AR Telstar

Ford belatedly replaced the old rear-drive Cortina with the chunky, locally-assembled Telstar, which was essentially a second generation, front-wheel drive Mazda 626, as its mid-sized contender.

All models – sedan GL, S and Ghia and hatchback TX5 and TX5 Ghia – were powered by a new 70kW 2.0L four-cylinder engine mated to a three-speed auto, four-speed manual or five-speed manual gearbox.

Novel for the time was the TX5 Ghia’s electronic instrumentation and (ineffectual) electronically adjustable shock absorbers.

Spacious (except for headroom in the sleek TX5) and well equipped, this generation Telstar wasn’t an especially durable car despite winning a major award.