I understand why Boris made us all stay at home now. He must have known that Hubnut was about to release a video about the 6 cylinder Marina and he knew we wouldn't want to miss it. Imagine being stuck down at the supermarket trying to buy lavatory paper when this was on. It would have been devastating.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Marina with the six in it, it's hard not to enjoy the symphony of sound that an inline six makes. Keep hunting down the oddballs...👍
well, I've just found your channel and you're a man of my own heart, I'm an Aussie and when I was just 8 years old my Dad bought a "Leyland" Marina coupe, in Australia you could buy them with the OHC 2.6 litre 6 cylinder, My Dad always said that thing went like the clappers ( he was a Lancashire Lad) but the handling was scary, they did a telescopic front shock kit for them in Australia which addressed the handling issues, but we didn't find out about that until much later, I bought a 1750 coupe for the price of a carton of beer back in 2007, it ran but had a massive big end knock, i replaced the motor but then the starter motor packed it in, so I pulled the pin and got rid of it, (much regret here), would love another Marina as a club car but they are getting hard to find in Australia now
A trip down memory lane! I had one of these as a teenager. Complete with the wiper fins, Lever arm suspension that had to be replaced every 20k.. It was generally reliable too, although I did learn how to drive without a clutch in this car until I could save enough $ to get a new one, All this, and no pianos falling on it. Thanks Hubnut!!
And didn't THEY go 👍😉😘. The hemi 245 Centura's were the pick of the litter of the Aussie manufacturers "sixed" four cylinder bodied variations. The 3.3 and 4.1 Ford 6's in the Cortina's went hard, The 2.6 Marina did also. The 2.2, 2.6, 2.8, 3.0 and 3.3 Torana's weren't bad but the 4.0 Centura was sensational. Especially in 4speed manual spec. Nicely equipped inside too, great car's.
Another car to note, hubnut, along with the Cortina and Torana sixes is the Chrysler Centura based on the old Simca 180 from France. As you would obviously know, the simca was a 1.8 four in gay Paris. The Centura in aus not only got the four in 2.0 form, but Chrysler Australia wedged their own 245ci (4.0 litre) six into it as well! Apparently there was a battle between the Centura and Cortina who could understeer the most! In terms of fuel economy tho, the Centura dismally lost as being the most thirsty of the two! My dad worked in a Chrysler dealership in Melbourne Aus at the time and COUNTLESS customers would be bringing in their KB and KC series Centura sixes into the service dept complaining of shithouse fuel economy! Holden definitely had the wood on it converting the old HB Viva (Torana) to house their own home grown 161 red six pack! You wouldn’t have happened to have driven one while in Australia did you???
The first Holden Torana with a six cylinder was the LC model that was based on the earlier HB series only in looks from the front doors back, mechanically their was nothing in common, the first LC, came with the choice of a smaller 2262 cc (badged as 2250) or138 cubic inch to a 161 cubic inch (badged as 2600) to a warmed over 161in the GTR version then to a hot lumpy cammed triple CD stromberg carbureted GTR-XU1 (Note that they also used the 173ci (2850 badged in the last of the LC’s & the GTR version) then the 173 and 202 cubic inch Holden sixes with similar mods in the LJ series.
Can I just say "thank you", Mr. Hub Nut, for all the hard work you put into these videos, and for all that you do. In these surreal and awful times we are currently living through, where every day dreadful news seems to be compounded by still worse news, it is such a comfort to be able to watch your videos and find a safe space, at least for a short while. Your channel is a welcome oasis of normality. Take care, stay well, and maybe if you're ever at the Bromley Pageant again, I'll pop over and say "hi", to thank you in person.
My dad had one in the early 80's, probably 4th hand at least because we were poor. ;) It looked so much better than the saloon IMHO. Ours was a dark purple colour. Every weekend it carted dad, mum, me, my sister, my gran, her Great Dane, Ashley and our collie, Rocky (it was 1983) ;) to the local park with no issues. One of the best old bangers we ever had. Only issue we had with it was the 3 inches of water that would gather in the passenger footwell every time it rained. :)
I've always liked the look of the 4-door 1.8 TC Marina with the quad-lamp style front end and never really understood the hatred towards the Marinas in general. These two are excellent examples of Aussie engineering of the time and I'm really looking forward to an upcoming P76 video :)
Home on the O'range Plum Loco Scarlet O'Hara Am eye blue NV Green Bold as Brass Hairy Lime My dad had a 6cyl Super Deluxe coupe in Am eye Blue , nice car
I was an apprentice in a Leyland garage in the seventies. I attended many factory training courses during my time. On the E series engine course we were told that this engine was developed in Australia.
Followed one of Mr. Hubnuts shorts to watch this video again. Great video and so glad an enthusiast made the cars available. An important slice of Australian motoring history. Bravo.
Wow! Never thought I'd say this, but think I want an awesome sounding Marina 6! The 4 speed Borg Warner single rail was also used in Ford Falcons (different gear ratios), not too hard to go from a 4 speed single rail to a 5 speed T5, OD 5th would be nice in this! Common swap on the P76 (I have one in the shed!)
I like my Vauxhall Velox 1962 with 2.3 straight-six and RWD with three-on-the-tree.(three speed column change) Lovely car to drive. Just recently got it street-legal - now I can't drive it cos we are in lockdown cos of a handful of bugs......
@Tone. Or the 3.0 litre Essex V6. The lunatics the built the Savage Cortinas tried that but decided it was a little much, but I'm sure the Aussie engineers could have made it work...
gosportjamie SuperSpeed sold the Escort with a 3.0 Essex. The problem with it is, it’s a more involved conversion than others because the size and weight of the engine necessitated installing it further back and modifying the bulkhead accordingly.
@@dungareesareforfools Yes,, that makes a lot of sense being as the Escort was never designed with that lump in mind. I can't help thinking that the finished vehicle must have been perhaps a little terrifying...
Love the enthusiasm in this vid. Wiki quotes the standard 2620 cc six as having 121 hp. Also " The Marina Six used a separate front sub-frame to support the weight of the Big Red engine and different front torsion bars as well as a pair of rear radius arms in an attempt to improve handling." News to me from Wiki is the South African Austin Marina Six, so another source. But then South Africa went with 302 V8s in Cortinas, Capris and Sierras if I recall rightly. In Australia the 1500 was thought of as minimal as was the 1600 Cortina. How the UK went for pushrod 1.3 Marinas and 1.3 Cortinas in the 1970s seems astonishing to Australians of the time and especially now.
