A BRITISH LEYLAND TRAGEDY! - The Rise And Fall Of Leyland Australia Cars

In this video we explore one of the most incredible collapses of a major car company the British Leyland Australia which was once one of Australia's largest car manufacturers. We explore how the Leyland P76 came to the UK and was proposed to replace the Rover P5 and how the greatest British Leyland Barn Find ever came to be with a Leyland P76 being found in the UK 50 years after it was discontinued.
I give you a history of how this empire began and how it ended including the Leyland P76, Leyland Force 7, Austin 1800 based Kimberley and Tasmin, Austin Freeway and more!
I have credited where possible these works are transformative.
Follow me on Instagram for more cool stuff: / tomisdrivingcars

[@johnd8892]

Even the P76 six cylinder engine option was considered too small and complicated for the super important fleet sales market. They had the benefit of knowing the maintenance costs of the OHC six in the Kimberley and Tasman. A four would have been even worse received in such a large car and by second hand markets affecting resale. Amazing how many Australian market cars had the smallest engine option dropped quickly.

[@Andronicus2007]

The worst example was the VC Commodore with the Starfire (knicknamed Misfire) engine!

[@peterb666]

@@Andronicus2007 They put that engine into a Toyota Corona too as part of a content sharing plan to make the Australia automotive industry more robust. Contender for worst engine in the world.

[@davidpeters6536]

Not really, a big engine is needed for the huge distances in Aus.

[@frederickma2193]

The P76 engine would have been a good competitor to those engines in high-end Japanese of that end! But would still be considered a gas-guzzler! 2.6L is bigger than the 2.4L Iron Duke that Pontiac put in the Fiero in over here (Canada/US)! That 4.4L is a smallish V-8 close to one BMW has on the market today!

[@peterb666]

@@frederickma2193 The P76 with the base 2.62L engine outperformed the Holden Kingswood with the base 173CID six and was almost as quick as the optional 202CID six. Performance wise, a tiny bit behind the 200CID six in the Falcon. Low-spec cars (and even many up-market cars) in the early 70s were quite mediocre performers and terrible by today's standards. One of the advantages of the P76 was that it was lighter than the Holden and Falcon of the day.

[@basaltplainscreationsaustr1194]

I still own a V8 P76, Burnt Apricot. Just under 20,000 miles, always garaged. I've had it since the 80s. Greetings from Victoria, Australia. Liz.

[@rogerreed905]

I had blue . .

[@Rob-fc9wg]

​@@rogerreed905 Corinthian Blue or Am Eye Blue? Mine was Corinthian.

[@rogerreed905]

@@Rob-fc9wg not sure mate . . . I arrived in Ausy from New Zealand . . I got a job . .a 2k limit credit card . . Went to a cheap car place . . Spotted the p76 . . 1500$ . . On the card . . Went to a furniture shop . . 500 on a bed . . Off to the flat . Job done . . Lol . .

[@Rob-fc9wg]

@@rogerreed905 Onya mate 👍 Was she a V8?

[@davidpeters6536]

As Sir Les might have said, "You Lucky barsteward".

[@davidhynd4435]

In the 1950s Holden held around 50 percent of the Australian market. The idea that a family car should have a six cylinder engine became entrenched. Because of that, British cars generally were a hard sell, despite feelings of loyalty to the "mother country". Also, our vast distances were hard work for small four cylinder cars. Hence the reason for shoehorning sixes into previously four cylinder vehicles. Not that Aussies weren't prepared to give fours a go. The Austin 1800 sold more, per capita, than anywhere else in the world. The Mini was very popular as was the Morris 1100 (my first car). The P76 had lots of potential, particularly in V8 form. In many ways it was more advanced than the Holden, Ford and Chrysler competitors of the time. Lack of funding and rushed development killed it. Yet another British automotive "if only" story. Sadly, all too common.

[@Low760]

It's not like the hq or xa was well built, they just had dominance of the market and journalism.

[@robertknight5429]

Ah, that explains the odd 2200 Rover 6cyl, the 2200 SC in Britain.

[@Graham-rc1cp]

@@Low760 The same could be said for BLMC/BL products in the UK; without the 11% market share gentleman’s agreement with Japanese manufacturers in the 70s BL would have been dead in the water. Ironically it was that restriction which lead to Mitsubishi inventing the Lonsdale brand to bring Aussie built Sigma GJ to the UK in the early 80s. They failed.

[@SOUTHAUSSIEGUY]

They were just plain ugly - but you could fit a 44 gallon drum in the boot of a P76!

[@somethingelse9535]

The 1968 Austin 1800 MkII was our family car as a kid. It had more interior room than Holdens of the time, plush ride, comfortable and gave over a decade of trouble free motoring. It eventually was passed down to me when I made it to driving age. The only drawback was that it was a thirsty motor for 4 cyl 1800cc. When I advertised it forsale, I met a pile of 1800 enthusiasts, the qualities of this great car was certainly noticed by the motoring public.

[@Graham-rc1cp]

The Marina 2600 was described by one contemporary motoring journalist as the only car that suffered both understeer and oversteer at the same time 😂

[@Rob-fc9wg]

Too right mate! The six cylinder Marina was over powered and handled like a running dog on the kitchen floor. A car best forgotten!

[@brentfairlie9159]

I enjoyed my Marina 262. It handled badly but left Holden Commodore at the lights

[@chuckselvage3157]

Hahahaha i think that was Peter Robinson at Wheels.

[@TheBasementChannel]

I’ve driven one, can confirm.

[@Graham-rc1cp]

@@chuckselvage3157 That’s exactly who it was, well remembered 😂

[@AshleyHarleyman]

The P76 was a car ahead of its time, saddled with an inherited manufacturer debt problem and very poor quality control leading to an early reputation as a lemon. It had things its opponents did not then offer, like standard front disc brakes, rack and pinion steering and concealed wipers. The bonded windscreen was prone to cracking due to body flex, and the 6 cylinder engine (there was no 4 cylinder offering, despite what was said in your article) was too small and underpowered for a car the size of the P76. The rear end styling of the P76 was also controversial at the time, seemingly cobbled together as at afterthought. And they leaked, as the panel pressings were not as good as they should have been. Doors often didn’t fit into the door openings, and in the cabin things broke and fell off. In short, the car was rushed to the market before it was ready, and even before it was launched it was suffering from the effects of a very small development budget and a woeful engine. But…..if one ignored the base six and plumped for the fabulous all alloy 4.4 litre V8, and one persevered with the QC issues until everything was fixed, one was rewarded with a tough and reliable vehicle with decent cabin room and enormous luggage capacity, reasonable handling (for its day) and also reasonable fuel economy (for the time). My choice (other than a Force 7V) would be a V8 Targa Florio with air and power steering. Those were the pick of the litter (still are - one of my friends has one, and it’s a nice thing to be in even half a century later). I was only 9 when the P76 launched, and only 10 when it sank like RMS Titanic, but I still think the Force 7V was one of the best cars ever designed and built in Australia. I agree with the Wheels magazine article at the time - “what a bloody shame!”

[@I-have-a-brain_and-use-it]

Well Ashley they did make 4 cylinder P 76's I worked on the assembly line at the Zetland plant and saw them being made . Weather they got sold or not I have no idea as I was a motorcyclist so had little interest in things with 2 redundant wheels plus a uni student to boot which is why I worked the night shift . I do not know what happened on the other 2 shifts but at night at least 1/2 the cars were sabotaged . And yes I saw the cars being sabotaged so there was nothing wrong with the actual build quality on good cars .

[@AshleyHarleyman]

@@I-have-a-brain_and-use-it I have never heard of a 4 cylinder engine being contemplated for any of the full sized family cars in Australia. The Torana (and later Commodore) were offered in 4, 6 or 8 cylinder configuration, but the full sized Kingswood, Falcon and Valiant offerings never had consideration given to a 4 cylinder power plant. The woeful Holden Starfire 4 (basically a 173 with 2 cylinders cut off) proved that even in mid sized cars the 4 cylinder engines of the era were inadequate for the task of hauling around bigger cars. Mitsubishi went to the 2.6 litre Astron for their initial Magnas, but that was almost a decade in the future from the P76. I can't even imagine what 4 cylinder engine BMC had at its disposal that any engineer would have seriously considered installing in such a big car. BMC powerplants were not known for power, after all.

