You are a breath of fresh air on this era of cars mate, too many lazy car journalists far too eager to dismiss cars from the past with a single sentence and zero research
I was actually half way through the video before I realised just how good your content is. This is like a Top Gear for Nerds. You've also reminded me about just how comfortable the Land Crab was. Especially in the back.
I'm not afraid to say this is THE BEST video of the Landcrab to date. Top notch knowledge, vocabulary and presentation sets you above the usual cartubers.
This is an excellent video I really enjoyed. I live in Canada and my dad had an Austin 1800 when I was a kid. He was so proud of the fact it had more room inside than most of the American monsters of the day. I remember us having 5 or 6 kids in the back, etc. You wouldn't get away with that these days! And now I'm restoring one of my own, to go along with my Mini.
also from Canada: I have a restored 1967 Mini Traveler (station wagon) "steelie" - it had the wood trim deleted at the factory. It's got a 1275 from a Mark III Midget, with 2x1.25 SUs instead of the perfectly adequate 1.5 - they just look so much better! Biggest engine mod: we hardened the valve seats for unleaded - got sick of little bottles of additive. Hope you kept the 10" wheels on your Mini - but I can tell you it's hell's own job converting the fronts with a disc kit. Luck with the crab - you sure have a lot more room to work with!
@@coldlakealta4043 Nice to hear from you! My Mini is a very early 1959 Morris, restored as original. It has the 850, magic wand gearbox, 10" wheels, etc. I'd never chop up such an early car. The 1800 will be as original too when finished.
It was the space that I remembered. My brother had one. He described as a living room on wheels. The Austin 3 litre had even more. A friend had a Crayford Estate conversion of a 3 litre, that used to belong to a Brooke Bond executive, he called it the flying tea chest, it had more room than a small van!
My dad had an Austin 1800 (VVY 848J) in the 1970s, too. It was ideal for ferrying lots of kids about and I remember it as luxurious and comfortable with a smooth ride (although I was only a small boy, so my memories might be unreliable, just a bit). It was a sad day when he traded it in for... a Morris Marina. Oh dear, was that a mistake!
Yet another great video. When I was a child we had a harvest gold Austin 2200 and it was great for transporting a family of six. The six cylinder motor was so smooth and torquey that my father couldn’t be parted from it when it was replaced by his first company car - a mark one Vauxhall Cavalier. Consequently it sat on the drive until it rusted away.
Issigonis was responsible for some good cars. My relatives lived next to him and drove an experimental mini he had in his garage unknown to anyone else. Major problem with flawed designs often came from the man himself. He was a prima-donna engineer and the air used to turn blue when it came to suggested design changes especially when related to what customers might want. Sad that his talent and ego got in the way of making outstanding cars.
I had one and did 250,000 miles in it. And it was far from new when I bought it. It wasn't trouble-free but on the motorway it just sat there like a museum. As it got older, people joked that I should alert the AA in advance before leaving but that was true of many vehicles in those days. It did 120 000 miles after the power steering failed even though the book said don't. I'd give it 4 stars out of five.
A really superb video again. In these 36 months, you have honed your craft to a very high standard, where you now stand alongside the very best motoring presenters. This video for example, is better than it could have been allowed to be on TV. Very well done!
My first car was an Austin 1800 Mk2 here in Australia in the early 70's. One of its greatest features was the ability of the front seats to lay back completely flat which resulted in a wonderful bed. Ideal for drive-inn evenings or ... umm ... other activities. 😉
Wow. My dad's 1800 here in the UK had no such facility, back in the 1970s. Not that I was old enough to even imagine such "other activities". Lovely car, though.
I've worked at a number of car manufacturers in engineering. It's occasionally discussed that the only characteristic of car design that _hasn't_ improved over the years is ride quality. People seem more interested in Nurburgring times and stupidly large wheel sizes with skinny tyres.
I am in Australia. My first car was a Morris 1100. I have always wondered why hydrolastic suspension didn't become standard. Perhaps it wasn't the best type of suspension for towing.
@@hoffwell Yes, easy to smash an allot in a pot hole if you have skinny tyres on it. Back in the 1980s, even 15" wheels were seen as big for a performance car. The tickford Capri, with a 2.8i turbo engine, was still on 13" wheels. Even the Aston Martin V8 Vantage was only on 15".
I agree. I hate the 'crash, bang, wallop' of low profiles. A chiropractor & dentist's dream! But - I have a Defender - so crunch along on huge balloons ... LOL!
