Holiday traffic, Devon 1970s

[HQBProductions]

One interesting observation is that the "grockle" traffic is in fact 90% local if you look at the vehicle registrations! It is also worth noting that the then hated "grockle" has become the much treasured source of work and income for the South West who only now becomes a bit of a nuisance during August when arriving in massed numbers...but they still bring a wallet full of money!

My parents and I were those "grockles" from 1950 onwards!..so spot 1947 VW Sedan FTM 594 and it was me!

[OXLEYCRUSHER]

Most of the cars in this clip were made in Britain! and you think temporary traffic lights and roadworks at the most inconvenient time is a modern feature today??wrong!!!

[randrianabel]

in every city over the world,there"s always at least one beetle!

[randrianabel]

during the 70"s a few japanese cars in europe.

Their main market was the north america

[sparkygl0s]

Did anybody spot a Japanese car? I didn't.

[sith4923]

whether it be California traffic in the 1950s or this, there is always at least one Beetle in traffic

[MrPlumTree]

there was better weather back then now it's shite that's why we go 2 spain

[morlader]

I counted 6 Renault 16s

[deliow]

Brilliant piece of journalism, TONGUE IN CHEEK and Monty Python would be proud. August 1973 or 1974 I reckon.

Lots of road works going on to improve the A30 ?? or A303 ??

He should have started by saying 'Hello, Good evening, and welcome'

Great film. I used to break up these cars in the early '80s and banger races the BMC A60s Im a PLONKER, he mentions EASTER so its not August but APRIL 1973 or 1974

What larks

[deliow]

Brilliant piece of journalism, TONGUE IN CHEEK and Monty Python would be proud. August 1973 or 1974 I reckon.

Lots of road works going on to improve the A30 ?? or A303 ??

He should have started by saying 'Hello, Good evening, and welcome'

Great film. I used to break up these cars in the early '80s and banger races the BMC A60s

What larks

[freethoughtmusic]

Ahhhhhh memories of Devon when I was little.

[MrMrliamo]

this kind of footage is brillant! well done! its so intristing

[EdwardHitchon1993]

1:11, the car in white, I have one of them!

[70Kenny]

Oh, honestly, listen to this guy! Filming people getting away to the sunny beach for a nice weekend (enjoying FREEDOM in other words) and complaining about it like it's a major problem. What does he expect people to do, go back to London and stay there like good little sheep? Come on, Londoners, go enjoy the sun! Don't let these media types get in your way! Crank up that Austin and GO!

[SHANDYBOY86]

LANDROVER!

[hayamburuk]

this reminds me of when I was 2. I was born in '72 but the cars seen here were all around in 74. So many Renault 6 around! A Saab 99, (my Dad had one) a pair of Ford Corsairs (I had one). I could name every single car in this clip, no problem!

[wotasod]

its a audi

[boo66]

@wotasod

If you mean the Aston Martin.. It's definitely an Aston Martin!!

[MrStablelad]

The car going past at 2,20 is an aston martin Vantage.

This answer i know is to late O well.

[jeremy1000100]

Aston Martin DBS V8

[fransam1961]

the car at 2:20 is definitely an aston martin not an audi 100s coupe. the body is angular at rear and as boo66 says much too wide for and audi coupe. Bothe were great cars......

[NCW250]

This looks like Monty Python. Nice side burns. Expect John Cleese to say something profound.

[rodtemplar]

Oh how I miss those cars :(

[blobby1972]

I like how the grey squiril is mentioned pushing out the red an issue that nearly 40 years on we are only just addressing and the plucky little red is still hanginin there in some pockets in the north but lets face it they would be tougher up north.lol

[78s4FR]

Spot the foreign car!

[willow138]

this is HILARIOUS . grockles are a pain in the ass! lol. traffic in Braunton goin to Croyde is Grockle mad. I hate that they keep finding the back roads because they get half way down meet a car coming the other way and suddenly realise they can't reverse!

[bonsa100]

If you are talking about the last car in the line at 2.20, that is a Vauxhall Viva HB series, looks to be about a 1969 model. If you wish to check just google it, you will see many examples there.

[HolidayDriving]

The car passing at 2:20 is an Aston Martin V8.

[richardmaudsley77]

0:18 Ford Zodiac

My dream car.

[crustyhead2]

@richardmaudsley77 That actually looks like a Zephyr with a Zodiac grille... You have good taste!

[nikvanlanduyt]

Renault 6 and 2x16!

