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Marina Shite (Fleet changes- beige-r than ever)


MarinaJosh

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What a fantastic selection of Marinas! Nice to see you've got it bad for a particular model but it does sound as if you can be both a Marina nerd and a normally functioning member of the public, which is quite unusual. I remember a neighbour had a K reg purple Marina coupe back in the 1980's and 90's, which he seemed to lavish attention on. Bizarrely, he painted all the visible undercarriage bits at the back in white paint but I still thought it was ace.

 

I didn't think I'd spotted many Marinas but it seems that I've seen quite a few more than I'd remembered. That said, I haven't actually seen one driving or being displayed at a car show etc. Anyway, here's mine (all from NZ)

 

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This is my first photographed spot of a Marina (bonus in being a TC coupe), spotted at the mighty Horopito scrapyard in 2008 and then again below, this year:

 

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Other Horopito spots:

 

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2011-ish I guess.

 

 

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This year.

 

 

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Here's a 1.8 sitting in a mates' shed, which I think has since been sold on.

 

 

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Marina ute, I think, Hinds garage, 2014.

 

 

 

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Marina van (aftermarket side windows were popular in Kiwi vans at the time), Westport 2014.

 

 

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Marina ute in universal 'NZ manufactured car' shade of yellow, as seen on many different makes and models. The Ital never replaced the Marina over here.

 

 

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These next few are from the British Car Museum in Hastings, spotted last month.

 

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UK import 1980 Ital 1.3 estate, imported in 1983.

 

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A couple of years ago, forum user STUNO and I went to a viewing day of an upcoming auction of old rammel and saw this Cortina on weird wheels, which turned out to be Aussie market optional extra Marina wheels and apparently pretty rare.

 

 

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However, I've saved the best until last:

 

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This sexy mutha was spotted at the start of the year in Tauranga, north island and has since been sold at a reasonable price on Trademe (kiwi eBay) and then been relisted in the south island at some inflated price which it'll never achieve over here. Speaking of Marinas and the south island, there's a serial Marina botherer down there who does some cool stuff with them and writes about them in his blog - www.kilroy.co.nz Worth a look, if you hadn't already heard about him.

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Excellent stuff! Great info from Josh and some good period pic's too.

 

I have posted these on AS previously, but these are what my Grandad had throughout the '70s. All bought new in Essex (probably from the dealership in Maldon, can't remember their name right now). As such, I have plenty of memories of being carted around in them.

 

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1972 Morris Marina 1.3 Coupe (#1) + Farina + Horse by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

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1974 Morris Marina 1.8 Saloon (#2) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

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1977 Morris Marina 1.8 Special (#3) at Mexborough, late 1970s by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

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1979 Morris Marina 1.7 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

As I live relatively local to you, some of these are/may be familiar to you:

 

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1972 Morris Marina TC by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

This one seems to have been on the road since my photo in 2010, but is now on SORN.

 

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1972 Morris Marina camper van by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

When did they start doing vans? Given where this was sitting I suspect it got banger raced, or just scrapped.

 

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1973 Morris Marina 1.3 Coupe by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

I have my own photo of 'PGJ', I noticed a few weeks ago that it was still there. Didn't realise there was another one rotting away there.

 

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1975 Morris Marina TC Coupe by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

This was one a driveway a few miles from Attleborough back in 2006. No tax since '92, and it's not there any more. Looked not too bad though, hopefully still in storage somewhere awaiting restoration?

 

Not a particularly early one, and it's just a postcard rather than one of my own photos, but this is a great example of the awkward towbar installation inflicted on Marinas and various other cars of the day:

 

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The Clock Tower, Russell Street, Stroud postcard 1970s by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

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1977-ish Datsun 280Z 2+2 (S30) at Mills scrapyard c.1994 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Reg'n of a local one visible above.

 

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1975 Morris Marina 1.8 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

And finally, I think this was you?! Sorry if I missed it, what happened to this one?

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Wow! Great seeing so many pics of crusty Marinas!

 


6794353771_d9ba97ea34_z.jpgMarina & Montrose. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

This one had been on a driveway since 1988, don't hold me to this but I think said driveway has since been cleared

Shame to hear that one has gone, being a fairly local reg to me (Norfolk) I would probably have given it a home...

