I shamefully forgot to credit the legendary Richard (@Ronald_McBo11ox on Twitter) for tipping me off to the existence of the Rancho song. It’s all his fault.
I'm glad you put this out- it's possibly your best episode. In the circumstances, you may well have sat on it for a while. Your channel is consistently top notch and compares very well to certain others you mention!
Thanks for warming everyone up to the Rancho in the first place Ian! Very much enjoyed your video, and otherwise I'd never have been told about the song...
I had a Rancho, I bought it for 42 pence in 1989. It had 11.5 months MoT, no more rust than any other 8 year old Rancho, was reliable, I think economic and a perfectly acceptable car. I used the car as a mobile food wagon in the morning, selling sandwiches, fruit, crisps, donoughts, cold drinks and chocolate bars around the nearby town. In the afternoons it was my workhorse for carrying all the electrical equipment, cables, tools, ladders etc, I needed to do building electrical installation/repair work. I used the car for over 3 years before selling it and traveling to the USA for an extended visit. I quite liked the car, in fact I had enough fond memories of it that in 2010 I bought a Mk2 Escort based kit car that, although smaller looked quite similar to the Rancho. Why 42 pence? My sister's husband was of Romany descent, my parents had stood bail for him after being a bit naughty in the mid 70s, they didn't really need his help and he felt beholden to the family. I needed a car like the Rancho but couldn't afford one, he had one so one day asked my if I had any change in my pocket. I had 52 pence, he refused to leave a man without a piece of silver in his pocket, so asked for the 42 pence, handed me the car keys and the registration document. I was flabbergasted, as the joke goes, my flabber had never been so ghasted.
Here in the Netherlands, the Rancho was not very common on the streets, however a lot of people know and remember it because it featured in a very popular children's tv series back in the day, called "Bassie & Adriaan". It featured 2 brothers, one was clown and the other was an acrobat. The Rancho was red with large yellow dots. I'm sure there are some clips around on youtube.
I started secondary education in '77, there was a green Rancho in the car park, along with a 924, a Fulvia 1300 and a 105 Gtv. That car park was fuel to my fiery passion for vehicles. It also made me feel less sympathy when teachers complained about poor salaries.
I worked for a Simca dealership back when these were new. The engines were noisy, and the gearboxes were vague. However, if you were used to the brand, they were, in fact, reasonable cars to drive.
Really enjoyed this video, thank you for producing it. I can remember these from launch…and how envious I was at a school friend’s parents owning one from new! I’d forgot that you actually own a Rancho too!
Whilst it's very true that I found your channel through being a Hubnut subscriber and watching his Rancho roadtest, I'm more than happy for the algorithm to place your channel under my gaze. A perfect mix of information, dry humour, and a very British approach to the inner scream you must have felt when you discovered the content clash. I'm in, subscribed. 👍
Great to see you again! Hope all is well? You must have one of only 2 working Ranchos left on UK roads! Great CGI - the Simca 1100 to Rancho conversion animation was particularly good!
I so enjoyed this video. The world can never get enough Rancho content. Your passion for detail and vape references” strike the perfect chord. Life doesn’t get any better than UA-cam like this, a beer and cooking dinner
An excellent and affectionate review. I blew my meagre holiday money in late-60s Brittany and later around the Loire and Dordogne on Majorette Ami 6s and similar... cars one simply didn't see at home. In those days (pre-GS) French cars were rare... a few 404s, some 4Ls, the odd Dyane, an R8 or R16 here and there.... And in Dinan I saw a model of a Simca 1100. For some reason it sticks in my mind. I was maybe seven or eight. Like the Ami 6, it was "exotic". It wasn't a Morris 1100 or a Ford Anglia or a Singer Vogue.... It was.... strange. To me, the Rancho was somehow (later) am 1100 estate. It wasn't, but also somehow it was. An excellent little snippet of video that made all the right nostalgic noises. 😊
Welcome back Martin! Great video, which has also unexpectedly broadened my musical appreciation 😂 Nobody realised how far ahead this car was…… simply decades ahead of the current ubiquitous crop of SUVs!
New sub, after viewing hubnut vid on Rancho alongrhym! why have I not heard previous about your channel great coverage of these unusual motors Rancho being arguably first small to mid size SUV chers 🌟🌟
True. Dutton Sierras were quite popular, there were a couple round here when I was a lad. Those mk1 Escort donors would now be worth silly money, of course.
@@GrandThriftAuto I bought a very used, burgandy red Dutton Sierra in the 90s allegedly made from a RS2000. No idea of the donor car's state before conversion but still.. 😕
Always entertaining, interesting and amusing. But it's definitely the wry sense of humour that keeps me coming back and looking forward to the next one. Cheers.
In my teens (late 80's/early 90's) there was a couple parked on my way into the town centre (along with, parked on the road side! a Matra Bagheera, a Gordon Keeble, a Consul Mk II, an Allegro Equipe' and a pair of rough looking Bristols parked by a council tower block!).
Could I get info on that article comparing it to the Range Rover? I work on vintage Rovers, mostly defenders, but I love Ranchos and it would be awesome to see the side by side
Sure - it’s from CAR magazine, July 1978. There are a few copies on eBay at the moment if you’re in the UK…or email me at martin[at]grandthriftauto.uk and I can send you a picture.
