The TRUTH Behind the LEYLAND PRINCESS Controversy - British Leyland's Worst Failure?

[@tomdrives]

Two silly errors on my side! I said 1986 instead of 1968 when referring to ADO17s MK2 version Used a C Series engine photo in place of the O Series! Nothing I can do I'm afraid but thank you all for spotting.

[@howellstevens9622]

Congratulations ! You have a qualification to work for British Leyland.👍

[@jameslast5814]

Time for the Rover 200 BRM story to be told Tom .......

[@typxxilps]

too late too little - but I liked this video about a car I had not known like many british cars due to all the issues of the past. Still people get hesitant if one asks about metric screws or not and so on . A no go for the average buyer , only die hard fans buy british cars nowadays - except the german ones from Mini, RR or Bentley where it does not matter or the issues have gone.

[@jwm5165]

That looked like the version used in the Healey's and MGC. It had extra main bearings and is very tunable.

[@tomdrives]

​@@howellstevens9622this comment 😂

[@gwheregwhizz]

There are three cars that were designed by BL that, if they had been Italian or French, would be on permanent display in art galleries, the Range Rover, the SD1, and the Princess.

[@KiwiCatherineJemma]

Don't forget British Leyland's Australian cousins ! The Leyland P76. Most had the 4.4 litre alloy v8, but a 2.6 litre straight 6 was an economy option. Famous for being a sedan car large enough to take a 44 gallon (imperial, 55 US gals or 209 litre) drum, in the boot. It's "urban legend" (and possibly true) here Downunder that the Leyland P76 was so good, that Ford, Holden and Chrysler paid bribes to have production of it shut down, as it was so much better than the products they were offering at the time.

[@SteveMVA-ninja]

Was it a victim of circumstance? No.. quite honestly it was a P.O.S

[@sutherlandA1]

The original range rover was displayed at the louvre

[@gregharvie3896]

From Sydney, Australia, you are dead correct, I turned 69 3 days ago and when all 3 of these were new we never received Princess's at BMC -Leyland dealers, but you could order one from the UK & wait for it to be shipped out here, same as it was for the big Austin 3 litres of the late 1960's. Ehen I was at ubi as a young guy a mates parents ordered one each they owned them for years and years and years, never had any trouble with either of them. A better car than it was ever given credit for & the 2200cc 6 cyl engines were made here by BMC Australia in their massive factory at Zetland, Sydney near the airport & shipped to the UK for fitting in the HL2200's.

[@maverlk7]

My dad had an 1800 princess in 1976. It was the best ride of any car he ever owned and covered over 100,000 miles in three years without missing a beat! I recall one drive home on the M6 in a blizzard and we were literally the only car moving in the middle lane (outside lane impassable and inside lane at a snails pace). That front wheel drive traction got us home and that journey and the car are now a fond family memory!

[@frankneser6055]

Hello from Germany! I was 26 years old when I bought a low mileage Princess 2200 HLS from a used car dealer in 1985, immaculate inside and out, the price was super cheap. The driving comfort was unique, the car was a real eye-catcher, because there were only a few Princesses on our roads. The car mastered a trip to Turkey without any problems, it was exactly the comfortable vehicle for the long journey and the sometimes bad roads. But just one week after returning from that long haul trip, the devil struck. The tie rod end broke and the car became immobile in the middle of the road. Just one week after the repair, the windscreen wiper motor broke and I had to wait almost two months for the replacement part. Just two weeks after the repair, there was a crack in the differential, the oil leaked and I only just made it home (with terrible noises). The repair was economically unviable and so the car went to the scrapyard after only 4 months of ownership. I was very sad about this, because the Princess was wonderfully comfortable to drive and a real rarity. It was also a shame that all my acquaintances were right when they warned me against buying a British car: complicated, unreliable, poorly assembled and expensive to maintain.