[@davidbarnsley8486]

My grandad bought a P76 white with a blue roof I still remember it over fifty years ago It was so far ahead of the Holden Ford equivalent It was such a lost opportunity for Leyland and the Australian public

[@skatedd2451]

There isn't a lot of Australian car history on KZbin good to see someone researching this stuff as it's very interesting

[@daveowen9481]

I live in NZ. I remember seeing a few P76s around and Kimberleys and Tasmans, but they were rare here. I also recall seeing a Vauxhall Viva badged as a Holden Torana. I think the P76 station wagon would’ve been a massive hit in Australia and NZ if it had the chance. A while back I saw two P76s in a garage, they were so big the garage doors couldn’t be closed, they stuck out onto the footpath outside.

[@johnd8892]

One of the development station wagons survives in private hands. Close to production but everything was imploding rapidly. A few views on KZbin usually in Australian Leyland Club meets.

[@rogerreed905]

The hb viva is the first torana i. . It was a face lift model i believe . .

[@fentonpeter1582]

GM even had the cheek to put out the "Brabham Torana' in it's HB model. (about 1968). They whacked a couple of twin carbs onto the 1200cc engine, a couple of Chequer flag badges and some slightly fatter wheels. I just hope Jack made something out of it !!!!

[@KiwiStag74]

The P76's 4416cc V8 was not only used in the vehicle it was designed for. At the end of production, there were a lot of engines without cars to go into. Fortunately there was (and still is) a thriving jetboating fraternity who saw the potential of an over-square all aluminium engine and took to them in droves. They reasoned that as Rover's 3528cc engine had already proven itself as somewhat bulletproof, there was no reason why the bigger, more powerful P76 engine would not be the same - and they were not disappointed. Even 50 years later, there are still boats racing with the 4.4 litre V8 powering them along. As the all-aluminium engine was light as well as powerful, it was also snapped up by the hotrod fraternity for repowering vehicles. In the UK, the Rover 3.5 and the Triumph 2500 engine were common replacements for the Triumph Stag's ailing 3-litre for people who had had enough of its fragility and constant need of attention. In Australia and New Zealand where the 4.4 litre P76 engine was readily available, this unit also became a firm favourite to give the Stag some reliability....and a lot more punch to boot. I own a Stag that has been modified in that manner. The engine was mounted slightly lower and given a low profile Rochester two-barrel so the car has no power bulge in the bonnet. The nose was also lowered by two inches in order to give the Stag her profile, stance and handling characteristics back due to the difference in weight between the two engines. As my car had a manual / overdrive Triumph gearbox, a bellhousing was manufactured to mate the two together, so the car is completely indistinguishable from standard....until you turn the key. Due to space constraints, the engine wears two passenger's side exhaust manifolds, so the right header pipe exits forward and then goes back under the engine. Because I happen to enjoy the rumble of a V8, I had the tired twin 1.25" pipes replaced with 1.75" steel, with a crossover / balance pipe just before the twin 2' mufflers, but they both exit out the passenger's rear as per the originals. She still burbles away to herself, but now has the deep underlying bass note that turns into a snarl and then a roar when giving it the berries. I drove several "original engined" Stags before test driving this one on a whim, but once I planted my right foot, i realised what all the other Stags had been missing and knew I'd found the one I wanted to own. Even though we were already moving, the car had squatted at the rear and launched forward like I always thought a Stag would (and should). Without the ill-fated Australian beast known as P76, I would never have known the joy of driving such a vehicle....for seven years now. It was just typical BL luck and timing that ballsed up the car the engine was designed for. This is a real blow, but things happen for a reason......and I can think of several good ones that have risen from the ashes of the old. All the best

[@billkellett2375]

After production of the P76 stopped, the V8 motors were then fitted to the Australian version of the Leyland Terrier truck before the diesel version was available.

[@adriaandeleeuw8339]

@@billkellett2375 were the favorite engine upgrade for early Range Rovers.

[@nickabbott6278]

Many were used as a replacement for the under powered 3.5 Range Rover.

[@Daniel-vl8mx]

I once saw one of the 4.4 V8s installed into a Hillman Imp. It was downright scary!

[@JohnPittaway]

They came so close to hitting the jackpot! A friend of mine worked at Leyland during their last couple of years. He told me when the P-76 first came off the line, the car looked really nice & most of the factory workers involved in it were quite proud of how it turned out. Then along came a manager, looked the car over, & said "What the Australian public wants, is a boot you can fit a 44 gallon drum into". This, apparently, was news to the Australians working there! He said when it came back after the changes, it had lost a lot of its' charm. The same management decided that Australians wanted big cars, not those little hatchback things! Of course, a little while later, Holden released Its' LH Torana. And a lot of us remember how that went!

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

To be fair the locally assembled big Triumph saloons with their 60s era pushrod straight 6 engines continued very successfully right through the 70s and even beyond UK production timetables….

[@rhyswey2242]

About 5 years ago at a car show in Taranaki , New Zealand. I encountered a dark blue force 7 coupe which the owner claimed had been sent to the Uk as a test mule. Id also read in an australian mag that lord stokes had used a dark blue example as his personal car. unsure if it is the same one. But its not like their plentiful.

[@ronbutler739]

Yes same car dark blue.

[@VauxhallViva1975]

Brilliant documentary! Well done! I expect you have seen the HubNut video, where he actually drives a V8 P76 when he was in Australia...

[@Nickmusclecarman]

that is 1 of my cars. he thoroughly enjoyed the drive,

[@TheSgtbk]

From a New Zealand ex BMC mechanic from back then a good effort. Only real error was there being no 4 cly. P76 and the V8 was the high volume normal version, with the 6 cly. only built in very small numbers whereas you suggest the other way around. I would have liked to see the Mini K mentioned as it makes an appearance in one shot but nothing said about it. Also the main competitor for the P76 was the "Big three" General Motors Holden the Ford Falcon and the Chrysler Valiant. Maybe you could do a feature with more detail of some Australian adaptions such as the 6 cly B series you do mention but not the 6 cly O series in the Marina and X6 that turned up some years later in the Austin/Morris 2200. As someone who was involved in all those cars and knew them well my favorite and to me the most successful design was the X6 Kimberly and Tasman. That is the one that should have been sold in the UK as it was a huge improvement on the 1800 being a good looking car that is very nice to drive and with far less mechanical issues than the P76.

[@nickabbott6278]

True, the 2.6 was more common over all, but in NZ it was the reverse. I always felt the 2.6 was under powered and harder to work on.

[@robertmiddleton5663]

i remember going for test drive in a p76 with my mum in Narrabeen we needed a tow car as the flower power moke was to light for the boat the center of the steering wheel fell off in her lap hence we ended up with an hq kingswood 202 which served us proudly until we returned to uk end of 1976

[@twentyrothmans7308]

It was a small, parochial market for big, family cars. Dealerships, workshops, and spare parts availability were important. The last thing you want when you've taken the family up the coast is to break down and spend a few days in Whoop Whoop waiting for parts. That said, the Triumph 2500s were far better than any Australian medium-sized car.

[@Jonathan-dq8hb]

There's actually a place called Whoop Whoop ?

[@twentyrothmans7308]

@@Jonathan-dq8hb Turn left at Backofbuggery and follow the signs. There is a genuine Whoop Whoop Road in Queensland, though.

[@IntrospectorGeneral]

@@Jonathan-dq8hb No, just the polite way to describe somewhere in the middle of nowhere. The UK equivalent might be the village of 'Much-Binding-In-The-Marsh'.

[@elroyfudbucker6806]

@@Jonathan-dq8hb You drive through Wagga Wagga, Wee Waa & Grong Grong to get to it.

