Leyland P38 - Half the car they should have been

[Ralph1Malph]

Out sunday driving a few weeks ago and came across these beauties. 8)

What struck me was the sheer quantity - and they all were in good mechanical condition. https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

I didn't think that there were this many left, let alone all in one place. 8O

http://www.aulro.com/albums/Ralph1Malph/2006_0326_009_resize.sized.jpg

http://www.aulro.com/albums/Ralph1Malph/2006_0326_007_resize.sized.jpg

Regards
Ralph

[DEFENDERZOOK]

<span style="color:blue">is that a marina on the end....?


these must be new old stock.....the ones they couldnt sell......




i wouldnt mind having one of those.....i reckon they would be great for a long
distance road tour around oz.....and they can carry the fuel required as well....
i think they could take a couple of 44 gallon drums in the boot......</span>

[BigJon]

I used to own a P76, it was a great car and I never should have sold it. Considering its age and how it was driven ( back when I was an apprentice mechanic, I think you can figure it out), it was pretty reliable and a lot of fun.

[Farnarkle]

My favourite is the convertable P76 (?) on the end of the row

[sclarke]

Coming from a BLMC family i grew up in Austins, Morris's and of course the P76 V8 Auto Super model. Dad wanted a Targa Flourio, there was one in mildura he used to ogle over, but never got one.

Thinking back. The P76 was the 1st car i ever drove on a road, coming back from the Tip with Dad he let me drive it.

Dad (OldFart) loved it to death. I can rember one week when it was in the shed with the heads off getting work and we were forced to use the Austin 1800 ute as the daily driver...... Another Car i loved. Thats why i bought one.... or 2.... and Still have a Austin 1800 Ute in much disrepair.

Not that long ago i was looking for a good conditioned V8 P76 as a toy, but the price kept me away. $5000 for a average one..... Forget it...

Great built car. Sadly out of the Big 4, 1 had to go and Leyland was Axed....

Steve

[FenianEel]

Love the P-76 and the 1800! https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

Steve,
I think it was your ute I was trying to get a few months back, but couldn't get there, and my mate in Melb. had no where to hold it!

There are heaps of excellent P-76's still running around. Between my Dad & I we've had about 15 or so. Downscaled the "fleet" now, but have a huge shed of parts, and still 3 registered.

The owners of these swear by them (and occassionally at them). Much like Landy owners, there is a stigma one side / fanatical obsession on the other side!!

They were ahead of their time, and so much better than a lot of the crud running around at that time. If they had a decent company behind them and not that knobhead Mr Stokes - thing would've been different. :cry:

Here's two of my favourites.

73 V8 Executive & 1800 Sedan

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2006/04/84.jpg

Looked a treat, went like a treat!!!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2006/04/85.jpg

The Austin

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2006/04/86.jpg

[sclarke]

Go the Crab.......

Here is my old Babe that now resides on my Wifes Ring Finger.....

It was Stock apart from the Engine. 1800S Spec Engine with twin Carbs and 1800S Gearbox.
Love the Bench Seat......

http://www.aulro.com/albums/album201/1800ute.sized.jpg
http://www.aulro.com/albums/album201/1800uterear.jpg
http://www.aulro.com/albums/album201/1800uteeng.sized.jpg
http://www.aulro.com/albums/album201/1800uteint.sized.jpg


Now Who has seen the 1800 V8 getting around Sydney????
It has a Rover 3.5 V8 in it and was built in the late 60's by BLMC and Repco.
It looks Stock, the only give away is it is about 4 inches longer.

Steve

[rovercare]

P76 i can understand, but landcrabs!, you blokes are odd, a vehicle only a mother could love thats for sure, although 3.5 in one would be cool

[George130]

The boot of P76 was huge. My mum used to drive one. It was converted to hand controls and with the brakes and accelerator set up like a bike it used to fly. It was the only car she could pul herself from her wheel chair into the front seat and still pull the chair in after her.
They were very reliable or oursa was.
Ex RAAF training car. The teches used it for practice, they would pull it down and rebuild it each week before we bought it.

