The Leyland Princess Was So Close, Yet So Far. (1977 2200 HLS Road Test)
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After the commercial failure of the ADO67 1800 Landcrab, British Leyland entered the 1970s with determination to compete with Europe's best; the Harris Mann-designed Princess combined radical wedge styling and comfortable hydragas suspension with dependable, proven B-Series and E-Series engines. Pitched against European executive rivals from Audi, BMW and Citroen, the Princess was offered as an Austin, Morris or Wolseley to maximise appeal. Did its lack of hatchback, infamous unreliability and outdated mechanicals stop it being a great car? Phil took a drive in this beautiful scrappage scheme survivor to find out!
Thanks to Ian for loan of his fantastic Leyland Princess.
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Nearly a victim of the car scrappage deal!?! I dread to think how many potential classics were lost in the purge of 2009. It was an absolute travesty. 😥
There are lists online if you fancy tormenting yourself... :(
@@ClassicsWorldUK 😭
I'd be surprised if any, by 2009 these were definitely enthusiast's cars so I can't imagine any
@@ClassicsWorldUK I don't think i could take the pain
So many. May the architects of the scrappage scheme go to hell
As a yank who will never see one of these in the metal, I remain oddly fascinated by this car.
Think of them like a slightly simplified big Citroen. Aerodynamic, lots of space, fluid/gas suspension.
It was one of those cars that promised so much and delivered so little. The quality of materials was awful, but it rode and handled well and was very comfortable. The engines were just dull. The body shape was fine, but it needed an Italian to tidy it up a bit. The Ambassador was just uninspiring and dispensed with the originality of the Princess, though it was a bit better made. If you havn't got a decent engine though, you may as well pack up and go home. That is the heart of any car ( until EVs came along I suppose)
A brilliant design, built by untrained spiteful monkeys.
I had both a Princess and later an Ambassador. Very spacious.
Equivalent cars like the Ford Cortina (Pinto equiv.) were preferred in some ways.
One of those cars which, like the NSU Ro 80, still looks modern today.
@Eric Hurt Hydragas on Wedges. Uses Nitogen gas as the springing medium rather than the Rubber of Hydrolastic.
Jeffery Smith I had a 2200.HL.automatic it was a beautiful. car. Mine had an LPG adaption, and with both tanks full would do over 600 miles
Fantastic shape and ride
I remember it was the car used by “Terry & June” in the Tv series, which featured in several of their comedy situations..
Terry spent ages trying to remember the reg number, NMO 49 W.
Loved our Austin Princess 1800 HL S reg. She would go anywhere, we lived in the Lake District back then when my daughter was little...driving through snow regularly was never a problem as the car handled so well. Miss that car good times.
My dad had a R reg 2200 HLS in Lime Green...I passed my test in 1982 and he let me use it all summer!... It was an automatic and I loved it!....Brings a tear to my eye watching this!
I cannot believe it nearly got scrapped. That is the nicest Princess I think I have ever seen. And I love those wheels.
Thank you. They are Stag wheels and I am really pleased how they turned out on it.
I’m thinking it’s nicer and more sorted than any that ever left the production line.
@@iancross4631 I thought dolly sprint wheels, then thought they looked wider. I forgot stags had similar wheels until I saw your comment
Yes stag alloy wheels really do suit the car
The car suffered because Cambridge University encouraged engineers to go to Europe.
I like the video format on this channel. It's long enough to contain some details, but not too long that one can't take a look in the morning before going to work. Thank you!
Glad to hear, Alexandre! Hope this video put you in a good mood before work :)
Gosh, what a beautiful Princess! Those Triumph wheels really suit it! It’s a pity that BL didn’t have the same idea!
Thank you! It is my pride and joy.
@@iancross4631 Oh, I SEE!Those wheels were ones I hadn't seen on a Princess before, because you thought of fitting them YOURSELF! Very well done!
This brings back memories for me - my dad had an earlier example and as a family car was comfortable and spacious. The rear windows on ours smashed twice whilst driving (body twist?) and the front bump stop went MIA in France whilst towing the caravan, 5 up and a boat on the roof ! fixed with a tennis ball tied into suspension! a few reliability issues so he traded it in for a Cortina GLS - that felt rubbish ! towed well with "plenty" of power but then he traded that in against another Princess 2. That was much better. His next car was a MG Maestro 1.6 with the twin carbs which was great too with the digital dash. Only issues was hot running on that - overtaking one time it suddenly stopped and he had to free wheel to the side of the road ! He upgraded that to a MG Maestro 2.0 EFi which was so much smoother and powerful. He was a BL fan for many years - previous to that we had 2 of the Landcrab 1800 and a couple of Maxis too. they all travelled well and gave us many happy holiday trips.