 

He still does frequent these parts try Ayrshirelad, and he does still have his Mainas/itals Mk2/ 2xmk3 3 itals. Currently only Mk2 going by name of Bumble Bee on the road. According to Josh i own the Second Oldest Ital registered on the first of August 1980. Currently this car is trying to Bankrupt me. Replaced the roof as it was rotten around the sunroof. Severe amount of welding done to the front and all the doors. Once said car is nearly ready will post pics. I also have a Montego maestro and a rover 600 and the chopped roof Ital that i got for spares.Bolly the ital and Bumble Bee the Mk2 hopefully added.

 

Nice to see you on here Michael!


 

 

Howdy Josh. Pretty sure we've spoken (years ago!) when I was writing a Marina buying guide for one of the classic rags.

 

All these posts, and NO-ONE has remarked on the very early wiper layout. Why on Earth did BL ditch it and move to LHD wipers? Why did the arm shape change too? Those early ones look amazingly weird. I remember being fascinated by one that lived in our road when I was a (very young) child (a very young child with some serious priority issues).

Yes we did, CCW I think it was?

 

I believe the switch was because at speed the driver's side wiper blade would lift slightly from the screen so BL changed the direction and how high up the screen they were. There was an old newspaper article on AROnline with complaints about the new direction so BL said they would change it back with a heavier wiper blade but it never happened. Early cars had the Trico 'speedwipe' wire blades so were much lighter than the later solid stainless steel ones. I believe it was more about standardisation as several other BL cars sweep the wrong way. Weirdly with them sweeping the correct way the wiper motor ends up being upside down in the engine bay!

 

What a fantastic selection of Marinas! Nice to see you've got it bad for a particular model but it does sound as if you can be both a Marina nerd and a normally functioning member of the public, which is quite unusual. I remember a neighbour had a K reg purple Marina coupe back in the 1980's and 90's, which he seemed to lavish attention on. Bizarrely, he painted all the visible undercarriage bits at the back in white paint but I still thought it was ace

....

This sexy mutha was spotted at the start of the year in Tauranga, north island and has since been sold at a reasonable price on Trademe (kiwi eBay) and then been relisted in the south island at some inflated price which it'll never achieve over here. Speaking of Marinas and the south island, there's a serial Marina botherer down there who does some cool stuff with them and writes about them in his blog - www.kilroy.co.nz Worth a look, if you hadn't already heard about him.

 

Normally functioning member of public? I'll take your word for it!

Kilroy is a total legend in Marina circles! Like seeing the NZ stuff, my aunt lives out there and at one stage my family were going to move out there as well. Spent many happy hours on TradeMe deciding what my first Marina out there would be!

 


5115525686_e1c425b423_o.jpg

1972 Morris Marina TC by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

This one seems to have been on the road since my photo in 2010, but is now on SORN.

 

4014198543_b8ea0afb88_o.jpg

1972 Morris Marina camper van by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

When did they start doing vans? Given where this was sitting I suspect it got banger raced, or just scrapped.

 

6113252209_1927df8112_o.jpg

1975 Morris Marina TC Coupe by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

This was one a driveway a few miles from Attleborough back in 2006. No tax since '92, and it's not there any more. Looked not too bad though, hopefully still in storage somewhere awaiting restoration?

 

7331064056_5b0f755ff3_c.jpg

1975 Morris Marina 1.8 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

And finally, I think this was you?! Sorry if I missed it, what happened to this one?

 

The TC saloon got into the hands of a banger racer who specialises in Marinas. Fortunately he didn't race it but sold it to the guy who wrecked the white saloon I had. He then passed it on to someone else who messed around with it. It then got sold on again and I lost trace of it after that. Apart from the awful paint it was quite a nice car.

 

Vans came out in 72. There were prototypes on a K plate but have only ever seen L plate ones.

 

That TC coupe came up for sale at a local MG specialist. Looked quite solid and it was reasonable money too. No idea whether it is still there or not, from memory it wasn't very well advertised.