[@nickabbott6278]

@@elroyfudbucker6806 LOL!!

[@captaccordion]

I'm afraid that a fair bit of comment and correction is needed on this video. Well done for giving it a go, but I'm an Australian, who was around for much of the time period you refer to. At 2.09, you mention the manufacture of Austin cars in Australia. The big seller was the A40 Devon sedan, with some utes and vans being made on its platform. At. 2.60 - Leyland started making the Standard range? The Standard Motor company, later Standard-Triumph, began manufacture of their range in Australia in the late 1940's. Leyland bought the company in 1960 as a going manufacturing concern. Note that the Standard Pennant was never sold in Australia. At 3.10, no the Riley 1.5 was never sold in Australia. The Wolseley 1500 was sold, with the same body being used for the Austin Lancer and the Morris Major. Was it the Morris Minor platform? The answer is 'sort of' as it was intended to be a development of and replacement for the Minor. At 3.36, we have the Austin Freeway challenging the Ford Falcon. The challenge was in fact to capture 'family sedan' market share from the Holden, the Falcon, and Chrysler's Valiant, which was introduced at about the same time. The Austin Freeway failed in this, principally because it was simply too narrow. An Australian family outing was typically Mum, Dad, 2 kids and 2 grandparents. The Farina body was just too cramped in attempting this. Also, the Blue Streak engine was becoming seen to be a bit underpowered at 80bhp by the time it was developed and released. (It was never fitted with triple SUs as pictured!) It was named by the way for the British Blue Streak missile, which was being tested in Australia at the time. The Wolseley 24/80 however considerably outsold the Austin Freeway, being aimed at a different market, that being well to do women, or older folk wanting a bit of plushness, without the size, complication and price of a Jaguar or Mercedes. At 4.08, you speak of the Morris (as sold in Australia) 1100, which indeed sold very well. But the Austin 1800 Landcrab also sold very well in Australia, due its good interior space, plushness, and the fact that it had taken second place in the London to Sydney rally, coming in ahead of a Falcon GT and a Porsche 911. (The winner was a Hillman Hunter.) Next, the P76. My view has always been that initial sales were not up to expectations because the styling left a bit to be desired. It was seen as not having a very pretty 'face', and being rather fat-arsed. But it was in so many respects a better car than was being made by Holden, Ford and Chrysler that most people today believe it would have ultimately succeeded, particularly had it made it to its first facelift to tidy up its looks. On there being a 4 cylinder version, I've never heard of such, and suspect that it was only ever theoretical. Cheers.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

P38 fugly with a far arse!! Boot big enough to put a 44 gallon drum in. And it sagged 2" doing so. That was an empty petrol drum. A full one had the suspension on the bump rubbers. Yes I saw it done on a new car on release period. First one I saw was on the release date with a HB Torana buried in its fat arse. Wish I had had a camera!! I watched that happen!

[@twistyzybe7308]

Sorry mate, you need correcting here as well. Standard was building cars here a lot earlier then the 40's, by the late 40's it was the largest standard motor company operation outside of England

[@thesolver1970]

@@ldnwholesale8552 P38 sounds like a Walther hand gun.

[@thesolver1970]

I'm sure the P76 was probably a better drive, but the P76 was very ugly, as kids we used to laugh and point at them! - opposite to 'hey charger'.. Have to bear in mind that we had Ford Fairlanes/LTDs, Holden Broughams and other CKD yank tanks (Galaxie etc) here already with what I think had a more fluid design ethic than the slab sided all over the place P76. Yuck. The styling just didn't do it. That rear end tail light treatment was just ugly. To this day they are just vomit inducing (for an Australian that is).

[@DownUndaDigga]

Wow!!! Thankyou. That is experience speaking. Down the gun barrel!! If I remember correctly the P76 received funding from the Whitlam government adding to Labor’s woes.

[@jmfitzpatrick1731]

Thanks for preparing this interesting brief history of what was a major business undertaking. Interestingly, while the former BMC business closed, the former Australian Standard-Triumph business - later known as Australian Motor Industries - evolved to become the first manufacturer of a Toyota car outside Japan, and ultimately becoming Toyota Australia.

[@tomanderson6335]

AMI also built a plethora of American Motors products (Ambassador, Matador, Javelin, etc.) from knock-down kits between 1961 and '76.

[@johnd8892]

They also assembled the Mercedes Benz 220S and 220SE fintails at Port Melbourne from around 1960 to 1964. That Mercedes impressed Toyota a lot.

[@commodorenut]

There were also numerous other imported European models that AMI assembled locally from CKD kits. Ultimately Toyota saw the potential (and the opportunity when the other brands dropped off) to take it over, but it was well into the 80s before they could call it their own.

[@kennamorrison8564]

While at University in the late '70s I drove taxis, mostly holdens, but a friend had the opportunity to have a regular shift driving a P76 and much preferred it to either Holdens or Falcons.

[@DLee1100s]

It's worth mentioning that a P76 has recently won the Peking to Paris outright - twice!

[@tomdrives]

I’ll be doing a dedicated video on the P76 I just need one to get hands on with

[@jmfitzpatrick1731]

⁠Good luck sourcing a drivable example in the UK! Several years ago I met a gentlemen who had owned a P76 in the UK; he replaced it with a Renault Avantime

[@StevenMilne-sm4fk]

I saw some very rusted examples as a lad in the 70’s early 80’s. Fisholene everywhere would have saved them, but few did it back then?

[@I-have-a-brain_and-use-it]

They were all fully dipped so should not have rusted and the odd one that was not sabotaged was a very good car. They had every top shelf part fitted and were exceptionally good value if they stayed together but the build was sabotaged at the Zetland plant by the union . So I made them during my end of year break for uni then latter on with Sims Metal I supervised the remainder going through the car shredder .

[@StevenMilne-sm4fk]

@@I-have-a-brain_and-use-it could have been beach cars, plenty people, still drive road cars onto the beach in various places today.🫣

[@davidadam6997]

At 13:17, I see across the street what would be a Plymouth Valiant wagon here in the States. ❤

[@AUmarcus]

Known as a Chrysler Valiant "Safari" Wagon downunder. The utes were called "Wayfarers"

[@sickntired553]

AP6 valiant, slant 6

[@grantlee2975]

I had seen a Force 7 last weekend in Caringbah on the south side and Sydney, colour was orange, great looking car, I haven’t seen this car for some years, Im glad to see still driving

[@khublieoldschoolgamer5737]

Lol i new a guy 30yrs ago who pulled a drowned P76 from a dam, in the next town from me. He completely restored it from the ground up, great sounding V8. There was also a blind mechanic here in AUS who would restore them to absolutely perfect running order and sell them to a needy person occasionally and he would actually drive them, assisted of course I suspect you may be able to find a news story of him back in the day on KZbin

[@bentullett6068]

The Tasman name has been resurrected by Kia for their new pickup truck (or UTE) range.

[@commodorenut]

I wonder if the name will have the same effect on sales numbers?

[@bentullett6068]

@@commodorenut already people I have seen in comments on Australia car channels are remembering the Tasman name.

[@commodorenut]

@@bentullett6068 It was the first thing I thought of when I heard what Kia were planning. I'm quite familiar with them. We had a couple of 1800 mk2s, a Kimberley and a mini clubman when I was younger. Never got a P76 in the family but there were 2 V8s in the street, and my uncle had a blue Targa Florio V8. 2 of my school friends parents had Tasmans as 2nd cars in the early 80s. They were only a 2.2L 6. One wonders what may have been if they got the 2.6L version. Maybe torque steer might have become an issue? Ironic that the Kia is a 2.2L as well (but only a 4) with the V6 not on the cards for Australia yet. A decade after the Tasman/Kimberley Mitsubishi put a 2.6L i4 into a Magna, driving the front wheels, and challenged Ford & Holden again. They did quite well - eventually moving to V6 only, but stayed in production around 20 years.