All credit to the owner - that is one pristine motor. Good looking too, dare I say it! 😁👍
We agree, Ian's done a top job! He's @balterleycross on Twitter if you want to see more of it ;)
Excellent video. A taxi company near me ran Princesses, Ambassadors and Montegos, one Ambassador ran to 750,000 miles, most of their cars averaged around 90,000 to 100,000 miles per year.
The taxi companies near me when I was a kid in the 2000s always used British 80s cars like metro cabs and I think ambassadors and author old rovers most of the companies and the drivers owned the cars for decades with out major problems.
I was talking to a taxi driver about what happened to all the old taxi cabs and all the British companies that made taxis and he said in the late 2000 and early 2010s they were told to swap then for new cars because of safety and pollution.
Now they have to buy more expensive foreign cars that have to be completely replaced every 2 or so years because the foreign companies only make them last a few miles and don't make them so that they can be cheaply repaired.
Metro Cab had nothing to do with BL😎
Great video! I have a 1980 2000HL and she’s still taking me out and about for Sunday drives and just done a 600 Km trip around the country. She’s so comfy!
Excellent! Good to hear from another Princess driver.
I remember working for a company in Somerset in the 80's who had 2 aging company cars, a Ford Cortina 2.3GL Ghia auto and an Princess 2200 auto . I went on a course in Leeds and borrowed both cars separately for each week and they both broke done on the way to Leeds so I remember seeing Leeds for the first time from a Breakdown truck and then the second time from a breakdown truck, on both occasions. Both smooth cars though!
My Dad had 3 of these from new. He said he liked the carpets!
No kidding?
Yeah but ... they didn't all have headrests fitted, even the six-cylinder Automatics were like that and the seating space was very cramped, the driver sitting in the middle of the cabin, it felt very dated although the outside design was genius, the manual shift cars had a huge, long travel clutch pedal that couldn't make for a great Rally car and ten years before, would have been developed in the East Africa Rally, but it was the late 1970s and Cambridge University had pulled the plug on the project in 1976 and it was really put into production as an obsolete idea. Mechanically they were bad news, but the few that have survived are likely the only ones ever made that weren't awful.
Very nice indeed. The black example here is a real beauty - that definitely did not deserve to be scrapped! Back in the day, I didn't like the shape of the Princess, but it has grown on me enormously in recent years. Maybe the design was years ahead of it's time, as you say - it might even work now (that drawing of the mk3 Princess looks fabulous, even if it did end up as the rather less impressive Ambassador).
I'm presently greatly enjoying watching 'Seaside Garage' in Denmark renovate one here on TH-cam. Luckily it's been fairly well looked after over the years. As well as being a nice car to own and drive, it's one that will get some attention at classic car meets, despite not being 'concourse'.
As a little kid, I liked them, even had the BL Princess brochure. In junior school!!
Another trade ruined by militant lazy car builders who have no pride in what they were doing .😢😢😢😢
So much more than just a militant workforce, years of underinvestment models arriving late to market and underdeveloped, Marina was at least 18 months late and Allegro 3 years late poor management internal infighting between the various marques, political interference and a failure to adequately protect BL when it was eventually sold off.
@@philnewstead5388 yep, a bit of both. Strikes went on at other manufacturers I believe, however they may of been more far-reaching at BL. Bit like today, everyone seems to be going out.
My father imported a princess from England to Ireland. I never liked these cars as a young fella. But it was a nice car to drive. Thanks for the memories.
My Dad had a Princess then two Ambassadors (all company cars). Used to holiday in the UK and drove up to Scotland, The Lakes and down to Bath, Cornwall. Never had any breakdowns. Had the Vanden Plas edition with the electric windows, so I was a happy kid.
Had a ‘79 1.7 model in my early twenties, made a great (cough) passion wagon with a nice big back seat, very comfortable drive over long distances and did well as a tow car.
My brother-in-law bought a brand new Princess. A few days later it was back at his local garage for something and the mechanic said, "I think you'd better have a look at this...", and showed him the underside of the floorpan.........just bare metal totally devoid of any underseal!