 

Yes that was me in my first car. Poor old thing sadly got broken up for spares back in 2012 when I got my DL saloon. It was quite rotten and at the time I didn't have the space or money to sort it out.

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I have posted these on AS previously, but these are what my Grandad had throughout the '70s. All bought new in Essex (probably from the dealership in Maldon, can't remember their name right now).

The BL dealer in Maldon was Houldings (might have been Houldings & Son). Bought my first new car from them in 1984. Great to read about all these Marina enthusiasts who love their cars but I don't care for them myself. When we're talking BL chod I prefer the fwd stuff - 1100, Allegro and Metro.

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Some progress made today on CVF the green coupe. Got the old prop shaft and gearbox out. There were a couple of seized bolts but otherwise it all came apart OK. The replacement box went in nicely and I bled the clutch up to give it a go. It's a really nice box, no broken synchro springs for a change, nice and quiet too so happy with that. Just need to drain the old oil and put some fresh in there and fit the new prop. Sadly I couldn't fit the prop today as the seller split it and to tighten the bolt that joins the two halves requires a 5/8 ring spanner (open ended won't fit) and of course I don't have one... So popping over to see dad tomorrow morning to pinch his then will get it all back together. There shouldn't be any vibration issues as there is a double spline so the prop can only be assembled one way.

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I'd have fit the bearing for you, fire and hammers gr9

 

Any chance you are still up for this?

 

Just bolted up the centre bearing and went to bolt up the rear axle UJ, only to discover the new propshaft is about six inches shorter than the original one... Got original prop, got a new bearing to go on. Have removed the bolt holding the old prop together but needs said fire and hammers to split.

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I have no LOVE for the Marina.

In November 1986, as a passenger of a 1.3 auto Coupe in Beige, I found myself eating glass, as a pedestrian was thrown into the front screen, whilst we went sideways into a lamp post, and rolled into a ditch. Said Pedestrian died in East Birmingham Hospital 3 days later.

Location was leaving the M42 at the A45 junction, coming off the roundabout to join the A45 slip road Coventry Bound.

In the Coroners Court the Police reported that the Car was in good condition before said slide, and these cars were "known for unpredictable handling" and we probably (given that we were 20 mph slower than the speed limit of 60 mph), unlucky enough to hit a patch of oil on the damp road.

I like to think "Shit Cars designed to kill people"

 

That's not to say that other rwd cars off the same era were any better.

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'The TC saloon got into the hands of a banger racer who specialises in Marinas'

 

An 1800 Marina coupe (MYX775L) did a couple of production saloon circuit races in period in the hands of highly respected club racer Gerry Marshall

who could not get on with it at all saying it was called Marina because it handled like a barge.He rapidly moved on to a Dolomite Sprint.

 

Very few have been used in banger racing because of their poor handling and lack of durability although I have seen one driver who uses them

on a regular basis in very particular circumstances. They are usually in a terrible state when he gets them too

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Yeah I think the Marina was definitely more suited to rallying (where it had a number of class wins) rather than circuits. Not sure BL ever tried it on a circuit actually and instead invested in the Dolomite probably for the reasons you say!!

 

Yeah a guy called Billy Bond bangers quite a few Marinas, as you say though nearly all of them are total heaps and he offers the spares up beforehand too. 

 

Got some fresh oil in my new 'box tonight. The filler plug was seized solid but some large molegrips and a big ring spanner for extra leverage soon got it shifted. Just need to get my prop sorted now.

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Good to see you over here Josh!

 

Re. Marinas in Southend, SWC 229K (yellow/brown 1.8 coupe) was sold on ebay in the Autumn, it had been stripped down by someone in Rochford who abandoned the project when he realised how little remained of the sills and floors. It then reappeared on Canvey, repaired, put back together and MoT'd. Not sure where it is now.

 

WPU 241S (Damask Red 1.3 saloon) is owned by an old chap in Gt Wakering. I spoke to him 2/3 years ago, he bought it as a used car in 1980 from SMAC's (local BL dealer) and had no plans to get rid, although I left my phone number.

 

Lastly WMG 647T (Reynard Metallic 1.8 SDL saloon) is owned by an old chap in Eastwood. This is a one-owner job IIRC.