[@leuvenlife]

when I was 17 I had a mk2 Escort as my car, but I really really wanted a spitfire. This was 1983. I knew of a nice spitfire for sale, a 1300, as per my escort, so I sold the escort to buy it. My parents objected to me having a 'sports car' ("too dangerous") and in a fit of childish rage I opened the local paper, turned to cars for sale, "A" Austin.. I bought a Princess. A 2200HL. It looked awful, either rattle can paint work or they forgot the clear lacquer.. but yeah, 350 quid when I'd sold the escort for 650, so I bought new tyres, and thrashed around in an 'old man's car' as the other boy racers used to refer to it. I had the last laugh though, it went like a stabbed rat and handled brilliantly for its bulk. I never lost a street race, and I was often (always) outclassed. It was one of my better rage choices. I never had the wind in my hair but drove the princess as if my hair was on fire

[@chrisjones8379]

The Princess was, I think, to far ahead of it's time in styling at least. As a kid, when it was launched, I thought it looked ridiculous. And when, in my twenties, I was offered one when I was desperate for reliable daily transport, I turned my nose up at it. Now, in my mid 50's, I'd actually be quite proud to have one sitting on my drive... Not sure If I mellowed with age, the car did, or we mellowed together.

[@bombercountyblues]

Nah, gotta disagree there bud.. it definitely had features that were ahead of its time (hydrogas suspension etc) but the styling couldnt be any more of its time.. just look at some of its contemporaries.. aston lagonda, bond bug, lotus elite, lancia stratos, reliant scimitar, triumph tr7.. the mid 70s was peak wedge mania..

[@veritasvincit2745]

Dad rented one on the Isle of Wight in 1984 and I have to say that whatever it drove like it had the most comfortable rear passenger ride that I've personally experienced.

[@bombercountyblues]

My dad still says to this day that his 2 princesses were the best cars he ever had.

[@grantmoss7820]

I had a white 2200HL princess, loved it, great for cruising on the a roads and motorway, I sold it for a 2600 Rover SD1, I've always loved British cars, I've also had several Triumph Dolomites and a Herald, to this day I still have an original MG F 1996 slated by the press at the time but now recognised as a good car, thank you for the videos, they bring back so many memories

[@rolfmak1400]

Tom, I don’t know if you are aware, but in The Netherlands there are two of the most rare Princesses in existence: A Torcars hatchback conversion and a Woodall Nicholson Kirklees limo. The last one has a KZbin video by HubNut, so you can watch that. The Torcars is not on the road, its APK ran out in July 2022, but is in the current ownership since April 2020. I have pictures of it which I made on a show in 2017. Stupidly enough not from the back. The car has featured in at least one classic car magazine in Holland. It was purchased new in 1977 by a salesman who wanted a white car. That was not available so he bought a light blue one and had it resprayed by the dealer before collection. Then he went straight to England on holiday, where he already made arrangements with Torcars and dropped the car off. He hired a car for the holidays and on his way back he picked up the converted car. He drove it for years and years and did more than (wait for it…) 250.000 miles (400.000km) in it! When I took pictures in 2017 it was still owned by the same man. But it was on the show to sell it. But priced too expensive for the state it was in. It had quite a lot of rust and around 7000 euros was way too much back then. But it found a new home.

[@rolfmak1400]

There is an extensive article on the AROnline website about the Dutch Torcars Princess from 2019 when it was still up for sale.

[@mrpalm54]

I have a New Zealand assembled 1981 Austin Princess 2.0 HL automatic in signal red. Great handling, comfortable supple ride. Earlier in the video, Tom, where you mentioned the O series engine, you show an image of the Austin 3 Litre C series engine. Thanks for a video on the Princess. A car which I think was incorrectly and sadly maligned as a sub-standard vehicle whereas it was advanced for the day.

[@tomdrives]

Noticed that after! No time to correct sadly. Hope it was good despite the two errors!

[@mrpalm54]

I would like to suggest that you make a video driving a good example of one of the Princess models. It may not be your style but could be a useful extension to your video series. Yes I enjoyed the video. Cheers John Vevers. ​@@tomdrives

[@inquisitor229]

The perfect buyer for the Princess was exemplified by Terry Scott in Terry and June. It's no coincidence that this was the car chosen for him in the series.