That doesn't sound terribly likely given that that the entire body shell would be painted at the same time. Whilst I can absolutely believe thst the car was lacking underseal as this was applied much later, it would not really be possible for the underside to be 'bare metal'. In 1981 a friend of mine bought an Allegro 3 and the dealership asked him if he wished for underseal to be applied as part of the PDI and my friend said no he would rather apply it himself. This may give a clue to the origin of your story. Bare metal. No sorry I don't buy that.
@@mtamin1 Maybe I should have been more clear. When I said "bare metal" I meant It just had the body paint and void of any underbody sealant.
@@Bulletguy07 I don’t think that was unusual back then.
My dad got a brand new Ital and the first cold morning of winter it failed to start, there was no anti-freeze, just plain water and the block had cracked. Good old BL and Red Robbo!
My Dad had a Princess 1700 HLS in metallic light blue, with full vinyl roof. Never quite sure why a vinyl roof was considered to be an expression of luxury and status, but all the big UK car makers did it back in the day.
I did get to drive my Dad's pride and joy on many occasions as a named driver on his insurance policy. As an 18 year old, driving the Princess, I felt that I had really come of age!
OK, I did ditch it once, no damage done thankfully. Not the car's alleged poor handling, more my youthful stupidity.
It was a very comfortable car to ride in, lots of interior room and velour seat covers which saved your posterior from the cooler elements of British weather, in the days before heated seats became the norm.
The build quality was a bit questionable, slightly weird clicky switches and all a bit plastic, dare I say cheap? But it was technically more advanced than its rear wheel drive rivals from Ford and Vauxhall and broke the mould of the 'three box design' conventionality.
Love the car featured in your vid. Keep going! Love and peace.
A friend of the family had one of these gifted to them brand new as a wedding present. They drove it until it was literally falling apart and even then they could not bear to get rid of it. They were redoing their drive way at the time it was finally condemned and they had the builder dig down far enough so they could bury it under the drive so it was always there at their house.
At my age 75 I remember them well, a friend had one and let me drive it, just smooth luxury, loved it and those looks so much better than todays boring cars.
I bought an ambassador with 21000 miles on the clock and minicabbed it for another 90,000 . Older passengers liked the comfort and as the rear seat was big it was booked by the lads on party nights . It was slow , thirsty and had 3 new timing chains in my ownership . But reliable and earned me good money . But on cars its always luck of the draw .
A company I worked for had a fleet of these in black again and all Chauffeur driven , I remember how beautifully comfortable the back seating was .
Beautiful clean example there & the Triumph Stag wheels really suit it
Looks great, I always have good memories of them as a passenger when I was a kid, the local Taxi company used them and I travelled hundreds of miles in the back of these and Cortina's, whilst my heart is still with a Tina and owned lots when I grew up I have no bad things to say about the Princess, even if I never owned one, the 1750 Maxi II is another massively underrated car IMO.
Definitely agree on the shape still working today.
My first csr at 17. Everyone said get the cortina for sale next to it. But I wanted something different. My princess vanden Plas. I loved it
We ran 22ooHLS 2 in 1970/80ts and gave sterling service we had one drive shaft and power steering pipe apart from those faults we loved it
I never drove a Princess but loved the styling and as a passenger in many a Princess mini cab loved the comfort of the seats and the ride.
To Nat Whilc. I've never even ridden in one, but would have loved to be able to afford to buy one, as soon as they came out!
I had a 2.2, as a one month extended hire at the beginning of 1979. Drove about 4000 miles in it for work & didn't want to give it back - absolutely loved it.
Greetings from Finland, where british cars were very popular back in sixties and seventies. But after japanese invasion and better products from Euroopan manufacturers, the Brits lost their marketshare rapidly. And the reason was poor quality, and all those strikes meant delivery delays.
I love the styling of Princess and also the Rover SD1. Those were the best looking cars of their class. Sadly the engineering and produktion failed so badly...
My dad had 5 and each and every one was a great car
I loved them as a kid
So good a car these were
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. The first car I ever bought was a Princess 2.0 HLS, automatic, power steering and webasto sun roof. My neighbour was selling her cheap, and it looked completely different to all the cortinas and cavaliers out there. That car took me all over England and Scotland. Like you said, not fastest car and yes, she was thirsty, but a lovely comfortable ride. And a spacious interior. Great car really 👌
Sounds like you love the Princess as much as Phil does, Dave!
