Sensible Secondhand Classics: 1968 Austin 1800 Mark II "Landcrab" - Lloyd Vehicle Consulting
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Welcome to Sensible Secondhand Classics, the series where we take a sensible classic car worth between £1000 and £5000 and put it through its paces in a very straightforward manner! This time, as we drive a 1968 Austin 1800 Mark II (also known as "Landcrab"), we struggle a bit with the number of turns lock to lock on the steering, wrestle the car into gear, get lost in a cavernous interior and generally experience little of any consequence at all. Nothing untoward then!
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As an independent vehicle consultant, I take potential buyers through the whole car buying process from choosing a make and model to a vehicle handover and road tax. In addition to information on this service, I also have a selection of written and video reviews of cars that I have owned, hired, borrowed or have somehow come into my possession. Please use the Contact Me page on my website to get in touch, visit my Facebook page for latest updates and share this video if you like it! Thank you for watching.
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Lovely to see a video on a Landcrab. These were very popular in Australia and the Aussies did 40 mods to the MK II to make them more suitable to Australian conditions. They were on every street corner along with 1100s in the 70s. The 1800 were quite a bit firmer than the 1100s and the 3 litre was firmer again. Thanks to the owner and you Mr. Lloyd. 👍
Yes, the suspension is much firmer in one of these than an 1100, as you will no doubt see very soon... I am sure that these were everywhere in the 1970s, as they were in Britain. Thank you again for watching, sir!
Ooh didn't think you would surpass the Princess 2200 HL but you have. Love the Landcrab. I have travelled in a few of them as a boy and nothing had as much interior space, not the Mk3 Cortina, not even the big Coke Bottle Vauxhall Victor. The parcel shelf was a great place to sit and watch the vehicles following and had the added attraction of windows in the C Pillars.
Don't knock the interior door handles. I had them on a Freight Rover 310 for a few years and they operated faultlessly.
The 1.8 B Series was a very strong engine in the late 60s early 70s even with this single carb installation it was powerful and very reliable. The twin carb in the MGB was very fast having 95 bhp in such a light car. The B Series was one of BL's greatest assets.
This particular car looks so original.
They were very popular as Taxis right up into the 1980s.
I did know many of those old Leyland DAFs with broken interior door handles back in the day, I am afraid, sir... This one is fine in that department, though.
The power seemed fine, but I imagine the S versions or the six cylinder 2200 was even better. The space is utterly ridiculous, far bigger than the Cortina and Victor. This one is a remarkable survivor, and it is unrestored, which is how it is going to stay.
My dad had one he let me drive it very nice drive for its time .
Glad it bought back memories! Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting.
I can remember seeing these when I was a young lad in the 1980’s there were still one or two about at the time, some in a shabby condition and others better like this one you drove.
A friend of my parents owned a Wolseley SIX version and we used to have a ride in it every week, I can still remember that 2.2 six pot engine sound now, comfortable leather seats as well, I can remember once it broke down, cut out on her and after a brief look under the bonnet it was a loose ignition wire so all ended up well.
I like to see classic cars in this “used” look, I think a lot of people find this more appealing than a fully restored example , it looks like it has been used on the roads and served its owners well.
A nice example Joseph and a good video as usual, thanks.👍
I really enjoyed the fact that this one looks much more like it would have done in the 1980s than 2022 when I filmed it, and the owner intends to keep it like that. I would also like to try a Wolseley Six.
Great video. Thanks for sharing. My friend's father had a J reg Austin 1800 in the same colour in the late seventies and I always remember how large the interior was. You felt you were in a Rolls Royce (as a rear passenger!). The jewelled warning lights and the strip speedo also fascinated me. Compared to the cramped interior of a Cortina MkIV at the time, they were a real Tardis but as a car they just looked so awkward, but that's perhaps their charm now (?).
