Sensible Secondhand Classics: 1979 Morris Marina 1300 L Coupé at the Great British Car Journey!

[@mpersad]

Given when they were designed and produced, I think it's a pretty handsome coupe, and those door handles bring back many memories, of many cars. Excellent review as always, thank you sir!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Glad you enjoyed it, sir! Everyone seems to be saying the same thing about this little car, it looks surprisingly appealing for a base model. It isn't the last time we will be seeing the door handles in this series of videos either!

[@aslandama]

I remember having the brochure in my small but growing collection when I was about 14, I think they did a great job presenting this Marina series then.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, it actually looks surprisingly appealing for a base model which was made eight years after the Marina was actually launched!

[@paullonghurst1390]

Beautiful car, perfect in every way. Well done for finding it sir

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

This is only the first of seven cars filmed on the same day at the museum, sir!

[@simonhodgetts6530]

As driven (albeit in early mk1 form) by Sid James in Carry On At Your Convenience……………imagine this with 4 doors, and you also have a mk1 Hyundai Pony - developed by members of the same development team, under the direction of George Turnbull, who also masterminded the Morris Marina.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes sir, the Marina was a definite influence on the Hyundai Pony, I think they took two Marinas over to Korea to study when they were designing it. Thank you for watching, sir!

[@roygardiner2229]

I like it! It has a sort of basic charm. So little to go wrong with it. There's lots of space in the back and in the boot, as you pointed out. It is also surprisingly good to look at.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, would have been a much more practical car than a Capri, for example, but probably not as stylish. Thank you for watching!

[@jb3222]

Great to see a fair review of a much maligned car! My Mk1 was ultra-reliable, reasonably quick (on a straight road!), easy to work on and quite nice to drive. The only negative was rust: by its third birthday one of the wings had already had a blob of filler above the headlight. Ah, the memories......

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I have driven some truly terrible cars in my time, but this Marina was not one of them. It wasn't even the worst car I drove that day! The specification was a bit mean, but a nice 1700 HLS would be OK, I think. Six more videos from last Sunday still to come.

[@alaricbragg7843]

Very tidy and well restored, considering the model and age of the vehicle! 😃 Inside very modern for the time.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

This is an unrestored car, sir, actually! That makes it even more amazing.

[@wayneaylott6703]

Nice review mate. And good old cars I remember these back in the day wow.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you, sir! Not bad, really, much better than I had been told they were.

[@simonc858]

Wow I have just remembered that my parents had a P reg one of these, with vinyl seats that were fun in the summer! Good to see one again

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, I really enjoyed having a go in this, actually! Genuinely nowhere near as bad as I had been told they were, I preferred this to the Viva that is linked in the description for certain. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Fantastic little review Sir, not a bad looking car at all in coupe form, nice basic motoring, you can see why it sold so well.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, they sold an awful lot of these back in the 1970s, it was a successful car. Thank you for watching as usual, sir!

[@willswheels283]

I had the priveledge of having a drive in this Marina earlier this year(A vid of it is on my own channel) I’d always wanted to try one and so I treated myself and a mate to a visit to the Great British Car Journey. I was pleasantly suprised how comfortable the car was and how easy it was to drive. When I was a kid these cars were current but by the time I had the finances to learn to drive and buy a car they had mostly disappeared so I never bought one or drove one and the ones available for sale were outside my budget oddly. Anyhow what a great afternoon out the museum is anc a visit there is highly recommended, thanks for the vid Joseph.👍

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Sir, glad you also enjoyed this Marina! It was indeed a much better car than I imagined, and not particularly difficult to drive. Definitely better than the HC Viva I drove the same day. Most certainly recommended, as you say!

[@willswheels283]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes I’ll certainly go back next year and try something else, if that Maxi becomes available I’ll go for that, if not it’ll probably be that Mini Cooper.

[@willswheels283]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes I’ll certainly go back next year and try something else, if that Maxi becomes available I’ll go for that, if not it’ll probably be that Mini Cooper.

[@SuperFIFTHGEAR]

Very good video, sir. I really don't understand why the Marina got as much stick as it did, it seems very much in keeping with everything else from that era.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Well sir, perhaps if you wait to see reviews of a couple of the Marina's contemporaries from the same day, you can see if this one was the best!

[@TPerry2828]

😄 Now we're motoring! A great video, sir. I too prefer the Ital (especially in bright orange) - somehow the bigger headlights / rear lights suit the car better. Either way, always good to see a Marina 👍

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, I think that this facelift works quite well, and of course the Ital had even bigger headlights and tail lights! If they do get that early Ital onto the driving fleet later in the year, I will definitely ask if I can come back.