"She was thirsty but a lovely comfortable ride"
For a minute I thought you were talking about my girlfriend......
My dad had one of these and it was really comfortable with a great ride and an amazingly spacious and plush black interior.
Excellent article. Surprising that fuel consumption was so poor, usually BL cars, with SU carbs, were quite good on fuel. We never owned a Princess, although we bought the replacement for the Allegro (the Maestro, an F reg 1.6 L) and the Princess (the Montego). I had a G reg (post facelift, with unleaded engine) Montego Estate, a 1.6 L. one of the nicest looking estates ever built, a really good car, it did 32 mpg (good fuel consumption figures in the early 90s), and was mechanically pretty reliable, I used to do around 25K miles a year, by then I was self employed.
2200 HLS Beautiful car - still looks good today ❤
My uncle owned every BL and Austin car ever made, apart from the Metro & Maestro as they were too small for him and my grand-parents, up to the MG Montego EFi.
He had a bright orange Maxi for years, and traded that in for a Princess and then an Ambassador from day they were launched and both were luxurious cars for their time. Such a comfy ride in the rear (where I sat!) and loads of room inside.
Immaculate example. Don't see many at classic car events. Interesting to see someone has fitted Triumph Stag alloys to that one.
Yes I haven't seen many around. I fitted Stag wheels as I always liked the style and found out they were a straight swap.
If ever there was a car that symbolized the worst of the British car industry in the 70's then this could be it. As could the Marina, or the Allegro.
That example is actually beautiful.
Yeah but ... they rusted badly in the sills, beautiful above the ragged sills they were and the 'hydragas' suspension used to have them selling used, with wheel arches way down on the tyres, near the road but they'd been much sought after used and appreciated as long as they could be but were rust - rotters as most cars from the late 1970s had been and you know, couldn't really beat the 5 cylinder Audi 100 5E.
I had two of these, firstly a 1980 2.0HL and then a 1982 2.2 HLS. The space and ride comfort were excellent. The car felt solid. The 2.0 was better overall. Would cruise all day at 80 mph. Shame it wasn’t a hatchback or an estate version offered.
I don’t think the styling has dated at all.
Anyone else remember the advertising campaign for that year?
🎶 🎵The S plate special coming down the line,
The S plate special right on time,
Leyland cars, always looking great,
You can get them now with the new S plate...🎵🎶
Always wanted one of these as our family car, but my old man loved his maroon Marina 1.8 super though.
Family next door had one and I was always jealous of them going on their holidays. Wafting down the M5 in luxury en route to the Brummie Mecca that was Butlins Barry Island.
My headmaster had one. Not the reason I bought this one, but a very early memory!
I had a 2200Hls at 17. Super smooth ride, same autobox Borgwarner type 35 as in the Jag 4.2 same battery as in a Rolls!? Dual circuit brakes, twin su carbs, pre-engaged starter, engine originally from the Landcrab, Worsley. 2200Hls Auto only, engine 'assembled' at the Rolls-Royce factory!
The brakes were fighting in some way?
@@richardrichard5409 I am sure you knew what I didn't mean! 🤣
Nice looking car. It would have been a shame if that was scrapped.
I liked the Princess then and I still like it now, as Phil said the issue was they arrived with the 1.8 B series because the O series wasn't read and the 2200s suffered from the driveshaft fouling on the chassis on full lock because the engine and transmission were set 2". Too far back in the engine bay. Another example of BL rushing a car to market and failing to find/address problems that should have been discovered during development, coupled with a chaotic marketing policy and endless restructuring which only served to confuse customers and you have a large part of the reason that the car was not as successful as it maybe should have been.
I still like them though.
That's not a B, it's an E.
I went all over the UK and France on numerous occasions on holidays when I was a kid in my Dad's 2200HLS. It was a lovely smooth quiet car with big soft seats, squishy ride and tons of room inside, great for long trips. It did have its faults, mainly the power steering, but it never seriously let him down. Alas, rust took it in the end and he replaced it with an SD1. This one looks stunning in black with those wheels, its a credit to its owner and I'm glad people still care for these cars.
To John j. Replaced the Princess, with an SD1? Two stylish cars!
@@nygelmiller5293 My Dad was a stylish guy😁 After the Princess he had 2 x SD1's, then an 825i, then 2 x 827's!