They are very spacious cars, and it is remarkable how well designed these are, even if they are not necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing. We do have a Mark V Cortina coming up on the channel very soon, actually! The strip speedometer was most certainly characteristic of designs from Alec Issignois during this era.
My Father had a Morris 1800 WUC 230G, white with black interior. He did big miles, and hated the 1800! He says that the Mk2 Cortina, PJH406H, which followed felt like a sports car in comparison, with better steering, gearchange and cornering.
I just remember how much space there was in the back, plenty to take me and my 3 friends, 10/11 year olds, to school. No seat belts, just bundle in as many children as necessary!
Oh yes, throw all the children in the back of the Landcrab! Get at least 20 in there without any problems... The gearchange and steering were not the best, I am sure that they were better in a Cortina. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!
My dad had this vehicle in this colour. He's 90 now and we recently recalled the time a wheel came off as he drove over a railway bridge. Great days! I recall a beige leather interior
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting! We are quite fond of beige leather interiors on this channel...
I had a F reg one in 1980 brill, my misses passed her test in it and she believes it was because the 6 foot + examiner was so happy to stretch his legs in something other than minis he had been in all day lol
The space inside one of these is absolutely ridiculous! Makes modern SUVs look cramped on the interior. I expect your Landcrab must have been a lot of fun.
my father had an austin 1800 in Portugal , there were very few here , i will never forget i was 5 years old and the car had so much interior space
Thank you ever so much for watching all the way from Portugal!
Three different shapes of rear lights on the landcrab, the Austin and Morris Mk1 horizontal, the Mk2 vertical and the Wolseleys rectangular. By 1972 there was the six cylinder engine option being the Austin and Morris 2200 and Wolseley Six and an approaching landcrab could be identified at once which engine it had by the position of the front badge, the 1800 in the centre of the grille and the 2200 on the right and nearside. The only landcrab I have travelled in was a taxi in 1983 and liked the sound of the engine.
Yes, we did mention the 2200 and Wolseley Six in the video. This one has the wrong grille on it, the owner does intend to fit the correct one at some point. The extra information about the six cylinder models is interesting, thank you ever so much indeed for watching!
Really enjoyed that. Love the patina. One year on, I hope it still has a good home.
Yes, the owner still has it, as far as I understand. There are lots more reviews from the same collection listed in the video description below if you would like to see them. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Thank you, will check those out.
Got a massive playlist of Sensible Secondhand Reviews/Classics now, and there should be another episode this week.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting 👍
Many of our neighbours had these in the sixties and seventies while we were stuck with a hideous Mk2 Cortina! One was the Wolseley auto with the rare gear shift on the right end off the dash! Lovely cars!
The Wolseley 18/85 was a very nice variant of these. Ever so rare to find any these days.
Excellent Review as always Mr Lloyd, I remember seeing one of these for the first time last year at a car meet and I was very impressed to see one, I like the styling of these and love the space available you get inside.
Yes, the space is absolutely ridiculous in these, far more than the modest exterior dimensions would suggest. These are not as easy to drive as the smaller ADO16 (another Issigonis design), but they are rather iconic.
My dad had the S version in white with black interior. The lights if I remember were blue, for main beam, red for alternator, yellow for oil pressure an one spare. The cars didn’t have steering locks, ignition on dash, so that lock looks like an additional steering lock. The rear parcel shelf was great for our dog, who stuck his nose out of the qtr light. An issue with these was the cable controlled gearstick to the gear box. These would eventually break leaving you stuck in gear!!. This was identified by my dad trying to change up when driving up a steep hill!!
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting! These don't have nearly as nice a gearchange as the smaller ADO16s (I have tested two of those). I loved driving this, though, just because of what it is. I appreciate the information about what some of the controls do.
We had one of these in the 80s. It was Beige. It was Mum’s car but my Dad liked it because of the room, more than his Holden Kingswood. Mum did not like because of the heavy steering.
I don’t remember the umbrella hand brake. It’s possible the NZ built ones had standard hand brakes.
