Leyland Australia
Essays : A tale of two Leyland P76s
Alan Firth tells how he acquired two of these large Ozzie saloons For those that do not know me, I undertook a Rover Staff Apprenticeship from August 1959 ’til 1963, when I moved to the Pengam, Cardiff plant as a Quality Control Engineer. At Pengam we made P6 suspension and transmission units, including gearbox and [...]
September 28, 2012
· 
Keith Adams · 
26 Comments
People : Peter North, Leyland Australia
Anything but an average company? I rarely have much reason to be grateful to my 14 year old self, but searching through some old papers at the weekend, I was delighted by my youthful prescience in keeping a Financial Times article from 26 June 1973, the day of the Leyland P76’s launch in Australia. Don’t [...]
September 28, 2011
· Keith Adams · 8 Comments
Leyland P82 and other plans
Back in 1974/74 Leyland Australia were on the cusp of some exciting new developments. WHEELS magazine managed to get wind of them (from an insider?) and printed its summary of upcoming events. Article reproduced from WHEELS, November 1973 INFORMATION on Leyland’s Model A is marked Top Secret. Its very existence is barely acknowledged and it [...]
August 5, 2011
· Keith Adams · One Comment
Leyland P76 in the UK?
The P76 was thoroughly evaluated for sale in the UK, with a view to be sold under the Vanden Plas marque name, but after consideration, the plan was dropped as the gap between the Rover SD1 and the Jaguar XJ6 3.4 was far too narrow to justify the expense of local homologation. P76s were spotted [...]
August 5, 2011
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Leyland P82
The Leyland P82 would have supplemented the P76 and Force 7, and would have provided an up-to-date replacement for the Leyland Marina. Writing exclusively for www.austin-rover.co.uk, Industry expert JACK YAN fills in the blanks to reveal the cruel end to a promising Antipodean project… Compact future lost IN the mid-1960s, BMC Australia, keen to get [...]
August 5, 2011
· Keith Adams · 8 Comments
Leyland P76 Force 7
The P76 Sedan look set for a successful run in Australia, and during its development programme, an estate version, pickup and this – the Force 7 coupe – were developed. When the fortunes of Leyland Australia took a turn for the worse, the coupe became a victim of rationalization. Only a few survive to this [...]
August 5, 2011
· Keith Adams · No Comments
X6-based : Vanden Plas 1800
Vanden Plas produced a variety of prototypes based on BMC/Leyland models. One of these used the Austin X6 as its donor car.
July 28, 2011
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Tested : Austin Tasman/Kimberley
This excellent article comes from the Australian publication, “Australian Motor Sports and Automobiles”, December 1970. NEW AUSTIN AUSSIE SIX With very Australian names, how can the new BLMC six-cylinder car fail? Its advance specification and increased performance should win over plenty of traditional “big three” buyers. THIS is it, BLMC’s latest attempt at climbimg aboard [...]
July 28, 2011
· Keith Adams · No Comments
BMC Overseas : Austin X6/Kimberley
These Antipodean specials were based on the ADO17 (note the doors), but were treated to unique front and rear styling. It could be said that the Kimberley and Tasman look rather like the four-door Maxi that was never put into production, but any attempt to dress-up the design failed, in truth. The car was phased [...]
July 28, 2011
· Keith Adams · One Comment
Minis overseas : Australian Mokes
Once it became clear the Moke was never going to cut in in serious military use, its future seemed to be tied into sunnier climes… Park Paget tells the story of its Australian afterlife… AT the beginning of the Seventies, BLMC-Australia had started to realise the Mini-Moke could be better marketed. As a result, the [...]
July 26, 2011
· Keith Adams · 3 Comments
Morris Marina/Ital : E-Series powered in Australia
A question that is often asked by Marina enthusiasts is why-oh-why did the Australian version of the car use the Maxi E-Series engine, instead of the B-Series, as used in the UK. We posed this question to ex-Leyland Australia Operations manager, Merv Sheather and former Leyland Australia Parts Manager, Phil West. The answers were enlightening… [...]
July 26, 2011
· Keith Adams · 2 Comments
Tested : Leyland P76
In Australia, the P76 was billed as ‘Anything but average.’ Unfortunately (and unjustifiably so) it also turned out to be anything but successful. Classic Car Weekly’s Richard Gunn samples Leyland’s legendary leviathan from down under… Words and pictures: Richard Gunn P76 delivered a premature P45 TYPICAL. You wait for a Leyland P76 for decades, and [...]
July 25, 2011
· Keith Adams · 11 Comments
The cars : Leyland P76 development history
In 1973, Leyland Australia announced that all former Austin and Morris cars would be replaced by a sweeping range of new Leyland badged cars. The Morris Marina was treated to an Antipodean re-engineering effort, receiving the E4 and E6 engines and being relaunched as the Leyland Marina, but more ambitiously, BLMC wanted to compete with [...]
July 22, 2011
· Keith Adams · 3 Comments
Essays : P76 vs P8 vs SD1
Oh, so similar under the skin? THE conspiracy theory is a great thing, don’t you think? Usually conjured up by fertile imaginations, conspiracy theories are used to explain away conventional wisdoms, and in doing so, challenge what we hold close to our hearts as solid facts. Take for instance, the Rover 75 – for years [...]
June 24, 2011
· Keith Adams · 11 Comments
Car of the month : August 2002
The Leyland P76 continues to command a strong and loyal following in Australia, but in the UK, the car is practically unknown. For those involved in trivia, it perhaps should be better known than it is because, in the modern era, it is the only car to have been sold only under the Leyland marque. [...]
August 1, 2002
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Archive : Leyland Australia seeking state aid
BY Clifford Webb British Leyland’s loss making subsidiary has asked the Australian Government for financial assistance to protect the jobs of its 5,000-strong labour force. It is the largest private employer in the Sydney area. The approach follows a top management shakeup. Less than three months ago Mr David Abell, BL’s treasurer and a key [...]
October 3, 1974
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Archive : Leyland designs new car in Australia
By Stuart Marshall A new British Leyland car announced today has been designed, developed and is being made in Australia but will be available in Britain next year, priced between £3,500 and £4,000. Called the Leyland P76. it is the first car to bear the Leyland name since the famous Straight Eight of the 1920s. [...]
June 26, 1973
· Keith Adams · No Comments