@Lassi Kinnunen it was so long ago I can't remember. Probably little to no difference in it. All I know is at that time we'd had an audi 100 which we got after our zodiac died.... Then the audi caught fire (weak carbs leaking fuel)... Somehow my dad got hold of a Daimler sovereign!
Great video Mr. Hubnut. Learnt stuff I did not know once again....blast....I thought I knew all about these things. Full credit to the enthusiast owner who are preserving these fascinating bits of Aussie motoring history. 👏 Bravo all round.
I still love the shape of the Marina coupe. My dad had a lime green one in the 70s and I still remember it even though I was about 6 at the time. Vinyl seats were not pleasant in summer though.
What seriously lovely cars! They really did do them justice when they built them there, impressive stuff. The 6 cylinder one is just sublime - it reminds me of an E-Type and I just love the gearbox noise in both, brings back childhood memories! Torque for days too! Really liking Marinas even more now. Great test Ian!
Okay. Two of the best old Leylands I have ever seen. Wow. Congratulations. I am now back in the 70s. Woo. What a rush. Strong feelings of nostalgia here. Great video. Love it. Thanks for the cars too.
We often gave our best efforts to other markets. The australians also had twin cam powered escorts long after we stopped making them. It wasn't even considered a sporty car, just a car with enough grunt.
Post 1979 facelift UK cars had the 1700cc O series SOHC which was a really good engine. There was even a rare 2000cc O series available as an auto only in the Ital - I only ever saw one
It all just seems like a wasted opportunity to carry on using the old BMC engines in the Marina when there were other more modern engine units available. Thanks for making this video it was most interesting.
@@billywhizz1984 I was lucky enough(!) to own an Ital 2.0 HLS and Auto in Vermillion. That was a fun car, it would fly off the lights and startle a few people, but the head gasket went and then the gearbox cooler failed leading to an obscene amount of pink antifreeze!! Best of all the gear selector broke so it was replaced with some mole grips.
2620 cc I think. Was a stretch to get the motor that big, starting around 2200 in the Tasman and Kimberly. Also used in the P76, but Leyland were working on a 3.3 litre six cylinder version of the Rover/P76 V8 to appeal to the mass Australian market. Then the collapse of Leyland here.
Nice one Hubnut. I like how you approach a road test without any pre-conceived notions, or bias. Letting the car sell itself on its own merits. Yes, gearing was short in those days, with 4 speeds only and top usually being a direct 1:1 ratio. Though 4 speeds didn't bother the E type Jag for top speed. I had an HQ Statesman, back in the day with a 3 speed only auto. I remember it would show about 1500rpm on the tacho at 60mph in top. The secret was the differential, with a 2.78:1 ratio. The torque of the 5 litre V8 can haul such a tall diff. I think most 4 cylinders at the time had a 4.3:1 or shorter differential.
Thanks for sharing these delightful road-tests! Could tell you were grinning ear-to-ear in that six-cylinder Marina; the gear change looked more short-throw and precise than the 1750 model. Could've used a 5th gear in the six-pot, but in the early-1970s not too many cars had these as standard; even the U.S. model 240/260-Zs made do w/ 4-speeds, and a 5-speed was an option in the 280-Z. That front grille does remind me of a Corolla of similar vintage. Glad someone has preserved these two examples; Marinas were rare in the States (even w/ TV ad spots, featuring Vanessa Redgrave, I think...don't recall exactly); we got a single-carbureted MG-B engine here.
The front wheel drive edition of the E4 engine (as used in the Maxi, Allegro and Nomad) had a 5 speed box. Fun fact, the Lotus Elite, introduced circa 1975 used the Maxi E4 gear cluster in a special Lotus casing. It handled the power and gave decent shifting and durability. Leyland could have done the same and put it in the Marina.
I used to have a 6-cylinder Marina sedan, with a 3-speed floor change. Used 2nd and 3rd mainly. Drove it up a winding mountain road in 3rd, didn't need to change down once.
I want I want I want been waiting for this absolutely amazing video for ages the sound and power was awesome you looked like a child with all the sweets Glad you enjoyed it I did
They are brilliant looking cars! Obviously, I’d want the 6cyl but I’d happily drive either one of them. I’ve always admired the Marina and those two look perfect to me! 👍
J.Falk, actually, the grille is such an improvement, it should have been the grille for Britain as well! In fact, I think that moves it closer to BEING an oil painting!
Wow, I had one of these in the UK many years ago. Such an improvement on the UK model. Bought it cheap as a part exchange at a garage and never seen another one
The Aussie Marinas from Sydney's Zetland plant were better put together than their UK counterparts. I can't ever recall seeing rust on any Marina here in Australia. I always thought they were a handsome cleanly styled vehicle and full of personality. That four cylinder model was as interesting as the six to me as that second gear noise brought me back to my first and only ride in one which was a four door, in the mid 1990s in Maroubra. It felt perfectly comfortable and competent compared to any other small car from the 70s I had been in. Your trip in Australia may have been shorter, but you really have delivered in spades so far!!
In the early 70's "The French Daredevels" a stund driving squad would come to the Sydney Show Ground every year, sponsored by Holden, driving Torana's. As a kid, I went to see the French Daredevels, but that year it was sponsored by Leyland Marina for the first & I think only time.
The Coupe reminds me of the Volkswagen Fastbacks. Quite nice looking, but of course of being from GERMANY, rear legroom was never a consideration. So, all in all, the British developed Marina is the much useable option! So much for the usual chant of "German Engineering"!
Had 2 Marinas in the 1980's.....they were comfortable and easy to drive....with great long distance capability. Spacious and with a big boot.....very usable and practical.....
"Oh no! It's a bend! Surely we must die!!!!" Is that the Morris Marina understeer you're speaking of? l.o.l. It's fun watching the Morris Marina in a rally with none other than Brian Culcheth at the wheel! 💕
The 1750 E series engine had loads of torque. It was a stroked version of the 1500 E series engine. Once you had moved off initially you could remain in 4the gear for most of the time.
I should walk into any branch of Euro Car Prats and ask the 20 year old behind the counter for a pair of Trico wiper blades for a Marina Coupe. And then see what he says.