It's been a while but you came back with a bang, Martin! Excellent video, cgi stuff is really good. And I love the trivial facts and dry sense of humour 😂👏🏼
Great film, really enjoyed it. Loved the Rancho as I pointed out in Hubnut's comments section. I don't think the Rancho was the antecedent of all today's soft-roaders though. I saw it as a cheaper copy or homage to the Range Rover and liked it no less for that. For all its merits the Range Rover was heavy and thirsty and a bit OTT for many drivers. A lighter, more economical offering was a brilliant concept. The Dacia Duster and Jogger have evolved from similar thinking. The real progenitors of the SUV craze IMO were the Land Rover station wagon, the Range Rover, the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Jeep Wagoneer/Cherokee series. All of which were lionised in literature, film & television. This created the subliminal yearning in many of us for outback cars in cosy, suburban packages.
Hubnut viewer here, I loved the look of this car when new and would still love to own one now. To this day I still like the "soft road" look in cars to the extent I have a 22 sandero stepway which really follows the Ranchero idea
Loved it! Great to have you back in your inimitable way. Great CGI too. A 45rpm made to promote a car… how car merchandise changed! Mind you, BMW used to sell beer Steins and sheep’s wool seat covers back in the 80’sz
Great video and nice CGI work 👍My parents owned a Simca 1100 in Bronze when I was a small child, I remember they traded it in for an automatic Chrysler 2 Litre, it was less rusty and was able to tow a horse box 😂
More rusty than a Chrysler 2 litre is fairly damning... Yes, the Rancho is rated for 850kg of towing, which is my twin axle flatbed trailer plus a couple of fat dogs but not much in the way of horse.
I had Bodie's Capri and a JPS Elite towing a Lotus F1 car. My Rancho was a radio control number, quite a basic non kit job, but I thought it was pretty cool at the time.
What a sickener that must've been but you rallied to the cause in an exemplary way. Great story telling as per usual. You almost had me spitting my tea out when I saw the horse's arse. Always a joy to watch.
The wait for a well researched video on this Simca was well worth it, from my perspective at least. I'm an older viewer (59 years young) who remembers the launch and in particular the terrible rattle from the cars from new. Keep the videos coming!
Yes, the 1100 Fourgonette was used by our postal services and Télécom services in the Netherlands. Whenever you heard one of those cars go bye they always sounded like there were nails rattling inside the engine. But they always ran!
Excellent research! The Rancho always intrigued me as a kid and as a coincidence just as you and HubNut are feeding me the long lost factoids about the real thing, I am sorting through my old toy cars and have found both a Corgi and Matchbox Rancho today! I think these will be the closest I’ll come to owning one. Great CG Rancho renderings by the way, they add a lot to the video as there can’t be a ton of footage available of them in action.
Ha! Great stuff. I could maybe argue whether the DB2/4 falls within the definition of hot hatch as there wasn't an underlying 'shopping trolley' version, but instead I shall just applaud your pedantry!
@@GrandThriftAuto Okay, then,- if the Vantage version is the hot hatch maybe the box standard version is your shopping trolley.. But then, what if we take the David Brown industrial underpinning and remember remember there's nowt more fundamental for bringing in t'groceries than a tractor. After all, if you can have the Simca as your brioche and camembert then the DBB2/4 is no'but a flash body-kit x
I think it only fair that I add comments...I did after all to HubNut. I worked for Peugeot Talbot Rental in about 82, in a garage not far from Knightsbridge. We had a couple on the fleet and they would get passed round the branches as required. Good fun cars.....although afriend who I picked up one day said "it looks a bit like a red hearse". She had a point! A colleague "borrowed" one for a family caravan holiday and when he returned said it just about coped with all the gear a family needs, but the caravan on the back was probably too much........ Said he constantly worried that the front wheels were hardly touching the ground. My feeling is that, of today's cars, it matches well with the 2WD Duster (which I do own).
I can imagine it struggled with a family on board plus a caravan. It's rated for towing 850kg, but I don't think I'd fancy it much. I think I'd agree about your Duster (good choice by the way).
Excellent video and such an interesting car. You say that, "off-roading as a hobby hadn't even been invented" when the Rancho came out, but trialling is one of the oldest forms of British motorsport and had been around for decades and has always been done using two wheel drive cars.
That's a really good point - I was thinking more of the 'green laning' kind of thing, but of course you're absolutely right about trials. All those Austin Seven specials! And of course skinny tyres beat fat ones on mud or snow every time.
In Britain's 1980's roadscape, the Rancho REALLY stood out. It wasn't subtle. It implied carefree adventures were possible. That didn't go down particularly well with the average dad who was nursing a Morris Marina or an Escort 1100 towards a compulsory Sunday outing to the wife's mother's suburban cage. It had loads of room and probably didn't smell of nasty things. Passengers in Ranchos seemed happy. Ba****ds. Hate them. Excellent video! Subscribed!
One thing that I believe isn’t mentioned in Hubnut’s or this video, is the Rancho Decouvrable, the „convertible“ (kind of) version. Utterly cool, but considering that it had flapping pieces of canvas to cover the openings, I guess it rusted even faster than the normal Rancho. Still one of my favorite cars, from a time when SUV‘s were actually cool and special.
True, I didn’t mention any of the special editions. Maybe another time. I seem to remember one of the big channels got hold of a Découvrable for a video a couple of years back - but I may have dreamed it.
Good question. I understand from various sources (AROnline and DrivenToWrite are favourite sites) that Matra originally planned to add both, but the money wasn't there. I imagine the 1.6 version of the Poissy engine that was used in the top line Alpine/Solara and base Murena would drop straight in for an extra 10hp or so, and fuel injection would add even more; 4wd would have been harder with the end-on gearbox but not impossible, as Fiat proved with the Panda in 1983.