The video brings back so many childhood memories for me - thank you. My dad was an upwardly mobile engineering manager in the late 1960's. We were all set to take over a 6 month old Corsair 2000E when my dad moved jobs and we moved house. Apparently, the guy leaving had abused it somewhat in it's short life and my dad rejected it. We ended up with an Austin 1800. When it turned up - like a large white bride - it didn't set the pulse racing with excitement - that's for sure. Especially as my dad had been assigned (short term) an MG1300 saloon AD016 type and we all absolutely loved that. The crab took a long time to get in our good books. It was however spacious and as kids we saw a lot of Britain out of the rear windows. It was also the first car I got to 'steer' whilst it was in motion (health & safety types look away). But, it loaded us all - including granny and grandad - for extended family visits. The build quality wasn't great (did you know bare body shells were transported from one factory building to another on lorries as the covered tunnels weren't big enough to accommodate it's width - LOL)? The white paint flaked off after one of my stray footballs hit it - and that wallowy waft suspension wasn't much cop on black ice - something my dad discovered when he banged up the front wing. But, we toured all of Ireland in it - and it never missed a beat - including in floods and a thunderstorm of epic proportions. But, you are right in your assessment - my mum felt like an old fart in it - and it wasn't replaced at the end of two years by another. Oddly mind, all these years on - I oddly fancy a Wolseley Six. One of my schoolmates dad had one - and towed a caravan with it. With the Rostyles - it is a nice looker - in a warped kind of a way...?
Can't wait to get another land crab ,saving like mad. Prices can go up to £12 000 , I only paid £75 pounds in 1969. Dumpt on the side of the road ,but used it for over ten years.
Talking of instruments, in 1979 my mate's dad had one of the new model Avengers (when they had become Chrysler rather than Hillman) and it had a green illumination on the instruments. This was so impressive that we referred to this as the X-Wing Fighter dash board, and to be honest we still use the expression to this day for any instrument layout that looks as if be belongs in a cockpit rather than a passenger compartment.
This is great - not just any old landcrab, but the posh Wolseley version! 🥰 I'll always say it's more than "badge engineering" because of the grill & trim etc. These are a popular classic over here. Btw. I'm glad you have a sponsor now - that shows people respect and have confidence in your video work!
Great to see such a detailed assessment of the 1800 series. I must have been a very strange schoolboy as, when my best friend's dad was collecting a brand new Escort Mexico in Daytona yellow, I felt no envy whatsoever and was busy pleading with my own father to buy an 1800 in teal blue. It just seemed so stately and cavernous, and, dare I say, British? We eventually got a Maxi, so I could at least dream some of the dream. Had we ever won the pools what would my choice have been? Austin 3-Litre, without a doubt!
Just to add - Daytona Yellow was the 1970's No1 destination choice of every wasp and insect in the British summer. Park up anywhere in Daytona Yellow and you may as well have smeared yourself from head to toe in honey. Teal blue is, and always will be - really classy. Triumph did a Valencia Blue - which was even classier. I wanted a Stag in Valencia blue - but I was on the company car treadmill by then, so it never happened. At least I saved my wallet from annihilation .. LOL!
Love your videos that cover classic cars. Wish the UK could bring back its auto design, manufacturing and ownership back, imagine a modern British built Jag XKE. Thanks to Ed and Twin-Cam for another fine watch of automotive history.
Tesla is busy destroying the car industry with its efficient designs. UK should be stepping up with cars designed to compete. We won’t of course that would need Elon Musk style management, something UK just refuses to do.
@@davidelliott5843 Not a fan of EV's yet, slow charge times, short range and a bit pricey---not to mention the cost of new batteries. Tesla's styling looks like a mid-level car, not great on overall looks, but I do love Musk's "SpaceX." The UK once had some of the best-looking cars, what happened?
Love the Austin 1800. I had a saloon and a ute,. Put in a smaller engine, are you nuts... not in Australia, it had to compete with six cylinder cars. As usual the accountants won over on the engineers. You are right about not necessarily being better off in the motoring world today. The NSU RO80 was also a car ahead of its time.
IIRC correctly BMC Oz engineered a Rover V8 into an 1800 and though I never saw it a friend's neighbour was on the development team and he used to drive it. Sadly it never got past development and the P76 got the gig for a V8 powered car in Oz. BMC ran an 1800 in rallies driven by Evan Green and it was fairly successful against the works Renault R8 Gordinis.
Another fantastic video Ed, even the way you incorporated the sponsorship (other content creators take note!). The Landcrab had some great success in rallying for many of the reasons you specify. Had BMC had the funds to do a late 60s reskin it may have been a different story (and indeed obviated the need for the Maxi...)
I miss my Australian MK2 1800 so much. Comfortable, roomy, surprising road holding. Non powered steering was so heavy at parking speeds but just lovely when on the move. Enjoyable video, thanks!
I've always liked the styling of the landcrab and find it infinitely more appealing than the Maxi (a sort of sister car) which I find had an awkward and ungainly look to it.
@@TwinCam you must be smaller than me ( 220+ LB and 6+FT ) as i wouldn't have bought the BMC-1000 ( can't fit in it same for GM-metros and panda's ) and having the better 3L-5L jag-6 is welcome and i don't care for 4-cylinder's and its under powered in my opinion or at least the one in the video probably still get the charger, puting this vs american charger in 1968 as a buyer but it is competitive choice im just not a FWD-only-guy as both cost about the same in 1969-window tag's
The Australian Austin Kimberley proved that a Landcrab-based car doesn't need to look ungainly. But as for the BMC 1800, I'm pretty sure it would be more aerodynamic going backwards than forwards!