Well, he'd probably Google it, and tell you what size it needed, but that they don't have Trico brand ones, because why the hell would they? I'm only 27, so many of the cars mr Hubnut reviews were dodging the crusher before I was even born, does that make me less of a car enthusiast? I love seeing them reviewed by a down to earth bloke like Ian, and hearing people's stories of their memories of family holidays or driving lessons in these cars etc in the comments. Car history isn't just from the car itself, but the people who were around during its time on the roads. In 20-30 years, i'd happily share memories of cars from when I was a kid with modern youths, not scorn them. However it is strange to think of kids 30 years from now wanting to hear about me learning to drive in a 2004 VW Golf, or getting a 1997 Vauxhall Corsa for my first car! They will probably be getting a self-driven communal car to work by then 🤣
The E series seems a better bet than the 1.7 o series that came in my mk3. that was a study in lacklustre performance! Still loved that car though. Top work mr hubnut!
If I remember rightly they did a 2.0 o series in the later Marina but only in automatic form , the Marina box was never the best so I guess a 2.0 on it would be a failure waiting to happen
HubNut appears to be amazed that they had vinyl seats in a lot of these Aus/NZ videos. Wasn't he alive in the 70s? Vinyl, and everything else synthetic and nasty, was huge back then. In the UK they even had Bri-Nylon bed sheets, equally as dumb.
All the superlatives under the sun and a few whoohoohoos to boot. I think we can safely say Hubnut is enjoying the 6cylinder like nothing I've ever seen before
When Clarkson and Co. started their assault on the Marina and especially the Marina Owners Club they really showed themselves for the spoilt school boys they are. Can't see what the problem was with the car. Looks like a car of its time. Both my Grandads owned one each at the same time. One of which was the TC Coupe' fastback version. Sweet.😁
Clarkson is a public schoolboy who probably sneered at the poorer kids being taken to school in their dad's Marina or Austin 1100. He's also currently under investigation for hosting an illegal hare coursing event on his property, which should tell you everything you need to know about the man.
My late Dad was given one, by is mate at work. He was selling a Classic Renault and a guy drove all way from Devon and brought the car and he said, well can't drive both cars back. He left with the Renault and Tell said to me Dad, well I don't want the marina, and threw me Dad the keys. Had that car least 5 years never had any problems with it. I loved driving it.
Who cares what Clarkson thinks of anything really. I tried to read one of his books once, gave up after a few pages. What a load of drivvle. His TV appearances were no better. He could have been the worst presenter in the world, ever.
Utterly splendid love these Aussie Marina's and I agree that the front grille treatment is far better than we had in the UK, makes the car look far better.
When i was young i knew a MORRIS MO that had That engine in. Too young to remember it properly. I remember vaguely it would out run RS2000 and 2.3 Chevettes.
Im from South Africa and 44 years old. Never seen one until now. But satisfying video. Wish l could drive the original 1750 model they drove in the start.
Loved it. 79-82 I had two marina coupes at the same time. 1 k reg(72) and 1L reg(73). The 73 was bog standard but the 72 I fitted sparkrite electronic ignition, telescopic shocks conversion kit, marina van leaf springs on the back with lowering blocks, California mirrors and front spoiler. Hey everybody did it back then lol. Oh 165 profile Goodyear’s 👍🏻😂😂
That 6 cylinder Marina was a sleeper. Impressive noise. Never understood Top Gears running skits trashing Marina. Both Marina's were surprisingly nice and sound sporty.
Interesting video and test drive of models we never got in UK. I agree, Marinas were slated at a time when it was seen hilarious to critisise anything BL, but they were no worse or better than Vivas and Escorts.
Remember, when one was talking about the handling back then, they were often comparing with BL's other main product in Oz - the Mini Clubman (which didn't go away until '78.) And that's a hard comparison to beat, even today.
Brilliant engine, the E Series. I had 21 Marinas - before I lost count. Used to pick them up for peanuts, get them running and drove them till they could drive no more. They were economical and, for me, they kept the wolf from the door in my early married life and owed a heap of money on our house. BTW, the 1750 engine had the same bore but a longer stroke than the 1500, hence the good torque. Got rid of my last one in the late 90s. That was one that had only 50,000 kilometres up on it when I saw it advertised for sale as a non runner. It was obviously hard to start since the starter had been burnt out on it. I put in a starter out of my other Marina, a manual, and it started first fire after standing for 3+ years. I was going to scrap it but when I realised the odometer hadn't been around a couple of times and really was low mileage, it became my wife's car. Only required 4 items to get it back on the road - wiper was stuck, ditter the washer pump - from sitting around a long time. Driver's side window winder broken and rear resonator had a hole. The reason it was hard to start - the original owner had put Bosch resistor spark plugs. When new, it was ok but when the gap became even slightly wide, the extra resistance when cold caused a very weak spark. Virtually cost nothing to get it back on the road and it cleaned up like a new car. BTW, the best option for the window winders is to use MG ones. They aren't scalloped out so much in the back of the arm so are stronger.
This model with the spoiler and black painted bits looks like a proper mini-muscle car. I only wish that BL had bothered to engineer longer doors for the Coupé and moved the B-post back a bit, the styling always looks a bit unbalanced to me. That would make an interesting project for someone with some welding and fabrication skills!
You mention the synchromesh 'not happy'.. and that was my problem with the Marina and Ital that followed. My first company car at 18 was an 1.3 Ital (X reg 1982?ish), six months old when I had it with about 7k on the clock. Second gear routinely crunched as sometimes did third. I loved it because it was my first car and brand new and my mates were driving 10 year old rust bucket Cortina's and Minis but it was a shocking drive. So embarrassing at 18 when continuously crunching the gears and people thinking I couldn't drive.. still, without people like you these old relics would have become washing machines years ago so thanks for keeping the memories alive. Still hoping you find a bottle green Humber sceptre with the black vinyl roof my grandad had.. 1725 engine, walnut (wood) dash, loved it with very fond memories.. here's hoping
Great to see such well-kept examples. I've only ever seen one of those Marina 6 Coupes here in Aus which was over 40 years ago, so few survive. The floor console is from a Mk.2 Escort, surprised you didn't spot that.
Had a 262 with a cam and triples back in the stone age. Home done head work. Custom fitted by me Impala 3 speed straight line shifter. A vintage dick smith kit CDI. It was the ultimate sleeper of it's day. Edit Rev-master reground cam as well.