[dismith]

Looks like an Aston Martin DBS

[Glenn1967ful]

Also at 1.55 an Austin 3 Litre makes an appearance, this was supposed to be Austin's luxury car but bombed as the upper middle class buyers preferred Rovers and Jaguars. These are very rare now.

[mobbsy1115]

I like the brace of Ford Corsairs,,,,

[rooftopjump]

Now, now children - settle down. Concentrate on this guy - the epitome of "nobody like a smart arse".

[lndac02]

@transitcoffin no, your mistaking me for someone from Devon. I believe its a local custom to stink of piss and use your pants as toilet paper down there. Now get back into that carrott field and get apicking. Two Ts in Shitty good try

[transitcoffin]

@lndac02 i bet you shit your self and wank alot soft arse

[lndac02]

@transitcoffin You can bet all you like, I know you Devon boys have knobs the same size as a whelk, which is why your women are all queueing up for some "out of town action". you also seem to know a lot about shit and soft arses, I assume you spend a lot of time in gents toilets after 10pm. Go clean your smock and your teeth.

[transitcoffin]

@lndac02 hey why dont you just fuck .................... off

COCK SUCKER and yes i do know you love cock and you fuck sheep barrrrr barrrr barrrrr barrrrr barrrr i bet you love it dont answer this msg YA DICK !!!!

[Mumblemumble375]

0:26 nice bay window camper! wonder where that is now

[jochen538]

See the mk1 transit @1:13 cutting in front of the truck?...nothing's changed there then!

[lndac02]

I find the sarcastic narration by the presenter annoying. If it wasn't for the "Grokels" the south west would be a lot poorer. these people bring their cars agreed, but they also bring their money which pays for overpriced cream teas in grotty B&Bs which keeps the carrot crunchers warm and fed through the winter months. nothing going on in the south west but tourism.

[dreamyyak]

@lndac02 Dont come, then...............

[transitcoffin]

well piss off to shity wales

[lndac02]

nahhh the local women are right slags and love a good shag from the grokels who have all the money..apparently the local blokes are all out whelking and are skint and stink of seaweed.

[transitcoffin]

@lndac02 you sound a right fucking tit how old are you 14 why dont you grow up devon is a lovely place people like you should fuck off to scotland

arse wipe !!!!!

[lndac02]

@transitcoffin ..............latest news .......Did you know that Liverpool won the Greenest City award this year?

They recycle more car stereos than anyone else in the world and the churches all have lead free roofs!.

[transitcoffin]

@lndac02 have you got a problem with that twat

[bonsa100]

@lndac02  LOL, Very funny. Nearly fell off the chair! Lived there, what an experience.........

[transitcoffin]

you a dick head you know fuck all about devon go and get a job insted of sitting on your lazy fat arse

[lndac02]

@transitcoffin you can't spell, you're a illiterate carrott cruncher, with a transit van Muhahhahaahahah!!!!!! .whelks!!!!!!!!!!

[transitcoffin]

@lndac02 aint got a transit van ya fucking prick born in a stable dont make you a horse does it gob shite in fact your just a bit of sperm gone the wrong way yuk i bet your fucking ugly and your mother dresses you funny fat cunt !!!!!

[lndac02]

@transitcoffin I bet you live in a transit you whelk eating scrumpy drinking toerag. No wonder all the ladies in Devon queue up to get a good seeing to when the grokels roll in. is your sister your wife? I believe its a tradition down there to keep it in the family

[transitcoffin]

@lndac02 well ya got that wrong fucking knob head i live in liverpool the great city

how about you mong do you live in a fucking tent you sick gay sad fucked up cunt !!!!!!!

[lndac02]

@transitcoffin bet you don't have a suit , just 5 tracksuits you fat scouse git. I hear scouser birds go like a clappers as well. is your computer working on electricity from a bypassed meter? tripped over any kerbs lately? better make a claim if you have, but I bet you already know that. What do you call a scouser in a suit? The accused!

[blade0954]

my father bought a brand new l reg hillman avenger in 72,which decided to go on fire after a few months,the hilman hunter was a good car though in its day

[HITLERSBERLINSANDPIT]

1:99 hillman superminx

[Marcomanseckisax]

YouTube's only Austin 3-litre at 1:53 plus a Wolseley 18/85 at 3:10 - fine cars!

[bogbrush2]

EEEH, Them wert days when 10 Bob got ya 10 woodbines,2 pints O beer, an a fish supper, an ya still had enough change T`feed T`old wippet fer week.

[gogglebut]

Who is this presenter, does anyone know?