[@awc900]

The 2.6 E series six was only meant as a stop gap for the P76 as it was generally considered under powered for that car. A lighter (all alloy) 3.3 litre V6 motor based on the 4.4 litre Rover derived V8 was in development and several engine prototypes were built, with at least one of those motors being sent back to the UK for evaluation supposedly. Sadly with BL's dire situation in the 70's, nothing seems to have ever come of it. The 3.3 V6 was also meant to feature in the P82, a locally designed replacement for the Marina.

[@Low760]

And the 3.8 v6 used in the later Commodore was based on the Buick v8 too...

[@JosephCowen-fz8vj]

Yes I was going to say the Holden or Buick 3.8 ( there is a 3.3 version as well as 4.3) is the V6 you speak of , in its earliest form it used the same front cover, valve gear, rods, pistons and everything else off the 215 ci alloy Buick V8 just 2 cylinders cut off !

[@charliecoco2115]

You should do one about Leyland in South Africa, they had an Austin Apache in the 70s, nice little car.

[@ianscorey5293]

This may bring a tear to your eye!!!! In 1975 the local Lower Hutt council in Wellington New Zealand was constructing a sea water break wall around a new marina in Petone Wellington NZ…. This sea wall was basically constructed from rock & gravel etc etc…… but the council needed some fill to go between the rock walls…. Leyland NZ where having difficulties selling the P76 & were told to scrap what cars they had….. 50 Leyland P76’s were crushed and placed in the sea wall!!!! That 50 brand new cars used as land fill!!!! True story!!!! Re the boot and the 44 gallon drum… Yes the P76 was designed to carry a 44 gallon drum in the boot….. But in all honesty who the hell could lift a full 44 gallon drum out of the cars boot??? Yes able to carry an empty drum…. But a full one….. no way!!!! Regards Ian 👨‍🎤🇳🇿🍸😎👍😂😂

[@ronaldderooij1774]

It might be an Australian tradition, but I can't imgagine ever to transport a 44 gallon drum and 4 persons, with the drum full or empty. Besides that, a hatchback is way more efficient and capable of transporting a 44 gallon drum with no problems, provided only 2 persons are in the car.

[@planestrainsdogsncars4336]

Hmmmm that bit about 50 cars in a sea wall...sounds like a tall story ,sorry don't believe it.

[@ianscorey5293]

@@planestrainsdogsncars4336 sorry dude it’s a true story!!!!! It was the 1970’s and Leyland NZ couldn’t sell these new P76 cars so they were crushed and dumped into the sea wall !!!! I know‘cause I was alive and living in Wellington NZ when it happened!!!!! Also I’m not in to bullshit like so many other people are today!!!! I rest my case!!!! Regards Ian 👨‍🎤🇳🇿😎👍🍸

[@ronbutler739]

@@planestrainsdogsncars4336 Yes thats a new one on me. I have been a member of the NZ P76 Owners club for over 40 years and never heard that and i live in Wellington. Besides the harbour Board would not allow that sort of material in a landfill.

[@ianscorey5293]

@@ronbutler739 sorry mate ….. true story!!!! Just remember this was the early seventies and New Zealand was using asbestos as a building material!!!! Also the wreck of the Wahine lay in Wellington harbour for nearly six years while it was demolished!!!!! April 1968 to its total removal six years later!!!! Also the Leyland P76 cars that were crushed in the Petone sea wall are not all complete vehicles!!!! But you drain all the fluids out of the car and remove the interior and you have left steel, class and aluminium, items from the earth!!! So dust to dust and ashes to ashes and P76 cars into the Petone sea wall!!!! Again a true story!!!! Regards Ian 👨‍🎤🇳🇿😎👍🍸😂

[@bewdlyboy]

I remember working for British Airways as an engineering apprentice at Heathrow and seeing cars lined up over the cargo centre covered in tarpaulins. The engineers I worked with removed one tarpaulin and uncovered a car called a Leyland Force 7 which to me at 18 years old looked stunning, but they were critical of its solid rear axle configuration.

[@Specrotors]

BL could've been so good, if only the egos of the top brass would've gotten their act together...oh well coulda, woulda, shoulda

[@lauramildon-clews7850]

I was an apprentice at Leyland in Auckland, New Zealand, when the P76 was released. The service manager where I worked bought one the V8 was not really a copy of the Rover unit but a redesigned engine based on the Rover unit. The P76 engine was 4.2 liter, and the Rover was only 3.5 liter. This one was a manual transmission version. I also remember the Marina Six as well.I was never a Marina fan. In a straight line, they were very quick,but when it came to cornering and general handling, they were terrible .A friend owned one. He sold it not long after he bought it.

[@1969Risky]

11:37 Leyland Australia never had inline 4 cyl in the P76. They had either the inline 6cyl or the aluminium Rover V8. When I was a kid, my mates & myself used to ride pushbikes through the Leyland Australia Zetland plant. The P76 was long gone & they were using CKD kits from the UK of the Rover SD1, Triumph 2500 & the Triumph TR7. Once Leyland Australia wound up operations, the NSW govt bought it & it was used by the NSW Police Accident Investigation squad, part of the NSW Police Physical Evidence Section (I was with the Crime Scene unit back then). Apart from investigating car accidents where the cars would go to Zetland, the site was also used to store new police cars. That site closed down in the late 90's & I believe now there's a massive block of apartments there.

[@tomdrives]

I thought it did? Or perhaps it was proposed? I can’t seem to find any that were produced but one of my sources said they did use one. Odd, I’ll do a bit more research and pin a comment.

[@1969Risky]

@@tomdrives initially the other 4cyl Leyland Australia cars would have the 4's & carry that part of the range. The P76 had 2.6 L E-Series 6cyl from the Tasman/Kimberley & the top-of-the-line 192 bhp (143 kW) aluminium 4416 cc V8 unit was unique to the P76, and was a derivative of the ex-Buick V8 that was powering the Rover 3500 and Range Rover. The P76 was to go head to head with Ford & Holden, but yeah the fuel crisis in the early 70's killed the P76. My newsagent down the road from me at the time had a P76 & he had that until 2001 and also the Leyland Australia Moke Californian with the 1275cc 4cyl.

[@RachelEvans680]

The site was used as a Naval Stores unit as I used to have to pick up parts from there for the building of the Anzac Frigates in the early to mid 90s...

[@1969Risky]

@@RachelEvans680 Yeah I said late 90's cos I wasn't sure. Our Physical Evidence Section got renamed to Forensic Services Group about mid 90's as part of a reform and everything got moved to Parramatta. I'd already left by that time just before the reform.

[@nikjames2965]

The P76 v8 shared only a few parts with the Rover engine. The block was taller, the heads were quite different having very poor porting. The inlet manifold was wider and flowed very poorly, and the tiny carburettor was a joke. Despite the clean sheet design the Aussies didn't solve the oil leaks - the rear crank oil seal was quite inadequate. I fitted one of these engines to a 79 S1 Mazda RX7. The engine was slightly modified porting, higher compression via Rover pistons and a lovely 390 Holley four barrel on an Offenhauser inlet manifold. It delivered a modest 190hp, but torque was very strong enabling it to pull a 2.9 diff with ease.

[@DavidPola1961]

My Uncle was the General Manager of Leyland Australia in the early 70's as a kid i remember the P76 used at my cousin's wedding before its release.

[@greghalliday2494]

Two other fun facts about the Leyland P76. It won the prestigious Wheels Car of the Year award in 1973, and a P76 V8 was entered in the 1974 World Cup Rally, placing 13th overall and winning the Targa Florio stage in Sicily.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Wheels Car of the Year has always been the lemon of the year,,the P38 won,, enuff said! 2.6 P38,, gutless and thirsty, a mates father bought one new and hated it after a few months. The engine was spirited in a Marina but the P38 [half a car] was far larger, heavier and pushed more air. The V8 P38,,, oooh aaaahh. Yup a big cube Buick 3.5 still with those tiny ports and valves. Went ok but the 4.4 slower than a 4.1 Falcon 6 with less torque. Even the 202 [3.3 litre] Holden would give it a run for its money. Yet muttering rotters thought it a Bathurst contendor,,, they were dreaming! Wheels car of the Year has always been a lemon award.