@@munnsie100 In the 80's Dick Smith produced lots of auto use electronics kits, this was when the staff were enthusiasts, not salesmen, and they would order in special parts for you. I preferred the Transistor Assisted Ignition kit they sold, the CDI would find too many High Tension leaks in an old ignition system but the TAI reduced the current through the points and with dwell extension gave a nice fat spark.
@@rayg9069 Agree fully mate. I had a Datsun 200B and Dad and I built the TAI for it - worked brilliantly. Every time something played up and I disabled the TAI, Dad would say - and what did that achieve then...? because it was never the cause of the problem. The dwell was awesome on that kit and like you say, the current going through the points was negligible so there was no point erosion or pitting at all, and the tune just stayed and stayed. When that Datsun was running well (which was most of the time) it really hummed along nicely.
I always liked the Marina Coupé. I have a photo of a '73 1.8 TC on my wall here ! In the 80's & 90's my brother owned an Ital estate that was a real load lugger.
If I was made to drive one of these six-cylinder Marinas I’d struggle of course but I think I could cope! Yep agree it needs a fifth gear, but what a lot of fun. Many thanks for the great watch, looking forward to your ones on the Kimberley and Leyland P76😀
"I refuse to go with the majority view that these cars are dreadful". Gutsy quote from a true aficionado of the unloved. They were probably the West's answer to the Trabant.
@@MartindynaThe mini or the 2CV was more like the west's answer to the Trabant. The Regal exploited a loophole where you could drive one on motorcycle licence and you only paid motorcycle road tax, hence their popularity in the hard up 60s and 70s..
Lovely to see the Marina again. I had a Morris Marina with the 262 engine and 4 speed manual transmission, with overdrive -- about mid-1980's for two-three years. Colour Fire-Engine red. It was beautiful to drive -- round town or on the open road, where the overdrive really allowed it to "let rip". The engine exhibited plenty of power and very smooth torque, plenty of it. Very quiet on the road, even at speed. In a way I was sorry to see the old girl go, but I eventually had some gearbox trouble and I did not want to mess about.
I understand why Boris made us all stay at home now. He must have known that Hubnut was about to release a video about the 6 cylinder Marina and he knew we wouldn't want to miss it. Imagine being stuck down at the supermarket trying to buy lavatory paper when this was on. It would have been devastating.
Boris is going boxset crazy watching every Hubnut vid from the start, I bet.
@@tinniswood2577 I know that feeling😳I've been stuck here for a few days...
its been wonderful
He was partying at number 10
Boris should go bald.
That six sounds incredible! The car it always should've been.
@H HOUR HOTEL ok.
That's typical of a lot of bmc cars. The TR7 was a classic example of that.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Marina with the six in it, it's hard not to enjoy the symphony of sound that an inline six makes. Keep hunting down the oddballs...👍
We Aussies are amazed you flew all this way just to road test a Marina! When they were released us Aussies wouldn’t even cross the street to drive it!
I take it there's no love lost between y'all and this make?
well, I've just found your channel and you're a man of my own heart, I'm an Aussie and when I was just 8 years old my Dad bought a "Leyland" Marina coupe, in Australia you could buy them with the OHC 2.6 litre 6 cylinder, My Dad always said that thing went like the clappers ( he was a Lancashire Lad) but the handling was scary, they did a telescopic front shock kit for them in Australia which addressed the handling issues, but we didn't find out about that until much later, I bought a 1750 coupe for the price of a carton of beer back in 2007, it ran but had a massive big end knock, i replaced the motor but then the starter motor packed it in, so I pulled the pin and got rid of it, (much regret here), would love another Marina as a club car but they are getting hard to find in Australia now
As Mr Spock would have said: 'It's a Marina, Jim, but not as we know it...'
Actually "bones" McCoy said that..
A trip down memory lane! I had one of these as a teenager. Complete with the wiper fins, Lever arm suspension that had to be replaced every 20k.. It was generally reliable too, although I did learn how to drive without a clutch in this car until I could save enough $ to get a new one, All this, and no pianos falling on it. Thanks Hubnut!!
Those knitted cushions just won everything car related.
Ooh, I've been looking forward to this! None of the disappoint. 26 minutes of pure escapism from the current madness.
This is one of best videos yet! Chrysler did a similar thing in Australia. Putting the Hemi six in the Chrysler 180 to make the Chrysler Centura.
And didn't THEY go 👍😉😘. The hemi 245 Centura's were the pick of the litter of the Aussie manufacturers "sixed" four cylinder bodied variations. The 3.3 and 4.1 Ford 6's in the Cortina's went hard, The 2.6 Marina did also. The 2.2, 2.6, 2.8, 3.0 and 3.3 Torana's weren't bad but the 4.0 Centura was sensational. Especially in 4speed manual spec. Nicely equipped inside too, great car's.
@@khylerin70 Centursas are rare beasts here. (in NZ) But I have seen one. Very nice. The handfull that came here are tucked away with collecters now.
Glad you enjoyed our Marina 6, hubnut! I thought you would! 😁😜
Another car to note, hubnut, along with the Cortina and Torana sixes is the Chrysler Centura based on the old Simca 180 from France. As you would obviously know, the simca was a 1.8 four in gay Paris. The Centura in aus not only got the four in 2.0 form, but Chrysler Australia wedged their own 245ci (4.0 litre) six into it as well! Apparently there was a battle between the Centura and Cortina who could understeer the most! In terms of fuel economy tho, the Centura dismally lost as being the most thirsty of the two! My dad worked in a Chrysler dealership in Melbourne Aus at the time and COUNTLESS customers would be bringing in their KB and KC series Centura sixes into the service dept complaining of shithouse fuel economy! Holden definitely had the wood on it converting the old HB Viva (Torana) to house their own home grown 161 red six pack! You wouldn’t have happened to have driven one while in Australia did you???
The first Holden Torana with a six cylinder was the LC model that was based on the earlier HB series only in looks from the front doors back, mechanically their was nothing in common, the first LC, came with the choice of a smaller 2262 cc (badged as 2250) or138 cubic inch to a 161 cubic inch (badged as 2600) to a warmed over 161in the GTR version then to a hot lumpy cammed triple CD stromberg carbureted GTR-XU1 (Note that they also used the 173ci (2850 badged in the last of the LC’s & the GTR version) then the 173 and 202 cubic inch Holden sixes with similar mods in the LJ series.
@@Tolpuddle581 Valiant is known as a "Greek Mercedes" or a "Carlton Cadillac" haha.
Can I just say "thank you", Mr. Hub Nut, for all the hard work you put into these videos, and for all that you do.
