Morris Marina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Morris Marina | |
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| Manufacturer | British Leyland |
| Production | 1971-1980 |
| Predecessor | Morris Oxford |
| Successor | Morris Ital |
| Class | midsize car |
| Body style | 4-door saloon 4-door estate car 2 door coupé pick-up van |
| Engine | 1.3 L A-Series Straight-4 1.8L B-Series Straight-4 1.7 L O-Series Straight-4 1.4 L Straight-4 Diesel |
| Wheelbase | 96 inches |
| Length | 166 inches |
| Width | 64 inches |
| Designer | Roy Haynes |
The Marina was a car manufactured by the Morris division of British Leyland throughout the 1970s, a period of great turbulence and difficulty for the British car industry. The model has been widely identified as symptomatic of the problems facing the industry at that time, with poor build quality and outdated design, especially in its post-1980 Ital incarnation, which over-extended the lifetime of the design.
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[edit] Development
The Marina was developed under the ADO 28 codename. It was in production from 1971 to 1980 and thereafter as the moderately facelifted Ital until 1983 when the Morris name was consigned to history. In Australia, it was known as the Leyland Marina, in New Zealand as the Morris 1700 (for 1979–1981, in facelifted O-Series form), and in South Africa as the Austin Marina. It was also, briefly and unsuccessfully, sold in North America, as the Austin Marina.
In the early 1970s, BL decided that 'conservative', traditionally-engineered cars would be released under the Morris name, while more adventurous cars would be released as Austins. As a result, the Marina was unadventurous, being based on tried and trusted BMC components taken straight from the Morris Minor and MGB. Intended as a stop-gap design until new product was ready later in the 1970s, it was designed by Roy Haynes, the same man who designed the Ford Cortina Mk II, with which it shares some stylistic similarities. The engines were the venerable A-Series and B-Series units in 1.3 and 1.8 litre capacities, respectively, with rear wheels being driven through a live axle. It featured torsion bar suspension at the front and leaf-spring suspension at the rear, and five body styles, saloon (sedan), estate (station wagon), coupé, pickup and van, the estate coming about almost one and a half years later in late 1972. The TC versions were equipped with a twin carburettor engine similar to that found in the MG MGB for extra performance. A 1.5-litre diesel version was offered in Europe.
The car was popular with families and undemanding car buyers, and was available in the typical BL colours of the day—brown, beige, dark limeflower (tundra) green and a funky metallic ’70s purple. It was intended to be a competitor to the generally similar Ford Cortina, Vauxhall Viva and Hillman Avenger and Hunter.
BL was beset with problems including industrial action throughout the period, and the Marina was one of a number of models that suffered. While the BL workers gradually eroded their own employment, manufacturers in Europe and Japan introduced innovative designs (such as the VW Golf) that the Marina and its like were never likely to compete with. The problems were compounded as the cars which were to replace the Marina and BL's other mid-size offerings were delayed again and again (eventually appearing as the Austin Maestro and Austin Montego only in 1983-4). By this point, the idea of separate Austin and Morris ranges had been abandoned: there was not enough money to develop a full range of rear-wheel-drive Morris cars and an equivalent front-wheel-drive (FWD) Austin range and FWD was becoming increasingly acceptable across the market.
There were changes however, albeit small ones. A small facelift in 1975 gave the Marina new radiator grilles and dashboard. The overhead camshaft O-Series engine (that also was also used for Leyland Princess) appeared in 1.7 litre form in 1978 to replace the larger B-Series 1.8 models. A changed grille, including driving lights, and a front spoiler were added to all models.
Under severe financial strain, BL was bailed out by the government in the late 1970s, and Sir Michael Edwardes was brought in to oversee the company. Under his leadership, BL made an attempt to update the Marina, by enlisting the help of Giorgetto Giugiaro's ItalDesign. ItalDesign, however, did not design the car, which was an in-house product—it merely productionized it. The result of this exercise, the 1980 Morris Ital features large rear lamp clusters and a new front end, but the 1971 vintage of the design was obvious. The Ital was short-lived and was replaced by the Austin Montego in early 1984, thus bringing to an end use of the Morris name on passenger cars. The Marina's distinctive door handles were fitted to the Land Rover Discovery until 1998.