@@johnj3577 I agree with you. Your Dad WAS a stylish guy@
Yeah rust took them in the sills, they were like nothing today, you had huge holes underneath where the sills ought to be, welding you know wouldn't work.
I had the special six and did galatic miles in it when i was in the armed forces.. never failed me once... and was the most comfortable drive ive ever had...
The Special Six is a lovely version. I almost bought one instead of this one.
Look smart as paint in black
Definitely suits that wedge shape!
@@ClassicsWorldUK Was a black a factory colour? I also noticed the orange peel on the close up shots of the Leyland badges on the wings
@@nickyboy. it was a special order colour. Most of the paint is original, so the various types of orange peel are genuine Leyland!
Wish I still had mine
I would love to see one with about 50mm lowered suspension. Would look sweet.
Well done, Phil, a great review of an apparently well assembled attractive car, nice interior - instrument panel, seats and door cards look like something I'd have considered when new, it shows once again that Leyland could and did design and manufacture quality vehicles when the factories were working. Like you said, at the end, the design holds up today and would probably sell well.
Thanks John, I loved it! -Phil
The interior colour combination of beige, with a brown dashboard - highlighted by the colour of the wood accents, is a masterpiece even today! In fact, PARTICULARLY today, when almost all cars have the same uniform GREY or BLACK interiors. No imagination or class. AND people think that cars then were more comfortable - (this one , of course has special suspension), because the tyres were actually the proper size - not skinny ones with not much air in them!
The Holy Trinity of automotive failure: the militant unions, the woeful workers and the indecisive management. That's what happened to the British car industry.
In the early 80s, one of these was the only taxi on Anglesey, it ran 24 hours a day, I never heard of it breaking down, excellent reliability!
For us in Australia and New Zealand, it became clear that there was poor quality control of parts....as if it was decided that the customers "down under" weren't a priority.
What might have been good cars, soon became smoking piles of rolling junk.
Annoying when the owner was a retired person who had likely brought it as their final car
Not surprising then, that Japanese cars quickly took over the markets.
Always loved the way these looked, One of my favourite cars of the 1970s
Great video. I had a 1981 2.0HL and ran it for 4 years doing nearly 80,000 trouble free miles. Supremely comfortable and the O series engine had a bit of beef about it. Probably one of the best cars of the 25 I have had over the years.
Looks good with the Triumph wheels
Those stag wheels look great on it
Thank you. The colour combination and wheels do suit it.
The Princess was launched with the old 1800 engine from the landcrab, not the 1700 as stated at the start. The Princess 2 got the 1700 and 2000 "O" series engines. My Father had a 1700 which was quite reasonable and economical. The only issue with the car was the rubber/steel composite suspension brackets which would fall apart frequently. It was quiet, roomy, comfortable and rode well but you could not throw it around corners!
Yup, the 1.8 was a re-re-re warmed over B series, first seen in the 1940s👍
This looks like the Princess i had back in late seventies. Didnt have any bother with it for a few years but the cam belt broke and wrecked the engine. I really liked it.
I did not like the car's appearance when it was launched but I now find it quite attractive. Life's funny.
If British designs could have been consistently blended with Japanese (rather, Asian) quality the UK could have prospered mightily. I still feel we have much to learn when it comes to producing reliable products.
I had the Morris 1800HL with the twin headlights and styled bonnet, in Lunar Blue. Terrific car, stylish, enormous room, a beauty.
My neighbour had one. The huge back window and windscreen ensured that the temperature inside got so hot that the radio/cassette player facia melted so that the Beach Boys tape became permanently stuck. The radio/cassette had gone all Salvador Dali.
So the often retrofitted rear louvre window was not so much style as necessity.
Looking good in black those stag alloys should of been a factory option 👌👍🏻
Agreed!
'should have'
Oh I wish they still made these what a motor that was a superb car had one for 11 years what a lovely comfortable car it was but there was always the moaners who never stopped running leyland down and in the end killed it off now people realize how good some were MINI MGB MAESTRO MG MG MIDGET PRINCESS ROVER 2000 rover 3.5 coupe the LANDCRAB 1800 MGC AMBASSADOR IT GOES ON AND ON I drive a bmw 330i now had many problems just wish the princess was still about would swop anytime
As someone who worked in the fast fit industry in the '80s I'd like to offer the person responsible for designing the exhaust down pipe to manifold fitting on the Princess a hearty poke in the eye with a sharp stick 😂
The alloy wheels suit this Princess very well. I love them.
