Historic Car Brands
Leyland
In 1972, Down Under was the only global region to have the Leyland brand on passenger cars as well as on commercial vehicles. Headed by the P76 range, the Leyland marque promised much but delivered little, thanks to a litany of self-inflicted and external influences.
To understand why Leyland Cars didn’t succeed in Australasia it’s probably useful to read the timeline of regional corporate structuring of its UK vehicle brands in the 1940s-1970s period.
Nuffield
Nuffield (Australia) Pty. Ltd. commenced assembly of Morris vehicles in 1946 in Zetland, Sydney at Victoria Park. The Victoria Park Zetland site was purchased by Viscount Nuffield personally and was later sold to the Nuffield Organisation in UK. The marques produced by the Nuffield Organisation were MG, Morris, Riley and Wolseley.
Austin
The Austin Motor Company of Australia Ltd was formed in 1948 and purchased the plant of Ruskin Bodyworks Ltd, for assembly of Austin vehicles.
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation (Australia) Pty Ltd (BMC-A) was formed in 1954 and was composed of: Austin Motor Company (Australia) Pty Ltd, Nuffield (Australia) Pty Ltd and Fisher & Ludlow (Australia) Pty Ltd.
The BMC vehicle marques, in addition to the Nuffield marques, were Austin and Austin Healey. The Zetland (Sydney) site ultimately became the focus for the manufacture of BMC passenger vehicles in Australia.
British Motor Holdings
In 1966, British Motor Holdings Ltd (BMH) was formed by the merger of BMC, Pressed Steel Company and Jaguar Cars Ltd in the UK. BMH was not established in Australia, but as a result of the UK merger, BMC-A took on distribution, sales and support for Jaguar Cars Ltd. The marques, in addition to BMC marques, were Daimler and Jaguar.
Leyland Motors Ltd
Leyland Motors Ltd in the UK set up an Australian branch in 1919 as a manufacturer and assembler of trucks and buses. In 1954, Leyland Motors merged with Albion Motors Ltd and Scammell Lorries Ltd. Leyland Motors also purchased Standard-Triumph.
In Australia, a new factory in Footscray (Melbourne) was established in 1958.
The Standard-Triumph range was manufactured by Australia Motor Industries Ltd in Melbourne (formed in 1952) who also assembled Rambler and, later, Toyota vehicles.
Rover Australia/ Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia
Rover Australia Pty Ltd was formed in 1956. Land Rover vehicles were manufactured by Pressed Metal Corporation Ltd – partially owned by Rover Australia – at Enfield (Sydney).
In 1965, Leyland Motors ceased to be a branch of the UK Leyland company and became registered as the Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia Pty Ltd.
In 1968, as a result of the merger between Rover and Leyland in UK, Rover Australia Pty Ltd became a member company with BLMCAustralia and the head office was transferred to Footscray.
In 1969, the assets of Rover Australia were formally sold to the British Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia Ltd and operated as a separate division within that company. In March 1972, the old Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia Pty Ltd changed its name to Satmon Pty Ltd – an investment company.
British Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia Pty Ltd
The British Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia Pty Ltd (BLMC-A) was formed in August 1968, following the merger of BMH and Leyland Motor Corporation in the UK. It merged the interests of the British Motor Corporation (Australia) Pty Ltd and the Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia Pty Ltd. The newly formed British Leyland (BL) company consisted of four divisions: Austin-Morris, Specialist Car, Truck and Bus, and Parts and Accessories.
In October 1969, the Down Under company changed its name to British Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia Ltd. The assets of Rover Australia Ltd were sold to the British Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia Ltd and the head office for Rover Australia Pty Ltd was transferred to Sydney.
By the end of 1969, the Land Rover, Rover and Triumph marques had been added to the Company’s passenger vehicle range. The Truck and Bus Division produced Leyland, Albion, Scammell, AEC, Thornycroft truck and bus chassis, as well as diesel engines for industrial and marine applications.