In these surreal and awful times we are currently living through, where every day dreadful news seems to be compounded by still worse news, it is such a comfort to be able to watch your videos and find a safe space, at least for a short while. Your channel is a welcome oasis of normality.
Take care, stay well, and maybe if you're ever at the Bromley Pageant again, I'll pop over and say "hi", to thank you in person.
My dad had one in the early 80's, probably 4th hand at least because we were poor. ;) It looked so much better than the saloon IMHO. Ours was a dark purple colour. Every weekend it carted dad, mum, me, my sister, my gran, her Great Dane, Ashley and our collie, Rocky (it was 1983) ;) to the local park with no issues. One of the best old bangers we ever had. Only issue we had with it was the 3 inches of water that would gather in the passenger footwell every time it rained. :)
"This is the most incredible Marina I've ever driven!" Yayyyyyy! T-shirt slogan right there...
I've always liked the look of the 4-door 1.8 TC Marina with the quad-lamp style front end and never really understood the hatred towards the Marinas in general.
These two are excellent examples of Aussie engineering of the time and I'm really looking forward to an upcoming P76 video :)
Wow, once again the Australian versions were so much better than the originals we got! Awesome colours too
@Tone. Ha!
Plum Loco was my favourite colour in these Australian Marinas
Home on the O'range
Plum Loco
Scarlet O'Hara
Am eye blue
NV Green
Bold as Brass
Hairy Lime
My dad had a 6cyl Super Deluxe coupe in Am eye Blue , nice car
@Alan Pennykid Thanks for that memories, mate. Reminds me of some of Holden's funnier colour names, like "Strike Me Pink" or "Barney's Shirt." :-D
New Zealand racing orange!
I was an apprentice in a Leyland garage in the seventies. I attended many factory training courses during my time. On the E series engine course we were told that this engine was developed in Australia.
Followed one of Mr. Hubnuts shorts to watch this video again. Great video and so glad an enthusiast made the cars available. An important slice of Australian motoring history. Bravo.
Thank you Ian! Fantastic video. What a gorgeous noise the Marina 6cyl made with tons of grunt to boot!
And the 6 cylinder version DIDN'T have any gear whine! Perfect!
Liked this video before even watching it. Great to see someone take a good look at the Aussie Marinas. Thanks!
Love the remark about the steering wheel logo being referred to the “Plughole of Despair” ...
It was known as "the flying asshole" by the people that worked there.
Wow! Never thought I'd say this, but think I want an awesome sounding Marina 6! The 4 speed Borg Warner single rail was also used in Ford Falcons (different gear ratios), not too hard to go from a 4 speed single rail to a 5 speed T5, OD 5th would be nice in this! Common swap on the P76 (I have one in the shed!)
Hell, any British car with RWD and a straight 6 sounds like a hoot to me, never mind the Marina name!
Try the MG MGC 3 ltr straight 6
I totally agree Ham. A missed opportunity methinks.
@@markbriggs5531
They were great at that...missing opportunities.
@@AUmarcus I was so looking forward to a Rover 75 Coupe but it was all over by then.
I like my Vauxhall Velox 1962 with 2.3 straight-six and RWD with three-on-the-tree.(three speed column change) Lovely car to drive. Just recently got it street-legal - now I can't drive it cos we are in lockdown cos of a handful of bugs......
Wonderful cars, enthusiastically driven. Aussie variants of British motors always seem to go the extra mile in terms of comfort and sheer grunt.
And build quality too...
@Tone. Or the 3.0 litre Essex V6. The lunatics the built the Savage Cortinas tried that but decided it was a little much, but I'm sure the Aussie engineers could have made it work...
gosportjamie SuperSpeed sold the Escort with a 3.0 Essex. The problem with it is, it’s a more involved conversion than others because the size and weight of the engine necessitated installing it further back and modifying the bulkhead accordingly.
@@dungareesareforfools Yes,, that makes a lot of sense being as the Escort was never designed with that lump in mind. I can't help thinking that the finished vehicle must have been perhaps a little terrifying...
gosportjamie yes, to me the popular alternative of fitting the lighter Rover V8 sounds like a better option.
Love the enthusiasm in this vid. Wiki quotes the standard 2620 cc six as having 121 hp. Also " The Marina Six used a separate front sub-frame to support the weight of the Big Red engine and different front torsion bars as well as a pair of rear radius arms in an attempt to improve handling."
News to me from Wiki is the South African Austin Marina Six, so another source. But then South Africa went with 302 V8s in Cortinas, Capris and Sierras if I recall rightly.
In Australia the 1500 was thought of as minimal as was the 1600 Cortina. How the UK went for pushrod 1.3 Marinas and 1.3 Cortinas in the 1970s seems astonishing to Australians of the time and especially now.
Two words.
Fuel crisis.
@Lassi Kinnunen it was so long ago I can't remember. Probably little to no difference in it.
All I know is at that time we'd had an audi 100 which we got after our zodiac died.... Then the audi caught fire (weak carbs leaking fuel)... Somehow my dad got hold of a Daimler sovereign!
Not quite correct - no separate sub frame but uprated torsion bars, wider rims and other strengthening.
Great video Mr. Hubnut. Learnt stuff I did not know once again....blast....I thought I knew all about these things. Full credit to the enthusiast owner who are preserving these fascinating bits of Aussie motoring history. 👏 Bravo all round.
I still love the shape of the Marina coupe. My dad had a lime green one in the 70s and I still remember it even though I was about 6 at the time. Vinyl seats were not pleasant in summer though.
That 6 cylinder engine sounds so sweet! This video has given me a new found respect for these cars.
Thanks for all the uploads during these times of sh*t keep them coming
Niether of them are beige enough, too exciting. My colostomy bag exploded.
Very funny!
@@nygelmiller5293 ;-)
What seriously lovely cars! They really did do them justice when they built them there, impressive stuff. The 6 cylinder one is just sublime - it reminds me of an E-Type and I just love the gearbox noise in both, brings back childhood memories! Torque for days too! Really liking Marinas even more now. Great test Ian!
Okay. Two of the best old Leylands I have ever seen. Wow. Congratulations. I am now back in the 70s. Woo. What a rush. Strong feelings of nostalgia here. Great video. Love it. Thanks for the cars too.
Definitely a tribute to the current owner/s both cars, well done that person.
You can see how much you enjoyed those Marinas I bet you're still smiling now. Love the vid.