[FenianEel]

Originally posted by sclarke

Now Who has seen the 1800 V8 getting around Sydney????
It has a Rover 3.5 V8 in it and was built in the late 60's by BLMC and Repco.
It looks Stock, the only give away is it is about 4 inches longer.

Steve

Here's a pic from the landcrab website.
This was the start of development for what would eventually become the P76.
http://austin1800.homestead.com/files/1800_V8_4a.JPG


I thought this thing has actually been destroyed and was never registered. It is like the Landcrab/P76 equivalent of the "centre steer".

http://austin1800.homestead.com/files/1800_V8a1a.JPG

[numpty]

There is an old book written by the late Evan Green, about the trip he did, I think with Jack Murray (Gelignite Jack), and some others. They took an 1800 and a Mini across the Gunbarrel Highway and around the top at the beginning of the wet in the 60's.
Great story and should be available at a library somewhere. Sorry the name escapes me, but an entertaining red.
Perry

[one_iota]

I remember the London to Sydney Marathon:

http://marathon68.homestead.com/Page5.html

But more for the fact that the Citroen in the lead hit a car head on near Nowra all that way from London and so close to Sydney.

Land Crabs:

Remember the Austin Kimberly... a mighty 6 cylinder.

CJ has a good story about a flabbergasted road patrol copper in pursuit of Chris and CJ in Chris's Kimberly. 8O

Both of them now have Countys :roll:...Its a British Disease https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

I met Gelignite Jack whilst working at a plant nursery on my University weekends...he called in with his good lady to buy some roses or other shubbery...a gentleman.

[numpty]

That was the first London to Sydney Marathon. Actually Evan Green and John Bryson were leading this event into South Australia in an Austin 1800, but during a service I think it was the wheel bearings were over tightened and one subsequently siezed putting them out of the rally.
Evan and John entered the 1970 World Cup Rally in a P76 and set the fastest time on the Mille Miglia Stage, which is how the Targa Florio model came into existence. They also led this rally until becoming misplaced during one of the desert stages. This story is recounted in Evans book "A Boot Full of Right Arms".
A former boss of my father's had one of the not publicly released Force 7 model of the P76 which was destined to compete at Bathurst etc until the demise of Leyland.
Perry

[sclarke]

Originally posted by numpty
There is an old book written by the late Evan Green, about the trip he did, I think with Jack Murray (Gelignite Jack), and some others. They took an 1800 and a Mini across the Gunbarrel Highway and around the top at the beginning of the wet in the 60's.
Great story and should be available at a library somewhere. Sorry the name escapes me, but an entertaining red.
Perry

I have that book... 2 copies accually.

its a great Read full of Filth from Jacks Potty mouth...... https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

Journeys with Gelignite Jack

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2006/04/81.jpg

Steve

[RichardK]

Originally posted by sclarke+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sclarke)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-numpty
There is an old book written by the late Evan Green, about the trip he did, I think with Jack Murray (Gelignite Jack), and some others. They took an 1800 and a Mini across the Gunbarrel Highway and around the top at the beginning of the wet in the 60's.
Great story and should be available at a library somewhere. Sorry the name escapes me, but an entertaining red.
Perry

I have that book... 2 copies accually.

its a great Read full of Filth from Jacks Potty mouth...... https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

Journeys with Gelignite Jack

http://austin1800.homestead.com/files/JourneyswithJack1a.JPG

Steve[/b][/quote]



THere was an extremely funny passage in that............if I remember it was when they were doing there first night of a figure eight crossing of Australia doing a PR for Castrol Oil, They were to take 2 hour shifts during the night and GJ said he would take the first shift.......................it wasn't until Evan Green realised he had done around 4 shifts and there was no daylight that he realised that GJ would wake him as soon as he went to sleep and tell Evan that it was his turn.
GJ was a very colourful character, and is well remembered for his exploits in the famous Redex trials of the fifties.

[sclarke]

And Jacks Quote.

"Go out and move that log in the river"

Evan
"Jack, Its a Croc"

[FenianEel]

Here's a couple of shots from the P76 National Gathering at Cootumundra at Easter.