Looks great with those Triumph alloys. Swapped a lot of alloys around in the '80s/'90s, especially Ford, and they never looked as good as they did on the original cars, but these look like they were fiited at the factory.
And that's absolutely right about driving it. BL cars are often a pleasant place to be and behave quite well in spite of the dodgy image and reliability issues.
Nice vid.
Thank you. I wanted wheels that looked a bit like the ones I saw on a prototype photo and I have always liked the Stag wheels, luckily they are a straight swap.
@@iancross4631 Of course! 'Stag wheels'. They'll be the same as the run-out 2500S wheels, won't they?
Ahhh, BL prototypes! I always look at most of them thinking, "well why the Hell didn't they build that?" You've probably seen the stuff at Gaydon?
Anyway, lovely job!
@@iancross4631 Just looking at it, in black with those wheels..... If they'd ever made a Princess 2200 'S' or 'GT'......
I think it's biggest claim to fame was it's 6 month run before a complete rename and range line up.....only in BLs world could this happen😉
18-22 Series from March 75 to September....
Princess there after....
I had a 1.7 in a copper colour, tbh never missed a beat for three years I had it with home servicing.
Reynard metallic 👍😉
Top Gear deetroyed a beautiful example, it was so painful to watch. A car that had been cared for so well for 40 years, destroyed just for the fun of it. Anyway, I'm glad this one survived. They really seem to be nice, plush cars.
Actually, my memory of these cars is that motoring journalists were not ecstatic about the looks. More than a few put their opinions in a way that said they thought the styling was somewhat weird, without actually using the word 'weird'. At the time family saloons were of little interest to me as a buyer. However, several years down the way, on a fortnight's summer holiday back in the UK from my work in South East Asia, I needed a rental car. Rather than pay eyewatering prices from the usual hire car suspects, I chose a company called Rent a Wreck. Their cars weren't wrecks, but mostly somewhere between 4 and 6 years old, as I recall. Mine was one of these wedges, with the 1.7 engine. Can only say I was well surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Roomy, comfortable.., you could drive lots of miles without feeling knackered at the end of the journey. The engine was adequate, without offering any thrills. It did the job.
A little side story to this. My ex had been staying at my house till shortly before I returned. She'd had a few parties, and had left behind a bunch of refuse filled black bags in the garage. First thing I did was to load these into the wedge, and take them to the nearest tip. Unfortunately, one or more of the bags had milk bottles, which leaked their rancid contents into the car. I spent half my holiday cleaning and cleaning inside the car trying to rid it of the smell, but it just kept returning, albeit slightly less each time. Eventually, it was time to head back to Asia, and I drove down to the Rent a Wreck people. Parked up, and went into their office... "Just returning the car...". "Thank you, how was it..?" "Oh, it was great, I really enjoyed it.."
Put the keys on the counter, and made it out of there as briskly as I could.
Have to say, the styling stands up very well today,
That’s the nicest example I’ve ever seen!
I❤it🚘
Putting aside the Allegro that is a story in itself. The Princess should have been more like the Simca Alpine in terms of size and addition of a hatchback, yet with the 1.3-2.0-litre engine range and end-on gearbox of something like the Montego or 2nd gen Vauxhall Cavalier. The same could also be said for both the Landcrab and Maxi as commercial failures that like the Princess, were close yet so far.
I had 1700 HLS never let me down brilliant in the snow, we were never concerned about how much the fuel was then, I payed 150 quid for it with a full mot and 6 Months tax lol after a few yrs I bought a sliver MG EFI montego god I thought I was the kiddy then well I actually was a kiddy lol young anyway, yes the good old days when top speed and 0-60 were more important than fuel consumption lol
An article that has brought back memories. In August 1975 my father bought the Morris 1800 version of this car (I always preferred the Morris/Wolsey grill & bonnet). I remember thinking it looked a great car but as you say "build quality" wasn't a word in the BL Vocabulary, Within 2 years the sills & flanges of the doors & boot skins were all showing signs of rust & as the car was white, it looked awful. Later when doing my A Levels my geography teacher has the 2200 HLS in metallic blue & darker blue vinyl roof & velour seats. It looked amazingly classy.
Yes the Princess was SLOW but COMFY even Dads 1800 Princess got along alright with good fuel economy LOADS of ROOM inside, by this time 1980?? the Japanese were well on the way with RELIABLE cars that started 1st time EVERY time by 1990 they had addressed the Rust issues of the earlier ones!!