I used to love these, had the model as a boy but it didn't survive being off-roaded in the garden! Great video tho, I cant watch Hubnut anymore so thank you
@@GrandThriftAuto I don't doubt it is. I loved watching Hubnut until it changed. Not complaining or insulting him at all, just no longer my cup of tea. My loss i'm sure. Glad to find a car focused channel tho
Excellent video. Hub-Nut is a well established down-to-earth channel that's in part interesting because it's so presentationally 'hand-knitted'. Can't imagine him doing any CGI 😆. You are funnier and the CGI potential to show how the car was constructed takes it to a better level than Hub-Nut could ever do. Was already a subscriber but I'm now ringing the bell as well
At some point collabs with other YT folk will happen. meanwhile that Talbot/Simca must be brought back to use. (Given the Engine - I always found them troublesome but I think it is carbs - an electric conversion could be interesting but it seems good old petrol might have some advantages). How good was it at towing ?
Nowhere I'm afraid - I made it myself in Blender! I adapted someone's Simca 1100 (from Sketch3D) for the front half though, which means I can't legally redistribute it. Otherwise I'd be happy to share. Sorry :(
@@GrandThriftAuto Oh what a shame, I have been looking for a nice 3D model for my private collection for years. Not even if I promise to keep him to myself?
That was indeed interesting (and complimentary to HubNut’s video). We had one from new (DKK 960Y) and it was, to 12 year old me, fantastic. Last seen near Otford in Kent.
I remember these were thought of as being pretty cool back in the 70s. Pity they didn't make it a 4x4. My brother had an Alpine and it was actually quite fast!
I've been thinking that too. In principle I have the tech to create such a thing and actually did do a bit of preparatory work a few months ago, though I didn't make much progress...might be a little side project.
Martin so glad to see you back and a great video as ever! Hope you are keeping well It’s a pity you should record your rancho video as you intended I am sure it would be brilliant love all the CGI of your rancho it’s really effective! Remember them well from growing up there was one near me a white one was a proper family work horse! Always remember the Simca 1100 but more so from family French holidays but my parents had the horizon which was related which never ever let us down Keep up the hard work Martin and look forward to seeing your rancho again! Daniel
Thanks very much Daniel! I rather liked the Horizon - we had a Renault 14 instead, which took a while to grow on me. I'd give up a limb to have a nice R14 now...if I had any space.
Love the Rancho, thought they were really cool when i was 12 yrs old. I assumed it was named after a ranch, and then made more exotic italian style by adding an 'o' . It would have made a great mini campervan too - maybe a Campcho! Tried to get my mum to buy a used one in 1981 but she brought a new Fiesta popular plus instead 🙄, and when that died, a Talbot Samba.......
Brilliant, now you have me on one thing I didn't have I don't have details of the music although I do have the image of the sleeve. There are plenty more little nuggets I have for when you do a follow-up, keep in touch - 'from the red Rancho owner'
It was quite regular end seventies- eighties in Belgium. But never realised that it was so expensive and based on old technology. I know nobody who drove one. Closest is a cousin who drove a Simca 1307 and a granddad who had a Simca 1000.
Interesting that the Rancho got it's own dedicated tail lights whereas the Discovery discovered it had beem palmed off with those from a Maestro van.... And what about the Lulu connection ?
Ooh, I hadn't heard the Lulu story until I just Googled it - top knowledge! Thanks, I shall casually drop that into a future video and try to remember to credit you ;)
I've got a Lada Niva that I'm restoring it's a rare 1989 RHD Cossack. It is almost as good looking as the Rancho ( which I always wanted) although legendary off road.
That's a fair question - but the videos would have been ridiculously similar apart from Ian actually driving Clive's car. He's got 10x my viewer base and UA-cam tells me most of my viewers also watch his channel, so I think it was definitely worth going back and digging further for some more nuggets. My video is better as a result. If it had been months later I might not have bothered - I wasn't put off by Matt at Furious Driving already having done a Rancho video, for example - but in the _same week_ it would just have been wasting many of my viewers' time and looked like 'me too' plagiarism.
Well, thank you for a great video, I owned a Rancho back in the early '80s and I loved it, my friends used to call it the Pope mobil! I would happily buy another one, wanna sell yours? Thanks again, keep 'em coming
Ooh, an actual owner! I'm not selling mine I'm afraid - well, not yet at least, I need to restore it and then see if I like it as much as I hope I will...
The Dodge Charger Daytona, GLHS, Turbo Cars 1,2 later Daytona Z made it sporty but not too common anymore too bad I like them but they used what they could at the times
Great little video. I have even subscribed! Being an older guy, I remember this car coming out. My feeling then was that it looked a bit fraudulent, in a world full of the images of Jeeps and Range Rovers…. Rather like those kit replica cars with cheap running gear. In a world now full of cross-overs, hindsight might see them as capable, roomy, comparatively cheap and of course fun. A car out of time, really
They rusted like CRAZY. CRAZY, I say! Growing up in the 80's, it was the only car I knew that practically rusted out while it was brand new. I could see five year old cars totally shot. My next door neighbor had a green one, bought new in 1981. And they had a kid my age so we played a lot and I got ferried around in it somewhat. I still remember what the father said when I asked him why they had bought such an unusual car. "Well, I wanted a sports car but my wife wanted a practical car so this was the perfect compromise" which I think to this day sums up the demographic of that time perfectly.
They're the best of both worlds! Although sports car is a bit of a stretch I think. More or less everything rusted badly back in the late 70s: mine did 12 years regular service and is _fairly_ rusty, as I'll show you soon, but not terminally so.
