Morris Marina 2 - Great Range Great Value

[Station]

British Leyland "Morris Marina 2" brochure scan from late 70's.

 

Morris Marina 2 Brochure by Jibijib, on Flickr

 

Morris Marina 2 Brochure by Jibijib, on Flickr

 

Morris Marina 2 Brochure by Jibijib, on Flickr

 

Morris Marina 2 Brochure by Jibijib, on Flickr

 

Morris Marina 2 Brochure by Jibijib, on Flickr

 

Morris Marina 2 Brochure by Jibijib, on Flickr

 

Morris Marina 2 Brochure by Jibijib, on Flickr

 

Morris Marina 2 Brochure by Jibijib, on Flickr

 

Morris Marina 2 Brochure by Jibijib, on Flickr

 

Morris Marina 2 Brochure by Jibijib, on Flickr

[John F]

There's something about 1970s BL cars that sends a shudder of mild disgust down my spine... but it's almost a pleasant sensation. I can't really explain it.

 

I'd never want to own one, ever, but I'm sort of pleased they exist.

[HereHareHere]

Majestic - thank you. I particularly recommend the original-sized enlargement of the hotel shot.

[dollywobbler]

I'm sure Trading Standards would have had a field day if they existed back then! "We would like to dispute that the Marina GT really is a return to pleasure motoring!"

 

Metallic shades do suit the Marina though...

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

The Marina was a car whose shitness was highlighted more and more in the better trim versions. It worked best as a basic 1300 Coupe - unpretentious and not actually that bad to drive. The Estates were very handy, and Marina Vans rock.

[Paul Dupart]

Thanks for that, memories of my first car which was identical to the one in the top and bottom photos, a metallic blue 1800 HL 'OTS651R' (which, like the GT Coupe had the TC engine). Only 5 years old when I got it, but it rusted like buggery, leaked and anything wth LUCAS on it eventually packed up. Performance wasn't bad though in a straight line, as long as you didn't ask it to go around any corners! Had it for 3 years until replaced with an early Metro (now that was shite)

[RedSparrow]

Cool, ta. I don't think I had this one in my ex-collection, although I recognise some of the photos.

 

These are really handsome cars IMO and could have been great. Never driven one, I wonder if build quality and handling were it's only problems.

[scooters]

  John F said:

There's something about 1970s BL cars that sends a shudder of mild disgust down my spine... but it's almost a pleasant sensation. I can't really explain it.

 

I'd never want to own one, ever, but I'm sort of pleased they exist.

 

 

a bit like German Schisser porn?

[Cavcraft]

  The Reverend Bluejeans said:

The Marina was a car whose shitness was highlighted more and more in the better trim versions. It worked best as a basic 1300 Coupe - unpretentious and not actually that bad to drive. The Estates were very handy, and Marina Vans rock.

 

 

Trust me, it didn't. I know this is Autoshite and we should champion the awful but Marinas are terrible cars.

[Parky]

Mein Gott, thats the Queens Theatre in Hornchurch!

 

Hardly St Tropez but I suppose AR's budget wasnt that big. The Queens is still there, a seventies style monstrosity so in that respect perhaps the IDEAL location for a Leyland photoshoot?

[Shep Shepherd]

  Parky said:

Mein Gott, thats the Queens Theatre in Hornchurch!

 

Hardly St Tropez but I suppose AR's budget wasnt that big. The Queens is still there, a seventies style monstrosity so in that respect perhaps the IDEAL location for a Leyland photoshoot?

 

Here's a recent picture of it:

 

 

Doesn't look too bad for its age, really

[Parky]

Not a bad pic. The inside is still in great nick in a heavy seventies carpet kind of way.

[Simon M]

Theatreshite! Complete with odd-coloured letters taken from a previously scrapped Queens Theatre......

[Shep Shepherd]

  Parky said:

Not a bad pic. The inside is still in great nick in a heavy seventies carpet kind of way.

 

A bit like the library and most of the civic buildings in Southend

[Pete-M]

Marinas, or the Sherpa Saloon, to me, signified the worst of BL's chod phase. They rival the Rover 800 for pure shitness but from the opposite angle. The Rover 800 at least looked good in late Vitesse or Coupé form, it just drove shit. The Marina looks so bloody awful you'd think it had to be good. Which it wasn't. At all. I cannot abide the things.

 

An ex-girlfriend of mine actually named her daughter Marina. Marina Jones. Kinda sums things up perfectly.

