Princess (car)
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- For Austin Princess and Vanden Plas Princess automobiles produced from the 1940s to the 1960s see Austin Princess
The Princess is a family car that was produced in the United Kingdom by British Leyland from 1975 until 1981. The car inherited a front wheel drive / transverse engine configuration from its predecessor, the BMC ADO 17 range. This was still unusual in Europe for full-sized family cars and gave the Princess a cabin space advantage when compared with similarly sized cars from Fiat, Peugeot, Ford and GM (Vauxhall).
The car was originally called the Austin / Morris / Wolseley 18–22 series. In 1975 the range was renamed "Princess". This was a new marque created by British Leyland [1]. although it had previously been used as a model name on the Austin Princess limousine from 1947 to 1956.[2]. The Princess is often referred to as the Austin Princess, but this name was not used in the home (UK) market. It was, however, used in New Zealand. The car later appeared in revamped form as the Austin Ambassador, which was produced from 1982 until 1984 and only ever sold in Britain.
Princess sales although strong for the 1976 model year tailed off quicker than forecast primarily because of the associated quality and reliability issues. However by 1977 many of its competitors had gained a fifth door. The medium large car sector fell victim to a poor economic climate further compounded by the OPEC oil crisis of the day. Total production amounted to 224,942 units.
Contents |
[edit] Launch of the 18-22 Series in three varieties
| Austin 18–22 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Manufacturer | British Leyland |
| Production | 1975–1976 |
| Predecessor | Austin 1800 and 2200 |
| Successor | Princess |
| Class | fullsize car |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon |
| Engine(s) | 1.8 L B-Series pushrod straight-4 2.2 L E-series SOHC straight-6 |
| Designer | Harris Mann |
| Morris 18-22 | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | British Leyland |
| Production | 1975–1976 |
| Predecessor | Morris 1800 and 2200 |
| Successor | Princess |
| Class | fullsize car |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon |
| Engine(s) | 1.8 L B-Series pushrod straight-4 2.2 L E-series SOHC straight-6 |
| Designer | Harris Mann |
| Wolseley 2200 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Manufacturer | British Leyland |
| Production | 1975–1976 |
| Predecessor | Wolseley 18/85 and Six |
| Successor | Princess |
| Class | fullsize car |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon |
| Engine(s) | 2.2 L E-series SOHC straight-6 |
| Designer | Harris Mann |
The car was launched to critical acclaim on March 26, 1975 as 18-22 Series, "the car that has got it all together." The number designation 18-22 referred to the engine sizes available carried forward from the 1800- and 2200-engined BMC ADO 17 "Landcrab". For the first six months of production three badge-engineered versions were produced: Austin, Morris and Wolseley. The Austin model bore the original "design intent", featuring trapezoidal headlights and a simple horizontally-vaned grille. The Morris and Wolseley cars had a raised "hump" permitting a larger, styled grille for each model; the Morris one was a simple chrome rectangle with Morris in the lower right-hand corner, while Wolseleys had a chrome grille with the traditional illuminated company logo, with narrower vertical bars either side set back within the chromed surround. Both of these versions had four round headlights, and the Wolseley model was only available with the six-cylinder engine and luxury velour trim. Apart from their bonnet and headlamp designs, and of course their badging, the Austin and Morris models were virtually identical.
[edit] Models
| Models | Years | Engine Types | Transmissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin 1800 | March 1975–September 1975 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Austin 1800 HL | March 1975–September 1975 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Austin 2200 HL | March 1975–September 1975 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Morris 1800 | March 1975–September 1975 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Morris 1800 HL | March 1975–September 1975 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Morris 2200 HL | March 1975–September 1975 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Wolseley | March 1975–September 1975 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
[edit] Controversial styling
Like many other controversial cars, the exterior styling was distinctive, innovative, and somewhat divisive. The Wedge, as it was often nicknamed, was indeed very wedge-shaped; the styling was all angles and slanting panels. This was in very much 1970s style as created by Italian stylists (see Lamborghini Countach for the production epitome of such style). Within BL the car was often referred to as The Anteater. The designer, Harris Mann, was also responsible for the Triumph TR7, another notably wedge-shaped car, as well as the decidedly non-angular Austin Allegro.