@@GrandThriftAuto Yeah, but think of the Sport in it as Sport Utility and it all makes sense. But yeah, aspirational urban middle class in their mid thirties with kids, obviously fashion sensitive. It was very très chic.
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 Absolutely. I’d say it made a similar ‘statement’ to the Range Rover Evoque when that was new a few years ago. Not sure what the equivalent is now…Hyundai Ioniq 5, maybe? The one that looks like a Leyland Princess joined the Imperial Battlefleet.
@@GrandThriftAuto I was just thinking of what that demographic would drive today, and I think they would've pivoted towards something electric. Tesla would obviously have been the aspirational choice but somewhat out of their price range. Volvo XC40 perhaps? Or your Hyundai choice. Smart but still affordable.
Interesting thought. You're right that Fiat owned most (or all?) of Simca at the time the 1100 project began, so doubtless the same thinking influenced the transverse FWD concept. Most of the 1100's development was done under Chrysler ownership though, and I don't believe the cars were related at all.
Yes, I dare say it was an influence. Somebody did a visualisation of a Rancho rear on a Discovery 3 (or 4) front, and it works remarkably well - Google 'interpretation rancho discovery platform' and you should find it.
Good to have some fresh content from you Martin. By all means throw in a bit of video trickery just don't replace yourself with Chat GPT & an Avatar please !
I do like that bronze metallic. My (Step) Grandfather's last car was a 79 1100 in the bronze. It had just 43000 miles on it when he gave up driving in the mid/late 90's.
I shamefully forgot to credit the legendary Richard (@Ronald_McBo11ox on Twitter) for tipping me off to the existence of the Rancho song. It’s all his fault.
I'm glad you put this out- it's possibly your best episode. In the circumstances, you may well have sat on it for a while.
Your channel is consistently top notch and compares very well to certain others you mention!
Thanks Drew, that's kind! I think there's room for different styles.
Sorry Martin! But I reckon you've ended up making a better video as a result. Love the graphics!
Thanks for warming everyone up to the Rancho in the first place Ian! Very much enjoyed your video, and otherwise I'd never have been told about the song...
I had a Rancho, I bought it for 42 pence in 1989. It had 11.5 months MoT, no more rust than any other 8 year old Rancho, was reliable, I think economic and a perfectly acceptable car.
I used the car as a mobile food wagon in the morning, selling sandwiches, fruit, crisps, donoughts, cold drinks and chocolate bars around the nearby town. In the afternoons it was my workhorse for carrying all the electrical equipment, cables, tools, ladders etc, I needed to do building electrical installation/repair work. I used the car for over 3 years before selling it and traveling to the USA for an extended visit.
I quite liked the car, in fact I had enough fond memories of it that in 2010 I bought a Mk2 Escort based kit car that, although smaller looked quite similar to the Rancho.
Why 42 pence? My sister's husband was of Romany descent, my parents had stood bail for him after being a bit naughty in the mid 70s, they didn't really need his help and he felt beholden to the family.
I needed a car like the Rancho but couldn't afford one, he had one so one day asked my if I had any change in my pocket. I had 52 pence, he refused to leave a man without a piece of silver in his pocket, so asked for the 42 pence, handed me the car keys and the registration document. I was flabbergasted, as the joke goes, my flabber had never been so ghasted.
That's a great story!
Here in the Netherlands, the Rancho was not very common on the streets, however a lot of people know and remember it because it featured in a very popular children's tv series back in the day, called "Bassie & Adriaan". It featured 2 brothers, one was clown and the other was an acrobat. The Rancho was red with large yellow dots. I'm sure there are some clips around on youtube.
Nee ik lust geen pindakaas!
I had the Simca 1100 estate!
Always aspired to get a Rancho!
It was so so cool 👌
I started secondary education in '77, there was a green Rancho in the car park, along with a 924, a Fulvia 1300 and a 105 Gtv. That car park was fuel to my fiery passion for vehicles. It also made me feel less sympathy when teachers complained about poor salaries.
Excellent stuff as always 👏. Not many creators out there using CGI B-Roll like that 😳 - can’t wait to see the real thing in action.
the CGI car needs new dampers thought 😆
@@olik136 the real one probably does too!
I worked for a Simca dealership back when these were new. The engines were noisy, and the gearboxes were vague. However, if you were used to the brand, they were, in fact, reasonable cars to drive.
I used to watch hubnut for years but don't now so please post your other video as I'd be interested in viewing it. thanks.
I’m planning a follow-up on mine soon - so I think between that video and this video there won’t be much you’ll miss 😊
We've been missing your content! Good to have you back!
Thanks a lot! Been a busy few months - I’m hoping to post more often now though 👍
Really enjoyed this video, thank you for producing it. I can remember these from launch…and how envious I was at a school friend’s parents owning one from new! I’d forgot that you actually own a Rancho too!
Thanks Eddie, glad you enjoyed it!
When someone tells him, I'm sure HubNut will pop in and thank you! Love the wry humour as always, Nigel
He does drop by occasionally! I’ll maybe tweet him later (I’m not going to X him, that sounds like something very different)
I've been a HubNot for over a year now!
Whilst it's very true that I found your channel through being a Hubnut subscriber and watching his Rancho roadtest, I'm more than happy for the algorithm to place your channel under my gaze. A perfect mix of information, dry humour, and a very British approach to the inner scream you must have felt when you discovered the content clash. I'm in, subscribed. 👍
Only remember a hand full ,thanks for the further info.....
