In this gallery, we take a look at some of the names used to sell various versions of the BMC 1800/2200 in overseas markets…
| Austin Balanza |   |
| Home market name: based on Austin 1800
This name (meaning balance) was used on MkI Austin 1800s sold in the Netherlands and Belgium. While it is thought to have been officially dropped on the MkII version, some dealers are known to have applied the badge to later cars.Picture kindly supplied by Alexander Boucke |
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| Austin Kimberley |  |
| Home market name: based on Austin 1800
This car was introduced in 1970 as a belated replacement for the Austin Freeway (see above). Though based on the Austin 1800, it used the 2227cc E6 engine that the British car would not receive until 1972. There was also a lower-spec version called the Tasman (see below). |
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| Austin Tasman | |
| Home market name: based on Austin 1800
Like its upmarket sister, the Austin Kimberley (see above), the Tasman used the E6 engine in a heavily modified Austin 1800 bodyshell. |
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| Austin Freeway |  |
| Home market name: based on Austin 1800
Discovered in 2008, it appears that the ADO17 was sold in New Zealand under the Freeway banner. If you know more, please get in touch. |
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| Austin Windsor |  |
| Home market name: Austin 1800
The 1800 was launched in Denmark as the Windsor in 1964, but the name was dropped at about the same time the Morris Monaco (see below) was launched in 1966, after which it was sold as the Austin 1800.Based on information submitted by Erik L¿ye and Alexander Boucke |
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| Morris Monaco | |
| Home market name: Morris 1800
The Morris 1800 was sold as the Monaco in Denmark from 1966-1972, after which only the Austin 1800 was sold. See also Austin Windsor, above. |
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| Morris X6 Tasman/Kimberley | |
| Home market name: based on Morris 1800
New Zealand seems to have made a habit of selling Australian-market BMC/BL products under alternative marque names. Having already marketed the ADO16-based Morris 1500 as the Austin 1500, they later reversed the process by using the Morris brand for the Tasman and Kimberley models. |
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This page was contributed by Declan Berridge
Is the Editor of the Parkers website and price guide, formerly editor of Classic Car Weekly, and launch editor/creator of Modern Classics magazine. Has contributed to various motoring titles including Octane, Practical Classics, Evo, Honest John, CAR magazine, Autocar, Pistonheads, Diesel Car, Practical Performance Car, Performance French Car, Car Mechanics, Jaguar World Monthly, MG Enthusiast, Modern MINI, Practical Classics, Fifth Gear Website, Radio 4, and the the Motoring Independent...
Likes 'conditionally challenged' motors and taking them on unfeasible adventures all across Europe.
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re: Austin Freeway
I vaguely remember one of these (a station wagon)in our family many years ago. It had a tailgate that lifted the rear bumper as well, I recall, giving low access to the rear. To quote from the wikipedia article:
“The Austin Freeway is an automobile which was developed by the Australian division of the British Motor Corporation (BMC), based on the British Austin A60 Cambridge. Introduced in 1962, it was offered in both four-door saloon and five-door station wagon body styles.
Using the locally built 2433 cc six-cylinder “Blue Streak” engine, it represented the first attempt by BMC to challenge the dominant Holden and Ford Falcon models in the lucrative six-cylinder family car class with a locally developed vehicle. The engine was a direct development of the company’s 1622cc B-series unit, cylinder dimensions in the six-cylinder unit being identical to those of its four-cylinder counterpart.
An upmarket variant, the Wolseley 24/80 sedan was also offered.”
Just as a side line to the above post, the Freeway is probably the prototype attitude that of Australian motor manufacturers: Take a model from their sibling British range and then modify it and wedge the biggest engine they had in stock under the bonnet: Thus the Viva become the Torana with A 3.3 straight six and finally a 5.0 V8: The Cortina’s 4 cylinder was dropped and replaced with a 4.0 litre straight six: A Simca (or Talbot) model I do not know the name of was remade by Chrysler with a 4.0 litre Hemi. There is even the story that up to 3 Marinas were converted by Leyland to carry the P76 4.4 litre V8…
It was developed from the Chrysler 180 and called the Chrysler Centura, built between 1975 and 1978
At Cowley, we had some ADO 28s with SP250 V8 engines.
Addendum:
After the Freeway ceased production in 1965, the name was reused in New Zealand for the landcrab :p
@ D Lock
Not just an attitude, but bmc/leyland products had a distinct disadvantage of lack of power and a tendancy to breakdown for rough australian conditions and large distances traveled . a marina with a 1500 e series was just not up to it, as was the 1800 etc etc – good around town travelling though!eventually leyland australia built a car that could handle local conditions, The p76! but as leyland were beginning their death throes at the time,Lack of capital resources worried the government – which tarrif protected and partially funded leyland australia. It all fell in a crying heap in 74.
The 1800 Mk I and two were sold in New Zealand as both Austin (assembled at the Austin Distributors Federation plant in Petone, Wellington) and Morris (assembly at the Dominion Motors plant in Newmarket, Auckland). At the behest of BMC the multiple NZ distributors and plants were consolidated into NZ Motor Corporation in 1970. Thereafter the plants became more multibrand. Freeway – a brand known in NZ from earlier imports of Australian Farina Six models – was used to distinguish Australian assembled 1800s for which extra import licence was obtainable under various trade agreements between Australia and New Zealand. Generally NZ exported components and got back either more Aussie car kits or built up cars in return. The NAFTA agreement of the early 70s led to the export of several thousand P6 Rover 3500 automatics and Jaguar XJ6 4.2s to Australia from the NZMC plant in Nelson. The Mark IIIS 1800/2200 was not assembled in New Zealand as the Kimberley/Tasman came instead but some assembled 2200s were imported in 1973/4 when the government allocated additional import licences because the local plants could not meet demand for new cars.