Morris Marina received relentless criticism from the automotive press of the time and later. After all, Ford and GM had for many years produced simple and unsophisticated cars for the masses. Why couldn't British Leyland do the same?
Just had to photograph these!
The cars in the pictures are clearly visible from the road. They have seen better days, but are not just any cars. They are English. A private collection perhaps? I easily recognize the Morris Marina 1,8 TC Coupé. I liked these when they were new, but can't remember the last time I saw one - with signs!
Should make money - not car history
Morris Marina is not something you see every day. I don't know how many are left in Norway. I'm sure I've seen a light yellow 4 door sedan earlier this year but can't remember if it was here , or in England. According to the website howmanyleft.co.uk there were only 405 registered cars left in the whole of the UK at the start of the year, - as well as a few more cars without plates. At one point, the Marina was the third best-selling car in the British Isles – a car that was designed to be a blockbuster.
That is perhaps one of the reasons why so few love Marina? The company had car designers who Alec Issigonis, the man who created the Mini, 1100/1300 and Maxi. These were cars that made automotive history - but obviously not enough money. The red numbers had been shining for a long time. In 1968, British Leyland (BMLC) was formed as a merger of BMC and Leyland Motors, bringing almost all British car brands at the time under the same umbrella. The management had decided to develop a model that would become a "cash cow" for the new company. They wanted to build a car that was not only equal to successful models such as the Ford Cortina mk2 and Escort mk1 – it also had to be cheaper than all the others.
Cortina as a role model
The man behind the design was Roy Haynes who, among other things, had designed the Ford Cortina mk2. It was the which made me stop along the road. The Cortina mk2 were simple, unsophisticated, practical, beautiful, English cars. It is clear that Haynes has used the Cortina mk2 as a model. There are many similarities between Cortina mk2 and Marina both in size and design. One could have taken Marina to be Cortina's successor. But by the time the Marina was launched, Ford had launched the Cortina mk3 which was both wider and longer than its predecessor.
Swap places with Morris Minor
What class did Marina belong to, really? Some claim it was the small Morris Minor 1000 - others the much larger Morris Oxford. The Marina model was put into production at Morris' Cowley plant and effectively replaced the Morris Minor on the assembly line – the classic that had been in production since 1948. Because of this, the Marina's platform was based on the Morris Minor but stretched 10 inches in length. If more were to be increased, the production apparatus would have to be completely rebuilt. Remember! Marina was supposed to be cheap to produce.
The British motoring press was quick to point out the relationship to the Morris Minor, hardly intended in a positive context. I don't know how the market reacted to this, but at least it put a damper on it min want to choose Morris Marina. I exchanged my Cortina for a Mazda 818 1300, - a car that was otherwise more like Marina than I realized.
Was Marina an American concept?
To save development costs, the developers at British Leyland had used as many components as possible from other models in the new, merged company. Vigilant car journalists listed all the components – big and small. The Marina 1,3 got BMC's well-known A-series 1275 engine. The Marina 1,8 got the 1800 engine that was developed on the B series – the same engine series that, among other things, was installed in the Morris Oxford. The 1,8 engine with twin carburettors was the same as in the MGB, something owners of the Marina 1,8 TC (Twin Carburettor) could boast of.
Launching new budget models based on components from other models in the same group was something Ford and GM had been doing for many years. Instead of putting the spotlight on sophisticated chassis, handling and powertrain features, customers were made to drool over plush seats, vinyl roofs and chrome trim. What baffles me is why Ford, GM and Chrysler (Rootes) got away with it, while British Leyland received unrelenting criticism for doing the same? Motor Trend wrote about the Morris Marina with the subtitle British Cloth, American Cut. They believed that Morris Marina had jumped on an American concept, unlike early models. Maybe it was easier to accept that American-owned car brands did that. Not Morris! Not a traditional English car brand.
Model history
The Morris Marina was launched as a 1971 model with 3 engine options and 3 trim levels. First as a 2-door coupé and 4-door sedan, later as a 5-door Estate station wagon, van and pickup. In 1976, Marina received a facelift. It got a new grill - and thus lost one of the model's fine characteristics. It also got a new dashboard molded in one piece of plastic. In 1980, Marina was succeeded by a "new" model, called Ital. You could say a lot of negative things about the Morris Marina, but it was a beautiful car. Unfortunately, that could not be said about Ital, the last model to bear the Morris name. Ital kept the 1275 engine in the base version, and got two new engines in the model range. It wasn't beautiful, but gave a lot of car for the money. To quote Motor Trend from 1971: A car built for people in need of transportation rather than entertainment.
Facts Morris Marina 1,8 TC Coupé
Weights and Measures
Length, width and height: 414 x 164 x 140 cm
Wheelbase: 244 cm
Net weight without driver: 957 kg
Number of seats: 5
Drivetrain
Engine: 1,8 liter inline four with 2 SU carburetors
Type: BMC B-series, front-mounted long stance
Operation: RWD
Horsepower: 96 HP
Torque: 144 Nm at 5250 revolutions
Gearbox: 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic from Borg Warner
Source: ultimatespecs.com
See
Morris Marina Owners Club became an enjoyable regular in several episodes of Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. Every time the team tested - or had to mention a Morris Marina, the car was smashed flat in front of the viewers' eyes by a piano from the blue.