[transitcoffin]

fantastic this they sure dont make cars like they use to to many bloody computers in cars now :(

bring back the good old days when driving was a joy :)

[philipareed]

Knees of Trowbridge!

[razetter]

What a wonderful snapshot of British motoring circa 1973. Cars & vans from that era had so much more character. My only disappointment with this video is that my favourite car, the Ford Capri Mk1, is nowhere in sight !

[islandtraction]

Love the old Fiat 127 between 10-14 secs.

[shaneshaky1]

iv got an 1100 bright red with only 56,000 miles!! its bright and shiny!, looks like new from a close distance! they are amazing to drive! like you are floating on a bed of air! it attracts massive attention!! certainly puts a smile on everyones face! i think a lot perished due to rust! i think mine survived due to being undersealed and waxoiled! they were way ahead of their time mechanically! if it wasnt due to the tin worm there would be many left!

[UKSazzy67]

This must have been filmed about 1972, judging by the amount of Mark III Cortinas and Mark II Escorts and Vauxhall Vivas on the road. My family and I actually went on holiday in Devon in 1972 in a red, Ford Transit motor-caravan to Ilfracombe. I was 4 years old at the time and we were probably on that road at the same time!

[Kokoots]

We went to Cornwall in my uncles mk3 zephyr that year. All 8 of us! 4 adults and 4 kids.

[Marcomanseckisax]

@UKSazzy67 it's the Easter Bank Holiday 1973 (newest cars L-reg and re Easter the commentator says as much)^^

[crimsonrush]

The pig ignorant rude yokels have offended far too many holiday makers and the resorts have died. There ARE some nice polite people in Devon though. They are called GROCKLES.

[uzzle65]

Was hoping to see a Triumph 2000 but alas no, saw a shirtload of Austin 1100/1300s and Mark III Cortinas though!

[20mlt09]

mmm toledo at 55 secs

[Bevoin1970]

Passed my driving test in one of these, 0:31 and 0:58 Renault 16TS back in 1979. Was a lovely car to drive, except my dad would never let me borrow it once I'd passed......

[oldschool619619]

I could sit buy the grass and watch them go by all day with my own little pick nik

[airscrew1]

Brings back some really good memories.  All my relatives were still alive then. Now they are all dead and only my siblings remain. I wonder if this was used on the Nationwide programme?

[gotham61]

What strikes me is how 90 percent of the cars on the road then were British, with just a smattering of Renaults and VWs and one Volvo. Not a Japanese car to be seen.

[lndac02]

Lets not be too melancholy and romantic over these cars. they were mostly unreliable rustbuckets. The reason the British don't make volume cars under a British brand anymore is because British Leyland got a reputation for making poor quality cars. the general public of the 1970s abandoned British cars for more reliable foreign cars. I can remember some pretty miserable driving in the 70s,breaking down with things that modern cars never suffer from or hardly. thanks God cars are so much better

[Glenn1967ful]

@lndac02

Notice even from this video from 1972, foreign cars were starting to make an appearance. Ford and Rootes of this time were quite good, but British Leyland and Vauxhall were in decline and making some awful cars like the Marina and the FE Victor. By the mid seventies the Japanese invasion was in full swing and they were making cars that were not only very reliable and cheap but also well equipped with radios and sunroofs that were usually an option on European cars.

[rdnut2]

Forgot how many Austin 1100/1300 there used to be about,where are they all now ? Traffic in Devons just as bad now,i should know living ere.

[Shropshire67]

My guess is 73-74?

I am waiting for the guy from the fast show to show up and say " you didn't see me royt"

Like the way the idiot in the Transit cut in.

[imtheirobot]

brilliant wish i was around bk then the hols woulda bn great, modern cars are so mundane! britain should lead the way and put the oldies bk into production. BOLLOCKS to the credit crunch, we're here for a goodtime not a longtime!

[67genxer]

this guy has been watching to much Monty Python..he's got it on the brain. Snap out of it man!!!!

[thomasking55]

Oh Dr Beeching, You shouldn't have closed the railways!!

[yummyjo]

lol, the roads in devon and cornwall are just the same now, i was stuck on a30 for 4 hours last year!

[MyPlonkerboy]

LOL very good and I enjoyed the cars too!

[gazzaxm]

Lovely to see all the old cars.thanks for posting.

[hairypunk]

wots he talking about anyway????????????????

[montevideobadboy]

Fantastic, a roll call of cars and lorries from the 70's. Liked the Commer lorry and the Aston of course, plus there was a Ford Corsair.

Great film clip, nice one.