[@purplexs2506]

For a local retrospective on the P76, look up the song "P76" by the Coodabeen Champions (written by Greg Champion). Rising petrol prices didn't help, but the prevailing Aussie 6-cyl models continued through the 70'and beyond. The Leyland P76 had a terrible reputation for manufacturing quality, some of which was probably exaggerated for tactical reasons by its competitors; be that as it may, bad reports were legion. I'd never heard of the coupe or the 'wagon. Good vid.

[@stevemonkey6666]

My first car was an Australian market Morris 1100 and I have very good feelings about that car. 👍

[@aftonline]

My brother-in-law in NZ had a blue P76 (possibly the Eye Am Blue colour featured in this video), which he inherited from his Dad back in the 90's. The car was like any big American or Australian car, loads of power and space with the 4.4 Rover V8, definitely a nice car to drive and ride in. Such a pity it wasn't a big success, it certainly deserved to be.

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

Back in late 1975 my cousin bought a V8 Leyland P76 with a sporty red paint job "Targa Flura", it went very well and he was happy with it. I remember my times in India when the "Ambassador" reigned supreme. The big names have all gone in Australia, market is now dominated by Japanese and South Korean cars with the up market European (Mercedes & BMW) cars still hanging in. Enjoyable and informative video, thank you.

[@Low760]

Targo Florio

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

@@Low760 That's it, thank you, my memory not so good but still remember the car.

[@AUmarcus]

​@@Low760 Nope....Targa Florio.

[@wigs1098]

I thought targa florios were only available in blue? Never seen a red one.

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

@@wigs1098 Positive it was red wigs, but I was only a lad back then, however, seen a green Targa Florio at a car show two years ago.

[@user-gx4xi3yc1p]

A magnificent video. My late Father worked for BMC/Leyland Australia from 1963 to its closure in 1974 at the Zetland NSW factory.

[@howlinblues]

I worked there Zetland in 1971 on the Line assemblying front rear Hydrolastic Suspension then

[@Tiger351]

I owned several Triumph 2500's in the 90's, 1st one was an automatic 2500TC and later a 2500S with 4 speed overdrive manual, not bad cars and the 2500S was quick enough but always ran hot in summer due to the standard 2 core radiator not being enough for them (did retrofit the TC with a 3 core radiator later on). There was actually a 2nd P76 wagon cobbled together after production ended (I've seen it) unfortunately it no longer exists, apparently the original owner put it together from a bunch of pieces rejected from the surviving one and custom fabricated panels, it had the single heaalight front from a base model P76 and tail lights from a 1970 Holden station wagon. The car ended up being scrapped after years of neglect and a terminal case of rust.

[@MGBetts1]

I think Mr HubNut will enjoy this one!

[@SunShine-dk6rk]

Hi Tom, Super upload, I saw one if these P76's in London in the 70s.

[@tomdrives]

You witnessed history! Was it JOE or PJW?

[@SunShine-dk6rk]

@@tomdrives Hi Tom, being a very young car enthusiast back then I had a small book made by " Observer books" a car spotters book of it's day and it showed a black and white picture of one, seeing one in real life was a real treat, I dont remember the reg but I remember the colour it was similar to the Rover P5B colour Zircon blue and was in Kingsbury London, I also saw some Vanden Plas too as lived near the Kingsbury VDP factory, at that time in the 70s the DS 420 was on display and later a beige Allegro type VDP, locally was another Aussie car in the early 80s a 74 Chrysler Charger 360 which I got a ride in as when I worked in the local American car Spares shop " Little Wolf American Auto Spares" next to Wolfrace Wheels" on Staples Corner, a customer owned one in metallic green that was a WLY reg like the one in Minder. I thoroughly enjoy your channel and research, I had a few Rovers and a Pontiac, one of the Rovers was a P5B saloon in Cameron green which ive never seen before or after in that colour which was a P6 colour, as for the American Spare shop I worked in it's long gone but there is a shot of it on Thames TV channel with Shaw Taylor the actor from the 70s in it,we sold all the go faster stuff, even Crane H214 cam for Rover V8 215ci, Offenhauser manifold,Holley 390 cfm carb and HV0001 high volume oil pump kit which worked wonders for my Rover. Thanks for your uploads and best wishes.

[@brendanmaloney8487]

JRA Australia manufactued the Peugeot 505 in CDK form from 1981 to 1983

[@MrRea112]

Tom, most comprehensive research….. Keep em coming!

[@paulmcleod6061]

The main reason the P76 failed was that demand was so great that Leyland could not fulfil the orders. A lot of people had put deposits on this model, but had to wait so long to get the car they ordered, they cancelled there orders and went else where.

[@jameslong9845]

Like most new releases, supply can initially be an issue. At first there was a short supply of cars. However, by the end of 1973 there were big stockpiles of unsold P76s. The public had become aware of the reliability issues and sales had collapsed.

[@weekendwithbevoblog2171]

A massive car. It won the 1973 Wheels magazine Car of the Year award (V8 model).

[@edgarbeat2851]

Fantastic video. Enjoyed this epesiode. 👌

[@jamespoyser106]

another great video the one ive been waiting for

[@tomdrives]

Thanks James, glad you enjoyed

[@yossarian6799]

Leyland South Africa imported a few P76s for evaluation, but the car was deemed unsuitable for local manufacture. To avoid paying duty on the cars, they were set on a barge and dumped at sea off Robben Island. With the closure of Leyland Australia, tooling for the Marina and the E-series engine was shipped to South Africa and the Marina re-launched as a manufactured model (the previous model was assembled from UK-sourced kits). Sales projections were unrealistic, bordering on lunacy, and the Marina failed. The 2,6-litre E6 motor went on to power the locally-made Rover 2600 (SD1) until its demise and found its way under the bonnet of locally-made Land Rovers.

[@tomdrives]

The 2.6 E series was used instead of the PE166 for the 2600 in SA?

[@yossarian6799]

@@tomdrives Yes. It wasn't quite as powerful, but it was smoother, quieter and more flexible than the UK engine. The 3500 engine was imported from the UK but was expensive, so most locals plopped for the 2600.

[@stuartfletcher5755]

Another great video Tom. Thanks!

[@tomdrives]

Thanks Stuart glad you enjoyed

[@johnd8892]

In every case in the vid, where you say Falcon you should replace it by Holden, Falcon and Valiant. The General Motors Holden car having about 55 percent of the six cylinder market, the Ford Falcon 30 and the Chrysler Valiant 10 percent. Holden with its six cylinder starting in 1948 then the rest trying to catch up from 1960 onwards including Standard Vanguard. Starting with just 2.2 litre sixes Holden sold a million by 1962 until they had a new slightly larger engine. The V8 engines get talked about a lot but were only around ten percent of big car sales. Especially a six cylinder prefence for the significant fleet sales market.

[@Low760]

I find it crazy to think that GMH had up to 60% of the market in the 60s but they didn't try to improve the cars, just ship the profits back to America. We could have had durable but advanced vehicles instead of the red 202 until 1986. Heck the gtr-x was cancelled.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

In the 70s V8 Holden Fords and Valiants were common, far more than 10 percent. P38 V8s sold better than the anemic 6. Ghansvards were viable up until about 1960, tough reliable things but the tractor engine was not up to the more modern offerings from US sourced manufacturers. And they were smaller as well. I show some bias, I grew up around the things. my first car was one,, whan I was 13!

[@carsnstuff83]

The other thing that didn't help the P76 was it got a lot of bad press by the media nick naming it The ugly duckling. And the other 3 major manufacturers Chrysler Holden and Ford mounting campaigns against this rival car.

[@Low760]

When Thier qaulity and strikes were worse but they relied on fleet sales so the complaints were gone unheard instead. The hq and xa Falcon still had front drum brakes as a delete option.

[@jameslong9845]

Where's the evidence of that? Leyland on the other hand launched an ad campaign rubbishing the opposition.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

@@Low760 Yes but by 73 Fords had discs standard and most HQs and Vals had discs s well. All the V8 cars did.

