autofantasia's photos with the keyword: BL

The Morris Marina was manufactured from 1971 through until 1980 and sold in some markets as the Austin Marina, the Leyland Marina and the Morris 1700. The much-maligned Marina has been described in many a review as one of the worst cars of all time, although it was hugely popular car in Britain throughout its production life. Rust-proofing on British cars from that period was typically poor, which explains why these cars are a very rare sight on our roads today. So, it was nice to come across this one although the choice of exhaust fitted seemed a little dubious.

This old 'land crab' looked pretty neat overall although there did appear to be something going on with that front wing. Based on the BMC ADO16 platform it was one of several economical small family cars built by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and, later, British Leyland. It was launched in 1962 and for most of the next decade the ADO16 was consistently the UK's best-selling car. The ADO16 was marketed under various make and model names including: Austin 1100 and 1300; MG 1100 and 1300; and Riley Kestrel as well as the Wolseley 1100, 1275, and 1300 to name but a few. Badge engineering ... don't you just miss it!

Close up shot of the front end of one of the umpteen Minis seen at the show!

Yet another Mini, this time from an earlier period back, but equally appealing!

The Marina van and pick-up were introduced in 1972, ending the production of Morris Minor and Austin A60 derived goods vehicles. Launched in both Austin and Morris versions, the badging soon became Austin-Morris. With the launch of the Marina 2, the goods versions were revised and renamed Morris 440 (for 7cwt) or Morris 575 (for 10cwt), this being an example of the latter. Source: www.simoncars.co.uk/morriscv/marinacv.html

The more I see of these little cars, the more I like them. Sadly, production ceased in the late Sixties when British Leyland discontinued the Riley and Wolseley brand names.

A true 'marmite' of a car, the Austin Allegro was a common sight on British roads in the 1970s and early 1980s. This is a Vanden Plas variant, which I spotted not far from the Daihatsu Sportrak I uploaded earlier. As it happens, Vanden Plas originated in Belgium, although the name derives from the Dutch, and to be grammatically correct should be expressed Van der Plas. Check out the following link for more information on the history of the Vanden Plas name: www.vpoc.info/history.html

Spotted in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

Spotted in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

Up close and personal with the Elf ... rather apt with Christmas looming!

Built as more luxurious versions of the Mini, both the Wolseley Hornet and the Riley Elf had longer, slightly finned rear wings and larger boots that gave the cars a more traditional design. Production reportedly ceased in late 1969 when British Leyland discontinued the Riley and Wolseley brand names so this particular car, first registered on 5th December 1969, would have been one of the last produced.