[@adampowell5376]

I think there was quite a lot they could do. Make it a hatchback, give it a 5 speed gearbox and a rev counter. As a six cylinder it was in the luxury sector and needed some luxury features or luxury options. All of this was within BL´s capability.

[@pilskadden]

Completely agree. Also they should have offered the 2600 version of the E-series engine for more power, possibly with fuel injection.

[@johnjamesshea9548]

The first time I saw a Leyland wedge was when I was six years old .I was very into science fiction tv and thought that the wedge looked like a car from ufo or space 1999 ,I love them and that's why I have one today

[@janschkeuditz6065]

The fact you call it a Leyland Wedge implies you are influenced by that hater of all things British ,Clarkson. He referred to it as that also . Sneering horrible man hated nationalised industries however took taxpayers money working for the BBC.

[@thatcheapguy525]

back in the early 80s I was a teenage apprentice mechanic. our garage owner decided to buy a fleet of 8 taxis with hackney plates. one was a Princess 1800. none of us liked it but the driver loved it and in all fairness the car had highest mileage but required the least maintenance of the fleet. eventually the hackney carriage rules meant the car had to be retired and along with a Victor FE 1800. everything was standardised to the MK4 & MK5 Cortina 1600 more for commonality simplicity and speed of maintenance than reliability and longevity.

[@ryalwyngarner3258]

my father had an old 6 cyllider Worsley Princess - I remember driving it age 18 - now 64

[@justas525]

Very rare car then, especially now. Wolseley was available only for 6 months. Lucky guy 🤝

[@Du1uxDog]

I owned a Princess,it was a very comfortable ride. Long journeys were a breeze, it was effortless to drive with good power steering. Plenty of room for your passengers, I though a good family car. But when it got older I had three small components go wrong, but each time it was repaired the engine had to come out to access the part that had failed which cost quite a bit. So after paying for removing the engine three times I decided to trade it in for a Vauxhall.

[@smithy3520]

I owned a metro,marina,allegro and a montego at various times in the 80s and early 90s never had much of a problem with any of them.I wished I had a princess.I had a go in one and was amazed at the rear leg room

[@richardhewitt.easyvanlife.6957]

I worked for a main BL dealer when the Princess came out. I remember 1st one in workshop, we all came to look at it. Like all BL cars they were reliable if worked on by proper mechanics, like the workshop I worked in.very good mechanics doing job properly.

[@simonMcCartney-rh7nt]

I so enjoyed this. Growing up in the UK, at some point either my parents or eventually I owed an examle of every car from the oxford and cambridge to the princess. compared to today they are dinasours, but dinasours are facinateing. Well done.

[@AntonHoward-mx9sb]

My grandad has a Princess and I remember it being very roomy, comfortable and smooth. I always liked the shape which was pretty futuristic in its day and in retrospect I think this shape was the pinnacle of Harris Mann's portfolio and still looks fresh today. As an aside, a lot of the rally boys used to use Princess front brakes on their escorts as they had four piston calipers.

[@adejames1960]

My dad taught me how to drive in his Princess 2 1700. A few years later, I had two Austin Ambassadors. I have a soft spot for them in a weird way.

[@madpauly]

I always liked the look of the Princess growing up, It's a shame BL had the mentality that they did - it was perfect for a hatchback, but "we already have a hatchback", the Austin Maxi. That same mentality killed off the Rover P7 (the Jaguar contingent complained that it would compete with their cars) but fortunately we did eventually get the SD1. Of course, the unions didn't help with their strikes...

[@JohnSmith-xi3sq]

BLs biggest marketing issue was that they always shied away from directly challenging the opposition. The land crab was too big to replace the Farinas & the Princesses were too small to challenge the Vauxhall’s & Fords.

[@classiccars1994]

Thanks for uploading, a car I always felt was unfairly maligned. One thing the 6 cylinder engine shown wasn't fitted to the Princess that engine was used in the Austin 3 litre and MGC.