In the meantime…
At this point it’s important to appreciate the complexity of BL, before considering what followed. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, BMH and Leyland Motors had expanded and acquired companies that had been in direct competition with each other. The common management and worker feelings ranged from disdain, through antipathy and disgust, to outright hatred.
After the merger into BL the intense rivalry continued, despite outward show of cohesion. Internal politics sometimes saw one marque’s team attempting to derail another marque’s program.
Model lines that were similarly-sized competed against each other, without rationalisation. Rover competed with Jaguar at the expensive end of the market, and Triumph against Austin, Morris and MG in the middle range.
Multiple models competing in the same market segment continued long after the merger: BMH’s MGB remained in production alongside LMC’s Triumph TR6; the Rover P5 competed with the Jaguar XJ and the Princess was in direct competition with upscaled Morris Marinas and Austin Maxis.
Economies of scale resulting from large production runs could never be realised.
The UK past management: Morris, Austin, Lord, Harriman, Lloyd, Buckley, Abbott, Martin and North
Because very few management people believed it or practised it, attempts to establish British Leyland as an identifiable brand in consumers’ minds failed almost totally. Also making that virtually impossible was BL’s avowed policy of individual brand identification.
For example, the decision to pitch Morris as a maker of conventional mass-market cars to compete with Ford and Vauxhall, and Austin to continue BMC’s line of advanced family cars with front-wheel drive and fluid suspension, led to totally different cars: the Morris Marina and the Austin Allegro that obviously shared no discernible ‘brand’ commonality. In contrast, the Princess and the Mini were sold across the Austin-Morris dealership network, suggesting a ‘one brand’ identity was possible.
Also, changes to model ranges meant that Austin and Morris dealers had their product range halved and could no longer cater to many previously loyal customers’ tastes.
1972 Leyland Mini Clubman GT – Jeremy
The exception was the Mini that became officially branded as ‘Mini’, without reference to either Austin or Morris and some models also bore a blue Leyland ‘L’ logo.
In addition to the model and brand confusion in its lineup BL wasted much of its scant funds on concepts, such as the Rover P8 and P9 that never entered production.
In 1973 – a definite ‘annus horribilis’ for BL – these internal issues combined with serious industrial relations problems; the 1973 oil crisis; the UK’s three-day working week forced by coal miners’ strikes that restricted electricity output; high inflation and ineffectual management meant that BL became an unmanageable and financially crippled behemoth.
“Following a disastrous couple of years in the marketplace, by the end of 1974 BLMC was on the brink of bankruptcy,” said the Ryder Report.
“Its financial backers – the City banks – had become very nervous about its future, and persuaded Lord Stokes to approach Tony Benn for financial assistance.”
Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia Ltd
The Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia Ltd, commonly referred to as Leyland Australia, had been formed in March 1972.
‘Leyland Australia’ was the result of a name change, from the British Leyland Motor Corporation to British Leyland Ltd in the UK. Australia was the only country to introduce the Leyland badge for passenger vehicles and passenger vehicle derivatives, except for CBU and CKD vehicles that were exported to New Zealand and other mainly Pacific region countries.
In March 1973, the vehicle brand names Morris and Austin were replaced by the Leyland marque. The BMC marque, used on commercial vehicles and the Moke, was also discontinued.
Two new cars were introduced during the Leyland Australia era: the Marina and the P76.
Morris/Leyland Marina
Right out of the box, in 1971, the Morris Marina was criticised for poor performance, styling, handling and build quality.
Launched in April 1971 by British Leyland, the UK Marina reused existing mechanical parts whoever possible, including front suspension from the 1948 Morris Minor – complete with pre-WWII lever-action shock absorbers – ex-BMC engines first launched in the early 1950s and a gearbox and axle sourced from Triumph that had been introduced in 1962.
Fortunately for Australian buyers, the April 1972 Morris Marina had revised front suspension and the E-Series OHC 1500cc engine from the outgoing Morris 1500, plus the options of a 1750cc stroked version with single or twin carburettors.