A couple of Force 7's (drooooool)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2006/04/64.jpg

Most of the attendees

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2006/04/65.jpg

[duff]

FenianEel,
That is a very good lookin 76.
Its been 13yrs since I have owned one, I still get very strong pangs to buy another. Maybe when I post back to the city I will buy a project. :roll:

I still rate them as one of the nicest production cars I've driven. the ride quality (over all conditions) of the girls when in good nick is still hard to match, capable long distance cruiser and still nimble enough to punch thru the twisty stuff, and just gobbles up the rough dirt stretch's. I have driven cars that might be slightly nicer over one type of ground or another, but not the whole package. 8)

My father was fanatical about them, I caught the disease from him 8O

Still cant find many of the negative myths that plagued the beast. And I think the shape has stood the test of time.. park them next to the other cars of the day and have todays general public critique the bunch, I dare say the 76 will come up trumps. https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

Anyway, enough said, but photo's of that red thing just tease me into buying another :oops:

[hiline]

http://www.aulro.com/albums/album119/the_beast.sized.jpg

this was my 2nd P76 https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

first 1 i bought,was a peel me a grape (purple) 8O 8O in color

bargain at $500

[FenianEel]

Quick,

Somebody stop the post - I'm getting the bug to go buy another

[hiline]

Originally posted by FenianEel
Quick,

Somebody stop the post - I'm getting the bug to go buy another

a bloke a few doors up from me has a really nice orange one in good nick https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ https://www.aulro.com/afvb/


dont think its for sale though :?

[harry]

8)ok i have to admit i had a lemon also.
one of the best cars ever, in those years, in aussie produced autos.
mine was nv green, v8 manual.
strong as engine, went to 5000+ rpm and loved it.
the boot - well what can you say - it could hold more grog than the average country pub - i know as for our wedding i supplied the grog, its just amazing how much we got in it.
i actually drove the first one registered in victoria when it was less than a week old, we took it to a bbq at stieglitz and got it stuck driving over some high grass.
would love to have another, but we have to live with reality, and who wants another 1973 car, we have a 73 benz, and its enough.

[Quiggers]

My mum had a series one A1800, and I learnt to drive in it, top car!

There's are P76 Force 7 cruising around here, still looks the goods; A mate, Roger, has a P76 V8 sedan, which he long ago took the gas axe to, and looks mighty as a rag(less) top.. he's never got around to getting a roof for it....

Pity the P76 fell over, it was a great car....once fixed.....


GQ

[one_iota]

Spotted today on Pennant Hills Rd travelling north:

Sorry no photo :oops: 8O I was driving

A Disco towing a rusty Austin 1800 on a trailer

[FenianEel]

Originally posted by one_iota
Spotted today on Pennant Hills Rd travelling north:

Sorry no photo :oops: 8O I was driving

A Disco towing a rusty Austin 1800 on a trailer

What a beautiful sight https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

[igould]

There's a bloke just out of Eudunda in SA with a front paddock full of land-crabs. Must have 15 or more of them along with an assortment of other Austin/Morris/BMC/Leyland product.
Don't think he's doing anything with them, but they do seem to be breeding. There's more there every time I go past. (Must be good country)

[Quiggers]

Maybe we should run a sticky permanent for Leyland product; and today a bloke ten houses up, just took delivery of a Moke, restored or rrebuillt, looks great.

Our news agent uses a very original Mini S with the drivers sliding window removed to deliver the papers, flung out said missing window.

Loved my Triumph 2500PI, but I don't want another one........

GQ

[sclarke]

Sticky on who has had a BMC or BLMC product...............

[FenianEel]

Sticky on who has had a BMC or BLMC product...............

Ok Stevo,

Several P-76's about 10!:eek:
2 Austin 1800's
Moke (only short term unfortunately)
Was actually looking at a Mini clubman the other day too:rolleyes:

[VladTepes]

Sure a P76 is OK but it's no Citroen DS (the last decent car the French ever made).

[Scouse]

Sticky on who has had a BMC or BLMC product...............I have about 20-25 Morris Minors in my collection. Some of these are pre-BMC though (they still count, don't they;) ).