You have just reminded me how much I miss my Marinas. A 1973 262 auto, and later a 1981 series 3 with the O series. Marinas were underrated cars.
I always loved Marinas, and coupes were the pick of the lot. The 6 pot is awesome!
Simply astonishing that the UK Marina soldiered on with the B series when this 1750 four was around.............
We often gave our best efforts to other markets. The australians also had twin cam powered escorts long after we stopped making them. It wasn't even considered a sporty car, just a car with enough grunt.
Post 1979 facelift UK cars had the 1700cc O series SOHC which was a really good engine. There was even a rare 2000cc O series available as an auto only in the Ital - I only ever saw one
@@leuvenlife the effort was with Leyland Australia. such a shame it didn't continue on
It all just seems like a wasted opportunity to carry on using the old BMC engines in the Marina when there were other more modern engine units available. Thanks for making this video it was most interesting.
@@billywhizz1984 I was lucky enough(!) to own an Ital 2.0 HLS and Auto in Vermillion. That was a fun car, it would fly off the lights and startle a few people, but the head gasket went and then the gearbox cooler failed leading to an obscene amount of pink antifreeze!! Best of all the gear selector broke so it was replaced with some mole grips.
The 3 Liter Marina is a monster, love it!
2620 cc I think. Was a stretch to get the motor that big, starting around 2200 in the Tasman and Kimberly.
Also used in the P76, but Leyland were working on a 3.3 litre six cylinder version of the Rover/P76 V8 to appeal to the mass Australian market. Then the collapse of Leyland here.
Nice one Hubnut. I like how you approach a road test without any pre-conceived notions, or bias. Letting the car sell itself on its own merits. Yes, gearing was short in those days, with 4 speeds only and top usually being a direct 1:1 ratio. Though 4 speeds didn't bother the E type Jag for top speed. I had an HQ Statesman, back in the day with a 3 speed only auto. I remember it would show about 1500rpm on the tacho at 60mph in top. The secret was the differential, with a 2.78:1 ratio. The torque of the 5 litre V8 can haul such a tall diff. I think most 4 cylinders at the time had a 4.3:1 or shorter differential.
Fantastic cars both of them and Marina's were ok back in the day with a few subtle mods and def hubnut in character.
Thanks Ian, great video as usual.
With those grilles they look almost like Datsuns & I mean that in a good way. Edit ( damn just noticed somenoe beat me to it lol)
A car with a bit more "Poke", 2600cc with Kimberly twin carbs, love ❤ the aussie Leyland Marina, greetings from New Zealand 🇳🇿 😀
Thanks for sharing these delightful road-tests! Could tell you were grinning ear-to-ear in that six-cylinder Marina; the gear change looked more short-throw and precise than the 1750 model. Could've used a 5th gear in the six-pot, but in the early-1970s not too many cars had these as standard; even the U.S. model 240/260-Zs made do w/ 4-speeds, and a 5-speed was an option in the 280-Z. That front grille does remind me of a Corolla of similar vintage. Glad someone has preserved these two examples; Marinas were rare in the States (even w/ TV ad spots, featuring Vanessa Redgrave, I think...don't recall exactly); we got a single-carbureted MG-B engine here.
The front wheel drive edition of the E4 engine (as used in the Maxi, Allegro and Nomad) had a 5 speed box. Fun fact, the Lotus Elite, introduced circa 1975 used the Maxi E4 gear cluster in a special Lotus casing. It handled the power and gave decent shifting and durability. Leyland could have done the same and put it in the Marina.
I used to have a 6-cylinder Marina sedan, with a 3-speed floor change. Used 2nd and 3rd mainly. Drove it up a winding mountain road in 3rd, didn't need to change down once.
Be still my beating heart. Lovely! And the glovebox lids fit just as badly as POP 942Ms did!
Great video Mr HubNut, very informative and brought back memories when i owned a coupe back in the early 80's.
"Wiper lift at speed" a phrase never previously used in the uk regarding a marina 😎
I want I want I want been waiting for this absolutely amazing video for ages the sound and power was awesome you looked like a child with all the sweets
Glad you enjoyed it I did
Hubnut and Ian Tyrell in the same room, good combo!
I love what they do, even though I'll never own such cars.
They are brilliant looking cars! Obviously, I’d want the 6cyl but I’d happily drive either one of them. I’ve always admired the Marina and those two look perfect to me! 👍
Now the 6cyl Marina ,that was awesome. Another car that I want to see is the Australian Cortina w/ the 4.1 6cyl. Great video.
Coming soon...
Best find you have shown yet from down under Ian. brilliant !!!
The different grille really does help the looks, it was never an oil painting, but the Australian version is a definite improvement!
J.Falk, actually, the grille is such an improvement, it should have been the grille for Britain as well! In fact, I think that moves it closer to BEING an oil painting!
What a pair of stunners. Absolutely love Marinas. Great video 👍👍
Wow, I had one of these in the UK many years ago. Such an improvement on the UK model. Bought it cheap as a part exchange at a garage and never seen another one
The Aussie Marinas from Sydney's Zetland plant were better put together than their UK counterparts. I can't ever recall seeing rust on any Marina here in Australia. I always thought they were a handsome cleanly styled vehicle and full of personality.
That four cylinder model was as interesting as the six to me as that second gear noise brought me back to my first and only ride in one which was a four door, in the mid 1990s in Maroubra.
It felt perfectly comfortable and competent compared to any other small car from the 70s I had been in.
Your trip in Australia may have been shorter, but you really have delivered in spades so far!!
In the early 70's "The French Daredevels" a stund driving squad would come to the Sydney Show Ground every year, sponsored by Holden, driving Torana's. As a kid, I went to see the French Daredevels, but that year it was sponsored by Leyland Marina for the first & I think only time.
Excellent Ian, that's made my day. I don't think i've ever seen you so surprised the 2.6 was so quick. Wow, just wow!
Wow super marina’s bloody love them 😀.
The Coupe reminds me of the Volkswagen Fastbacks. Quite nice looking, but of course of being from GERMANY, rear legroom was never a consideration. So, all in all, the British developed Marina is the much useable option! So much for the usual chant of "German Engineering"!
Had 2 Marinas in the 1980's.....they were comfortable and easy to drive....with great long distance capability. Spacious and with a big boot.....very usable and practical.....