Leyland Marina Super – Jeremy
The April 1972 edition of Wheels Magazine previewed the new car and printed a comparison of specifications. The Marina was a foot and a half longer and four and a half inches wider. It weighed more than the 1500, but offered no more interior space and none of the agility of its front-wheel-drive predecessor. The Magazine wondered how this was any form of progress.
The Australian Marina was sold with four-door sedan and two-door coupé bodywork. It was rebadged Leyland Marina in 1973 and fitted with a restyled grille.
Additionally, in an attempt to compete with the Holden Torana and Ford Cortina six-cylinder models, the Marina was offered from November 1973 with the 121bhp (90kW) 2600cc E-series, six-cylinder engine.
Marina six – Jeff Grummel
This indigenous Marina variant was capable of 0–60mph in under nine seconds, but was not as comfortable in fast corners as was the Torana, despite the use of a separate front sub-frame to support the weight of the Big Red engine, different front torsion bars and a pair of rear radius arms.
Although Australian buyers scored much better mechanicals than did Pommy buyers and had the benefits of less militant local assembly, the body pressings were still of 1950s standard. Australian Marinas were built from CKD kits sent from Cowley in England, but used high levels of local content, including different running gear, axle, interiors, seals, seats, uprated dampers and mounts, uprated wheels and a higher grade of fit and finish.
Despite that effort, one of our 1972 press road test Marinas filled with rainwater overnight and, yes, we did wind up the windows. As hundreds of buyers attested then and since, this wasn’t an isolated incident.
Production of the Marina in Australia ended in 1975, when Leyland Australia’s Victoria Park, Zetland factory (also home of the Leyland P76) closed. More than 30,000 Marinas were produced in Australia.
Leyland P76
1974 Leyland P76 Executive – Sicnag
In 1969, BLMC-A was given the go-ahead to build a large car for Australia, to compete with established Holdens, Fords and Chryslers. BLMC-A was expected to do that with a minuscule budget of A$20m, despite the envisaged car having very little commonality with any existing BL products. In contrast, the Australian market Big Three cars had huge commonality with their North American products and even then, Chrysler Australia had a similar budget, mainly for engine development of the Hemi Six.
At the time of the P76’s launch, it was reported that Leyland Australia had an accumulated deficit equivalent to Stg£8.6 million, and had borrowed the same amount again in order to help fund the development of the P76.
The P76 was designed following a decade of serious financial and operational challenges for the parent company in Britain. The irony was obvious to industry observers that while commercial success for this car was seen as crucial to the survival of Leyland in Australia, that success was knobbled by chronic under-funding of its design, development and testing.
1974 Leyland Force 7V coupe – Sv1ambo
The styling was attributed to Giovanni Michelotti, but his studio’s input was restricted to finishing off an in-house wedge-shaped design, with a boot that could accommodate a 44-gallon (200-litre) drum. “Why?” Was a commonly-asked question. Although station wagon and Force 7 coupé versions were developed and built to prototype level, these never went into mass production.
1974 Leyland P76 Super station wagon prototype – Sv1ambo
The optional V8 powerplant was a compromise, being a bored-out version of the 215 cubic inch (3.5-litre) aluminium block and heads petrol V8 that Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac developed and produced for only two years. These US-made engines suffered from leaks and cooling issues. GM couldn’t believe its luck when the Brits bought the rights to produce it.
After some initial issues that were rectified by upgraded seals, the 3.5-litre had proved relatively reliable in British cars, but for the P76 it was taken out to an untested 4.4 litres, by increasing the stroke. Yet another reason for the ‘stroking’ exercise was its intended use in the Leyland Terrier medium truck range in Australia, where more torque was necessary.
The 4.4-litre V8 produced a claimed 200bhp (149 kW) and 280 lb ft (380Nm). The entry-level P76 featured an enlarged 2.7-litre 121bhp (83 kW) version of the six-cylinder Austin Kimberley and Austin Tasman engine.
Leyland Australia cited a weight advantage around 230kg for the P76 V8, compared with the larger-displacement, cast-iron V8 blocks from Chrysler, Holden and Ford.
