Time will tell on that front...but there was an article in Practical Classics mag which said that the 300 series was one of a small number of 80s cars which stand to become the Moggie and mk1 Escort of the future. Highly popular in their day, with sentimental memories for a lot of children of the 80s. At one point in my childhood I reckon every other family I knew had a 300. Sure, it's not a beatiful car, but how do you define 'classic' anyway?
As for the mechanical woes...I'm no fan of the B14's reliablility (although it's a surprisingly good engine when it's working), and I when I removed it and replaced it with a B200, I also fitted PAS from a late 360 to my 343 (although with the B14, it's really not heavy at all...with the B200 is a different matter)...so I'll have to agree with you on those points.
However, the 343 won a major motorsport championship, which is more than the much-coveted-as-a-performance-car-of-sorts 850 managed, despite the hype. Shame they didn't make the road cars more interesting...the chassis had the potential.
cheers
James
|