One For Classic Car Fans.....

[raleighnut]

They weren't all bad. The 1.8 models were quite rapid for their class, and fairly economical too. Their biggest problem was terrible quality control from the factory, not that Ford, Vauxhall, or Hillman were much better. However they were often a good secondhand buy. By the time they were a couple of years old the faults they left the factory with were mostly fixed, and they were very easy to work on. Neglecting to grease the front suspension every service was asking for trouble though!.

Roger.

Same basic engine as the MGB,

My dad had a 1976 1.8 Marina, we have a test for all cars there is a t junction close to where we live, about 1/4 mile down the road is a hump. the test is how fast you go over the hump, the Marina hit the hump at 80mph there are other cars we've had couldn't get up tp that speed.

Especially the twin carb variant, they were quite quick*.

* in a straight line, they weren't that keen on going round corners.

 

[Drago]

Front suspension scrubbed from the Morris Minor! Hateful things, and shows the contempt with which the British car industry treated the buying public.

Even worse, they then went and turned it into the Morris Ital!

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Front suspension scrubbed from the Morris Minor!

You say that, but torsion bar suspension appears on lots of cars

 

[raleighnut]

Front suspension scrubbed from the Morris Minor! Hateful things, and shows the contempt with which the British car industry treated the buying public.

Even worse, they then went and turned it into the Morris Ital!

Did they sort out the top Trunnion on it though, used to be quite common to see moggy thou's with a front wheel come adrift as they'd unscrewed themselves.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Did they sort out the top Trunnion on it though, used to be quite common to see moggy thou's with a front wheel come adrift as they'd unscrewed themselves.

Or worse still snap as they were brass, mate had a GT6 he'd been doing over 100mph coming down this road, he braked hard, took a 90 left onto a side road, after 10 yards the trunnion snapped & the left front suspension dropped to the floor, scary stuff, not sure the Marina was quite the same.

 

[Drago]

You say that, but torsion bar suspension appears on lots of cars

Yes, but most other companies design improperly. Hell, it was an afterthought on the moggie, which was going to use a different set up entirely but at the last minute the Morris bean counters binned it off as too expensive anda rushed and half arsed TB design was substituted.

 

[Profpointy]

Whilst I've not owned nor even driven a moggie, I've has a ride in several and as a passenger they felt OK on the road. My mate's ex-police dog van was great. The owners all thought them quite good and I thought they were quite well regarded for what they were

 

[Drago]

There wasn't much of an alternative, and what little there was came largely from the same group of companies. People, by and large, simply didn't know better in the late 40s. Certainly it was an outrageous act to use it on the Marina, and breathtakingly tight to carry it on with the Ital. Only the Itals from the final few months of production got updated with proper suspension. And yet they wondered why people went and bought Cortinas and Cavs instead.

 

[raleighnut]

There wasn't much of an alternative, and what little there was came largely from the same group of companies. People, by and large, simply didn't know better in the late 40s. Certainly it was an outrageous act to use it on the Marina, and breathtakingly tight to carry it on with the Ital. Only the Itals from the final few months of production got updated with proper suspension. And yet they wondered why people went and bought Cortinas and Cavs instead.

My Dad used to be given Marinas as hire cars when he travelled from Whetstone to Hartlepool or Heysham (he worked writing the control programmes for the Nuclear Power stations there) after a few trips in these dismal cars he argued successfully to use his own car to save on the hire costs, however his own car wasn't as economical on fuel but that would be offset by not hiring the Marina for a week.

Dads car was more economical on a long run than round town though, he could get 14-15 MPG as long as he stuck to 65 or so,
the car Vandem Plas 'Princess' 4 Litre R.

 

[Profpointy]

My Dad used to be given Marinas as hire cars when he travelled from Whetstone to Hartlepool or Heysham (he worked writing the control programmes for the Nuclear Power stations there) after a few trips in these dismal cars he argued successfully to use his own car to save on the hire costs, however his own car wasn't as economical on fuel but that would be offset by not hiring the Marina for a week.

Dads car was more economical on a long run than round town though, he could get 14-15 MPG as long as he stuck to 65 or so,
the car Vandem Plas 'Princess' 4 Litre R.

Ooh, those have a certain appeal. One of those strange mash ups that made sense at a particular time and place; the Maserati engined Citroen DS is a similar sort of idea. Totally different cars obviously, but arguably the same commercial logic

 

[Gunk]

What on earth is all the love for the Marina all about, absolutely lothesome cars, I can’t think of one positive thing to say about them except most have now been scrapped

 

[Ian H]

This early series 2 is still in regular use.

 

[Gunk]

This early series 2 is still in regular use. View attachment 525187

that’s just lovely, nice, battered and unpretentious. I bet it’s nickname is “frog”

 

[Deleted member 26715]

that’s just lovely, nice, battered and unpretentious. I bet it’s nickname is “frog”

Weird, I cannot see that at all, I'd rather have a Marina which you wouldn't touch

 

[Gunk]

Different folks, different strokes