Kevin Davis It may not be the most revered product from Austin-Morris, but this month the Austin Ambassador celebrates its 30th anniversary.  Back in 1980 the marketplace was changing. Vauxhall’s next Cavalier would be a hatchback and Ford’s Cortina replacement, the Sierra, would also be a five-door. Austin-Morris realised that the lack of a fifth [...]

Kevin Davis The Princess Club 100 Special is surely the rarest of rare Princesses, rarer, even, than the much sought after Wolseley. The Club 100 was an internal Austin-Morris product brought about by the need to provide a car for their top 100 performing dealer principals, known as the ‘Club 100’. Rewards typically included holidays [...]

Keith Adams The continuing series of features about cars on the endangered list in the UK, according to data supplied by the brilliant How Many Left? website based on DVLA data. 10: Austin 1800/2200HL One of the most enjoyable aspects about researching the In Memoriam series of articles is searching through lists and lists of [...]

The O-Series was designed to act as the company’s mid-range engine mainstay for the late 1970s and beyond. If at first you don’t succeed… The formation of Austin-Morris from the ashes of BMC in 1969 allowed BLMC’s product planners to focus on the demands of the middle market, without worrying too much about the more [...]

BL’s most important mid-sized car for a decade was a mid-1970s technical tour de force, but what the Princess lacked was a diesel version. But 50 were built, and went out testing. The diesel Princess The Princess went on sale in March 1975, it wasn’t actually called a Princess at all. The wedge shaped saloon [...]

The main problem with Hydragas is that over time, the sealed units would lose gas and become less effective. Alexander Boucke describes the steps involved in getting your Hydragas suspended car back into rude health From 1977/78, Maxis leaving Cowley no longer used the Hydrolastic suspension system, having been upgraded to the more advanced Hydragas [...]

The Princess saw many detailed changes during its life – and here, we catalogue them for your enjoyment. This timeline, compiled by Chris Bird, has put the car’s production history in the UK into factual order. Developing the beast Year Month Details 1975 March 18-22 Series 4-door saloon range introduced. Available as Austin 1800, 1800 [...]

In the mid-1970s, Woodall Nicholson bravely took on the Princess… IT has to be said that the Princess would not be the first car to spring to mind if considering a stretch-conversion, not least due to its rising shoulder-line, which would surely result in rather awkward lines. Well, coachbuilders Woodall Nicholson were not daunted: after [...]

The Torcars Princess was sold through the franchised BL dealer network, and was covered by the BL’s Supercover warranty. The text and pictures below have been taken from the Torcars brochures. A Torcars conversion designed to meet the growing demand for fifth-door saloons – and what a fifth door this is! The original sleek wedge [...]

And here is the car that the Princess should always have been: Crayford produced its own hatchback versions of the 18-22 series/Princess, but at a time when the five-door saloon was still a rarity, they announced their product as an estate car.

The Special Six version of the Princess was a perfect range-topper… And thanks to Stephen Harper, we have some new images of the design themes for its side graphics. The sleekest of the sleek The Princess had been on sale a mere two years when the Special Six Automatic made an appearance on the marketplace. [...]

This car is an AROnline favourite, and this one still exists at the British Motor Heritage Centre at Gaydon, Warwickshire.

If a hatcback would have improved the versatility of the Princess, just think what an estate version could have offered. Picture supplied by Chris Collin

The Princess is one of those iconic cars that was ahead of the opposition, but really only became recognised in the last few years, once it slipped under the classic car umbrella. KEITH ADAMS gives you a quick run-down on what you should look for when buying yourself a nice family-sized slice of wedge. Availability [...]

Below are some pictures showing the development of ADO71 – or Diablo, as it was known in the early stages. Wedge development Slippery wedge… Three-box alternative Frontal treatments Interior designs

Hydragas suspension was one of the quiet achievements pioneered and refined by British Leyland – and yet, it never received the praise it deserved. KEITH ADAMS briefly explains how the system works. Pioneer that led nowhere… SINCE the introduction of the Mini in 1959, BL’s predecessor, the British Motor Corporation (BMC), had been right at [...]

The Princess never actually started out as such – but a marque-confused midliner to replace the slow-selling Landcrab. However, BL’s wedge-shaped odyssey didn’t sell that well, either, although that was more down to the poor reputation of the company that built it – and early build niggles – than any weakness in the product itself. [...]

And here is the car that the Princess should always have been: Crayford produced its own hatchback versions of the 18-22 series/Princess, but at a time when the five-door saloon was still a rarity, they announced their product as an estate car. This car is based on a Morris 1800. The numberplate reads “1822 SERIES [...]

What makes a proper barn find? Lots of spiders and a thick layer of dust? Finding a gleaming car underneath it all? Or some rusty surprises? Kevin Davis came to the rescue of the featured Princess 2200 HLS… Words and pictures: Kevin Davis Long forgotten… and revived! As found after 15 years I SAW THIS [...]

There’s a lot of Wedge-love on AROnline, and we reckon that the most delicious examples of all are the original 18/22 Series models that only ran for a matter of months in 1975. And when it comes to the examples still with us today, top of the list must surely be Alex Sebbinger’s magnificent Wolseley, [...]