[@O1Richard]

The worst car was their morris ital, they made the marina more ugly and dropped the coupe.

[@tonysargent1699]

I was brought up with Austins, and that was a blue Austin Cambridge, a green mk1 1800, a beige mk2 1800, a white 1800 wedge and finally a blue 2.0l Princess 2. As you can see, my father liked an Austin. I on the other hand was fully behind the Ford badge and he hated that fact. As a young child I dreamt of owning a mk1 escort or a mk2 cortina. In my life I have owned and driven many cars of varying makes and models, but there are only two cars that I wish I still owned. The first is dads mid pageant blue 2.0 litre Princess 2 because it was the most amazing vehicle I have ever driven! The second is equally missed by myself but is not a Ford nor an Austin, it is the black Renault 30tx automatic that I paid £50.00 for in the mid '90s and restored to M.O.T. test standard and drove for some time. They were both really great cars for size, ability to cope in bad weather. Could carry huge amounts in the boot/back of the car and they were the most comfortable cars to drive, in my opinion. I have some really great memories of my father driving us around in his Austin cars and also driving some of them myself. If I had to pick one of those many Austins to drive today, it would have to be the Austin Princess 2 in mid pageant blue! Thanks for sharing and setting the memories flooding back!

[@TrevorBuick]

I don't think it, or the ambassador ever got the 5 speed box which was a big error

[@ML-qk1px]

My dad bought one new when he was in the services overseas. Obviously taking advantage of the tax situation. He had it until it was driven into the scrap yard many years later. It was the car I first drove, passed my test on and learnt to drive on. Very comfortable. Wouldn’t say it was reliable, the skills of my dad kept it going. But it was a memorable car.

[@gloomyvale3671]

My memory of the princess was it was very heavy to push, my m8ts dad had one and giving us a lift to school the thing broke down outside his house, we did get it started but it was very heavy

[@rabit818]

The Renault 16 came out in 1963, a cool hatchback. Meanwhile the Princess, years later, didn’t learn the lesson, - why not the practicality of a hatchback?

[@DessieTots]

There is something fishy with the picture of the full size clay model at 6:10. Look at the faces and heads of the men?

[@wirralnomad]

Haha, I came here to say this, the guy second from left looks like a clown.

[@nikamota]

I noticed that too! I though it was just me! Yeah the faces and heads don't like right at all. What the heck is going with that?

[@Moonlightshadow-lq4fr]

I owned one in the 80's and it was a fantastic motor. Really comfy and very quiet.

[@georgejohnson1498]

I would bet that this was another great car to ride in and drive, but I still don't think it was attractive to actually look at unlike the Landcrab series.

[@Your.Uncle.AngMoh]

Two years in New Zealand from the end of 1975 to the end of 1977 and the rest of the time from 1975 to now in Australia, I doubt I've seen much more than a handful of these cars on the road. They were a lovely-looking car at the time, in my opinion. They look a bit dated now, but that's not unusual. As a teen at the time, I remember seeing so much in the news about strikes in the UK. A lot of our union delegates and secretaries here seemed to be transplanted Poms and, as much as you want workers to have rights, fair pay, safe working conditions, and so on, you couldn't help yourself when it was "one out, all out".

[@simonhodgetts6530]

I thought they were terrific cars - good looking, roomy, refined, nice interior, amazing ride. It lacked a hatchback - BL didn’t want to hurt Maxi sales, and it was (as always) plagued by quality and reliability problems. But as a large, comfortable family car, it was great. I’ve not driven a Princess, but I have driven an Ambassador, and the ride and space was superb.

[@stevepritchett6563]

My Dad owned one, a 2200. He loved it.

[@clairesberrysmith]

I always liked the Princess and thought the Wolseley was fabulous - a two door 'sport' version would have looked really good. Such a shame all these cars never had a chance.

