A nice pair but too easy for a whatsthisthen!

[Northern_Mike]

Two interesting spots today





The Morris Traveller looked like a brand new car! Very nice. The Renault Megane Coupe Cabriolet performed its roof closing trick very neat......but I wonder how waterproof it is. It was a grey colour, I reckon with a bit more adventurous set of colours, maybe a bit of two-tone it would look so much better.

On the whole though the Morris Traveller would win for me-much more practical for the hound.

Regards Neil

Can I sue you under the post descriptions act? This is not the sort of nice pair I was expecting.

[CitroJim]

Consolation price Adam.

That's 4, not a pair

Gosh I never knew there was a Marina Diesel Neil... Again I guess the diesel version of the B series often found in canal boats...

Appropriate really and it all fits, Marina, boat...

I wouldn't know about that, but my Mums' boat uses a 1.8L BMC narrow head diesel engine.

That is the B series James. Like the A series, which it is superficially similar to in appearance, it came in a range of capacities...

[myglaren]

Consolation price Adam.

That's 4, not a pair

Twice the pairiness

[NewcastleFalcon]

Can I redeem myself with a gratuitous Austin Allegro advert that is as cringeworthy as the car then?



regards Neil

[Northern_Mike]

Consolation price Adam.

That's 4, not a pair

Gosh I never knew there was a Marina Diesel Neil... Again I guess the diesel version of the B series often found in canal boats...

Appropriate really and it all fits, Marina, boat...

I wouldn't know about that, but my Mums' boat uses a 1.8L BMC narrow head diesel engine.

That is the B series James. Like the A series, which it is superficially similar to in appearance, it came in a range of capacities...

It is just as horrible too.

The Maxi and Allaggro got the E-Series motors which were worse. The O-Series engine was not really so bad and saw life as you say in Maestro and Montwontgo. I believe it was modified to become the T-series after that.

Enviado desde mi GT-I9505 usando Tapatalk

[NewcastleFalcon]

Strangely I can remember the "Allegro's got Vroom" advert but can't recall this one which used arty beach shots to try to sell the Marina.

Somehow the advertising gurus came up with the awful tagline "The new Morris Marina-beauty with brains behind it"



regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Beauty I can see Neil but the brains I really don't get at all

That Marina Advert stirs yet more memories for me. The HTV West logo at the beginning was the logo of our local ITV telly when I was a kid..

The Maxi and Allaggro got the E-Series motors which were worse. The O-Series engine was not really so bad and saw life as you say in Maestro and Montwontgo. I believe it was modified to become the T-series after that.

Yes, that's it Mike, the block and bottom end was the basis of the T series. Used right up quite late wasn't it? Didn’t the hot Rover 220 Tomcat have that engine?

The E series was a real old boat anchor. I have a book going into the history of the Austin Maxi where it speaks a lot about the problems they had developing the E series; it was allegedly always under-powered and inefficient. The gearbox had issues too with a mainshaft retaining nut that came loose for a pastime and caused havoc and requiring a gearbox strip to resolve.

The Maxi was a crying shame really, a brilliant concept flawed by a bad engine, a poor cable gear change (in the early ones) and BL build quality. It should, like the Marina and Allaggro, been a world-beater and could so easily have been.

Sad

[Northern_Mike]

Beauty I can see Neil but the brains I really don't get at all

That Marina Advert stirs yet more memories for me. The HTV West logo at the beginning was the logo of our local ITV telly when I was a kid..

The Maxi and Allaggro got the E-Series motors which were worse. The O-Series engine was not really so bad and saw life as you say in Maestro and Montwontgo. I believe it was modified to become the T-series after that.

Yes, that's it Mike, the block and bottom end was the basis of the T series. Used right up quite late wasn't it? Didn’t the hot Rover 220 Tomcat have that engine?

The E series was a real old boat anchor. I have a book going into the history of the Austin Maxi where it speaks a lot about the problems they had developing the E series; it was allegedly always under-powered and inefficient. The gearbox had issues too with a mainshaft retaining nut that came loose for a pastime and caused havoc and requiring a gearbox strip to resolve.

The Maxi was a crying shame really, a brilliant concept flawed by a bad engine, a poor cable gear change (in the early ones) and BL build quality. It should, like the Marina and Allaggro, been a world-beater and could so easily have been.

Sad

Yes, the 220 Turbo Tomcat thingy had that engine. It was a good strong lump too, ripe for tuning and turning the boost up on. Someone tried to sell me one many times, and had it not been that weird purple colour, I'd have bought it. I did drive it, and it went like stink, though it didn't go round corners that well, and an Impreza would see it off without much bother.

