HMC Quattroporte assaulted

4,549 · February 2

33 minutes ago, bezzabsa said:

what was the difference between the Oxford and the Cambridge?

The rear end, the fin styling was different on both but apart from that they are pretty much identical to look at.

19,870 · February 2

32 minutes ago, jim89 said:

Oxford a bit sniffier ?

The was also an Austin Eton in the 1930's. 😂

6,841 · February 2

4 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

The Oxford retained a metal dash I think - the Cambridge is a wood-grained formica finish I think. Most Cambridges were leather inside - the Oxford were more vinyl?

Wings were the same at rear.

All this 'badge engineering' was to keep the old dealers happy as well as traditional customers.

They would have been much better binning the lot and going for a BMC badge on these saloons IMHO.

Good cars but like a lot of BMC stuff not significantly updated during their later life and no real equivalent replacement in the marketplace afterwards. The Marina was a car with a very different character.

The rear wings on the Oxford VI had more pronounced "fins" and vertical lights compared to the A60,with its sloping ones.On the previous Oxford V and A55 they both had taller still,fins and vertical lights.

19,870 · February 2

On 31/01/2025 at 18:01, HMC said:

Thats just triggered a memory….an admission of how different i was. As a teen i didnt have max power posters on my wall (circa mid 90s) i had this, amongst other things. Im yet to own a landcrab (whats the origin of the name?) but i nearly bought a wolseley 6 automatic just after covid lockdown.

Very frumpy advertising even for 1972.

BL aiming fair and square at the Terry and June marketplace.

But doom blue with a muddy brown interior and a virtue - 'BIG' can't have pulled in many punters with that ad.

Not sure what the family were pointing at - perhaps a Ford Granada they'd rather be in.

VW had the equally plug-ugly 411/2 to shift but they tried funky colours and at least that felt vaguely modern not stuck in a 1950's time-warp.

BMC/BL never did a GT version of the car either to lift its image - the 1300GT was considered quite cool at the time and the Hillman Minx was hotted into the Hunter GT - again quite popular at that time.

So Terry and June it was.

The asymmetric badging always looks wrong.

19,157 · February 2

https://landcrabforum.co.uk/thread/614/where-name-landcrab-originate

difference between oxford and cambridge?

point of view i think

19,870 · February 2

20 minutes ago, Dobloseven said:

The rear wings on the Oxford VI had more pronounced "fins" and vertical lights compared to the A60,with its sloping ones.On the previous Oxford V and A55 they both had taller still,fins and vertical lights.

Very similar- I'm not sure the body pressing is very different - looks like the chrome surround is bigger on the Oxford.

Difficult to tell. The Austin lights seem to 'cut in' more.

6,841 · February 2

1 minute ago, lesapandre said:

Very similar- I'm not sure the body pressing is different - looks like the chrome surround is bigger on the Oxford.

Difficult to tell.

I think you'd better get down to Specsavers!

19,870 · February 2

Yes I think the Austin ones cut in more.

Funny old BMC going to that trouble to make something so similar to pretend the cars are different.

That presumably meant two wing pressings and non-interchangeable rear panels meaning two sets of different stock and spare parts.

6,841 · February 2

Just now, lesapandre said:

Yes I think the Austin ones cut in more.

The bumper is different as well.Knowing BMC,they probably had someone altering the pressing by hand!

19,870 · February 2

Seems bonkers. 😂 I always thought they were the same. Every time they did something like that it cost them profit.

19,678 · February 2

34 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

BMC/BL never did a GT version of the car either to lift its image - the 1300GT was considered quite cool at the time and the Hillman Minx was hotted into the Hunter GT -

They did - the 1800S.

As well as the twin carbs the rest of the engine was MGB spec. 97bhp was enough to make it lively if not stupidly fast.

Externally it had stainless steel side stripes. They were the same pattern as those on the 1300GT but filled in with silver. So they were shiny stainless on the outside and a duller painted silver in the middle.

This was my old 18/85S. To bling it up a bit I painted the middle of the stripes old English white.

And this was after I had fitted the SD1 wheels, though you can't see them well in this picture.

4,549 · February 2

2 minutes ago, Yoss said:

They did - the 1800S.

As well as the twin carbs the rest of the engine was MGB spec. 97bhp was enough to make it lively if not stupidly fast.

Externally it had stainless steel side stripes. They were the same pattern as those on the 1300GT but filled in with silver. So they were shiny stainless on the outside and a duller painted silver in the middle.

This was my old 18/85S. To bling it up a bit I painted the middle of the stripes old English white.

And this was after I had fitted the SD1 wheels, though you can't see them well in this picture.

Yoss has lived the dream, what a beauty…

17,670 · February 2

56 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

BMC/BL never did a GT version of the car either to lift its image - the 1300GT was considered quite cool at the time and the Hillman Minx was hotted into the Hunter GT - again quite popular at that time.

So Terry and June it was.

The asymmetric badging always looks wrong.

If the punter had sporting pretensions wouldn't they be offered the MG or Riley, if they wanted a plush interior the Wolseley fitted the bill?

19,870 · February 2

Yes. But there was no MG or Riley 1800 surprisingly.