The P76 used familiar Australian-made Borg Warner manual and automatic gearboxes, and a live rear axle.
Safety equipment preceded the forthcoming Australian Design Rules and featured power-assisted front discs as standard on all models, recessed door handles and full-length side-intrusion reinforcements on all doors. Also standard were rack-and-pinion steering, MacPherson-strut front suspension, front-hinged bonnet, glued-in windscreen and concealed windscreen wipers.
The P76 arrived on the market in very late 1972 and the immediate reaction was positive, from early owners and the motoring press, being subsequently named Wheels Car of the Year for 1973.
However, the 1973 Oil Crisis had sent fuel prices soaring around the world, reducing market enthusiasm for big-bore petrol engines, so BL was anxious to get as many P76s sold as quickly as possible, while excitement was fresh. So, Leyland Australia rushed the assembly process with early cars, resulting in poor build quality and some reliability problems.
Leyland P76 with 44-gallon drum – Ferenghi
They needn’t have reacted so precipitously, because Australia had local oil production that partially shielded it from a global quadrupling of the barrel price. In fact, petrol pump prices didn’t really leap until 1975.
The hastened build quality was bad enough that the company had to set up a second production line at the Zetland plant, where product defects could be rectified on site.
The car achieved success in the 29,000km-long 1974 World Cup Rally, driven by Evan Green and Bill Bryson: winning the Targa Florio section and placing 13th overall. Just finishing this gruelling Europe-Africa-Europe event was an achievement, because 51 of the 70 starters didn’t!
Leyland P76 Targa Florio – Kim Vizer
Leyland Australia celebrated this victory by releasing a limited edition Targa Florio model: the V8 Super with a limited slip differential, sports wheels and steering wheel, as well as special paintwork, including side stripes.
(Much later, Gerry Crown and Matt Bryson won the Classic Category of the 2013 Peking to Paris Endurance Rally and did it again in 2019, in their Leyland P76. Gerry Crown and Matt Bryson also finished Second on the 2015 Road to Mandalay classic car rally, winning the Malaysian Cup for being the fastest car.)
Despite improved quality control and competition success, the combination of reputational harm caused by rushed assembly and strikes at some component manufacturers’ factories, resulted in the Leyland P76 being labelled a lemon, despite later production models being no worse fitted-out and finished than the Big Three products.
By 1974, sales of the P76 had slumped and fatal financial problems at Leyland UK had taken priority over what was happening in the ‘colonies’.
The Leyland Australia plant at Zetland closed in October 1974 and production of the P76 ceased, although CKD assembly continued in Petone, New Zealand, in exchange for NZ-assembled Rover P6s that were shipped to Australia.
In New Zealand, the P76 was sold in V8 form only, in Deluxe, Super and Executive trims, until August 1976.
Sequel
In March 1982, Jaguar Rover Australia (JRA) Ltd took over all the assets and responsibilities of Leyland Motor Corporation Australia Ltd. Leyland Australia then ceased to exist. JRA had four divisions:
JRA Cars was the distributor of Jaguar, Rover, Range Rover and Peugeot vehicles that were purchased from Austin Rover UK, Jaguar Cars, Land Rover Ltd, Peugeot and Honda.
Land Rover Australia assembled V8 petrol Series III vehicles from CKD packs as well as Australian Army Land Rovers, powered by Isuzu 3.9-litre diesel engines. Some of these Army vehicles were locally designed and manufactured, including some 6×6 variants.
JRA Bus and Coach manufactured bus and coach bodies, as well as importing and distributing bus chassis from Hino Japan and Leyland Bus UK. Buses were assembled in Sydney (Revesby) and Adelaide facilities.
JRA Parts imported and distributes parts for some past and current models of Jaguar, Peugeot, Rover, Austin Morris, MGB, Triumph, Range Rover and Land Rover vehicles, as well as for Leyland and Hino buses.
In February 1987, a new company JRA Holdings, acquired the share capital of JRA Ltd from the Austin Rover parent for $66.6M. Receivers were appointed in June 1992.
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