Agreed the Princess was Not a bad car, comfy, Roomy inside, good ride, my Dad had a 2ltr/auto and an 1800/man performance NO, i think his cars did ok on fuel, were reliable, he must have liked them, buying a second the one!! I think most BL cars of this era deserved to do better, BUT Trade Unions and BAD management of BL ( too many chiefs not enough indians, there were many MANY issues in BL )
My Dad had one when i was a kid, loved it :) The one in this video is a stunning example
Great review! I've always loved the styling of the Princess. Its a shame that there are so few left on the road. Although, I'm so glad that example was saved from being scrapped. It certainly looks in great condition!👍
It is a bit of a survivor!
@@iancross4631 Definitely! Can't be many in that colour either.
@@Car_and_classic_lover I know of a base spec 1800 in black and a couple of Wolseleys, but I have never seen another in the flesh.
Cool car, reminds me a little of a 70's Lambo or a Lotus. Definately not the same league of car, this is much more practical, if a tad slower...
Those wheels should have been fitted to ALL Princesses as they look great on this particular car.
And possibly colour coded too, just like the great Mercedes W123’s were
The wheels really do look great
I remember the Princess as being a lovely wafty and posh car. I don't know why you couldn't find a picture of the mk.1 Cavalier, rather than the mk.2, when you were talking about the competition. The Ambassador was a competent, if uninspiring update, but the Montego was a step forward.
I’m 51, but when I grew up British Leyland cars were common place in the U.K. and I was proud when I look back because we had an independent British car industry. But our militant workers and inept management destroyed it, which was a shame because the potential was there to make British Leyland cars a success, but the Japanese cars invading our shores nailed the final nail in the coffin. But today, I’m hopeful one day we will have en independent British car industry once again, when everything goes electric.
It looks modern even now,it was just not well made,and if it had a hatchback from day one....A true what if...
Always found this car to be kinda ugly and weirdly proportioned, but it looks gorgeous in that paint scheme
The first car in a line of cars that took Vanden Plas reputation for building quality cars and trashed it.
My dad had a land crab a wolseley that ran on 5 star petrol he then went to the princess range and had three of them all very reliable apart from the odd front hydragas displacer letting go and an alternator or two very roomy and comfortable my uncle had an Austin ambassador
Totally agree with your summing up - an excellent car (better than the Fords and Vauxhalls) ruined by what we euphemistically referred to as "industrial relations". It also really suits those Triumph Dolomite Sprint alloys.
Had one as a daily driver 1982 one of the most comfortable car I’ve ever driven 2.2 auto
They were a decent car, simple to maintain and great to drive. A real shame that BL had its problems!
originally marketed with 1800 b series singlecarb engine.
Looks really good with those Triumph/MGB alloys...I think BL really missed a trick by not selling these with the option of a Hatchback body style,Torcars did a few aftermarket hatchback conversions.
What A classic design, The first car with the hidden windscreen wipers behind the hood.
I inherited a metallic denim blue T reg Princess from my great uncle, in the early 90s, the seats were black velour, lovely car to drive, but unfortunately needed a new fuel pump and started to be unreliable 6 months after I got it, I always loved that car, coz it looked ahead of it's time, thanks for the memories.
Had the ambassador model. Loads of room inside. Castle nut broke and had hell of a job replacing it. Suspension was great when it worked. Beige car with chocolate brown vinyl roof.
As an American I proudly admit we don't have these here so the only reason I even know what this is, is because I watched James May lap Richard Hammond in a bright yellow one full of water
Anything on the part exchange Scrapage Scheme could not be bought out of the scheme, been there got the T Shirt,.
Any unit bought into the scheme had to scrapped by one of the registered dismantlers and destruction certified and notified to DVLA, end of, there were no exceptions.
That's not to say a dealer could offer the same px value as the scrappage scheme, but it was rare as the value wasn't there.
To be fair most of what we saw was way too far gone, including a MK2 Cortina Lotus on non original shell (!) a 1600E in Blue Fox, , Sunbeam Alpine GT that wouldn't open it's door with two people in it so rotten, Bond Equipe 2 litre GT, 1985 flat front Granada, Capri 2 litre GTXLR complete with flat black bonnet option etc.
It wasn't bought from the scrappage scheme it was bought from the owner before he put it into the scheme. I had a week to collect it, otherwise, as you say it, would have been lost.