[@MartinFroland]

I misses British cars as, MG, Austin, Morris, BLMC, Triumps... (I had two of them, a used Austin Allegro 1,5liter, 5- speed in the late 70's, and a Mini Special 1100 (also used) a couple of years later). My farther had two Morris 1800 ("Landcrabs") in the mid 60's to mid 70's, and my mother had a Mini 850 (early model) and later a newer one in the same period. Lovely cars all of them (in hindsight even the Allegro)

[@professormcclaine5738]

Absolutely love the Wolseley version.

[@paul7TM]

Used to see the Princess on the road into the 90's. By all accounts very comfortable but design wise stuck out like a stubbed toe by then. As for the landcrab they were fairly popular in Australia including a ute. Replaced by the Austin Tasman and Kimberley.

[@simonpage2941]

I got to 10:22 until my blood boiled.... What an absolute joke the British car manufacturing industry was! From a very reliable source when BMW were in control at Longbridge they took a vehicle back to Germany to inspect built quality. The car suffered from a strange aroma, once the door panel was removed someone's half eaten mouldy sandwiches were lying at the bottom of the door. They also removed the carpet & some disgusting artwork was inscribed in the floorpan paintwork! Total joke!!

[@clivemason-ms8ju]

My dad owned a 1981 Princess 1.7HL from 1985 to 1990. It was quiet, comfortable and pleasant to drive, and I liked the wedge shape. I can't recall it being any less reliable than any of our other cars in the 70s and 80s. Our car's biggest failing was its suspension. One side would gradually sink until we had to have it blown up again - cost £5 at a local garage - and this would be needed about every 6 months. We viewed this as an annoyance, and so long as we had the suspension blown up regularly it caused no issues. My dad's car was bronze with a vinyl roof. If I remember correctly it had a very decent sized boot and took us on many family holidays. To sum up, a very pleasant car to both drive and be a passenger in.

[@normandunckley3926]

A fun fact!! You may not have noticed the 1975 Morris 18/22 centre piece in the grill is the reverse setting to the Wolseley, Morris is wider on the bottom than top, while the Wolseley tappers downward, wider at the top than the bottom.

[@mikeyratcliff3400]

Clay model front resembles pug 504, which had been around for a while, the previous pug was a pinin product very similar to the A60... coincidence? Excellent as ever mate !

[@philscarriage73]

I had the new O series 2 litre engine which was really economical on petrol unlike the fords of the time. It had an excellent ride and nice interior

[@rolfmak1400]

My father bought a young second hand Princess in November 1977, when I was 7 years old, an 1800HL. Quite a special car in The Netherlands. Unfortunately it completely lived up to its terrible reputation and it broke down frequently. Starting with a broken starter motor the first evening. So in May 1979, after just 1,5 years of trouble, he bought something better. A Princess 2200 HLS! A beautiful dark red car with cream plush interior. And actually it wasn’t a bad car. Probably built when the workforce just achieved some goals after a strike and were a little more motivated to actually build a proper car. I turned out to be reliable and very comfortable. We had it until 1987 when in The Netherlands the APK (Dutch MOT) was introduced. By then it was pretty clapped out and was replaced by a brand new Citroën AX. I always loved the Princess and just quite recently have been looking at a nice Princess 2 2000. It was in very good order, practically rust free and never welded in any place. Just a very very rare surviver. I didn’t buy it, because I have no dry storage and I have no real use for it. And I already have three British cars (Jaguar S-Type, MGF and Rover 200 BRM) and four is a little too much. Mostly because buying a fourth car does not automatically increase my budget. So the rest would suffer from that. But the Princess is still a great car with lots of very good memories in my family.

[@stringer-ik1pc]

Bollox. What so they make in your country???