[@davidknight8172]

I bought one of these in 1983,it was a 1972 k reg 1.3 and it absolutely flew compared to my mk1 cortina 1.3 that it replaced.Great car with great memories.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I had a go in this a year ago, and didn't find it nearly as bad as many had said it would be. That sounds like a great bargain back in the day!

[@badbooks476]

Great review Sir, brings back lovely memories of my uncle’s facelift Yellow S reg 1300 saloon which he px’d for a V reg Brown 1300 Coupe, without telling his wife, she went mad. He was very proud of the modern dash with the radio facing the passenger & the front spoiler, I don’t remember a rear arm rest & I regularly travelled in the back with my dog, I would have been 8 or 9 years old

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Very early facelift Marina on an S plate, sir! Your uncle must have loved the facelifted Marina to have had two of them. The modern dash is a bit silly having the radio (if fitted) facing away from the driver! Your aunt must have been a bit angry when he came back with the brown car...

[@badbooks476]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting it might have been a T reg, had the twin light grille & spoiler & updated dash, he was always winding up Aunt Joy, bless her, Canary yellow to Brown was an odd choice

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@badbooks476 , these period colours look great at shows these days, sir, but I do wonder what people were thinking back then when they chose them!

[@badbooks476]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Prior to that he had a Tundra green Allegro & a harvest gold Marina. I learnt those colour name’s from your video’s Sir.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@badbooks476 , sir, you have done well!

[@alaricbragg7843]

Thanks for the video. These were very popular in New Zealand (Produced locally until the early 1980s.). I did not know that the coupe lasted that long in the Marina's production history.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The Coupé certainly did last until the end of Marina production, although the saloons tend to be a bit more common at this stage. Yes, they were made in quite a few places.

[@alaricbragg7843]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting The vans and utilities were extremely popular work vehicles in New Zealand back in the day. The car was also a quiet achiever in rallying when most contestants used modified road cars. This suggests that the Marina was a lot more rugged and reliable than some people like to think.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@alaricbragg7843 , I think that one of the things which appealed to a lot of fleet buyers with the Marina and the Ital was the low cost and simplicity of working on them.

[@alaricbragg7843]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting They lasted well in New Zealand. New Zealand factories were also not hit hard by labour disputes and strikes so our Marinas probably had more quality control.

[@alaricbragg7843]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Please check your email! 🙂

[@adamtoms2726]

Well sir, this might have to go on my list. I'd like to compare this and the Ital. I agree with you, I prefer the styling of the Ital. Thanks for that nugget of info of that one being available to drive later in 2023. I like the looks of the coupe. Another excellent review Sir.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Get it on your list, sir! What a fantastic car... I am hoping to try that Ital myself later in the year, if the rumours are correct. The Coupé somehow looks surprisingly appealing for some reason, even has a base model!

[@seancooke7332]

Oh this takes me right back to about 1977. A friend of my Dad's just changed his Morris 1300 for a 1976Morris Marina 1.3 2 door Super in Royal Blue, not sure what the BL name is for the colour. There steering wheel and facia are different on the 76 model but the brown vinyl door cards seem identical, except that the older model had blue metal doorstops. The 1979 facelift is my favourite Marina, I prefer it even to the Ital because it has a bit more character. With a vinyl roof of course. Saloon, Coupe or estate, I like them all actually. Those door handles were actually very swanky in the 1970s.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, the dashboard was changed for the 1978 facelift. Glad this has brought some some nostalgia! The later Marinas like this one did actually look quite good, it is amazing that they could come up with such an attractive package this late in the car's life.

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

I don't hate the exterior styling, it could have been a better car, if BL had the funds and workforce to improve on it. The dashboard is pretty grim and very odd, with little or no equipment, and very strange choices as you said MR Lloyd.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, the dashboard is a bit weird, but for some reason this is a surprisingly appealing car which doesn't drive too badly at all! I would need at least an HL myself...

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

@Lloyd Vehicle Consulting Yes, it doesn't deserve the bad press, I think it was just poorly executed in some places as a way of cost-saving. The Couple could look quite sporty with a few tweaks.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@paulie-Gualtieri. , yes, the early 1.8 TC Coupé in particular looked very purposeful indeed!

[@mattw8332]

Pleased to see a video on a Marina. These latest Marinas are my favourite. I am of the opinion that British Leyland should have carried on with these instead of developing and launching the Ital (but still give it the 2.0 engine). It would have meant more funds towards developing the LM10 and LM11, bringing the Maestro and Montego to market a year earlier. I do think it was a shame that the Marina was saddled with the old Minor's suspension. As per the 1972 Triumph Toledo that Steph recently tested, I wonder how I would have got on with one of these as a first car had I not bought my old 1979 Mini 1000? 🤔

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, I prefer the later Marinas for some reason, but I like the Ital even more... I don't know whether they could have got away with still selling this, rather than heavily facelifting it to make it in the Ital, it is impossible to speculate, but interesting to ponder.

