2 days ago
UK's rarest cars: 1974 Morris 1800, one of only two left
On March 26 1975, British Leyland (BL) unveiled a new model intended to appeal to middle managers throughout the land. Today, Mark Allenden owns not only the oldest known example of the 18-22 'Wedge' family but also one of only two remaining Morris-badged versions.
BL created Project ADO71 to replace the 1800/2200 'Landcrab' family, and promised 'a car that totally alters the concept of big car motoring'. Buyers had a choice of Austin or Morris versions, available with either the 1.8-litre B-series four-cylinder engine or the 2.2-litre, six-cylinder E-series unit, or the flagship Wolseley version.
The Austin and the Morris were identical, except that the former had two trapezoidal headlights while the latter had four lights and a grille with a raised centre section. This use of individual badges reflected BL's ongoing chaos long after Austin and the Nuffield Group (MG, Morris, Riley and Wolseley) had merged in 1952 to form the British Motor Corporation (BMC). By the late 1950s, the firm started to build the same models with different names to satisfy its various dealership chains.
After the 1968 Leyland takeover of BMC, management wanted to end such 'badge engineering'. However, the model expert Kevin Davis notes: 'It was decided early in the development of ADO71 that it should be offered in Austin, Morris and Wolseley versions, and it was a decision that remained throughout the gestation of the car.'
Davis also recalls the designer Harris Mann telling him: 'They went over dozens of grille designs for the Morris, and what eventually made it into production was the best of a bad job, as nothing really worked. It was there to justify the cost of the humped bonnet pressing.'
Aside from the Morris badges, one of the chief fascinations of this example is that it is the entry-level 1800 version, lacking vinyl cladding on the rearmost pillar or chrome trim highlighting the distinctive lines. Any buyer who wanted a passenger vanity mirror or a folding rear armrest needed to order the upmarket HL (standing for High Line), while BL reserved cloth upholstery for upmarket Wolseley customers.
At £2,116.53, the Morris competed with the Ford Consul 2000 L at £2,099 and the FE-Series Vauxhall Victor 1800 for £1,955. The cigar lighter and the driver's seat – adjustable to 240 positions – suited the Wedge's managerial aspirations; this was before you considered the luxury of 'knit-back expanded vinyl' trim.
When Autocar tested an Austin-badged 2200, it predicted the car would 'find wide favour with both the businessman seeking a refined, comfortable mile-eater and the family man who needs proper space for a growing brood'. BL stated there was no five-door 18-22 because 'in the class that the car was aimed at, a hatchback was seen as being somewhat out of place'. The actual reason was fear of potential clashes with the hatchback-equipped Rover SD1, due for launch in 1976.
BL also claimed: 'We don't want to crow too early, but motorists' initial response has been so good that we are all getting a little excited about the car's prospects.' But all was not well at the Cowley factory on the edge of Oxford, as disputes throughout 1975 hampered production. The original aim of producing 1,400 18-22s per week now seemed highly ambitious.
On September 11 1975, BL replaced the three individual marque names with the Princess badge. The Austin Ambassador, belatedly fitted with a hatchback, replaced the original Wedge in 1982 after 225,000 units. Today, you stand more chance of seeing the Morris in The Trojan Bus episode of The Sweeney than on the road.
Mark Allenden's Wedge is a pre-production model built in 1974. He explains: 'Leyland used it as a demonstrator but then forgot about it. When an employee bought it in 1977, they had to put that year's R registration on it. BL could not sell the Morris retail because it was three years old.'
On speaking with the first owner's son, Allenden learnt that this Morris's original custodian was a senior manager who had the car returned to the production line to receive an upgraded interior, a sunroof and vinyl three-quarter panels. It also gained power-assisted steering – a £123.24 extra on the standard 1800. Allenden says: 'When the owners' club recommissioned the Morris in 2014, they returned it to standard form, but could not remove the sunroof or power steering.'
Allenden is now used to members of the public calling his car 'a Princess' or wondering why he fitted aftermarket Morris lettering to the boot lid. It is also a reminder that 51 years ago, a front-wheel-drive five-seater saloon with Hydragas suspension really stood apart from its more conventional Ford and Vauxhall rivals.
The car that's got it all together '.