[@andysllt155]

Me and my late dad brought a rare sp princess in 1987 it was gold and square headlights nice stripe down the side etc great towing car so comfortable with a 2.0 o series we brought another for spares with a b series lump . Dad's friend had a very rare at the time a wolsley version but I don't know what happened to it . I liked the princess always great to one at a classic car show as you don't see any anymore

[@minimaxi802]

British Leyland cars in the mid 1970s Mini 850 ,1000 and 1275GT, Clubman saloon and estate. Austin Allegro 1100, 1300, 1500, saloon and estate, 1750 and Vanden Plas Austin Maxi 1500 and 1750 Morris Marina 1300, 1800 saloon estate and coupe Princess 1800 and 2200 initially Austin Morris and Wolseley Triumph Toledo, 1500, Dolomite, and 2000/2500 saloon and estate Range Rover Rover 2200 and 3500. MG Midget and MGB Triumph Spitfire, GT6 and Stag, Jaguar XJ6 and XJ12 3.4, 4.2 and 5.3 and Daimler 4.2 and Double Six

[@mossi408]

I do enjoy my "terrible mistake" every single day. The good ones did survive.

[@OldCarsNewVan]

Dad had a 2.0 HLS W reg Princess 2 in about 81/82 - he always said it was the most comfortable car he ever owned. Mmmm - I wasn't so convinced. I remember rust from about 3 years old. Still, as a student, I bought one for £100 as a 'joke' in the 90's, ran it for about 4 weeks and flogged it for £200 so my memory of the Princess is the car I doubled my money on 🤣🤣🤣

[@daveabbott]

RBH352R Green metallic 2200HLS, fantastic car, 36-40 to the gallon and so comfortable.

[@martintobycorker4562]

It's great with your Chanel,had a few BL motors mate, have fun with the projects,👊✊👍

[@rob_lightbody]

My dad had a 1980 1700 HL Princess 2 in a very bright orangey-red. It was a fabulous family car for the 5 of us plus dog. Hugely spacious and comfortable and as far as i can recall nothing went wrong in the 4 years we had it.

[@joeseeking3572]

Britain in the 70's: how to destroy entire industries.

[@Mnkskanal]

Born in 68 and raised in Munich I must admit I never saw a Princess my whole life.

[@robertshears8385]

My initial thoughts on the Princess was that it was not a good looking car, much preferred the Rover P6 and the Triumph 2000 MK2 but did succumb to buying one and for the most part being happy with it. My 2200HL did scare me a little when I found the carburettors leaking on to the exhaust manifold and the high rear screen line was annoying but it handled rather well and was good to drive even with a 3 speed automatic. In my 70's now but have fond memories of many old British cars.

[@MikeJones-bi8vh]

Mark 2 in 1986?

[@tomdrives]

Must have miss-spoke! Definitely didn't come out then

[@MikeJones-bi8vh]

@@tomdrives No probs. Thanks for replying. Always love your vids.

[@alexanderB-t1f]

Dad had a Princess, drove well, plenty of space and nice fabric. Went onto be a taxi for many years

[@unclenolly3207]

I once had a lift in a brand new one from a friend’s dad. White with a black vinyl roof - I was hooked. Sadly, by the time I passed my driving test, the princess was a car of the past 😢. It’s still a car I’d like to own.

[@campingkillen]

With a hatchback design, and a happy crew att the assembly line this would have been a great seller back then🙂

[@Tuberuser187]

I never knew it had the internal name of "Diablo" at one point, thats kind of hilarious.

[@davidbarnsley8486]

So may issues but why were they so against the hatch back Just think how more successful they would have been if they had embraced the hatch back All those strikes and then they wonder why they all got laid off 😢😢

[@alisonhowes8498]

super smooth straight six

[@Chris.Davies]

There used to be a large number of these on NZ roads. But I have not seen one in many years now. Thank goodness.

[@JimBrodie]

My old man had one as a stop gap, thing was a turd. Overheated, wallowed on the corners and made me hurl on long journeys.

[@jongmans38]

If it had been made as a hatch back with the upgrades of the Ambassador, it would have been a partial success in the range.

[@chrisperyagh]

I definitely prefer the twin headlamp versions. The first time I saw a hearse version my jaw hit the floor - of all the cars to turn into a hearse, it seemed desperate and in many ways disrespectful when you expect a Daimler or similar luxury car to take you on your final journey when you'd want to go out in style.