Great to see you again! Hope all is well? You must have one of only 2 working Ranchos left on UK roads! Great CGI - the Simca 1100 to Rancho conversion animation was particularly good!
Thanks Simon! When you say _working_ Ranchos… well, mine does meet the rural shed description. But its time will soon come…
I so enjoyed this video. The world can never get enough Rancho content. Your passion for detail and vape references” strike the perfect chord. Life doesn’t get any better than UA-cam like this, a beer and cooking dinner
Thanks! And bon appetit :)
I enjoyed Hubnuts video, but what a deep dive this was! Fascinating, but please get that bronze beauty back on the road!
Starting soon...
This is brilliant. Your production levels are off the scale. Those CGIs are amazing and I love the pacing of your delivery.
Thank you! Very much appreciated :D
Oh what a song!👌
Remember Petula Clark sang
‘Put a Chrysler Sunbeam in your life’
Circa 1977
❤
I remember that too! Thank goodness I didn't try to sing like Petula Clark, it wouldn't have gone well.
missed the videos so good to see you're back with a bang. loved these as a kid and always wanted to drive one.
Thanks! Same here - I have driven mine about 50 yards but that didn't really scratch the itch. Soon, hopefully.
An excellent and affectionate review. I blew my meagre holiday money in late-60s Brittany and later around the Loire and Dordogne on Majorette Ami 6s and similar... cars one simply didn't see at home. In those days (pre-GS) French cars were rare... a few 404s, some 4Ls, the odd Dyane, an R8 or R16 here and there....
And in Dinan I saw a model of a Simca 1100. For some reason it sticks in my mind. I was maybe seven or eight.
Like the Ami 6, it was "exotic". It wasn't a Morris 1100 or a Ford Anglia or a Singer Vogue.... It was.... strange.
To me, the Rancho was somehow (later) am 1100 estate. It wasn't, but also somehow it was.
An excellent little snippet of video that made all the right nostalgic noises. 😊
That's some serious, ultra comprehensive, research. Great video as always.
Welcome back Martin! Great video, which has also unexpectedly broadened my musical appreciation 😂 Nobody realised how far ahead this car was…… simply decades ahead of the current ubiquitous crop of SUVs!
Thanks Simon! And, er, glad to bring you such quality* music.
Great video, I like your presenting style so I’m now a subscriber. 😊
Top work as always Squire, at some point I'll have to get in the loft and find my Burago version.
Ooh, I had the Corgi 1/36 one (still do) but the Burago was even better - bigger and more going on. Go fetch it. Now.
I can't believe you made such an interesting video about the history of the Matra rancho.
Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it! It’s all about that song, right? 😉
New sub, after viewing hubnut vid on Rancho alongrhym! why have I not heard previous about your channel great coverage of these unusual motors Rancho being arguably first small to mid size SUV chers 🌟🌟
The Rancho design inspired the shape of the popular Dutton Sierra kit car of the 1980s, based on a mk1 /mk2 Ford Escort.
True. Dutton Sierras were quite popular, there were a couple round here when I was a lad. Those mk1 Escort donors would now be worth silly money, of course.
@@GrandThriftAuto I bought a very used, burgandy red Dutton Sierra in the 90s allegedly made from a RS2000. No idea of the donor car's state before conversion but still.. 😕
Had one thirty years ago. Drove nicely and delightfully practical
Always entertaining, interesting and amusing.
But it's definitely the wry sense of humour that keeps me coming back and looking forward to the next one.
Cheers.
In my teens (late 80's/early 90's) there was a couple parked on my way into the town centre (along with, parked on the road side! a Matra Bagheera, a Gordon Keeble, a Consul Mk II, an Allegro Equipe' and a pair of rough looking Bristols parked by a council tower block!).
Great to see another excellent video Martin. I remember the Rancho but haven't seen one for years, great to see you actually own one.
Could I get info on that article comparing it to the Range Rover? I work on vintage Rovers, mostly defenders, but I love Ranchos and it would be awesome to see the side by side
Sure - it’s from CAR magazine, July 1978. There are a few copies on eBay at the moment if you’re in the UK…or email me at martin[at]grandthriftauto.uk and I can send you a picture.
It's been a while but you came back with a bang, Martin! Excellent video, cgi stuff is really good. And I love the trivial facts and dry sense of humour 😂👏🏼
My favourite Corgi toy was a Rancho back in 1981 - when I was 8.
I had a Simca 1000 back in the day.
I always desired a Rancho.
Great film, really enjoyed it. Loved the Rancho as I pointed out in Hubnut's comments section. I don't think the Rancho was the antecedent of all today's soft-roaders though. I saw it as a cheaper copy or homage to the Range Rover and liked it no less for that. For all its merits the Range Rover was heavy and thirsty and a bit OTT for many drivers. A lighter, more economical offering was a brilliant concept. The Dacia Duster and Jogger have evolved from similar thinking.
The real progenitors of the SUV craze IMO were the Land Rover station wagon, the Range Rover, the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Jeep Wagoneer/Cherokee series. All of which were lionised in literature, film & television. This created the subliminal yearning in many of us for outback cars in cosy, suburban packages.
Hubnut viewer here, I loved the look of this car when new and would still love to own one now. To this day I still like the "soft road" look in cars to the extent I have a 22 sandero stepway which really follows the Ranchero idea
The Sandero Stepway is definitely channelling the Rancho!
Honestly, I wouldn't care if anyone else made a movie about that one. Very interesting, thank you.
Loved it! Great to have you back in your inimitable way. Great CGI too.