Yes, the steering is quite heavy, and curiously over-geared too. The umbrella handbrake is fantastic, I quite liked it. The amount of room is absolutely ridiculous!
I grew up with a couple of Mk2s in the family, and friends who had some mk1s. The umbrella handbrake was on the Aussie mk1s, but Aussie mk2s went to a pull up lever between the seats by 1970. This one difference made the ‘68 mk1 the preferred option for the drive in movies. I’d say the NZ ones would have been similar or the same spec as the Aussie ones.
Such a nice car. We had a mk1 in the 70s, but I was just too young to remember being in it. And down here we have the Kimberly, which I believe was improved for Aussie conditions, a good Hubnut episode. 👍
Yes, I was wondering how long it would be before someone mentioned Ian Seabrook! He has driven an awful lot of cars on this channel... The Kimberley was indeed more suitable for the local market from what I understand.
Wow, what a treat Sir, Credit to the owner for keeping it original, wonderful elegant design & best colour for a Landcrab. That would have been a minter in the late 70’s, most 1800s used as work horses, were very rusty, but went on & on. I traveled as a child in my Uncles, banger 1800, rusty brown, the exhaust was held up with cycle brake cable, looped across the rear passenger floor, he shouted mind the cable a lot. UnFortunately the garage it was in, was damaged in a Gale & he dare not remove the car as it would have fallen down, so he upgraded to a rusty yellow Victor FE
Sir, I am glad you enjoyed it. It looks better than it is, but I suspect that in the 1970s they may have been even worse. Good old rusty Victor FEs!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Been brought up in the North East, sea air & heavily salted roads in the cold winters, were not kind to daily use 1960s, 70s, 80s or even 90s cars
@@badbooks476 , having lived in Durham for four years, sir, I can well believe it!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I forgot you went to Durham Uni, the city / cathedral etc. has amazing history, I think a Bishop set up Oxford university
@@badbooks476 , yes sir, we know it well!
It gave a very comfortable ride with plenty of elbow room and leg room so much better than the 1100/1300 stable mates
I couldn't believe how spacious this car was in comparison with its on the road. Alec Issigonis was truly a genius! Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting.
That push button to the right of the windscreeniper switch is the manual screenwash pump.
Yes, that's probably right, thank you!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting It is right, my parents' Austin 1100 had the same pump button.
Sounds similar to the later Morris Minor.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting It was a pain to have to repeatedly pump this button while driving! It was quite easy to upgrade to an electric aftermarket screenwasher pump.
@@jamespassas9441 , it's like an upgrade to electronic ignition, quite a sensible one!
It looks to be a very comfortable car. When you were sitting in the back I could feel myself empathetically feeling sleepy. I think Mr. Issigonis had some very sensible design principles.
Yes, the rear accommodation is absolutely massive. The Maxi is very practical for its size, but this is in a completely different league.
My dad had a couple of these and I can remember how roomy they felt inside. And built like tanks - saved his life once.
@@nichowell9902 , totally overengineered for their time, really, and the amount of room for the size of the car is colossal. Strange driving position, though!
What an absolutely splendid motor car Mr Lloyd. I do like these very much. Do you find that when you are driving a classic most other driver tend to give more space for you?
I don't remember with this one, actually! I was following the owner along unfamiliar roads as he was driving another car, and was a bit more focused on that than how much space people were giving me, but quite possibly...