MG should have been the Magnette and superceded the Farina - the Riley the 4/90 and again superceded the Farina. The MG1100 was an attractive sports saloon and the 1800 really more fitted to the MG badge.

Nor a VDP beyond a prototype.

Funny old BMC. But all very likeable cars. Two types I have never had - I had a pre-Farina Cambridge and three pre-Farina Westminsters and a later Wolseley 6/110. All very nice but they were in bangerdom in the 1980's.

All well engineered - I can't really recall much trouble even though they were all over 30yo by then.

Sold them all on. I hope the Westminsters survive - one was dark blue with an auto box - and a black one was floor change reputedly ex-police. So quite unusual.

All bought out of Exchange and Mart or Loot newspapers.

19,678 · February 2

4 minutes ago, bigstraight6 said:

Yoss has lived the dream, what a beauty…

Sometimes I wonder if it was all a dream. I got that one for £80. It was in a local council car park, had been there for ages when one day I saw it had a council notice on it. Obviously untaxed it would be removed in seven days. So I left my own note on it and the owner rang me. I think the price agreed was roughly the scrap price at the time.

So, as you did in those days, I just drove it from that council car park to another one where I lived not worrying about tax or insurance. It was only two miles, WCPGW. When I put it in for MOT it needed £250 worth of welding but it was well worth it. I had it for two years but it was incredible how much of the floor disappeared between two MOTs and I had to give up. I kept the twin carb set up though and sold them to an MGB owner for £120, so I got something back.

1,137 · February 2

4 hours ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

I want one of these so bad.

Well, there’s one for sale very close to you.

SEK 50,000.
https://www.blocket.se/annons/goteborg/morris_oxford/1401618481

Uddevalla. Just across the border.

The ad says ’NO TOW BAR’ which is just as well for an Oxford diesel. 😀

1.5k · February 2

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

https://landcrabforum.co.uk/thread/614/where-name-landcrab-originate

difference between oxford and cambridge?

point of view i think

Family money shurely?

60,937 · February 2

4 hours ago, lesapandre said:

The Cambridge was probably no slower as a diesel - than the equivalent MB Ponton and Fintail 180's or same-size Peugeot diesels. It just failed to capture world markets in the same way - probably not quite as durable as the aforementioned on rough roads.

The diesel 404 was significantly ~~quicker~~ less slow than the Oxbridge, but then it did have a substantially bigger engine.

11,839 · February 2

13 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

The diesel 404 was significantly ~~quicker~~ less slow than the Oxbridge, but then it did have a substantially bigger engine.

It's surprising they kept the diesel down to 1489cc for so long. Didn't they do a 1798 in the diesel Sherpa?

19,870 · February 2

41 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

The diesel 404 was significantly ~~quicker~~ less slow than the Oxbridge, but then it did have a substantially bigger engine.

www.automobile-catalog.com/make/peugeot/404/404/1974.html#gsc.tab=0

puts the Peugeot 404 diesel at 0-60 in 24 seconds and about 60bhp as against 40 seconds...yes all relative 😁

19,870 · February 2

24 minutes ago, artdjones said:

It's surprising they kept the diesel down to 1489cc for so long. Didn't they do a 1798 in the diesel Sherpa?

That would be an interesting conversation - or even with a turbo?

Also in the land of make-believe cars how about a Cambridge 2-dr coupe?

6,100 · February 2

I'm trying my best not to nerd out on this thread.

So I'm going to tell you a story of a chap following us in the Oxford like a opposite magnet and forced me to pull over, this chap was nuts! Just to tell me that he had a full "wallnut" dash from a A60 Cambridge in this celler. That I needed it, and I needed to go in his celler to retrievere it me and @mk1_4dr both made the executive decision to get the flip away from his chap.

Inside No. 9 springs to mind.

24,548 · February 2

2 hours ago, Rightnider said:

Well, there’s one for sale very close to you.

SEK 50,000.
https://www.blocket.se/annons/goteborg/morris_oxford/1401618481

Uddevalla. Just across the border.

The ad says ’NO TOW BAR’ which is just as well for an Oxford diesel. 😀

A relative had a diesel one years ago.

It had a unique Two tank fuel system,the regular fuel tank with a couple of gallons of the correct fuel,then a "special" tank for the Agri stuff!

Funnily enough,the York powered Mk1 Transit that followed has a similar set up installed!😁

42,870 · February 3

Good greif ive been accepted as an entrant

20,107 · February 3

Douglas Cawley is the head honcho at Longstone Classic Tyres, looks like he's taking his Model A.

19,870 · February 3

Good Luck 👍

36,845 · February 3

3 hours ago, HMC said:

Good greif ive been accepted as an entrant

I am too young for that sort of thing, I am only 92!

60,937 · February 3

I'm imagining that Cressida de Little in her Delage is going to be quite impossibly posh.

19,870 · February 3

1 hour ago, wuvvum said:

I'm imagining that Cressida de Little in her Delage is going to be quite impossibly posh.

According t'web Cressida is a member of the VCC South-East Committee - representing younger members - which sounds a jolly good thing.

These old cars and clubs have to find new enthusiasm to hand these vehicles on.

Probably going to beat @HMC hands down 😁

Nice to see these old cars getting used properly 👌

12,902 · February 3

Can't believe Little and Lage are still entertaining in 2025

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