[@hoyks1]

If you can get a copy, "A boot full of right arms" by Evan Green is worth a read. They took a P76 in the London-Sahara-Munich World Cup Rally and some other motoring marathons

[@CortinasAndClassics]

Tom, Any chance you could cover Sterling? The attempt by Rover to break into the US market?

[@AUmarcus]

Basically a Honda?

[@Jz-vd5zg]

fantastic vid ,enjoyed it

[@Curiousdriving]

Best episode yet, Tom

[@tomdrives]

Thanks Ian, glad you enjoyed it!

[@anthony851]

The picture at the end with the 3 cars is in NZ, all with NZ number plates. The last time I saw a P76 on the road may have been 10 years ago and there where 3 or 4 in convoy. Previous to that might have been anoth 10 years. Hi from NZ, Anthony

[@darrensmith6999]

Thank you for another amazing Video (:

[@tomdrives]

Thanks Darren

[@SimonGreenway-ih8lh]

Tom as always excellent

[@timx3680]

Tom im sorry but this is not up to your usually better researched videos. Standard Motor Products was an Australian-majority owned company (established 1952) and not ever affiliated with BMCA or Leyland. SMP's origins date back to 1926. 1958 saw SMP assembling Mercedes-Benz sedans and was thus renamed Australian Motor Industries aka AMI. By 1960 AMI began assembling AMC Rambler cars and Toyotas by 1963. Riley RMA and RMB were not unknown downunder but Riley 1.5 sales would have been miniscule at best - in all my years I've never seen one. Perhaps you're confusing it with the relatively popular Morris Major and Austin Lancer twins? With its uniquely largish engine the later Elite 1620cc was actually a great little car - yes I'm one of the many who owned this well-performing unit. Holden was by far the predominant brand in Australia; with one basic car line GM-H held iirc about 50% of the entire market circa 1960. Meanwhile Ford initially struggled with Falcon, it was not the 1962-debut Austin Freeway's main competitor. For mention, Freeway produced 80 bhp vs Chrysler's also new Valiant at 145 bhp for a price penalty only 10% greater.. The later Morris 1500 OHC evolution of ADO16 flopped badly due to a myriad of problems but the original Morris 1100 sold well here and was for a time the 2nd best selling vehicle in Oz. But that mesh sun visor you tout was merely a dealer-installed option; both this and the more attractive solid metal 'blade' sunvisors were a popular and ;practical addition to many cars in-period. For trivia the very appealing Triumph MD was the love-child of AMI's own MD the much respected Ken Houghton. I always thought Austin X6 Kimberley looked great - a stunningly successful restyle of the pig ugly 1800. Btw sited behind the brown Kimberley @ 7.06 viewers can spot a similar hued HC Hillman Hunter Royal 660, Chrysler Oz's premium local Hunter variant featuring twin carbs and Rostyles plus imported semi-opulent 'Buffalo Grain' vinyl upholstery as used in upmarket USA Mopars Tom where did you hear that Marina failed due to the size of its boot? Really mate it had a larger boot than for example the hot selling Datsun 1600 and later 180B. Marina received relatively underwhelming reviews for its ancient underpinnings, but the real reason for its lowish sales was that buyers by this stage had lost faith in the Zetland company, due to dismal underdevelopment of the previous Morris 1500 and X6 resulting in unsatisfied customers spewing tales of woe throughout the community. Word quickly got around and there were a veritable plethora of competitors to Marina, so why risk it (again)? Regarding the Leyland P76: Falcon was again not its major competitor - in 1973 the 'full size' Holden remained Australia's best-selling car. There was never any 4cyl P76 variant planned nor built. Locally the 6cyl E-Series 2600 was perceived as a little underbaked torque-wise by class standards, particularly when coupled with automatic transmission. However Leyland Australia's unique 'raised block' 4.4 litre version of the ex-GM, ex-Rover alloy V8 was a genuinely excellent unit and a highlight of P76. This 269 cid engine was quite distinct from the Rover V8 in many respects, with the block cast locally to high quality by CAC (Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation). The V8 was amply powerful along with being pleasingly economical, and for bonus points sounds deliciously mellow with an aftermarket twin exhaust. Also envisaged and prototyped were cut-down alloy derivations of the 4.4 litre V8; a 3.3 litre V6 and 2.2 litre slant-4. I remember photographs of these engines published in-period. The 4cyl was destined for the attractive Alfetta-like P82 Concept. For trivia it was rumoured that Leyland canvassed with Chrysler Australia the possibility of the latter supplying their smallest 215cid Hemi 6 (3.5 litres & 140 hp) in lieu of the 2600cc E-Series in an effort to spice up P76 6cyl competitiveness, but Chrysler could not be tempted. Notable is P76 was apparently the first (only?) passenger car to be branded 'Leyland' since its rare pre-war Leyland Eight namesake. P76 V8s also wore 'Leyland Eight' badges. Along with the body shell being impressively strong and cleverly conceived etc with minimal panels, its worth mentioning these relatively large sedans are amazingly light for their size despite their spaciousness; from memory the factory workshop manual cites around 1230kg ( V8 Deluxe 3-speed manual) to 1260 kg (V8 Super 4-speed) and 1295kg for the luxo V8 Executive auto - which btw is less than a current Corolla. For reference a comparably performing 1974 Ford Fairmont 302 cid Cleveland V8 auto weighed more than 1600 kg. Say what you will about the styling, or whatever else. The best thing about P76 is just how well they drive. I've owned all of their competitors along with two P76 V8s and let me tell you the Leyland is light years better - good seats, great driving position, precise R&P steering plus a soft loping ride (featuring the longest suspension travel of any Australian car) coupled to fantastic chassis balance which is quite neutral along with being playful and forgiving. We often read about the magic of a 'low polar moment of inertia' and the P76 must likewise be blessed - in the rain or on dirt you can get these things so ridiculously sideways, up to virtually full lock, and hold it poised at that attitude, yet a mere tweak of the wheel and it recovers to straight without the snap or subsequent corrections required of lesser chassis. No wonder they proved (and continue) to be such a surprisingly effective rally car. Given the forethought of hindsight (lol) what would I have wished done differently? Somehow gain fiscal and managerial independence from the toxic mothership. Likewise somehow obtain a workable, more realistic budget for this project. Use the attractively crisp (and more compact) P82 LWB styling. Approximate the internal dimensions of P76 yet without its needless front and rear overhangs. Once sufficient volume production has been achieved locally, exploit your niche and chase export markets like your life depended on it!

[@mattjacomos2795]

nice work.

[@erroneouscode]

"Hillman Hunter Royal 660, Chrysler Oz's premium local Hunter variant featuring twin carbs and Rostyles plus imported semi-opulent 'Buffalo Grain' vinyl upholstery as used in upmarket USA Mopars" That buffalo grain upholstery was also used in the 1970-1971 VG Valiant 770 Regal. Could it be Chrysler Australia had left overs they applied to the Hunter 660 Royal?

[@timx3680]

@@mattjacomos2795 Cheers Matt 🍺

[@timx3680]

@@erroneouscode Im not sure (?) but from memory this very appealing (and impressively durable) upholstery also graced upmarket CAL VFs like 770 and VIP. Btw for trivia I also recall seeing circa 1970 a small article with related photo in the NZ section of a Wheels magazine, reporting that Chrysler NZ was trialing an experimental 'Woolmark' wool-blend fabric upholstery on VG VIP. The pic showed a VIP bench seat, fully clad. I don't think this ever came to Oz but it looked really good.

[@tomdrives]

Tim I appreciate this comment and the valuable insight you’ve provided, I wouldn’t say however this isn’t to my usual standard at all, it was intended to be a potted history rather then a full on analysis but that is something I will do in future just not right now.. I simply don’t know enough which is why comments like yours help so thank you.

[@jamesfrench7299]

PMC under Leyland Australia also assembled 10.9m length Leyland National buses, also with final styling by Giovanni Michelotti.