[@martinneilan4215]

I had a Princess. Lovely comfortable car.

[@lancetronify]

I had two Princess cars and they were good comfortable reliable cars. If I had to be really picky, they desperately needed a 5 speed gearbox. That would have transformed them.

[@mikeball5883]

They were heavily discounted in 1977 and that’s when my dad bought one it was the 1800 HL with quad headlights lovely car but by the time he sold it for a cortina it was starting to rust badly

[@jboi9309]

I remember my headmaster had a Blue Princess with a 2200cc engine back in 1984!!

[@stephenwest9757]

My Dad had an Ambassador it we took it through France and Germany then back. A lovely comfortable car with sumptuous velour upholstery which i don't know why it is no longer used.

[@huudielbo728]

Had one for 12 yrs, that says all. Comfort for over 100,000 miles. I stupidly turned down the offer of another later.

[@NiahlM5991]

My dad gave me his one i loved it so easy to work that suspension was brilliant

[@stealthtecify]

I always remember a girl I liked from my villages dad had a princess he had promissed her when she was older..... Think it was a vanden Plas?? It was very nice

[@Romiman1]

Remember the 1st sight in the early 80s, I was very confused about that wedge shape. But now, being used to wedge belt lines for decades, it doesn't look that bad to me. (German)

[@brianp7022]

I don't like any of them.. But, imo the princess was the best shape of a bad bunch.. Different, but in a promising way.. Didn't live up to its promise but that's besides the point 😂you're a young man... I'm 54, you should have tried living in the 70s..strikes, strikes and more strikes. I can remember not being able to buy a loaf of bread because the drivers were on strike, ridiculous

[@johnmclaughlin8877]

Both are 1975 cars, I think this and the XJS have aged exceptionally well. Compared to what was around back then, the Princess really did look modern and sharp. If only they were able to build it properly I think it would have lasted for years and been a huge success. I'm fond of slagging off BL management but okaying this design in 1970 really was a brave and forward-looking thing to do. The entire history of BL is incredibly frustrating. Always so close to greatness, always coming up short. If they had rationalised their ranges and built reliable, boring boxes like VW they would probably still be here today.

[@robertward5047]

I was born in march 1975. Maybe without knowing it I was the british car maufactuing equivalent of Damien from the Omen.

[@pauldavies-z4o]

my dad once had a 2.2 gls whatever !! the interior fell apart quicker then opening a tube of smarties !

[@mrcogginsgarage7062]

Tom, since when did an blmc 18/22 series or the Princess or Ambassador Ever had a Chassis . Also the car was the first to be fitted with obscured windscreen wipers for pedestrian safety.

[@chrisdavidson911]

The load bearing structure to which non-structural parts are fitted, it could be called a chassis or a frame, it more recently gets called a platform. The term isn't limited to the ladder frame chassis.

[@mrcogginsgarage7062]

Or in this case the correct term would be monocoque and of course both front and rear suspension is had separate subframe assemblies

[@incompetentdiplomat3716]

remember, top gear proved that this was the best car BL ever made.

[@stevehill4615]

My brother had a Princess I liked the space and the ride quality but the rust was chronic (he bought it cheap so I'm not saying it was a manufacturing issue), as alludded to it was a victim of circumstance from the dropping of the hatchback design to industrial relations and political interference it could have been a great success but so many missed opportunities.

[@brakenoodle105]

My memory of the Princess was rust and it didn't improve with it successor the Ambassador.

[@NOWThatsRichy]

Definitely a victim of circumstance, just like it's fellow wedge stablemate. the Rover SD1, brilliant designs, but often ruined by poor build quality at one of the worst times in the UK motor industry. If those same designs had been given to one of the German manufactures, they would have been much more popular.

[@colrhodes377]

I had a 2200 HLS, and I have to say that it was a lovely car. However, it would have. Een better as a hatchback because the boot was a little awkward.

