United Kingdom: Cowley, Oxford Australia: Zetland New Zealand: Panmure South Africa: Blackheath[2] Malaysia: Shah Alam (AMI)[3] Malta
Designer
Roy Haynes, Harris Mann
Body and chassis
Class
Small family car
Body style
4-door saloon 5-door estate car 2-door coupé 2-door coupé utility (pick up)[4] 2-door van
Powertrain
Engine
1.3 L A-Series 57hp I4[5]
1.5 L E-Series I4 (Australia)
1.7 L O-Series I4 (1978–1980)
1.75 L E-Series I4 (Australia)
1.8 L B-Series I4 (1971–1978)
2.6 L E-Series I6 (Australia/South Africa)
1.5 L B-Series diesel I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase
96 in (2,438 mm)
Length
166 in (4,216 mm) (4-door) 163 in (4,140 mm) (2-door) 167.5 in (4,254 mm) (estate)
Width
64 in (1,626 mm)
Height
56.125 in (1,426 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor
Morris Minor Morris 1100/1300 Morris Oxford
Successor
Morris Ital
1973 Morris Marina 4-door saloon in England1973 Morris Marina 2-door coupé. This grille identifies the 1.3-litre version1976 Morris Marina Estate in England1971 Morris Marina 1.8 TC 4-door saloon. The 1.8 TC was marketed as the sporting version. The high visibility "safety colour" of this example was fashionable in the 1970s.1975 Marina Pick-up. This variant was never a big seller.1977 Marina van converted into a motor caravan. During this period, the company decided that all commercial vehicles produced by its Austin-Morris division should be badged as Austins. How this was applied to motor caravan conversions (SunTor) of those commercial vehicles is apparent from the "Austin-Morris" badge on the front of this one.
The Morris Marina is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive small family car that was manufactured by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1971 until 1980. It served to replace the Morris Minor in the Morris product line, which had first been built in 1948. The Marina was also sold in some markets as the Austin Marina,[6] the Leyland Marina and the Morris 1700.[1]
It was a popular car in Britain throughout its production life, beating its main rival, the Ford Escort, to second place in UK car sales in 1973 and taking third or fourth place (behind the Escort) in other years. The car was exported throughout the world, including North America, and assembled in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Malaysia. A total of 1.2 million were built.
According to various sources, the Marina ranks among the worst cars ever built.[7][8][9]
The 1980 replacement for the Marina, the Ital, was the same car with only mild styling changes. It was only fully replaced by the Austin Montego in 1984.
British Leyland sold the Marina alongside the 1969 Austin Maxi, which shared the same market segment but used front-wheel-drive and had a hatchback body, and the 1973 Austin Allegro, which used front-wheel-drive and more adventurous styling.
^ abcAlso known as : Morris Marina, www.aronline.co.uk Retrieved on 1 June 2013
^Around the world : South Africa, www.aronline.co.uk Retrieved on 22 June 2013
^Cite error: The named reference The Motor Vehicle Industry in Asia books.google.com.my was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"ClassicCar.co.uk > the number one classic cars site since 1996 + old cars + forum, news, info & events". Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
^World Cars 1975. Herald Books.
^Morris Marina/Ital : The Austins, www.aronline.co.uk Retrieved on 22 June 2013
^"VW Beetle is named 'crappest car'". BBC News. 14 September 2004. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
^Wheeler, Brian (7 April 2005). "The politics of building cars". BBC News. Retrieved 14 July 2007. [T]he cars produced in that era, such as the Austin Allegro and the Morris Marina, are now widely regarded as some of the worst ever built.
^Dowling, Joshua (30 June 2000). "First among the worst". Sydney Morning Herald. The failed Morris Marina was a close runner-up [to being the worst car ever sold in Australia].
The MorrisMarina is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive small family car that was manufactured by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1971...
Leyland phased out the 1100/1300 between 1971 and 1974 in favour of the MorrisMarina and the Austin Allegro. The ADO16 was marketed under the following make...
The Morris Ital is a medium-sized car that was built by British Leyland (BL) from 1980 to 1984. A successor to the MorrisMarina, it was available in a...
2012. "The cars : MorrisMarina development story". AROnline. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2018. "The cars: MorrisMarina/Ital development history"...
of the MorrisMarina, which also succeeded the smaller Morris Minor. Footnotes L P Jarman and R I Barraclough, The Bullnose and Flatnose Morris, David...
new models quickly. The first result of this crash programme was the MorrisMarina in early-1971. It used parts from various BL models with new bodywork...
were marketed by Austin. The Morris 1300/1500/Nomad models were replaced in the Australian market in 1972 by the MorrisMarina. Approximately 29,000 were...
hatchback Austin Maxi (launched in 1969) and the 1971 rear-wheel-drive MorrisMarina. All three were eventually replaced by the Austin Maestro in 1983. British...
compares the Austin Allegro to the MorrisMarina. He concludes the Allegro was a better (less bad) car than the Marina, because it was a horrible car in...
in production largely unchanged until 1972 and was replaced by the MorrisMarina which also used the torsion bar-lever arm damper system for its front...
as chief development engineer. With Turnbull's experience with the MorrisMarina, engines and transmissions from Mitsubishi, some parts from the Ford...
Morris Marina was launched. Austin A60 saloons assembled in Ireland by Brittain Smith of Portobello, Dublin 2 were identifiable by the use of Morris Oxford...
with the best-selling cars in this sector being the Ford Cortina and MorrisMarina. The Chrysler Alpine was first sold in Britain in January 1976, going...
illuminated dashboard switches. Many switches and buttons came from the MorrisMarina. A special edition model was released to commemorate Lotus' victory...
and received a much higher rating than the Ford Cortina Mk III and MorrisMarina against which it was tested. However, the Cortina was less than a year...
contemporaries such as the MorrisMarina, of which fewer than 800 examples out of 953,576 produced were still roadworthy, despite the Marina being a stronger seller...
abandoned the four-door saloon notchback and developed the MorrisMarina instead. The Marina, launched in April 1971, was a rear-wheel drive car available...
Pilkington. Wheels magazine New Car Prices, 1966 to 1981 Sheather, Merv. "MorrisMarina/Ital: E-Series powered in Australia". Retrieved 16 September 2007. "Cagiva...
the Oxford's place at the smaller end of the market segment was the MorrisMarina, which also succeeded the yet smaller Minor. series VI saloon Note the...
contemporaries included the Ford Cortina, Vauxhall Victor, Austin/Morris 1800, and MorrisMarina. The sports-orientated Sunbeam Rapier occupied a segment contested...
rivalries. Unattractive new products (particularly the Austin Allegro and MorrisMarina) which were widely criticised by the motoring press, retention of legacy...
Standard SC engine from the Triumph Spitfire, coupled to a modified MorrisMarina gearbox with synchromesh on all four gears. The increased displacement...
Global Information