The Princess, unlike the Allegro, made it to production metal relatively unscathed and unaltered from Harris's original plan. The bonnet (hood) was a little higher, to allow for taller engines, but the biggest change from Harris's design involved the rear. Harris had intended the design to be a five-door hatchback, but management decided that the Austin Maxi should be the only hatchback in the range, making that its unique selling point, and besides, they thought the Princess's prospective buyers would not like a hatchback — despite the fact that in the Rover division the new Rover SD1 was being given a hatchback design. Consequently, the Princess received fixed rear glass and a separate boot, belying its appearance. Some feel this was to prove a sales-loser for the Princess's entire life.[citation needed]
An estate version was also proposed, but never reached production.
Interestingly, for a car that was distinctive (particularly in its body lines), it was actually a popular car with professional car converters, namely Crayford Engineering, Torcars (who both did conversions of the car to hatchback form – sold confusingly as "Princess Estate") and Woodall-Nicholson – who built stretched limousine and hearse variants.
[edit] Mechanical details
The base engine fitted was the 1800 cc B-Series pushrod straight-4. This design dated back to 1947 and was notably lacking in power, though torque was reasonable. The larger engine, fitted to upper models in the range, was a 2200 cc E-series SOHC straight-6. This was very smooth and a much more modern engine, but was still not hugely powerful. The Princess was a big car, and the engine choice gave lacklustre performance. This wasn't helped by the provision of only a 4-speed manual gearbox (a Borg-Warner automatic transmission was an option, but performance with this was by all accounts positively lethargic). A 5-speed gearbox might have improved top end speed, economy and NVH: alas BL funds never stretched this far in development.
Suspension used BL's Hydragas system, and was very soft and smooth; the intention was to offer as smooth a ride as the Citroën CX and this was almost achieved. The Princess's ride was excellent, and comfort in general was a selling point; the car was roomy, reasonably well-appointed for the time, the seating was comfortable, and overall the driving experience – provided you didn't care that much about performance – was excellent.
[edit] Princess
| Princess | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | British Leyland |
| Production | 1976–1977 |
| Predecessor | Austin 18-22 Morris 18-22 Wolseley 2200 |
| Successor | Princess 2 |
| Class | fullsize car |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon |
| Engine(s) | 1.8 L B-Series pushrod straight-4 2.2 L E-series SOHC straight-6 |
By September 1975, the process of unifying Austin and Morris dealerships was advanced sufficiently, while the Wolseley marque was to be abandoned. The three badge-engineered cars were dropped in favour of a single version, the Princess. A crown badge was affixed to the point of the bonnet and the script word Princess was affixed to the grille, the thick vinyl-clad C-pillars and the boot. Only the 1800 cc model bore the twin headlights, with the 2200 cc models sporting the wedge-shaped headlights Harris Mann had designed the car to be seen with.
Build quality of the Princess was affected by poor quality control and constant industrial disputes; it gained a reputation for unreliability it could never shake off, even though quality improved in later years. The styling, praised upon introduction, was soon labelled "ugly". To quote a phrase in Parker's Car price guide from the 1990s, "an early critic suggested that the people responsible for designing the front and rear of the car were not speaking to one another."
[edit] Models
| Models | Years | Engine Types | Transmissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princess 1800 | September 1975–July 1978 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 1800 HL | September 1975–July 1978 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2200 HL | September 1975–July 1978 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2200 HLS | September 1975–July 1978 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
[edit] Princess 2
| Princess 2 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Manufacturer | British Leyland |
| Production | 1977–1981 |
| Predecessor | Princess |
| Successor | Austin Ambassador |
| Class | fullsize car |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon |
| Engine(s) | 1.7 L O-Series SOHC straight-4 2.0 L O-Series SOHC straight-4 2.2 L E-series SOHC straight-6 |
In July 1978, the Princess was given a revamp and renamed the Princess 2. The main change was the replacement of the old 1800 cc B-Series engine with the new O-Series engine. The new engine was offered in two sizes: 1695 cc and 1993 cc. Since there was an 1800 cc tax barrier for company cars at the time, the 1700 cc O-Series engine was developed to take advantage of that, whilst the 2000 cc engine was developed for the private motorists who wanted something different from a Ford Cortina.