A 45rpm made to promote a car… how car merchandise changed! Mind you, BMW used to sell beer Steins and sheep’s wool seat covers back in the 80’sz
Put a Talbot Sunbeam in you life.
Great video! The Rancho has always been one of my favourites.
Thanks! Mine too :)
Great video and nice CGI work 👍My parents owned a Simca 1100 in Bronze when I was a small child, I remember they traded it in for an automatic Chrysler 2 Litre, it was less rusty and was able to tow a horse box 😂
More rusty than a Chrysler 2 litre is fairly damning... Yes, the Rancho is rated for 850kg of towing, which is my twin axle flatbed trailer plus a couple of fat dogs but not much in the way of horse.
Excellent video as ever. With this and your Lotus, you’re basically in my favourite Corgi toys from 1979
If you include the Rover SD1 and Jaguar XJS, you’d only need The Professionals Capri S to complete my Corgi top trumps!
Ha! I never did have the Lotus Elite. I still have the others you mention though!
@@simonhodgetts6530 I had all of these!
@@GrandThriftAutowhat we’re alluding to is that you have the real things! We just made do with the toys!
I had Bodie's Capri and a JPS Elite towing a Lotus F1 car. My Rancho was a radio control number, quite a basic non kit job, but I thought it was pretty cool at the time.
What a sickener that must've been but you rallied to the cause in an exemplary way. Great story telling as per usual. You almost had me spitting my tea out when I saw the horse's arse. Always a joy to watch.
Thanks Dave! There's always at lease one horse's arse in my videos, by definition, so I thought I'd sneak in another and see if anyone noticed ;)
One of your best videos . Really enjoyed it . Well done and more please
Thanks Rob!
The wait for a well researched video on this Simca was well worth it, from my perspective at least. I'm an older viewer (59 years young) who remembers the launch and in particular the terrible rattle from the cars from new. Keep the videos coming!
I dream of hearing mine rattle ;)
Yes, the 1100 Fourgonette was used by our postal services and Télécom services in the Netherlands.
Whenever you heard one of those cars go bye they always sounded like there were nails rattling inside the engine. But they always ran!
@@GrandThriftAuto 😂
Wonderfully dry yet informative.
The midi version of the Rancho song made me giggle, well done hahahaha
You spelled 'thunderously sh*t' wrong! Hope all is well with you :)
@@GrandThriftAuto I'm good! Moved to London permanently now, been there for a few months. New house is a building site, but we're getting there.
Excellent research! The Rancho always intrigued me as a kid and as a coincidence just as you and HubNut are feeding me the long lost factoids about the real thing, I am sorting through my old toy cars and have found both a Corgi and Matchbox Rancho today! I think these will be the closest I’ll come to owning one. Great CG Rancho renderings by the way, they add a lot to the video as there can’t be a ton of footage available of them in action.
I can out-pedant you, in that the first hot hatch was, in fact, the Aston Martin DB2/4 from 1953 or somesuch x
Ha! Great stuff. I could maybe argue whether the DB2/4 falls within the definition of hot hatch as there wasn't an underlying 'shopping trolley' version, but instead I shall just applaud your pedantry!
@@GrandThriftAuto Okay, then,- if the Vantage version is the hot hatch maybe the box standard version is your shopping trolley.. But then, what if we take the David Brown industrial underpinning and remember remember there's nowt more fundamental for bringing in t'groceries than a tractor. After all, if you can have the Simca as your brioche and camembert then the DBB2/4 is no'but a flash body-kit x
hahahaha "rather optimistic offroad situations''! Epic!!
Yes inflation was high then (as it is now). My dad bought a new Simca 1100 in 1974 and it cost £1400.
The good old days of the national front aye? Very interesting video that really does cover the parts that the other bloke didn't. 👍
Thanks! Ah yes, the golden age when 'send em home' was only sprayed on bus shelters instead of Home Office policy statements.
I think it only fair that I add comments...I did after all to HubNut. I worked for Peugeot Talbot Rental in about 82, in a garage not far from Knightsbridge. We had a couple on the fleet and they would get passed round the branches as required. Good fun cars.....although afriend who I picked up one day said "it looks a bit like a red hearse". She had a point! A colleague "borrowed" one for a family caravan holiday and when he returned said it just about coped with all the gear a family needs, but the caravan on the back was probably too much........ Said he constantly worried that the front wheels were hardly touching the ground. My feeling is that, of today's cars, it matches well with the 2WD Duster (which I do own).
I can imagine it struggled with a family on board plus a caravan. It's rated for towing 850kg, but I don't think I'd fancy it much. I think I'd agree about your Duster (good choice by the way).
Excellent video and such an interesting car. You say that, "off-roading as a hobby hadn't even been invented" when the Rancho came out, but trialling is one of the oldest forms of British motorsport and had been around for decades and has always been done using two wheel drive cars.
That's a really good point - I was thinking more of the 'green laning' kind of thing, but of course you're absolutely right about trials. All those Austin Seven specials! And of course skinny tyres beat fat ones on mud or snow every time.
In Britain's 1980's roadscape, the Rancho REALLY stood out. It wasn't subtle. It implied carefree adventures were possible. That didn't go down particularly well with the average dad who was nursing a Morris Marina or an Escort 1100 towards a compulsory Sunday outing to the wife's mother's suburban cage. It had loads of room and probably didn't smell of nasty things. Passengers in Ranchos seemed happy. Ba****ds. Hate them.
Excellent video! Subscribed!