I had a 79 Marina and an 83 Ital, i've "upgraded" to an Allegro.... mmmm
All.Aggro. The.Allegro. And few remember that the original Allegro had a square steering wheel!
@@brucehart706 I do. But i am very old. Lol.
Paul G It always seem to come in a fetching fade of brown.
The Vandan Plas Allegro is beautiful.
"Oh no! It's a bend! Surely we must die!!!!" Is that the Morris Marina understeer you're speaking of? l.o.l. It's fun watching the Morris Marina in a rally with none other than Brian Culcheth at the wheel! 💕
beautiful British Leyland masterpiece, also the B-Series has more low-end torque I suppose
The 1750 E series engine had loads of torque. It was a stroked version of the 1500 E series engine. Once you had moved off initially you could remain in 4the gear for most of the time.
I love marinas, the coupe shape was such a breath of fresh air at the time, so unexpected from an organisation so staid like. BL. Dad had a 1.8 TC
I should walk into any branch of Euro Car Prats and ask the 20 year old behind the counter for a pair of Trico wiper blades for a Marina Coupe. And then see what he says.
Well, he'd probably Google it, and tell you what size it needed, but that they don't have Trico brand ones, because why the hell would they?
I'm only 27, so many of the cars mr Hubnut reviews were dodging the crusher before I was even born, does that make me less of a car enthusiast?
I love seeing them reviewed by a down to earth bloke like Ian, and hearing people's stories of their memories of family holidays or driving lessons in these cars etc in the comments. Car history isn't just from the car itself, but the people who were around during its time on the roads.
In 20-30 years, i'd happily share memories of cars from when I was a kid with modern youths, not scorn them.
However it is strange to think of kids 30 years from now wanting to hear about me learning to drive in a 2004 VW Golf, or getting a 1997 Vauxhall Corsa for my first car! They will probably be getting a self-driven communal car to work by then 🤣
Or Amazon who keep sending left hand drive Wipers.
Owen Steele The line used to be “That’s a fair swap”.
Glenn Powell Bought a battery last year and a headlamp recently. Both good at about the same price as on line
Perhaps the issue is only at one branch.
I went to Halfords once (pre-internet) looking for eight spark plugs for a 455 cu.in. Pontiac. Worth a try. Maybe do a cross ref or something? Nope.
I had a 1300 A series Coupe when I was young this is amazing!!
Beauties 👌🏻 never knew they did a 6, I know they experimented with the Rover v8
I had one of these for 15 years... I put some Koni shock absorbers on it with some good tyres and alloy wheels. It was great!
The E series seems a better bet than the 1.7 o series that came in my mk3. that was a study in lacklustre performance! Still loved that car though.
Top work mr hubnut!
I rated the performance of my 1.7 O Simon, certainly better than a 2 litre Cortina I had around that time
@@doornier mine never really wanted to rev maybe i just got a friday motor
If I remember rightly they did a 2.0 o series in the later Marina but only in automatic form , the Marina box was never the best so I guess a 2.0 on it would be a failure waiting to happen
We met them in Buenos Aires back in 1979. Beautiful model. Few entered with the UK import. Greetings from Buenos Aires! Good report!
The vinyl seats were developed to provide a market for cloth seat covers.
HubNut appears to be amazed that they had vinyl seats in a lot of these Aus/NZ videos.
Wasn't he alive in the 70s? Vinyl, and everything else synthetic and nasty, was huge back then.
In the UK they even had Bri-Nylon bed sheets, equally as dumb.
Now that was impressive. Both cool looking cars, but the 6 cylinder... Wow!
I want one ! :)
I adore the Marina Coupe - available here in a gorgeous purple early on! The 1.8 B series suited the car well!
All the superlatives under the sun and a few whoohoohoos to boot. I think we can safely say Hubnut is enjoying the 6cylinder like nothing I've ever seen before
When Clarkson and Co. started their assault on the Marina and especially the Marina Owners Club they really showed themselves for the spoilt school boys they are. Can't see what the problem was with the car. Looks like a car of its time. Both my Grandads owned one each at the same time. One of which was the TC Coupe' fastback version. Sweet.😁
Clarkson is a public schoolboy who probably sneered at the poorer kids being taken to school in their dad's Marina or Austin 1100.
He's also currently under investigation for hosting an illegal hare coursing event on his property, which should tell you everything you need to know about the man.
My late Dad was given one, by is mate at work.
He was selling a Classic Renault and a guy drove all way from Devon and brought the car and he said, well can't drive both cars back. He left with the Renault and Tell said to me Dad, well I don't want the marina, and threw me Dad the keys.
Had that car least 5 years never had any problems with it. I loved driving it.
If it ain't got 300 hp TG boys not interested .saw a coupe with nice wheels looked really cool ,got more attention than some of euro boxes around it.
Who cares what Clarkson thinks of anything really. I tried to read one of his books once, gave up after a few pages. What a load of drivvle. His TV appearances were no better. He could have been the worst presenter in the world, ever.
@@tub19 great story. 👍
Utterly splendid love these Aussie Marina's and I agree that the front grille treatment is far better than we had in the UK, makes the car look far better.
I want a HubNut "triangle of doom" t shirt!!!!
And a "pchhhheeewwwww" 1 as well
The all-important wiper test! Ha, thoroughly enjoyed your review! These are neat little cars. It seems very solid, and well built.
When i was young i knew a MORRIS MO that had That engine in. Too young to remember it properly. I remember vaguely it would out run RS2000 and 2.3 Chevettes.
Wow! You SAW a Morris MO, and with this engine in!
A joyful report. Thank you so much!
That big foot still loves the clutch .Please put it on the floor.Lead by example .Stay Well. Adam
Orange Marina seems like a lot of fun and the steering wheel is delish!
I'm gonna yell at you what my dad yelled at me when I was a youngster learning to drive on a 63' Beetle...
Ready??
Stop riding the clutch !!! :)
Same for me, but a '59 Moggie Trav. Happy days.
You forgot to end your dads rant with "Yer Fathead" !!
Im from South Africa and 44 years old. Never seen one until now. But satisfying video. Wish l could drive the original 1750 model they drove in the start.
They look like Datsuns (Nissans) from the front.
Exactly what I thought, front end of the yellow one especially, looks like a 120Y Sunny. Rear end of the orange one just like a Sunny coupe.
@@neilwalsh4058 Google XU1 Torana (based on HB Viva) and the rear of the orange one is the spitting image!
the B120Y had a 1300cc and 5 speed, did it not? Can you imagine a 120Y with the 260-Zed engine in it?