[@BartMGRX]

It's like every british factoryworker in the seventies was out to destroy the company they worked at...🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Mitch-Hendren]

That's because of rampant inflation both post decimalisation ( Rounding up) and the oil crisis sending costs spiralling. Much like we've just had the last two years. But harder and faster wages just didnt keep up . Agreed there were some stupid ones but mostly as I remember it was just for pay to keep pace

[@davidweaver3965]

The mk2 was.launched in 1968, not 1986!

[@IN_THIS_DAY_AND_AGE]

BL. How to strike yourself out of a job.

[@user-fx3yf3vu8n]

The British workers can blame themselves for the end of car production in England.

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

Who manages workers?

[@stuarthannay3370]

That's a rather sweeping statement. Like most things, the reality is rather more nuanced than that. Unless you read the right-wing press in Britain, and then yes, it was all their fault.

[@billyruffian1426]

In the case of British Leyland, that's certainly true. They thought that, as a nationalised industry, they could be over-manned, could produce dismal build quality, and go on strike at will, and that the poor British tax-payer would bail them out forever. They were parasites.

[@eadonone]

These were also assembled in NZ by NZMC

[@Modernnannenginemarineengine]

What’s funny is looking at all these Cars NUMBER PLATES. . I think I’ve seen them all on the road or wayside. lol. No joke.

[@Rammstein56]

This car stands for British Leyland, the philosophy was great, the execution lousy. Here in Holland it competed with the 504, CX, 5-Series, 240, Granada and Rekord. Unfortunately my father bought a 2200, which was baaaad, he bought another 2200 which was also baaad. The 2000 he bought was a great, great car on LPG he dit over 200000 kilometers with it, the trim was much less than the plush velours 2200 HLS interiors but technically that car never missed a beat, did not drain batteries or ate alternators. Problem is that the early 1800 & 2200 models professionally ruïned the BL and Princess reputation on the continent. The depreciation was really biblical.

[@wirralnomad]

I had a 2.0L Renault 20 TS in metallic blue with red body detailing and red vinyl roof, now if the Princess could have been a success then you only have to look at the Renault 20 and see how it could have been done better!

[@markonmotoring]

Another fascinating account of BL history Tom. I would agree that the Princess will have definitely been.a victim of circumstances, much the same as every other vehicle I'm the range throughout that time period. Mismanagement, poor and poor industrial relations both within BL and at suppliers killed so many promising cars and held back some very advanced designs for the time. We really could have been leading the world I'm automitive design and development but the sheer number of issues over many years were just too much to weather.

[@nagakusaladharmacharin9543]

I had an Ambassador - and excellent car!

[@chrisblay]

Irrespective of any build quality issues at the time, the Princess appearance made it a marmite car. You either loved or hated it. I’m in the latter group.

[@keithvers569]

I’ve had a marina, ital and a metro and they were all of poor build quality and unreliable

[@tomdrives]

Around what time period?

[@keithvers569]

@ it’s hard to put dates to them, they were old cars when I bought them. The Marina in 1985 was a 73 car. I then had various Japanese, Ford, VW, I think my Ital was an 81 car and the Metro was probably an 85 car

[@illsaveyes]

At the time they was ok looking the unreliable workforce was the problem along with management who were more to blame

[@tomdrives]

I was talking about this to my grandad today, rife across many industries at the time.

[@illsaveyes]

@ definitely union and management of the 70/80’s. Gave the foreign companies of more than one industry to get a foot onto British soil, to our many industry’s eventual demise

[@nigelcharlton-wright1747]

The Ryder Report and the launch of the Austin Princess, sounds similar to when the Rover 75 was launched, BMW threw their toys out of the collective pram (due to VAG getting their hands on Rolls Royce). A great shame that the unions just seemed to go on strike at a drop of a hat, the Princess was a great looking car, loved the design concepts in Magic Markers, it could have been a winner, but alas a bunch of idiots 'working' for a group of companies, and add to the mix Tony Ben for joining Leyland Motors with the ailing BMC. Such a shame!

[@stevenjoy3537]

The mk2 wasn't launched in 1986!!!

[@tomdrives]

Misspoken, nothing I can do sadly