[@richardmcmillan5534]

I bought an Austin Tasman around 1970 and absolutely loved it. A great family car, super comfortable and fantastic to drive. It was basically 1 finger driving on the open road and had what I call typical Austin comfort. And i have had a few Austin and Rover cars. I swapped out of the Tasman in 1974 - when the then fuel crisis hit, mainly because of the fuel economy - around 20 miles per gallon (11.7Lt/100km).

[@peterb666]

The X6 was replaced by the P76 and not the Marina. While the standard Marina came before the P76. The 2.6L Marina 6 came after the launch of the P76 and the Marina 6 was a complete piece of crap - great in a straight line but woeful cornering especially if there was a bump in the corner. The Marina was a smallish medium car which was intended to compete with the Cortina but modelled on the MkII Cortina as a competitor and were wrong footed by size increase of the MkII or TC Cortina. The Marina 6 was intended to compete with the Cortina 6 and Holden Torana 6. The P76 was certainly not stylish in the views of most people (thanks to David Beech influence/interferrence?) and had terrible build quality. The big problem with the P76 was Leyland decided it would be a great idea to introduce "just in time" logistics but the supply chain wasn't ready for it. Cars sat in paddocks for months around the Zetland plant where they were built with a bit missing here and a bit missing there - things like missing tail lights etc. This was an expensive mistake and the decision to kill Leyland came in late 1974. I was a trainee engineer working for the Duly & Hansford division of TRW Australia, a major component supplier to Leyland making axles, engine valves, and other components for Leyland. I was to resume work at Duly & Hansford in December 74 after a year at UNSW, around 2km from the Zetland factory. My job was gone because 12% of the staff at Duly & Hansfords were retrenched - 12% being the proportion of work that was done for Leyland. The P76 could have been a good car. The management of Leyland including Leyland Australia was terrible.

[@peterriggall8409]

Great job Tom. Really enjoyed that. It’s a huge subject but you covered the main points well I think. Another possible video subject would be the assembly of British cars in NZ. Once again a huge subject. We in Australia got Rovers P6Bs from NZ on the basis they took our BMC Kimberley/Tasmans. We did export a few Holden and Falcons too. NZ put together many British cars incl. Triumph Heralds and later 2000 and 2500. There were many cars assembled there and I only know a bit of it.

[@johnd8892]

The Port Melbourne based AMI factory assembled these Triumph Heralds , 2000s and 2500 which was the order of their success here too.

[@gafrers]

Very interesting as always

[@tomdrives]

Thanks :)

[@davidcoote4831]

Hi Tom from the land down under. Great video once again. There was no 4 cyl model but otherwise very well researched. Would love to see you do a video on the Hillman Hunter, a car that was sold in both the UK & Aus.

[@I-have-a-brain_and-use-it]

I was on the line and we made them What happened after they left the north end of the plant to despatch at the south end I have no idea as we were not allowed to wander around the site We came in via the No 4 gate in Joynton Ave , walked past the Moke line then strait into the P76 line and my station was the second from the door . The furthest south we got was the canteen . Every one was colour coded and being found in the wrong section was instant dismissal . They seemed to like dismissing people as workers were sacked daily I can not remember the full compliment of 8 in my station being the same for a single week with ony the Key hand & myself being permanent

[@keithwilson1554]

My Father owned an Austin Freeway Wagon...Two-Tone Blue , an Austin 1800 Mkll ...White/Green Interior and had a sticker on the back window "Car of the Century" undisputed to this day. And finally a Leyland Targa Florio P76 which I got my Licence in. One day we were travelling between Towns in NW NSW which had long straight stretches of road. An SLR 5000 and a Ford GT flew past as we were doing around 60.MPH. My Dad accepted the Challenge and caught up and overtook them at around 125 MPH.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

I say bullshit to that. The 4.4 with its tiny WW carby would not deliver enough air fuel for more than around 100mph,, and that down hill with a tail wind. Both the Falcon GT and SLR 5000 would do those speeds.

[@keithwilson1554]

@@ldnwholesale8552 Well I was in the car with my Father and saw the Speedo and us passing those cars.

[@I-have-a-brain_and-use-it]

@@ldnwholesale8552 You are of course thinking the ca was in standard condition Back then there were multiple performance upgrades for just about every car sold down here . Not like today when changing the spark plugs is illegal .

[@simonf8902]

The P 76 was run down a too small production line originally designed for Wolseley

[@ThePolaroid669]

Awesome - thanks for doing a video on aussie Leyland!!! I LOVE the P76

[@tomdrives]

Thanks John!

[@Roy-gi5ul]

What an eye-opener!

[@paulbarnett5837]

The Holden kingswood was the top selling car at the time with almost 50% market share, the falcon wasn't the top seller until the mid 1980's

[@johnd8892]

As we're all the Holden's top selling from about 1950 until the mid eighties. By 1954 top selling by a huge margin. Federal government at the time were considering legislation to encourage more competition in the new car market. By the early sixties the new Ford Falcons and Chrysler Valiants started to give Holden a little bit of competition.

[@ericjohnson6802]

Father bought a used P76 6cyl for 1600 bucks and drove it daily for over 40 years Inc towing a boat, trailer and boot full of gear. It actually outlived him. Oil pump was replaced but apart from that it needed no other repairs. There's 3 of them in a shed nearby, which reminds me of him everytime I see them.

[@johnfh]

Very interesting, and relevant for me: I was born and grew up in rural Victoria. My only BMC Australia car was a three-year-old Wolseley 1500. It was very charming and peppy, but lacked the leather upholstery of the English cars. I sold it after a year and bought an FJ Holden, then a VW. Since then I've owned mainly Italian and French cars. I remember BMC cars as unsuited to Australian conditions, probably due to lack of development.

[@tonydoggett7627]

My mechanical engineering teacher, mr Vo, at Ultimo TAFE in the early 90’s was an engineer at Leyland Australia in Sydney NSW. He was there until the end. I remember him saying L.A were out of money to make improvements in production quality or minor changes for design improvement.

[@peterriggall8409]

I saw a P76 Targa Florio on a UK video some time ago. I think it was on display at the NEC motor show. Obviously not the only one in UK as you mentioned.

[@johnd8892]

The story behind the showcar was it was a recent private import from Australia and not from the era when they were new. I IRC.

[@iainherridge6253]

We used a P76 in the Aussie black comedy '100 Bloody Acres' feature film, because it could fit three bodies in the boot!

[@geoffdean3532]

The Austin Tasman cost about AUD 2900. Depreciation was an immediate 60% as you drove away from the dealer.. Near new ones were difficult to sell at $1000 used in an otherwise buoyant second-hand market.

[@lasentinal]

At the time of the P76, I heard rumours of sabotage by a particular supply union at the behest of one of the other car manufacturers in Australia, which caused delays in the supply of components for its manufacture.

[@I-have-a-brain_and-use-it]

I really wish people would not repeat rumours 1) Leyland had a big dispute with the vehicle builders union , what ever it was called at the time over the brand new P 76 assembly line in the Zetland plant 2) the union back banned that line, the moke line kept on running 3) Leyland imported Tongans as strike breakers so the moke line also went out and eventually a secondary boycott on parts suppliers hit all Leyland plants. 4) Whitlam ( Would have been Button probably ) intervened and got the line running again which is when I started there on the night shift 5) in retaliation the union sabotaged as many cars as they could get away with . I saw this happen & I got back injuries to prove this 6) the cars did not live up to the hype as purchasers were expecting some sort of Rolls Royce and then all of the sabotage problems became apparent . Rear windows fell out , paint faded differently where cars had been repaired, brakes failed and so did the car . 7) just like in the UK senior management were all arrogant old school tie bigots who refused to work together despite Thatchers ( not my favourite PM ) very best efforts to save the UK auto industry they self destructed

[@Low760]

I almost ended up with a p76 as my first car from my grandfather, but was offered it three weeks after buying my first Volvo. I had asked for the p76 a year earlier. Still love them but I'm kind of glad i got into Volvo's as the knowledge to improve the redblock is extensive but also limited.

