Marina, Brian?
 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/enthu...anntp#image=16


Only 329 out of 800,000 left on the road now. Wonder if they're all Brian's :D

later to become the Ital

macafee2

Nah, I've only got eight :getmecoat:

My father had an estate as a company car, great selection of nuts, bolts, washers etc under the rubber mat in the back.

As many as that? Thought Top Gear had crushed almost all the survivors.

Only 78 Hillman Avengers which I thought was a better car at the time. I remember helping a pal put a Ford Capri 3.0 V6 in one.

My very first brand new car was a Marina 1.7 HL in a rather fetching colour I called 'trouser brown' lol. V plate 1979. it was so cheap new I just couldn't say no to the special offer from Mumfords BL in Launceston Cornwall. it cost New ... £4,110 on the road and the brown colour was the only one they had in stock at the time of the offer. All my mates called me a total t**T for buying it and it ended up being the worst thing I ever did, in the 18 months I owned it ... it spent 59 days in total back in the garage to be fixed for any number of things .... wiper failure, brake failures (more than once), clutch failure, electrical failures (many), finally the rear axle let go ... turned out it was almost dry with no signs of leakage which indicated it had not been filled from the factory !! everything was sorted on warranty but with all the problems ... it kind of took the shine off the whole 'new car' thing.
Was a real shame tbh as a guy I worked with had a Mk1 1800 TC coupe and he never had a single bit of trouble with it, so I guess I used that as a bench mark for my purchase. ooops.

Brother had a TC which he got while still at school, promptly converted to a pickup and he did a full respray on it

Hmm, Damask Red, then eventually converted into a 1800 diesel by any chance?

***Thinks about digging out pictures of Plug Grevett's "TC Coupe pick up"


Brian :D

Couldn’t tell you what colour it was originally but ended up a brown colour with cream band very in colour in the early 80’s

Strangely enough I learned to drive in a 1980 Russet Brown Marina 1700L estate car.

My old man bought it almost new (nine months) in 1981, it was fitted with a towbar with single electrics which it transpired had been used by the original owner to tow a horsebox to transport his prize Jersey stud bull around Europe.

He had part exchanged it for a 2 litre Ital estate as he felt it was a little underpowered for towing, this was when the Marina had, with are you ready for this 47,000 miles on the clock :eek:

This car was completely reliable in use, so much so that several years later, after I lost the use of a company car and needed cheap transport, I bought a Marina 1300L Coupe in the same colour.

Cumulatively, I have covered in excess of one and a half million miles in a Marina in one guise or another, and even with the benefit of hindsight, and rose tinted spectacles, I've never owned both the most and least reliable of cars.

My marina pickup Douglas for instance has covered 560,000 miles (it had 23,000 miles on the clock when I bought it from it's original owner).....I'm planning on bringing him on his final voyage this month from my former "man cave" home to Gadani Beach.

These were a car that could be repaired with very few tools, and certainly within the scope of DIY repair for most owners.

It should be remembered that despite the best efforts of Derek Robinson, these cars kept British Leyland afloat in the 1970's, and if the company had folded, there would have been no subsequent ARG products, R40 included.

Brian :D

Many years back my son had a Marina 1.3 coupe in a tangerine colour with a tan vinyl roof and trim. Very easy to work on and always thought it would be good to tweak with the numerous A series tuning kits that were around.

Before I could get my hands on it he up and sold it so opportunity was lost.

Yeah, I've cut down on chocolate, too. I went through a brief period of care dealing in the 70s, and owned all sorts of things briefly while I did them up. I had two Marinas - a sky blue 1.3 coupé and a maroon 1.8TC.


I was very pleasantly surprised by the performance of the TC - real fun two drive. It was a fair bit quicker than the two BGTs I'd owned previously, despite having the same engine. Maybe the Bs were heavier. Or FUBAR.

The Marina TC is 200 Lbs lighter, and more aerodynamic than an MGB, and yes I preferred it to the 1975 Citron MGB I had :drool4::getmecoat:


So just for you, here I am along with my friend Matty, dragging a Damask Red Marina TC Saloon back from Bristol to Newcastle with the Russet Brown Marina 1700L estate....circa 1993.
https://the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/a...1&d=1547236972

Note the tightwad use of the numberplate used on the trailer, removed from the tailgate of the tow car, and the spiffy Fiat X/19 alloys :drool4:

Brian :D

Brian, I thought I had the only brown one ever made as I never ever saw another one! lol.

My father had a 1.8 TC coupé it was that turquoise colour, no idea of the correct name of it I’d a shot of it a few times and I really liked it

Roberts getting a bit mixed up. The marina was an 1100 7cwt van that I bought while still at school . I must have replaced every panel in it but became very adept at welding "fresh air"..

Inside I put in a pair of dolomite seats and on the front a Rover sd1 bumper and front spoiler.I kept the anti theft 360 degree swivelling gear selector as a security measure! But the chocolate brown with cream stripe should have been enough protection lol.

Well now you mention it, here is another one of mine......

https://the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/a...1&d=1547237835

Mmm, Dairy Milk :drool4::getmecoat:

Brian :D

I think it was called 'teal blue', certainly better than 'trouser brown' lol..

Arrrggggh! the horror, the horror! that must be in the top five worst colours ever produced by any manufacturer. got to admit ... really like the overall shape of the coupe.
It would make an awesome sleeper, drop a 3.5 RV8 in it = certain death hah.

Been there and done that, but with a Morris 575 ;)

At the time, commercials were insured on GVW and not engine capacity :drool4:

A bit tight, but the dry undressed 3500 is the same weight as a B Series ;)

http://i.imgur.com/9SdJm6v.jpg

It’s a VERY long time ago now (c. 1975 maybe), but that one on the trailer looks identical to TC I had.

Lagoon metallic Les ;)

http://car-from-uk.com/ebay/carphoto...ebay883334.jpg

Brian :D

A pint in a half pint pot eh! nice neat looking install though.
A mate of mine managed to shoehorn a maxi 1750 into a mini, it was a total bodge tbh but did go like a stabbed rat..... briefly. lol.

I like the nutters who have squeezed Rover V8s into Minis...

That's rather pretty Brian :)

It's a bit rough underneath mind, how it passed an MOT is beyond me..:eek:

http://car-from-uk.com/ebay/carphoto...ebay883344.jpg

http://car-from-uk.com/ebay/carphoto...ebay883345.jpg

Holy moly .... nothing short of a show car!
Looking at the pic ... you could get 20's under those arches lol.

Goodness me, do you actually drive it? :eek:

Being that clean I would say it never goes out in the rain or if it has rained.

I've forwarded those pictures to Jeremy Clarkson. He said he'll pop over and 'improve it' for you.

It would probably be salvageable if you put a little effort in :getmecoat:

Russet brown is the lovely hue you all so admire, BL at it's best!

Great thread this with some lovely pictures.


Has taught me one thing though Brian.




The true meaning of the word---MASOCHIST.


You are brave beyond belief.---:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

VERY VERY impressive, nice work!

Russet Brown??

Unbelievable!!!