Fantastic car, the earlier versions had fantastic leather seats and offcourse different interior door handles and a much nicer rear light cluster arrangement, my Dad had a green 1968 Austin 1800 Mk1 MVD725F, my Grandad bought it for my parents I remember my dad appearing with it in 1970,in 1977 it fell apart with rust and was replaced with a light blue Chrysler 180 then in 1981, that was replaced with a Rover 2600 Auto which was thoroughly amazing, anyway the Issigonis design was excellent, and probably main reason probably wasn't a huge success was the styling
Yes, the earlier cars had a very different interior and completely different rear lights. I am not surprised about the rust, a car lasting nine years in those days was fairly typical. Those Chrysler 180s are very, very rare these days. Been trying to get hold of an SD1 for absolutely ages.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I absolutely love the Austin 1800 what a lovely design and with that big smily face, the Chrysler 180 was fairly popular if you see any documentary from the mid 70s here should be a 180 or 2 Litre in it, they were very comfortable, I loved the fake wood and padded vinyl with cloth seat inserts and all the dials, the styling was nice less over the top that the Mk3 Cortina, lovely car but nearly extinct wasn't a bad car had disc brakes all-round and modern engines, maybe a bit vague as to what market it was in due to the lack of a V6 (the Tagora solved that problem LOL) so very different from the Austin 1800 and then the Rover 2600 auto, same as the Austin Morris Wolseley Landcrab, the original incarnation was a fantastic beautiful ,futuristic design, let down by strikes and I believe when they created such a wonderful design then attempt to modernise it, they lost the sparkle same with Princess, but BL and BMC designed some fantastic cars , Chrysler just fizzled out(in Europe ).
@@lucindafergusonart , been trying to get hold of a Talbot Tagora for review for absolutely ages. The end of Chrysler in Europe is a very well documented failure, sadly...
What an eyesore that parcel shelf would have been when it was full of the flotsam and jetsam of life...or was Alec thinking there would be a Fortnum & Mason tote bag and a couple of letters addressed to the Queen. A car in search of Mrs Bucket....It's BOUQUET !!!!!!!!
Yes, that rear shelf would have been filled with family detritus back in the day, I have absolutely no doubt. The Fortnum and Mason bag would have been a bit of a pipe dream....
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I meant the underdash shelf Joseph..your whole life would be on full display.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting A dog with a bobbly head would be essential on the back parcel shelf.
Infuriation would be heightened by the Austin’s switchgear, which was so distant that when you were strapped in with static seatbelts, you couldn’t reach much of it. A distant under-dashboard handbrake and an awkwardly angled steering wheel made this supposedly luxurious saloon a physical battle to drive.
Yes, the handbrake is miles away, and don't get me started with the incredibly annoying static seatbelts! These aren't especially easy to drive in comparison with the delicate little Austin 1100 I had tried earlier on in the day.
I think that lock thing to the left to the steering column must be a steering lock?
Yes, that is absolutely correct, as far as I understand it.
Odd ball styling, but very charming at the same time, hard to believe it lasted until 1981. Was the Maxi substantially bigger than the Maestro, I've not been fortunate enough to see them side by side.
It's not a Maxi! 😉 These 1800s were built until 1975.
However I used to think that these were a saloon version of them
@@mattw8332
My mistake, good old British Leyland
They were going to release a saloon version of the Maxi badged as a Morris, but it never happened. Those doors, though... Just need an Austin 3-Litre to complete the set now.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting
BL cars can be a minefield to the untrained eye, if one isn't so well acquainted with them, Even the Nissan style grill badge used throws me.
@@paulie-Gualtieri. , yes, the myriad models made in the 1960s and 1970s, which sort of seemed to overlap too, can be very confusing.
Is it a separate steering lock Joseph?.. (Phil)
Do you know, I think that it may well be! It isn't working at the moment, however.
That's what I thought. Cheers
Have.mark.1.in.australia.built.solid.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you for commenting all the way from Australia!
Australia.had.mirrors.on.doors.❤❤❤❤❤❤
Would have been very useful to have those!
Is that a steering lock?
Yes, I reckon so! Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting.
First.gear.too.high.ratio.hard.on.clutchs.australia❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
The clutch wasn't great on this one.
E.seris.motors.do.not.like.b.seris......reliable.australia❤❤❤❤❤❤
I have driven a couple of E-Series engined cars in my time.