Was the Renault 16 a hatchback? It may have come out before
Yes, it was and it did, in 1965; it had a longitudinal engine with the gearbox in front though. I have one tucked away somewhere.
@@GrandThriftAuto The Austin A40 Countryman was a hatchback that came out in about 1963.
Fantastic work. Really enjoyable and very informative!
One thing that I believe isn’t mentioned in Hubnut’s or this video, is the Rancho Decouvrable, the „convertible“ (kind of) version. Utterly cool, but considering that it had flapping pieces of canvas to cover the openings, I guess it rusted even faster than the normal Rancho. Still one of my favorite cars, from a time when SUV‘s were actually cool and special.
True, I didn’t mention any of the special editions. Maybe another time. I seem to remember one of the big channels got hold of a Découvrable for a video a couple of years back - but I may have dreamed it.
Those back lights look a lot like the ones on the Citroën visa van.
True, they do - but I promise you they're not the same.
@@GrandThriftAuto these sound like the words of someone who's had to find one...
@GrandThriftAuto took me a long time to realise the land rover discovery 1 had maestro van back lights.
Do you think it would have been possible to give it a more powerfull engine and four wheel drive?
Good question. I understand from various sources (AROnline and DrivenToWrite are favourite sites) that Matra originally planned to add both, but the money wasn't there. I imagine the 1.6 version of the Poissy engine that was used in the top line Alpine/Solara and base Murena would drop straight in for an extra 10hp or so, and fuel injection would add even more; 4wd would have been harder with the end-on gearbox but not impossible, as Fiat proved with the Panda in 1983.
I used to love these, had the model as a boy but it didn't survive being off-roaded in the garden! Great video tho, I cant watch Hubnut anymore so thank you
Thanks! HubNut's Rancho video is one of his best, I reckon (even allowing for a bit of bias on my part).
@@GrandThriftAuto I don't doubt it is. I loved watching Hubnut until it changed. Not complaining or insulting him at all, just no longer my cup of tea. My loss i'm sure. Glad to find a car focused channel tho
Excellent video. Hub-Nut is a well established down-to-earth channel that's in part interesting because it's so presentationally 'hand-knitted'. Can't imagine him doing any CGI 😆. You are funnier and the CGI potential to show how the car was constructed takes it to a better level than Hub-Nut could ever do. Was already a subscriber but I'm now ringing the bell as well
At some point collabs with other YT folk will happen. meanwhile that Talbot/Simca must be brought back to use. (Given the Engine - I always found them troublesome but I think it is carbs - an electric conversion could be interesting but it seems good old petrol might have some advantages). How good was it at towing ?
"Pada ba baba ba" 🤣
Oh that Google Translate is superb!!
What a Macan.. (Jeremy) - just heard your Bagheera comments! 🤭
Where can i find the 3d model of the Matra Rancho?
Nowhere I'm afraid - I made it myself in Blender! I adapted someone's Simca 1100 (from Sketch3D) for the front half though, which means I can't legally redistribute it. Otherwise I'd be happy to share. Sorry :(
@@GrandThriftAuto Oh what a shame, I have been looking for a nice 3D model for my private collection for years. Not even if I promise to keep him to myself?
That was indeed interesting (and complimentary to HubNut’s video). We had one from new (DKK 960Y) and it was, to 12 year old me, fantastic. Last seen near Otford in Kent.
I remember these were thought of as being pretty cool back in the 70s. Pity they didn't make it a 4x4. My brother had an Alpine and it was actually quite fast!
like your style, lets thank the Algo' and also your data rich presentation for my subscription.... :)
Welcome to the madhouse!
Now I really want to play a driving game with a Matra Rancho in it.
I've been thinking that too. In principle I have the tech to create such a thing and actually did do a bit of preparatory work a few months ago, though I didn't make much progress...might be a little side project.
Martin so glad to see you back and a great video as ever! Hope you are keeping well
It’s a pity you should record your rancho video as you intended I am sure it would be brilliant love all the CGI of your rancho it’s really effective!
Remember them well from growing up there was one near me a white one was a proper family work horse! Always remember the Simca 1100 but more so from family French holidays but my parents had the horizon which was related which never ever let us down
Keep up the hard work Martin and look forward to seeing your rancho again! Daniel
Thanks very much Daniel! I rather liked the Horizon - we had a Renault 14 instead, which took a while to grow on me. I'd give up a limb to have a nice R14 now...if I had any space.
Love the Rancho, thought they were really cool when i was 12 yrs old. I assumed it was named after a ranch, and then made more exotic italian style by adding an 'o' . It would have made a great mini campervan too - maybe a Campcho! Tried to get my mum to buy a used one in 1981 but she brought a new Fiesta popular plus instead 🙄, and when that died, a Talbot Samba.......
The Rancho used the larger brakes of the 1100Ti as well.
Top video Sir.... Big Car meets Twin-Cam. Subscribed!
really enjoyed this despite the cgi, great video.
Brilliant, now you have me on one thing I didn't have I don't have details of the music although I do have the image of the sleeve. There are plenty more little nuggets I have for when you do a follow-up, keep in touch - 'from the red Rancho owner'
I was really hoping I’d find *something* that was new even to you! Looking forward to seeing you at the NEC 😊
Well done for creating an entertaining new angle, or six and a half!
Thanks! The half is important, even if it's only a half.
Always loved the Simca 1100! one of the most under rated cars ever! Solid and reliable!
It was quite regular end seventies- eighties in Belgium. But never realised that it was so expensive and based on old technology. I know nobody who drove one. Closest is a cousin who drove a Simca 1307 and a granddad who had a Simca 1000.