[eddyramrod]

Marinas worked well as low-end used cars. One of their biggest problems was quality control. Before I ever owned one, I knew someone with a (Harvest Gold) 1.8 Coupe - not a TC, note - who said it was ridiculously fast and just a bloody great drive. My first Marina, a couple of years later, was this, costing 75 notes:

when it was 12 years old; also a single-carb 1.8 Coupe. I had to agree, it was fast all right! It was also nimble, smooth and generally a pleasure to drive. However, three years and 90 quid later I found myself with a 4-door 1.8:

which was about as opposite as you could get! Slow, cumbersome, uncomfortable and less than reliable. I replaced it with a Lada estate, which should tell you something! Now apart from the number of doors, the red one and the blue one were essentially the same car, so why should one be so good and one be so bad? Or when I'm scraping the bottom of the used-car barrel, should I simply not expect any kind of consistency?

[Bren]

I have a 1.8tc coupe in a nice shade of metallic red. It's a corgi whizzwheels one.

[RedSparrow]

  Shep Shepherd said:

  Parky said:

Mein Gott, thats the Queens Theatre in Hornchurch!

 

Hardly St Tropez but I suppose AR's budget wasnt that big. The Queens is still there, a seventies style monstrosity so in that respect perhaps the IDEAL location for a Leyland photoshoot?

 

Here's a recent picture of it:

 

 

Doesn't look too bad for its age, really

 

That building look ace. I hope it survives as original as possible.

[Parky]

Ideal location for Essex Autoshiters meet/photoshoot?

[John F]

  scooters said:

  John F said:

There's something about 1970s BL cars that sends a shudder of mild disgust down my spine... but it's almost a pleasant sensation. I can't really explain it.

 

I'd never want to own one, ever, but I'm sort of pleased they exist.

 

 

a bit like German Schisser porn?

 

Hmmm yes, not a bad analogy.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

  Pete-M said:

The Rover 800 at least looked good in late Vitesse or Coupé form, it just drove shit.

 

I think you're being a bit harsh here. Sure, the 800 may not have been the sharpest handling car of EVAH, however it wasn't a bad cruiser. Certainly better than today's barges with the 19" wheels.

 

I've never been in a Marina, and I can't say I have an urge to try the experience, but the photos are GR9.

[Pete-M]

  Luxobarges_Are_Us said:

  Pete-M said:

The Rover 800 at least looked good in late Vitesse or Coupé form, it just drove shit.

 

I think you're being a bit harsh here. Sure, the 800 may not have been the sharpest handling car of EVAH, however it wasn't a bad cruiser. Certainly better than today's barges with the 19" wheels.

 

I'm being polite about the 800. The 800 in early form handled ok, it just rode badly. Later ones rode slightly better but handled worse.

[RoadworkUK]

  Pete-M said:

I'm being polite about the 800. The 800 in early form handled ok, it just rode badly. Later ones rode slightly better but handled worse.

 

That's, er, true.

[mattblack]

Marinas 'were what they were', which was basic, simple cars that sold well to:

 

A. People who didn't trust this new fangled FWD/French/Japanese* stuff

 

B. Fleets thats did their own servicing and wanted something that you could change a clutch on in an hour. With a knife and fork.

 

Meh.

 

*Delete as appropriate.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

  eddyramrod said:

 

Looks sweet enough - is it Black Tulip? An early one too.

 

Mine was KPB295K, a Black tulip 1.3 Deluxe with red vinyl. Paid £20 for it in 1983. It had a 1622 B Series from an A60 bodged in, and it was shit.

[messerschmitt owner]

  scooters said:

 

a bit like German Schisser porn?

I had to look that up on google and it suggested I look at Scheisse porn instead - Boston pancakes and cleveland steamers a-go-go

[eddyramrod]

Sorry RBJ, it wasn't Black Tulip. From new it had been red (Blaze? Flame?) which gave it navy blue trim inside; at some point it had been resprayed Teal Blue. The red 4-door had been the same red from new, until I brushed it ( ) with Crown Field Poppy. It therefore had the same navy vinyl interior. WTF was going on at BL with those early 70s colour combinations?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

  eddyramrod said:

Sorry RBJ, it wasn't Black Tulip. From new it had been red (Blaze? Flame?)

 

Would have been Flame red ERR. Blaze (or Blase as we used to say) was a bit later - around 1973 and an orange. Best colour was Citron yellow with navy vinyl - knew a guy with an early 18/22 Princess on the P in that combo.

 

The 1.8 Coop's got a sporty stance though!