My granddad had a Maxi, one of those "hospital sock beige" ones, a 1750HL. I think he had it quite a while actually, probably 6 years or more before it rotted away, so being a P reg, it lasted 10 years. It was very comfortable and I remember it being massive. I don't recall it being unreliable at all. I do recall the steering being bloody heavy for a 10 year old, and the gears being very weird.

[DickieG]

It should, like the Marina and Allaggro, been a world-beater and could so easily have been.

No so sure about that statement Jimbo, the Marina was bloody awful from start to finish, I recall taking them in part-ex against MK4 Cortina's and looking at them in disbelief when they displayed such party trick's as the long gear lever spinning around its pivot point and the oh so floppy front suspension that felt as if it was about to collapse at any moment, the rough engine, the list could go on and on.

I thought the Marina chassis was based upon the Morris Oxford rather than the Minor. My mate had a 1.8 TC Coupe' in royal blue, my lasting memory of that car was him doing a wheel spin in front of a group of us when the O/S/R leaf spring snapped and the car flopped down on one side rather like a scene from the "Inbetweeners "

The Allegro was put up against the all conquering MK2 Escort so didn't stand a chance in the style stakes let alone the awful gear change and oh so tall dashboard that made drivers feel as they were Chad, and to think that the Allegro replaced the ADO 16 1100/1300, what on earth were they thinking?

[Northern_Mike]

It should, like the Marina and Allaggro, been a world-beater and could so easily have been.

No so sure about that statement Jimbo, the Marina was bloody awful from start to finish, I recall taking them in part-ex against MK4 Cortina's and looking at them in disbelief when they displayed such party trick's as the long gear lever spinning around its pivot point and the oh so floppy front suspension that felt as if it was about to collapse at any moment, the rough engine, the list could go on and on.

I thought the Marina chassis was based upon the Morris Oxford rather than the Minor. My mate had a 1.8 TC Coupe' in royal blue, my lasting memory of that car was him doing a wheel spin in front of a group of us when the O/S/R leaf spring snapped and the car flopped down on one side rather like a scene from the "Inbetweeners "

The Allegro was put up against the all conquering MK2 Escort so didn't stand a chance in the style stakes let alone the awful gear change and oh so tall dashboard that made drivers feel as they were Chad, and to think that the Allegro replaced the ADO 16 1100/1300, what on earth were they thinking?

The front "suspension" on the Marina was pure Moggie, and only about 30 years out of date by the time production started. I've only ever been in one Marina, and thankfully, it appears, I was way too young to remember it. My dad had an Allaggro for about six months while his Honda Civic was off the road being repaired. There's a weird reversal of roles for you. My granddad had an ADO16 1100, then a Triumph Herald which he wrote off in the snow on Christmas day, then an Escort MK2 estate, then the Maxi.

[CitroJim]

It should, like the Marina and Allaggro, been a world-beater and could so easily have been.

No so sure about that statement Jimbo, the Marina was bloody awful from start to finish

You read me wrongly Richard, in the form in which it was released to an unsuspecting public yes it was awful but with proper development and a decent engine and chassis it could have been excellent.

Ditto the Allegro. The styling was compromised in the final release but an easy bit of work could have dramatically improved it. It had the advantage of being a new and fresh style and if the underlying car was good that too would have been OK. It worked for the Sierra which got initially panned for its new style but the underlying car was OK so it was accepted. The Sierra hasn't aged well, as most Frauds don't.

The problem with BL was a lack of investment which forced them to recycle obsolete engineering, do new stuff on the cheap and compromise build quality. It could only ever have one result and we all know what that was

[Northern_Mike]

It should, like the Marina and Allaggro, been a world-beater and could so easily have been.

No so sure about that statement Jimbo, the Marina was bloody awful from start to finish

You read me wrongly Richard, in the form in which it was released to an unsuspecting public yes it was awful but with proper development and a decent engine and chassis it could have been excellent.

Doesn't that simply equate to "if it were a different car, it wouldn't have been scheight"?

[CitroJim]

Doesn't that simply equate to "if it were a different car, it wouldn't have been scheight"?

Yes, it needed to be a different car Mike. Precisely.

[NewcastleFalcon]

My granddad had a Maxi, one of those "hospital sock beige" ones, a 1750HL.

Is this "hospital sock beige"( like the descriptive language )



Is there a creative name for the BL brown then.....



regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Is there a creative name for the BL brown then.....

Ferric Oxide Red...