy several mansions for that money plus a couple of nice yachts. LOL! :D
 

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