[@martinburke362]

I have driven a Plymouth from America which had the same suspension as a marina i have also driven a simalar model but with a coil suspension conversion the difference is startling if only Leyland would have give it a bit more thought

[@pizzalover3]

Agreed, also prefer the look of the Ital to the Marina but not sure why!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Sir, we all have our preferences, don't we?

[@Dino_Dad.]

Wow Sir , I said I liked the marina coupe on Project Nigel live steam yesterday- and as if by magic..I do prefer the the pre facelift though..Another good video

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Sir, Paul was sent over the pictures, so he knows what I have been up to! He should make his way over to the museum as well...

[@simonbirks7646]

My dad had one, same colour, reg was TWD 271W. Brown interior. He had to paint the bottom sill black Hamerite to try and prevent the rust. !

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

That sounds like a really late Marina! The Ital appeared on a V registration (indeed, there is a V registration one in the museum itself), so a late registration. Those Hammerite sills were a common look back in the day!

[@frothe42]

Well, I happen to like this as well as the Ital. No front headrests yet a rear centre armrest!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

People clearly had different priorities with their cars back in the day, sir.

[@skellertons113]

Hello Guv, me again, finally watched the Marina video, BL used the Triumph gearbox as they did not have a synchro first gear one from the BMC range, (back to double declutching). On my Ital, the synchro on second was gone, so exotic change downs had to be done for corners, brake, clutch down, ,into neutral, clutch up ,boot the accelerator with the outstep of the shoe, still braking, clutch down, then, shift into second, without a crunch with any luck, clutch up, and back on the loud pedal to continue. What have I driven since Thursday?, electric vehicle with re gen braking which gives me pain due to holding the brake pedal rather than releasing it and covering the brake, and today, pre selector from Brooklands Museum, much better.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, driven many electric cars, but never tried a pre-selector gearbox myself... My old 1980 Triumph Dolomite 1500 SE had the same gearbox as this 1979 Marina, so at least I knew how to use reverse, which doesn't tend to be necessarily as easy to select on older cars as the newer ones.

[@skellertons113]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I am ashamed, can't remember where reverse was. The pre selector was developed by inventor and Naval Officer, Walter Gordon ,Wilson. Used in tanks, racing cars, high end cars, buses, and armoured cars, like the Alvis Saracen.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Reverse on a 1500 Dolomite, or this Marina, is where fifth gear normally would be.

[@chrisweddle2577]

Interesting that there's an aerial but no radio!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's really strange, isn't it? Six more videos to come from last Sunday!

[@CortinasAndClassics]

lovely motor Joseph. I prefer the marina over the ital

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

That's what Mr Coleman says as well, my friend, so you are in good company!

[@williamwoods8022]

Of course headrests back then were an option on the lower models like lots of other kit were - standard fit on the HL. I had a 1978 Mk2 1.8 HL Marina in Tahiti Blue which was an excellent fast and reliable car back then and I drove that car fast and hard all the time and it took it no problem - even though they beefed up the anti-roll bars etc you still had to watch the back end in the wet etc but you got to know the cars limit when you were driving it and I am still here with no injuries from driving this car if they were supposed to have been so bad.. Then again there were worst cars for handling than the Marina - the Capri and Mk3 Cortina are just two but people always slag off the Marina. I have always thought that these Mk2 Marinas with the face lifted twin spotlight grills and chrome bumpers with over-riders and chrome everything else were the best looking Marinas and then the Mk3's with the spoiler like the one you have just driven. I do also really like the top of the range Itals as well - would love to have one of each Mk and Ital. Would love to get another Mk2 1.8 HL in Tahiti Blue but never seen another one since mine was written off after a VW Combi van didn't stop at a junction and just drove right out right in front of me and wrote both of them off back in 1984.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, I have driven a 1982 Capri 2.8 Injection four speed on the channel before, and that uses leaf springs at the rear with an incredibly loose back end! It was fun, but a bit scary. The Marina wasn't necessarily worse than anything else at the time, as you say, and if you drove modestly, as I had to given the 20 mph speed limit, then it was fine. You would have to had watch a 1.8 TC in particular at higher speeds, but that would have been the case for many family cars of the time, I am sure. Thank you for watching!

[@williamwoods8022]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting The HL's were TC's and would have done 105 mph all day if you wanted to - of course there were no speed cameras back then and very few police about and the roads were a lot quieter as well :)

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@williamwoods8022 , a world without speed cameras sounds wonderful, to be honest!

[@kiwidave9416]

This car is an example of when a lot of people who don't have much in the way of nous or good taste dictate what people should think about something or other. Always best to ignore them.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!