 

I still have your original front numberplate for Ducky here which I tried repairing in 2013, the crappy chemical metal I used to repair it didn't take properly and after spending ages sanding it down it just cracked again. Which was immensely frustrating, and after putting it to one side it ended up getting scooped up with a load of other clutter and moved over to our top secret storage facility (grandparents loft). I'll sort it out soon, I promise!

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I've said it before but cannot see why you would banger race a Marina, cortina etc, something like a primera 1.6 would be loads better

 

Very few people have ever raced Marinas in any type of racing. Cortinas, Bluebirds and Primeras have been and gone but are nowhere near as fast,strong or plentiful as

Mondeos.As regards larger cars you are talking about Scorpios/various types of Mercedes/ dare I say it Lexus/Supras/some Jaguars. Small cars you would get Micras and Kas.

 

Lots of cars types never get used virtually nothing French or Italian for example ever gets raced seriously as Renaults,Citroens,Fiats and Peugeots whilst certainly fast enough are too

fragile as are most BMWs.

 

 

I've never been as banger racing sounds boring as hell, but I bet they have age categories, fwd/rwd classes etc

 

If you know nothing about it how can you come to any sort of conclusion about whether it is boring or otherwise? National bangers have age restrictions and race meetings are for particular types of car e.g unlimited, two litre or micro bangers.

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My conclusion is it sounds boring from what I've heard about it. Much like I've got no interest in learning to knit because it appears boring. It's quite easy to make conclusions from you know, most people do it all the time.

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Good to see you over here Josh!

 

Re. Marinas in Southend, SWC 229K (yellow/brown 1.8 coupe) was sold on ebay in the Autumn, it had been stripped down by someone in Rochford who abandoned the project when he realised how little remained of the sills and floors. It then reappeared on Canvey, repaired, put back together and MoT'd. Not sure where it is now.

 

WPU 241S (Damask Red 1.3 saloon) is owned by an old chap in Gt Wakering. I spoke to him 2/3 years ago, he bought it as a used car in 1980 from SMAC's (local BL dealer) and had no plans to get rid, although I left my phone number.

 

Lastly WMG 647T (Reynard Metallic 1.8 SDL saloon) is owned by an old chap in Eastwood. This is a one-owner job IIRC.

 

I still have your original front numberplate for Ducky here which I tried repairing in 2013, the crappy chemical metal I used to repair it didn't take properly and after spending ages sanding it down it just cracked again. Which was immensely frustrating, and after putting it to one side it ended up getting scooped up with a load of other clutter and moved over to our top secret storage facility (grandparents loft). I'll sort it out soon, I promise!

 

Good grief, forgot about that numberplate! Definitely no rush!

 

I have seen a picture of WMG but not seen the car. I love Reynard. If that ever comes up for sale I could be tempted. I do fancy a MK2 especially now they are becoming tax exempt. I'd definitely give WPU a home as I love Damask and I love base models... that's if you didn't take it of course!

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I've never been as banger racing sounds boring as hell, but I bet they have age categories, fwd/rwd classes etc

 

I am reminded of Malcolm Muggeridge who felt qualified to do a critique of 'The Life of Brian' without even watching it.

 

That said there are a lot who agree with you - modern bangers are shit etc

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The difference is of course that in the first case you have come to your conclusion based on other peoples observations

whereas in the case of knitting I strongly suspect you have actually seen it done yourself.

 

I actually attended my first meeting by accident and was astonished at what I saw. Bearing in mind that I have seen a lot of

different types of racing in various parts of the world I did not think that was possible any more.

 

Lots of people think there is no skill involved in short circuit oval racing but bear in mind that for example one of the highest paid drivers

in the DTM is Jamie Green who is a works Audi driver and one of the three drivers of the winning Porsche at Le Mans in 2015 was

Nick Tandy both of whom started their driving careers on the ovals.

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I started my driving career driving round the oval Huddersfield ring road, can I drive a car at Le Mans this year please?

 

I doubt Porsche would be impressed with that. I seem to recall seeing a bloke from Yorkshire wearing an

(ahem) unusual T shirt that bore the legend "would you like your Huddersfield?".

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