[@bruzagroves3651]

I had a white with blue interior 1975 Super model in NZ. It had additional Executive items as standard compared to the Australian Supers. Loved it, but the windscreen issue meant a continuous leak every time it rained.

[@Beanerds]

In New Zealand I owned and loved , Ford Falcon's , Holden Kingswoods and Valiant's over the years , But by chance I had the chance to grab a Leyland P76 Executive , 4.4 liter V8 floor change 3 speed auto and beautiful seats , hell it even had a sunroof ! . The Leyland P76 was a huge upgrade over the Australian big 3 , more power , better handling by far and a much smoother and plush ride . I loved it and looking back should have never sold it !

[@elmonteslim3711]

Growing my family owned a P76...it was very comfortable and reliable. We had the V8 and it was pretty quick. It cost nothing to service and seated a family of 6. It lasted us 15 years until it rusted to death.

[@grahamhogg9802]

An interesting historical video. Well done. Fun to see the Pressed Metal factory which in its last years was making Sydney City Buses and at JRA Meadowbank where I worked in the elate 1980s at JRA Bus & Coach Research and Development Unit on a new bus prototypes with crash rollover safety and seat belts incorporating cutting edge Computer Aided Design systems. A bit different from the Leyland of the past. Land Rovers including the then new 6 wheel Land Rovers for the ARMY SAS were also produced at the JRA Meadowbank site then. They were great times in engineering at JRA. Like all things with Leyland, that never seemed to last!!!

[@user-jz1vh7zj7p]

Moorebank, not Meadowbank. Was previously known as Engineering Services as shown in the photo at 14.46. I worked there from 1975 to 1984. This is a photo of the unveiling of our Mastiff 6 x 6 truck for the Australian Army tender that was ultimately won by Mercedes. I am in that photo and although blurred I can still recognize some of people. I wonder how Tom came by it?

[@SB-vb8ch]

I'm no stance/wheel fitment guru but why they thought the P76 setup was just right is a bit bewildering! Good vid & clearly a lot of research. I presum 111 inch comment was wheelbase rather than length...that wouldn't be a big car!

[@tomdrives]

Wheelbase yes!

[@spikeyflo]

My father took me to see all the Force 7s together at the factory in Zetland in Sydney when I was about 14 years old. I recall thinking the styling was absolutely striking.

[@paulwilson7622]

I used to own used vehicles in sequence, Wolsley 24/80, Morris 1500, my brother had a Nomad, a mk 2 Austin 1800. All were great fun, roomy, comfortable and mainly reliable vehicles

[@simonf8902]

You omit the Mini which was built in Sydney. As was the 1800 and MG.

[@rickadrian2675]

In the 1980's I was working for the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria and was on an extended tour with members, one of whom was a former Shell engineer who apparently worked with the P76. He was adamant that they were sabotaged by Ford & Holden and in particular quoted cars passing QC and then having oil plugs fall out while being transported to dealers and horrific reliability issues caused by contaminated fuel.

[@KK-qi6mt]

The thinking in Australia was that an Australian 6 cylinder family sized car would suit the average buyer well and if you wanted anything smaller or a 4 cylinder you bought Japanese. The selection of English cars were too many, too confusing and too odd. With the Australian and Japanese models you knew what they were and you had confidence that they would be around for servicing and parts.

[@user-po3xj4zh7z]

I have owned both a six cylinder P76 and Marina. In fact in 2013 I drove the Marina from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales to Townsville North Queensland (2,250 km) and it never missed beat. They were both brilliant but flawed.

[@popeye807]

I would really like to see you cover the rise and fall of Holden from the very start to the very end if possible.

[@gregidour7315]

The license plate on that white triumph 2500pi is so close to the one I had on my corolla when I lived in OZ back in 2003. APD.21G

[@jameslong9845]

They were both assembled in the same factory.

[@Wee_Jimmy]

I remember in Perth WA driving past a property and I saw at least 6 p76s in the front garden

[@petermacdonald3061]

Great report, perhaps you could loo at the 6 cylinder Cortinas and various versions of the Holden Torana that also came with 6 cylinder engines. Australia did a 6 cyl. version of the Chrysler 180 too.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Hmmm, Cortina 6s were unsurprisingly front heavy and it showed in the handling,, went like stink for the day, a far better car than the pommy ones though. Torana 6s in LC LJ were a narrow gutted POS, a rehashed Viva. BUT power to weight was excellent and they handled well. The 308 XU1 where a rocket. [I have driven several conversions and put an engine in a LJ XU1] Fairly easy to fit and 240hp in a car under 1.1 ton they were quick. Would have been fragile as a Touring car but they do not push a lot of air. Ofcourse a near 600 hp Chev kept you awake as my racecar was.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Centura 4s were very average, the 6s a far better thing. Far stronger to take all the hemi torque

[@biastv1234]

Gday Tom, Roman Rodberg in fact designed most of the P76 in Australia, with the design houses doing bits and pieces. Although similarly designed, there is no carry over parts on the SD1. ( yes I am an Australian that owns two P76’s

[@stephenwalsh1332triumph]

44 gallon drum in the REAR! That's gotta hurt 😭

[@tomdrives]

😂

[@potrzebieneuman4702]

Cars like the Morris Minor look odd today but when you compare what we were driving here in Australia they were pretty advanced. The Morris had full synchro 4 on the floor while old Holdens and Fords had 3 on the tree with no synchro on first gear. and had recirculating ball steering. Even the Austin 1800, or Landcrab as it was colloquially known here, had a smooth ride with it's hydrolastic suspension compared to the old Holden boneshakers, but it did have it's own problems.

[@ajwalou-nack2343]

I've always wanted an Aussie Austin ute . Such a shame the company never had to foresight in making them over here in the UK. The original mini could have kept going as a little hatchback and the A series engines could have just been updated as they were excellent little engine's.

[@user-ws4op6hs9w]

Great episode Tom. I was disappointed that you didn't mention the Australian Austin 1800. From memory (reading an article about it at some point) Leyland Australia undertook extensive modifications to the 1800, to beef it up for Aussie conditions and addressing the shortcomings of the British model - some 30+ modifications? - making it very popular in Australia with an interior space larger than the Holdens & Falcons. And they also produced a utility, once again beefed up for country use, with a spacious tray & hydrolastic suspension very much appreciated in the country. The replacement Tasman & Kimberly's were a big disappointment with their boring boxy design - if they'd been given a more attractive appearance, a bit of style, I think they would have sold better imo - they had great mechanicals.

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Mk2 Landcrabs drove well but were still a BMC front drive car with all the faults. Seldom missed by anyone. The utes were very few and not good. And rode terribly. I have driven one. The sedans were roomy 4 seaters and rode very well.

[@frasercrone3838]

Leyland /BMC in Australia had the same problems as the parent company in Britain. They held onto models for to long and did not update. They pitched vehicles at sectors they were not suitable for and across the board most of their vehicles were underpowered. Attempted new models like the Nomad, Tasman and Kimberly were flops as Australians wanted rear wheel drive at that time and Leyland's build quality for those vehicles was also terrible coupled with some serious design faults. The Japanese vehicles were better built and cheaper and in rear wheel drive format. The P76 was way too late to the party plus it hit the market in the early seventies with a fuel shortage raging and big fuel price hikes. It was also built very badly with many instances of bits falling off and breaking and a myriad of electrical gremlins. It was a poorly managed company with terrible industrial relation problems and no money. They traded on their past brand reputation from the 50's and the success of the Mini and 1100 but it was the Japanese that killed them off as they did Hillman/ Rootes. Ford and GMH managed to keep selling small cars for a while but in the end they were also in the Japanese shadow with only the big sedans being successful. Our market size was to small to have so many manufacturers and when we all turned our backs on the rear wheel drive format local manufacture was not viable any longer. The irony is that front wheel drive in king now and who had the first FWD cars here, BMC/ Leyland .

[@68404]

No mention of the Targa Florio..