The Morris Marina is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive small family car that was manufactured by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1971 until 1980. It served to replace the Morris Minor in the Morris product line, which had first been built in 1948. Austin and Morris vehicles were assembled at the facility and subsequently it was to be the design and manufacturing centre for BMC Australia. [7] During a period of significant postwar reconstruction, migrant assimilation and technical innovation, the factory employed a peak of 7,000 people from 35 nations.
Austin Morris Marina
Morris' most promising compact car of the early 1970s, the Marina, would come to the U.S. wearing Austin badges, but few noticed. The most enduring Morris of the postwar era had been the world-famous Minor, a cleverly simple car that would sell around 1.6-million examples in its 1948-'71 production run. 1 December 2022 Keith Adams 61 Unashamedly created as Cowley's Cortina, we tell the Morris Marina development story - how this car was intended to lead Morris - and, more importantly, British Leyland - into a […] Concepts and prototypes Concepts and prototypes : Morris ADO77 (1973-1975) 20 November 2022 Keith Adams 13 The notion of Morris being conservative and Austin being adventurous was put on the back burner, and development on the Cortina Mk IV-sized ADO77, Marina's replacement, was scuttled. The stopgap was forced to limp through. An all-new 1.7-liter OHC four in 1979 proved fruitless. Yet it was a constant top ten-selling machine throughout the '70s. The Austin Marina. In the U.K., the Marina the core of the Morris brand in the 1970s, following an early BL edict that Austin should concentrate on front-drive and technology, while Morris should be traditional. In the USA, however, Austin was the brand that had all the cachet.
Morris Marina Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki The classic vehicle and machinery wiki
The car known in the UK as the Morris Marina was sold as the Austin Marina in a number of overseas markets, including the US, Canada and - for a short time - South Africa. Here's some of what we know about the Austin Marina, thanks to the continuing investigations of celebrated BL historian, Chris Cowin. Austin Marina in Canada The Austin Morris story: Enter Cowley's Cortina The ADO28 was announced to the world on 27 April 1971 as the Morris Marina. It had been a long time coming, despite it being rushed into production - a reflection of the situation BLMC found itself in during the early months of 1971. The featured car is a 1973 1.8TC Coupe-pretty much at the top of the Marina tree, and powered by the 1.8 litre twin-carburettor B series engine, direct from the MGB, with virtually the same exhaust note. The green saloon in the second and third pictures from the top is a 1972 1.3 deluxe, a much more basic expression of the Marina range. Timeline Driving Specifications Model Timeline February 1968 Newly-formed British Leyland decided to build a Cortina rival The newly formed British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC) decided to plug a yawning chasm in its Austin-Morris range in order to counter dwindling production volumes.
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Austin/Morris Marina Hemmings
From Unique Cars #318, Nov/Dec 2010 Morris Marina Aussie ingenuity was too often forced to find a way around indifference or incompetence at manufacturer head offices without notice. The result would then be left to stand as a misleading and damning indictment of those who were left with the problem - not those who caused it. The newly-formed British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC) decided to plug a yawning chasm in its Austin-Morris range in order to counter dwindling production volumes.
What we have here is perhaps one of the most desirable Morris Marina models, namely a 1975 Morris Marina TC Coupe. Think of it as a Marina GTi, what with the big 1,798cc inline-four engine and twin carbs. It packed, when new, an impressive 95bhp (12bhp over the single carb models) and could crack 100mph. It was an impressive car. The Austin Morris story: Goodbye BMC On the afternoon of 17 January 1968, the employees of British Motor Holdings (BMH) found out that they were to merge with the smaller but profitable Leyland Motor Corporation to form a national champion to challenge both the American-owned companies operating in Britain and overseas competitors.
Morris Marina Van A rare Austin Morris badged van, KWN794P… Flickr
The Morris Marina, rebadged as an Austin in the US, was of course a BLMC Deadly Sin. And in the US, it was the final coffin nail for the Austin brand; sales were abysmal, and it quickly developed a toxic reputation. The North American version of the Morris Marina launched in 1972 as the Austin Marina. Impact-absorbing bumpers arrived in 1974, before the model was withdrawn from the US in 1975, leaving Canada.
