 |
MOTORS | |
|
MOTORS | |
One of the finest aspects of The Sweeney was of course the cars. Now it is generally acknowledged that the 1970s was not an auspicious time for the British motor industry - British Leyland strikes and brown Austin Allegros spring immediately to mind... However - this was not for Jack Regan. Oh no - for him, the only car to have was the Ford Granada...
 |
Ford Consul GT If cars had jobs, the 3-litre V6 Consul (Mk1 Granada) would be a nightclub bouncer - brutish at times, but usually dependable. In the first and second series the model was a Consul GT V6 3.0 litre, in Copper Brown. The registration number is NHK295M. Regan would never drive himself, but would always laconically laze in the front seat and occasionally the back. Needless to say, he never wore a seatbelt. In the third and fourth series a silver P-reg 3.0 Ghia model was used. The Consul/Granada had a 0-60 of 9.1 seconds, a top speed of 113 mph, and did 19mpg. Thanks to Philip at The Ford Granada Enthusiasts Club HomePage for help here. |
 |
Ford Cortina XL Used alongside the brown Granada was a blue Ford Cortina 2000 XL. It's registration is NHK296M. This always turned up when Regan and Carter had to split up on a job, or when a back-up team was needed. Needless to say, it was not as fast or flash as Regan's motor. |
 |
Ford Granada Ghia Occasionally in the first series a green Mk1 Granada 3.0 Ghia (with black vinyl roof) was used by other squad members. It's registration is NHK292M and can be seen in episodes 'Jackpot' and 'Thin Ice'. This car was last registered as being taxed in Aug 1979, so has more than likely ended up being written off. |
 |
Ford Granada S In half of the 3rd series episodes the brown Consul is swapped for silver Mk1 Granada S. It's registration is NWC 301P. This half/half approach was due to the filming block being in two distinct parts with the filming of 'Sweeney!' taking place between them. The episodes, however, were shown in a different order to the shooting schedule and so Jack appears to have access to two cars throughout the series. |
 |
Ford Cortina For all the series 3 episodes in which the silver Mk1 Granada S featured, the support car became a white Cortina. It's registration is NWC 300P. |
 |
Ford Granada The new style opening titles of series 4 showed a new silver Granada squad car. It's registration of TGF 142T was most likely a false plate, and the car did not appear anywhere in the series. |
 |
Ford Granada Ghia One of the main squad cars for series 4 was a light brown Granada Ghia with black vinyl roof. It's registration is RHJ 997R and can be seen in episodes such as 'Messenger Of The Gods' and 'Drag Act'. |
 |
Ford Granada The other main squad car used in series 4 was a silver Granada. It's registration is VHK 491S and can be seen in episodes such as 'Hard Men'. |
 |
Ford Cortina The support car used in series 4 was a silver Cortina. It's registration is PNO 548R. |
 |
The Blaggers' Jags The villains almost always drove a Jaguar Mark 2 or an 'S' type (as shown). It was a nice powerful motor that also had that touch of class that elevated the blagger's ego above that of a mere burglar. It usually gave Regan's motor a good run for its money, though we hear that on account of its soggy suspension and often chronic unreliability it was not always quite the blagger's friend that you might think. |
 |
Raleigh Choppers! Not strictly a Motor - but there were plenty of Raleigh Choppers being used as the favoured mode of transport by 70s kids with mop-top hair. Thanks to Adrian for this definitive list of appearances: JIGSAW (16:57 minutes into the episode) At the end of a montage of cross faded shots which follow Regan & Carter on a search, there's a quick shot of a kid standing next to his red Chopper. Then the squad car comes screeching round the corner. SELECTED TARGET (36:45 to 37:00 minutes into the episode) Carter walks up the path of the stylish 70s bungalow, Bray Gate. His beige flares are flapping in a light summer breeze as the lovely Maureen Lipman looks on from over the road. On the grass is a yellow bike and this is either a Chopper or a Chipper. ON THE RUN (43:47 to 44:14 minutes into the epsiode) A very 70s looking kid rides a purple Chopper in some woods and finds Tim Cook's jeep hidden under the branches. There may even be a red Chopper on the ground. DRAG ACT (21:35 to 21:43, 21:50 to 21:54 & 22:02 to 22:05 minutes into the episode) A paper boy is seen delivering papers riding a red Chopper as Julie Kingdom looks on. He also rides by when Julie Kingdom's colleague is smudging the fat villain. TRUST RED (10:12 minutes into the episode) A blue Chopper is parked up on its stand in the yard where Red's wife is hanging out the washing. Probably belongs to the elder of Red's two daughters. FEET OF CLAY (31:02 minutes into the episode) Ember parks the VW Beetle with the poppy in a car park. In the background is an area of grass by a playground. It looks like there's a Chopper parked amongst a few other bikes. Any additions or corrections, please send them in. |
 |
Also used... Many other cars were used throughout the series. Here's a more comprehensive list of identifiable cars from various episodes. An * indicates this car shows up in the UK Vehicle Registration Database.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||