Vauxhall Carlton Mk1

The story

The Carlton was the Opel Rekord with Vauxhall's sloping droop-snoot front. It was smooth, roomy and well built, and it gave Vauxhall a proper rival to the Ford Granada for the first time in years.

Inside

A plain, logical dash, firm seats and a huge boot.

In period colours

Tap a colour to respray the drawing.

Meanwhile, in 1978

The world's first test-tube baby was born in Oldham.

Best-selling single of 1978: Rivers of Babylon by Boney M.

Before you buy a 1970s car

• Rust is common in sills, wheel arches, front panels and the bottom of the doors.
• Check the wiring and electrics carefully, as they age badly.
• Many volume-selling cars still have good parts support, but badge-engineered and low-volume models can be harder to source.

General notes, not specific to this model. Check the model's own history before buying.

Rivals of its day

Picked automatically: cars on sale at the same time with similar size, speed and price.

See the real thing

These open in a new tab: the car on Wikimedia Commons, the interior and the badge as Google image searches.