I've also had a few Majors & Marinas go through my hands but they were just parts cars.


It's a pity most of the BMC products don't have a big following.

I tried giving away a near perfect Freeway wagon recently along with a complete parts car.
There was only one person interested from the Austin club. He said he was going to restore it but I was so pi$$ed with the way he picked the car up (sling through the windows then used a Hiab) that I didn't give him the original owners manual or the 2nd car :mad: .
If anyone wants a free Freeway wagon for parts (or a big restoration), let me know.

[Redback]

I've had a few pommie products not all BMC but some, my first was a Austin A30
Austin Cambridge
Morris Major Elite
Morris Mini 850
Morris Mini panelvan
Vanguard Spacemaker
Triumph 2.5PI (i loved this car)
Zefer consul 6

All good cars and basicly no problems with any of them, and most suprising not a single problem with my Triumph 2.5 PI.

Baz.

[JDNSW]

Sure a P76 is OK but it's no Citroen DS (the last decent car the French ever made).

I drove DSs for many years - still have my DSpecial, not registered but still in good shape. Owned a Moke briefly between my first 2a and the ID19 in 1971.
I learned to drive in an Austin 16 (also in a Swift, a Reo and a Model T) before getting my licence in my aunt's A30 (dad didn't want his Austin 16 to be too closely scrutinised by the police, as the clutch was a bit iffy at the time).

I admired the 1800, one of my close friends owned one, my sister had an 1800 ute as a farm ute, but it failed to withstand the roads (twisted trailing arm at the rear and broken sway bar) and the low ground clearance was a problem. For several years one of my sons had a Marina, and my father had a 1500 for several years between his Simca Vedette and his DS.
John

[Redback]

I drove DSs for many years - still have my DSpecial, not registered but still in good shape. Owned a Moke briefly between my first 2a and the ID19 in 1971.
I learned to drive in an Austin 16 (also in a Swift, a Reo and a Model T) before getting my licence in my aunt's A30 (dad didn't want his Austin 16 to be too closely scrutinised by the police, as the clutch was a bit iffy at the time).

I admired the 1800, one of my close friends owned one, my sister had an 1800 ute as a farm ute, but it failed to withstand the roads (twisted trailing arm at the rear and broken sway bar) and the low ground clearance was a problem. For several years one of my sons had a Marina, and my father had a 1500 for several years between his Simca Vedette and his DS.
John

Wow i had a Simca Vadette V8, what a great car, mine was black with red interior

[incisor]

Wow i had a Simca Vadette V8, what a great car, mine was black with red interior
a v8 simca pimp mobile!

:lol::lol::rolleyes::eek::spudnikdaddyo:

[FenianEel]

OOH That's some car that Simcar:lol:

[Pedro_The_Swift]

We had a few A40's as young adults,, Town and Country dontcha know!
had one with no glass, no doors, (these DO NOT fall off when reversed into a light pole :D)
and DUAL wheels on the back,,
:cool:

[JDNSW]

Wow i had a Simca Vadette V8, what a great car, mine was black with red interior

The Vedette was designed by Ford, and was very similar to the Mk2 Zephyr, but instead of the new six retained the flat head V8. When the Vedette works was sold to Simca, they dropped the V80 engine and rejigged the V60 engine with alloy heads and higher compression to give the same power from much lower weight. This allowed the steering ratio to be made faster, and also they increased the brake drum diameter from 9" to 11" by going to 15" instead of 13" wheels, so the lower suspension pivot could be moved further out. These changes gave it outstanding brakes and above average handling for the day. It was also restyled with huge tail fins, large enough for the spare to live in one, leaving a cavernous boot.

The Australian assembled version was down on luxury compared to the French model, but in the days when a heater was an option on Holdens it had a good heater, and it came with about ten warning lights plus gauges. From memory the biggest problem with it was the RHD conversion of the column gearshift was not very well engineered.

It was discontinued when Chrysler started to build the Valiant, as it was aimed at the same market niche. Must have been just about the last side valve car sold in Australia.
John