[mrjrobertsnr171qw]

Really interesting film looking at all the old fashioned cars, but why was the bloke talking aload of bollocks?

[bmxgenie]

wow they look like there flying along/ ty getting ove the bascle bridge in lowestoft england.

[livc44411]

I dont what this bloke is gnna on about,he doesnt make sense...I spotted 2 Renault 16's 2 Renault 6 1 Renault 8 and a Peugeot 204. Nice!!!

[Kippenjager]

He's doing a news report on holiday traffic congestion in the style of a birdwatching nature programme.. ('grockle' is south-west slang for tourist)

Nice old Renaults eh!

a R12 in there too, and a SIMCA 1000.

I do love the old French motors myself.

[ProperStuff]

Boo66.....looking at it again you are right it is an Aston.....and i didnt see much of those Audi's in the 70s.

[UK31337]

This film dates from 1973 onwards due to the registration marks on some of the cars, why's it in black-and-white?

[transitcoffin]

@UK31337 most tv was in black and white its 1973 colour was just around the corner

[CalumBarrow]

Anyone know what the car is that goes past at 2:20?

Looks similar to a Mustang Fastback, but rear quarterlights and less 'square' back make me think it isn't. Any ideas?

[boo66]

Hmmm.... hadn't spotted that before!

It looks to me like an Aston Martin DBS. The only other similar shape around was the Audi 100 Coupe but this looks just a bit too wide and fat-wheeled for one of them.

[loyndsy]

@boo66 looks like the car that roger moore used in the persuaders.

[sonoframbo666]

@boo66 definitely an Aston Martin DBS

[retrowagen1234]

aston martin i think

[ProperStuff]

The car is an Audi Coupe...which were very rare to see.

[boo66]

Much too wide for an Audi 100S Coupe. (which I remember as surprisingly common by the late '70s!)

[Ribeirasacra]

it is never an Audi coupe in the 70s. It looks as if it is a DBS.

[GingerPhilG]

The modern equivilent seems to be any ford with Colour coded bumpers. There are stacks of cars round here that one week have a bumper held together with gaffer tape and the next the car turns up resplendant with its new but non colourmatching bumpers :)

[SantaHul]

1:12 - White van shoving his way in. Some things don't change.

[stakeout500]

What year was that? 1971 or 1972 I think.

[boo66]

The newest cars on here have L-suffix numbers which ran from 1st August '72 'til 31st July '73.. so I reckon it's mid '73 or Aug/Sep '72.

Can't be '71 though, unless they're time travellers!

;o)

[tractorboydavidbrown]

@boo66 Must be last 73 as there is a "k" plate cortina at 1:34

[sparkygl0s]

@tractorboydavidbrown

"K" is 1st August 1971 to 31st July 1972. 

[caravans2]

I no wot you mean.A friends sister had a Rover P5 with all differant colour doors front wing and rear wing down one side after hitting a lamp post,i supose if someone done that now with a modern car the car would be just scapped.There was also them new panal places about so you would see cars with black front wings and silver coloured new seals and rear archs welded on or a white fiberglass front wing.Thanks for posting the clip anyway,great memorys,

[vainparasite]

I had forgotten how popular the old austin 1100/1300 were. I bet most of the cars in that film were maintained at home too, some people nowadays book them in to a garage to have such simple tasks done when in the 70s i remember freezing in the drive pumping the clutch pedal for my dad on his mini. Wish i could go back.

[boo66]

I think the 1100/1300 was the British No.1 seller for most of the late '60s.

Not much to do on a modern car I suppose - oil and plugs every few years and the rest takes care of itself! (you have to pay the garage to reset the 'service light' though)

[caravans2]

i remember every sunday down the road there would be a couple of cars with the bonnet up or jacked up with a wheel off,then it would be a trip down the breakers with ya tool box to get a starter motior or something else you need.You always see cars round with odd colour door or a wing that had been blown in with a rattle can to cover the rust hole repair done the weekend before.

[vainparasite]

Ha Ha how true that was proper recycling, we were doing it long before the enviromentalists got on the bandwagon. I really miss those days.

[numberstation]

Amen to that,brother.Personally,I'd love a nice Austin 1800/2.2,Princess,or maybe an Allegro...

[emeraldxm]

Fantastic cars!

[britaxroger]

Fantastic i wish i had some of them cars now

[sneyder69]

the sun is almost never shining in britain is it?

[ianmax69]

Wonderful snapsot of 70s motoring!!

Very well done to save it!!

[hazetwood]

I HAD AT LEAST 6 OF THOSE CARS!