As well as new engines, the Princess 2 also received a minor facelift. The Princess script was deleted from the grille and C-pillars, the boot lid lettering was changed (there were now two small badges at each side of the boot, which replaced the previous full width badge bar), new side repeater indicators were fitted to the front wings, the coachline continued past the wheel-arch, and the windscreen was now laminated. The entry-level L had chrome door mirrors and chrome wheel trims, while all the other models had satin black door mirrors and plastic wheel covers previously exclusive to the 2200 HLS, now with black rubber wheel nut covers instead of the solid chrome nuts. This was the total extent of the changes, bar some interior tweaks such as a black dashboard and centre console, wooden dash insert (not available on the L, which made do with a matte black dash insert). The graphics on the dials were also improved, the steering wheel had a new centre pad and the rim was covered in leather. Only the top-specification HLS had a radio fitted as standard, while all the other models had this as an optional extra (even on the models with no radio, there was still an aerial and a pair of speakers fitted!)
However, despite the new engines, power was just about improved, and the six-cylinder 2200 cc version continued as before. The other main flaw was the lack of a hatchback body. Since the smaller Austin Maxi was a 5-door hatchback in its range of cars, BL saw no need to produce a bigger 5-door hatchback in the Princess range, despite the success of the larger Rover SD1. Neither of those two major flaws were ever addressed.
A special one-off customized estate version of the Princess was built in late 1978 to promote Triplex glass. This vehicle can be seen at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire.
Since sales of the 2200 HL were painfully slow, that model was discontinued in January 1979, which therefore left the 2200 HLS the only six-cylinder model in the range. Following the deletion of the 2200 HL, the 1700 HLS and 2000 HLS were added to the range in May 1979. The only difference between the three HLS models was the size of their engines, since even the four-cylinder HLS models had the trapezoidal headlamps previously restricted to the six-cylinder cars! The availability of the HLS model with all three engine sizes was not to last since the 1700 HLS model was discontinued sometime after it was introduced.
1980 was to be the final full year for the Princess so it was given its final (albeit minor) facelift in November of that year. All models now featured coachlines below the waistline (one stripe for L, two for HL, and three for HLS) and larger door mirrors. For the HL and HLS models, the door frame surrounds were now either satin black or satin brown depending on the choice of colour to match the vinyl panels. Alloy wheels were now optional for the first time and the standard wheel trims were now a matt grey colour with a central "P" motif replacing the Leyland logo. The chrome wheelarch extensions and the crown on the bonnet were no longer used and were replaced by the new blue Austin-Morris corporate logo on the grille. Production of the Princess ceased in November 1981.
The basic Princess design lived on in revised form until 1984 as the Austin Ambassador. [3]
[edit] Models
| Models | Years | Engine Types | Transmissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princess 2 1700 L | July 1978–November 1981 | 4-cyl 1695 cc O Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 1700 HL | July 1978–November 1981 | 4-cyl 1695 cc O Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 1700 HLS | May 1979–March 1980 | 4-cyl 1695 cc O Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 2000 HL | July 1978–November 1981 | 4-cyl 1993 cc O Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 2000 HLS | May 1979–November 1981 | 4-cyl 1993 cc O Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 2200 HL | July 1978–January 1979 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 2200 HLS | July 1978–November 1981 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
[edit] New Zealand — Austin Princess
In New Zealand the car was officially sold as the Austin Princess. Assembled in the New Zealand Motor Corporation's plant in Nelson, it was introduced to the market in 1977 and utilized the Austin 1800 B-series engine.
In early 1979 the car was re-engined with the BL O-Series OHC motor. Due to a conflict of the Austin Princess and Morris Marina competing in the same market sector in New Zealand, the Princess got a 2.0 L unit mounted transversely, while the Marina (which was facelifted at that time and renamed in NZ as "Morris 1.7") received the 1.7 L unit mounted longitudinally.
Being competitively priced, the Princess proved a popular car on the New Zealand market, and proved to be a good alternative to the rear-wheel-drive Ford Cortina, Mitsubishi Sigma and Holden Commodore ranges.
Local production of the car ended in June 1982, when the completely knocked-down kits of the car had been used up. The Austin Princess R, the last model sold there, was still on new-car price lists in 1983, and was available only in black to commemorate the end of local assembly of a long line of Austin cars.
[edit] Today
Most Princesses were scrapped during the 1980s and 1990s and very few are now left in good condition.[citation needed]
The Princess was recently named by Top Gear as the best car British Leyland made.
[edit] References
- ^ Graham Robson, A-Z of Cars of the 1970s, 1990, Page 133
- ^ Michael Sedgwick, A-Z of Cars 1945–70, 1986, Page 24
- ^ Martin Lewis, A-Z of Cars of the 1980s, 1994, Page 19
[edit] External links
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