[edit] Popularity
Despite its heavy criticism from the media and motoring press, the Morris Marina was a very popular car in Britain and was among the country's best selling cars throughout its production life, peaking at second place – only surpassed by the Ford Cortina – in 1973.
Marina production lasted almost 10 years, and in that time no less than 807,000 were sold across Britain, though it was less popular on export markets.
A survey conducted by Auto Express magazine in August 2006 revealed that just 745 of the 807,000 Marinas sold in Britain are still on the road - fewer than one in a thousand. This made it officially the most-scrapped car to have been sold in Britain over the previous 30 years. This was surprising even for a car which had ceased production 26 years earlier.
[edit] Engines
- 1971–1980 - 1275 cc A-Series Straight-4, 60 hp (45 kW) at 5250 rpm and 69 ft·lbf (94 Nm) at 2500 rpm
- 1971–1978 - 1798 cc B-Series Straight-4
- 1971–1978 - 1798 cc B-Series Straight-4 Twin carburettor
- 1977–1980 - 1489 cc Straight-4 Diesel
[edit] North America
The Marina was available as an Austin here from 1973 through 1974 in 2 and 4-door form. It was thought that the name "Austin" had a better image because Americans loved the old Austin Healey. The 1973 model still had the normal small bumpers, but the 1974 model had large bumpers to comply with the new US regulations. It was a very poor seller though, and they were not imported after 1974.
[edit] Denmark
In Denmark, the Morris Marina name was used for a badge-engineered version of the Morris 1100 in the early- to mid-(1960s).
[edit] Australia
The Morris Marina, sold there as the Leyland Marina (in saloon and coupe forms only) instead used the OHC E-Series motors, in 1500 cc and 1750 cc forms, the 1750 in two different rates of tune. Additionally, as an ill-advised competitor to the Holden Torana and Ford Cortina 6 models, the Marina was also offered with a 121 hp (90 kW) 2600 cc engine. This indigenous Marina variant was capable of 0-60 mph in under nine seconds - in a straight line. Cornering was another matter. Production of the Marina in Australia was between 1972 and 1974, when Leyland Australia's Zetland factory (home of the Leyland P76) closed.
[edit] New Zealand
The Morris Marina was a popular car on the New Zealand market, imported by the New Zealand Motor Corporation. Imports began with built-up British sourced saloons (in 1.3 and 1.8L forms) in 1971, but local assembly of Australian sourced (E-Series engines) models began in 1972 after the release of the Marinas there. In 1974, after the demise of Leyland Australia manufacturing operations, local assembly switched to British sourced models again in saloon, estate, van and pickup forms. Batches of fully-built UK-sourced cars also came in in 1973 and 1974 when the government allowed additional import licences due to the inability of local assembly plants to keep pace with demand for new cars.
In 1979 the Marina received a facelift and O-Series OHC 1.7L engine, but the 'Marina' name was perceived as negative by the New Zealand public and was dropped completely and the car was renamed the 'Morris 1700'. The Morris 1700's equipment levels were high, and even included front spoilers and driving lights for all models. The van and pickup models were renamed 'Morris 575'.
Production of this car ceased in 1981, and the car was replaced locally by an expanded range of NZMC Honda products.
[edit] Rallying
In 1974 Foden commissioned a Rover V8 engined Marina to compete in the London-Sahara-Munich rally. This stormed through several stages before suffering rear-axle failure in the desert.
[edit] Trivia
- Names suggested for the Marina included Mascot, Monaco and Maori.
- The Marina was only expected to be produced until 1975, when a new model was meant to replace it. Actually, its production (as the Ital) lasted until 1984.
- The doorhandles from the Marina were utilized in various other British Leyland products, notably the Austin Allegro, Range Rover and Triumph TR7 models. The final car to use them was the original Land Rover Discovery, which went out of production in 1998. They were also used by various Lotus cars, including some versions of the Lotus Esprit.
- The indicator switchgear, also used on the Triumph Stag, eventually became part of the Lamborghini Diablo.
- Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson used a Marina as a "ball" against five cars (including an Austin Allegro, a Ford Sierra and a Vauxhall Astra - other cars he hates) used as "pegs" on a giant game of bar skittles. [1]
[edit] External links
- National Web site for Leyland Marina Australia
- Morris Marina Owners Club & Morris Ital Register (UK)