Interesting that the Rancho got it's own dedicated tail lights whereas the Discovery discovered it had beem palmed off with those from a Maestro van.... And what about the Lulu connection ?
Ooh, I hadn't heard the Lulu story until I just Googled it - top knowledge! Thanks, I shall casually drop that into a future video and try to remember to credit you ;)
And the Renault body reminds me of our U.S Ford Aerostar van on the 80's 90s
I've got a Lada Niva that I'm restoring it's a rare 1989 RHD Cossack. It is almost as good looking as the Rancho ( which I always wanted) although legendary off road.
Ooh, a Niva Cossack! I strongly approve - good luck with the restoration.
My favourite Rancho fact is the silly name Matra gave to its limited slip diff on the Grand Raid models: Antibog.
That's a great name. I now want one just so I can call it that, regularly.
@@GrandThriftAuto When you invariably get yours going (and get stuck) you will rue the day you did not invest in ANTIBOG.
@@jonburgess4179 Wise words. I have that video thumbnail drafted in my head already.
I’ve never seen 5th Gear change their VTs because Poop Gear did it first. Are you deliberately being secondary to Hub Gnut?
That's a fair question - but the videos would have been ridiculously similar apart from Ian actually driving Clive's car. He's got 10x my viewer base and UA-cam tells me most of my viewers also watch his channel, so I think it was definitely worth going back and digging further for some more nuggets. My video is better as a result. If it had been months later I might not have bothered - I wasn't put off by Matt at Furious Driving already having done a Rancho video, for example - but in the _same week_ it would just have been wasting many of my viewers' time and looked like 'me too' plagiarism.
Well, thank you for a great video, I owned a Rancho back in the early '80s and I loved it, my friends used to call it the Pope mobil! I would happily buy another one, wanna sell yours? Thanks again, keep 'em coming
Ooh, an actual owner! I'm not selling mine I'm afraid - well, not yet at least, I need to restore it and then see if I like it as much as I hope I will...
Great to see another video from you.
Thanks!
Great video and kudos for referencing Hub Nut. Have a like and subscribe.
Thanks!
The Dodge Charger Daytona, GLHS, Turbo Cars 1,2 later Daytona Z made it sporty but not too common anymore too bad I like them but they used what they could at the times
Great little video. I have even subscribed! Being an older guy, I remember this car coming out. My feeling then was that it looked a bit fraudulent, in a world full of the images of Jeeps and Range Rovers…. Rather like those kit replica cars with cheap running gear. In a world now full of cross-overs, hindsight might see them as capable, roomy, comparatively cheap and of course fun. A car out of time, really
That's it in a nutshell, really. (Or maybe a fibreglass shell.) Thanks for subscribing, welcome aboard!
Well I'm glad the algorithm did its work and recommend this video.
They rusted like CRAZY. CRAZY, I say! Growing up in the 80's, it was the only car I knew that practically rusted out while it was brand new. I could see five year old cars totally shot.
My next door neighbor had a green one, bought new in 1981. And they had a kid my age so we played a lot and I got ferried around in it somewhat. I still remember what the father said when I asked him why they had bought such an unusual car. "Well, I wanted a sports car but my wife wanted a practical car so this was the perfect compromise" which I think to this day sums up the demographic of that time perfectly.
They're the best of both worlds! Although sports car is a bit of a stretch I think. More or less everything rusted badly back in the late 70s: mine did 12 years regular service and is _fairly_ rusty, as I'll show you soon, but not terminally so.
@@GrandThriftAuto Yeah, but think of the Sport in it as Sport Utility and it all makes sense. But yeah, aspirational urban middle class in their mid thirties with kids, obviously fashion sensitive. It was very très chic.
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 Absolutely. I’d say it made a similar ‘statement’ to the Range Rover Evoque when that was new a few years ago. Not sure what the equivalent is now…Hyundai Ioniq 5, maybe? The one that looks like a Leyland Princess joined the Imperial Battlefleet.
@@GrandThriftAuto I was just thinking of what that demographic would drive today, and I think they would've pivoted towards something electric. Tesla would obviously have been the aspirational choice but somewhat out of their price range. Volvo XC40 perhaps? Or your Hyundai choice. Smart but still affordable.
(presume the Simca was infact Fiat 124/8 saloon based )
Interesting thought. You're right that Fiat owned most (or all?) of Simca at the time the 1100 project began, so doubtless the same thinking influenced the transverse FWD concept. Most of the 1100's development was done under Chrysler ownership though, and I don't believe the cars were related at all.
The Rancho was marketed as 'toute chemins', all roads and not off road
That’s interesting, I didn’t know that - thanks 👍
Look forward to seeing it.
Great film , you made me laugh . Glad to subscribe.
Thanks Paul, and I've just subbed back - your channel looks GREAT! Going to have a happy time watching properly later.
Looks remarkably like an original discovery from the rear- of course that should the other way around🤔
Yes, I dare say it was an influence. Somebody did a visualisation of a Rancho rear on a Discovery 3 (or 4) front, and it works remarkably well - Google 'interpretation rancho discovery platform' and you should find it.
Good to have some fresh content from you Martin. By all means throw in a bit of video trickery just don't replace yourself with Chat GPT & an Avatar please !
I do like that bronze metallic. My (Step) Grandfather's last car was a 79 1100 in the bronze. It had just 43000 miles on it when he gave up driving in the mid/late 90's.
Where have you been all my life.
Right here waiting for you, just out of sight behind this algorithm thingy 😘