[@robbrady4649]

Nice review Sir. Did you also drive the Imp and the TR7 parked next to the Marina?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

You are just going to have to wait and find out, sir....

[@robbrady4649]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Look forward to it Sir. I've always had a soft spot for the TR7 having lived close to the Speke factory when it was launched.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@robbrady4649 , ah yes, the Speke factory! Not the calmest place for industrial relations ever, I gather...

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

Many 1300 ended up as engine parts donors for MG Midget/Sprites.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Oh yes, they would have done! I enjoyed this a fair bit, actually. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting.

[@zzhughesd]

E type. Then Marina. Mad they’re both car designs

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Well, they serve quite different purposes, I think.

[@vijayakrishnannair]

Nice 👍

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you very much indeed!

[@richardhowlett9424]

My first car was a 1974 version of that car bought in 1983 for £185 🙂

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

That's colossal depreciation, sir! Was the car any good?

[@richardhowlett9424]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes ! It got me to Devon on holiday , a memorable drive from Torquay to Barnstable made me think , hey I like driving ! It was a tribute to Isopon body filler , was white but brush painted it red .

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@richardhowlett9424 , oh sir, good old body filler!

[@zzhughesd]

How many of the unrecommended by this channel fuel types were made roughly. Like 100-1000

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Fortunately, sir, it wasn't a lot, as far as I know...

[@alaricbragg7843]

A certain program? 🎹💥🚗😁 Did a Marina club really complain back then?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

You know which episodes to watch about it, sir.

[@alaricbragg7843]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting By the way I am with you 100% over the comment on the Ital - which never came to New Zealand. The square lights and boxy facelift gave it an Italian appearance that should have been used much earlier in the Marina's run. My opinion is that a Marina should be seen as a poor man's Fiat 131. Interesting parallels: Similar size. Wagon option. Boxy styling, quite clean. Diesel variant. Rallying heritage. I like to have controversial opinions...

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@alaricbragg7843 , that is the sort of opinion which could get you into trouble round here, sir, I am afraid!

[@barrycash4664]

I have the ultimate ital here the rare 2.0HLS auto

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

My goodness me, that sounds really exciting!

[@azimuth2142]

Had one and I hated it. I wanted a Datsun Cherry but the old man bid on the Marina at auction whilst I paid for it.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I would very much like to try a Cherry at some point, trouble is they aren't exactly easy to find for review... Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!

[@peterkirgan2921]

Why did they bother Datsun Mitsubishi put out descent stuff back then ! Think pommie technology even now is obsolete !!! Lol 😂were not the 1960s 😂😂😂 lol

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Datsun and Mitsubishi had virtually no market presence in Britain in the 1970s and were absolutely appalling for premature rust (as were many British cars). I have driven far worse cars from the 1970s than this Marina.

[@alaricbragg7843]

Your secret mission documents went in? No wonder the New Avengers used BL cars!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Got plenty more cars from this day to come, sir...

[@chriswarren2599]

Sold over 1.1 million.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

They honestly aren't that bad, I have driven much worse than this Marina.

[@chriswarren2599]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I love them. I had a Mk1 1.3L Coupe in Sahara Beige then years later a 1.3L Ital Estate in red. Totally reliable, not rusty, easy to fix and ok to drive.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

They are really not as bad as I had imagined. The Vauxhall Viva I drove on the same day was an awful lot worse....

[@alaricbragg7843]

Not even historic diesels? 😂

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

You know the rules, sir!

[@TheMidasMD]

No! I disagree. The Marina was NOT controversial in its time. Actually, it sold pretty well. It suffered the negative effect that all BLM models suffered from a workforce determined to cause self-destruction and an impotent and incompetent management. Marina only gained ill repute after the fact - mostly from a lazy press that was determined to finish off what the workforce did not destroy. Marina was a victim of British self hate.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The Marina was a very big seller back in the day, that is absolutely true. The press don't tend to like cars like this, but the public clearly did not seem to mind as much.

[@nickyboy.]

19th

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Slipping a bit, sir?

[@levelcrossing150]

What a lovely example, I liked these. For me the Marina sold quite well when new. Basically they were ok apart from the odd judders clutch which got replaced under warranty. I think the dash was cut away to give the feel of more room for the passenger. Many cars in the 70's had independent fitting kits for their radios and having a blank in the dash was like a step closer to getting them as standard. Also some customers would have their favourite radio transferred from their old car to their new one, but in time they would fit radios as standard just as they had done for some time with the jap cars.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, the Marina was a very good seller considering its short development time, and lots of other bits from the BL parts bin. Clutch seemed fine in this one, I remembered the gearbox from my old Triumph Dolomite. Would like to try an Ital next! Thank you for watching, sir.