Look like a cross between the Holden Torana and Ford Escort ~
Datsun copied other cars all the time back then.
Loved it. 79-82 I had two marina coupes at the same time. 1 k reg(72) and 1L reg(73). The 73 was bog standard but the 72 I fitted sparkrite electronic ignition, telescopic shocks conversion kit, marina van leaf springs on the back with lowering blocks, California mirrors and front spoiler. Hey everybody did it back then lol. Oh 165 profile Goodyear’s 👍🏻😂😂
That 6 cylinder Marina was a sleeper. Impressive noise.
Never understood Top Gears running skits trashing Marina. Both Marina's were surprisingly nice and sound sporty.
God, I love dashboards and gauge clusters of old! So pretty and functional.
Interesting video and test drive of models we never got in UK. I agree, Marinas were slated at a time when it was seen hilarious to critisise anything BL, but they were no worse or better than Vivas and Escorts.
Remember, when one was talking about the handling back then, they were often comparing with BL's other main product in Oz - the Mini Clubman (which didn't go away until '78.) And that's a hard comparison to beat, even today.
Brilliant engine, the E Series. I had 21 Marinas - before I lost count. Used to pick them up for peanuts, get them running and drove them till they could drive no more. They were economical and, for me, they kept the wolf from the door in my early married life and owed a heap of money on our house. BTW, the 1750 engine had the same bore but a longer stroke than the 1500, hence the good torque. Got rid of my last one in the late 90s. That was one that had only 50,000 kilometres up on it when I saw it advertised for sale as a non runner. It was obviously hard to start since the starter had been burnt out on it. I put in a starter out of my other Marina, a manual, and it started first fire after standing for 3+ years. I was going to scrap it but when I realised the odometer hadn't been around a couple of times and really was low mileage, it became my wife's car. Only required 4 items to get it back on the road - wiper was stuck, ditter the washer pump - from sitting around a long time. Driver's side window winder broken and rear resonator had a hole. The reason it was hard to start - the original owner had put Bosch resistor spark plugs. When new, it was ok but when the gap became even slightly wide, the extra resistance when cold caused a very weak spark. Virtually cost nothing to get it back on the road and it cleaned up like a new car. BTW, the best option for the window winders is to use MG ones. They aren't scalloped out so much in the back of the arm so are stronger.
This model with the spoiler and black painted bits looks like a proper mini-muscle car. I only wish that BL had bothered to engineer longer doors for the Coupé and moved the B-post back a bit, the styling always looks a bit unbalanced to me. That would make an interesting project for someone with some welding and fabrication skills!
RetroPower?
You mention the synchromesh 'not happy'.. and that was my problem with the Marina and Ital that followed. My first company car at 18 was an 1.3 Ital (X reg 1982?ish), six months old when I had it with about 7k on the clock. Second gear routinely crunched as sometimes did third. I loved it because it was my first car and brand new and my mates were driving 10 year old rust bucket Cortina's and Minis but it was a shocking drive. So embarrassing at 18 when continuously crunching the gears and people thinking I couldn't drive.. still, without people like you these old relics would have become washing machines years ago so thanks for keeping the memories alive. Still hoping you find a bottle green Humber sceptre with the black vinyl roof my grandad had.. 1725 engine, walnut (wood) dash, loved it with very fond memories.. here's hoping
Don't let Jeremy Clarkson near these cars,he would play conkers with them.
That 6cyl would probably change his opinion on the Marina
Great to see such well-kept examples. I've only ever seen one of those Marina 6 Coupes here in Aus which was over 40 years ago, so few survive. The floor console is from a Mk.2 Escort, surprised you didn't spot that.
Had a 262 with a cam and triples back in the stone age. Home done head
work. Custom fitted by me Impala 3 speed straight line shifter. A
vintage dick smith kit CDI. It was the ultimate sleeper of it's day.
Edit Rev-master reground cam as well.
That Dick Smith CDI was the ducks guts back in the late 70's, and you built it yourself.
Ray G, I had no idea Dick Smith did CDIs, wow!
@@munnsie100 it was a kit, it may not have been branded Dick smith I don't remember. It wasn't cheap though.
@@munnsie100 In the 80's Dick Smith produced lots of auto use electronics kits, this was when the staff were enthusiasts, not salesmen, and they would order in special parts for you. I preferred the Transistor Assisted Ignition kit they sold, the CDI would find too many High Tension leaks in an old ignition system but the TAI reduced the current through the points and with dwell extension gave a nice fat spark.
@@rayg9069 Agree fully mate. I had a Datsun 200B and Dad and I built the TAI for it - worked brilliantly. Every time something played up and I disabled the TAI, Dad would say - and what did that achieve then...? because it was never the cause of the problem. The dwell was awesome on that kit and like you say, the current going through the points was negligible so there was no point erosion or pitting at all, and the tune just stayed and stayed. When that Datsun was running well (which was most of the time) it really hummed along nicely.
I always liked the Marina Coupé. I have a photo of a '73 1.8 TC on my wall here ! In the 80's & 90's my brother owned an Ital estate that was a real load lugger.
Who down votes Hubnut? Sad.
If I was made to drive one of these six-cylinder Marinas I’d struggle of course but I think I could cope! Yep agree it needs a fifth gear, but what a lot of fun. Many thanks for the great watch, looking forward to your ones on the Kimberley and Leyland P76😀
"I refuse to go with the majority view that these cars are dreadful". Gutsy quote from a true aficionado of the unloved. They were probably the West's answer to the Trabant.
Being a bit harsh on the Trabant aren't you?😁
I would suggest the Reliant Regal as the West's answer to the Trabant (although loved by many and were quite quick).
@@MartindynaThe mini or the 2CV was more like the west's answer to the Trabant. The Regal exploited a loophole where you could drive one on motorcycle licence and you only paid motorcycle road tax, hence their popularity in the hard up 60s and 70s..
Lovely to see the Marina again. I had a Morris Marina with the 262 engine and 4 speed manual transmission, with overdrive -- about mid-1980's for two-three years. Colour Fire-Engine red. It was beautiful to drive -- round town or on the open road, where the overdrive really allowed it to "let rip". The engine exhibited plenty of power and very smooth torque, plenty of it. Very quiet on the road, even at speed. In a way I was sorry to see the old girl go, but I eventually had some gearbox trouble and I did not want to mess about.