The Morris 1800 mk2 was my first car, I did nearly 100,000 miles in it ( before I replaced it) in terms of leg room and comfort I haven’t found anything to replace it ( I am 6 foot 7 tall)
My dad had one, it was a lovely car, we had three driving holidays in France with just one glitch. It was a comfortable ride and greatly admired by our French friends. It was capable of accommodating two adults and three teenagers and all our luggage.
History brings back good old memories of the past and refreshes its old beauties to the young generations . I came to know BMC range of products way back in the 60s when I was just a kid ......I am now 75 but memories of those beauties still remain fresh in my mind . Thanks for this channel in reviewing Trojan Horses of yesteryears......
Thank you so much. What an absolutely fantastic video. You summed up the good the bad the ugly & the brilliance of the land crab perfectly. In 1981 when I was 12 my Dad replaced his K reg Vauxhall Viva with a 1975 Wolseley 6 auto which got us 4 kids, I was the eldest & Mum & Dad in perfectly. I loved it from the second I saw it. The 6 cylinder 2.2 Litre engine the arm rests front & back seats, the auto gear change on the dash board the wood interior well to me it was so posh after the Viva & I was hooked. To me it did & they still do now look such amazing looking cars. Keep up your brilliant work.
Brilliant video, again, Ed. You summed up, beautifully, the advances in automotive development. Whilst I like modern cars they all rely on electronics to ‘enhance’ driver input. Whilst I drive a ‘modern’ for everyday use it’s my older cars I drive for pleasure. I have just added a 1953 Vauxhall Velox (GM-H assembled) to my fleet. The Velox cost £1178/6/6 Aussie pounds, on the road. Just a small point, we did the Aussie thing and shoehorned a 6 cylinder in the Farinas giving us the luxury Wolseley 24/80 (my first car) and the, lower spec, Austin Freeway. Great to see you driving and enjoying the cars you review.
Had a '69 18/85 auto (same colour as this one) that I replaced my 64 16/60 auto with. The dimensions of the landcrab are positively tardis like compared to modern stuff and still a doddle to slot in modern day parking spaces.
I learnt to drive in an Austin 1800. I was 16 at the time. It was my mother's car. It was an amazing car, very secure on the road and very spacious. I took it to 100 moh and felt very save, more so than in many other cars since. This video brings back many good memories of this car. When you put the front seats as far forward as you could, and laid the seat back down, the seat back aligned with the back seat making a huge and very comfortable bed. Great for camping and - well, I'll leave that to your imagination!
It's a crime they didn't do an estate version of this, they could have solved both the size issue and the awkward market placement. I never knew much about these, thanks for the video!
This very nicely put together video brought back many memories of what I have always said was my all-time favourite of all the cars I've owned - the Land crab. I had four of these, all purchased second hand from Frimley car auctions. My first was a 1964, followed by 1966, 1968 & 1970. I also purchased an insurance write off to replace the engine and gearbox in the 1964 car when the big ends started to rattle. Apart from that, I never had any mechanical problems with any of them. I remember too, being told that an 1800 had more room in the back than a Rolls Royce, which may or may not have been true, but it was certainly cavernous. I also purchased a Wolseley 18/85 and a Wolseley Six for my father from the same auctions, and he loved both of them and had many years trouble free motoring. I later had both a 1500 Maxi, a 1750 Maxi and a 1700 Princess. No comparison, I disliked all of them as they just didn't hack it like a Land crab. One thing I never noticed but learned today, the Land crab & Maxi had the same doors. A very enjoyable 37 minutes thanks.
My father owned a Austin 1800 Mkll and a Peugeot 505 and I drove both. They both hard very comfortable rides and good handling and I drove them on Australian Country Dirt roads.
I have always thought that the 1800 was the best car BMC ever made. I love the proportions. All the space within the wheel-base, so that it has secure handling, and enough space inside to actually relax [unless you are driving of course], so that the conventional designs with cart leaf rear driving rear axle - to me at least - look like a triumph of form over function. This car is just as sumptuous for the rear passengers as the front. Perhaps this was not so necessary for the kids in the family setting, but nice to have. I wish that they had made an estate version. That would have been amazing. The Maxi was also a highly underrated car, but the sad truth is that by then BL were making very badly put together cars that broke for no good reason. I would love to get a good 1800 and I reckon it would make a wonderful conversion to an EV powertrain. Not for a long distance tourer so much as a comfortable daily local car. Best wishes from George
Issigonis was a magician. I had a 1972 Wolseley 18/85 in the late 90s, when it was about 25 years old. I loved it. And let me make clear, it handled well. It was just like a Mini, but on steroids. It went round corners as if on rails. Just as quick as the then modern cars. Previously I had a Wolseley 6 (the 6 cylinder Landcrab). I preferred the 4 cylinder car. A very tough engine, and more in keeping with Issigonis' minimalistic ideas.
He certainly was. It’s an interesting point though, the four-cylinder engine. While it’s absolutely more minimalist, it’s funny how Issigonis’ last project was a Metro with an experimental straight-six!
An excellent well balanced presentation of a great but floored car. I enjoy your real world approach where 0-60 times are irrelevant and the emphasis is on the practical and aesthetic nature of the cars. Thank you.
(You spelt 'flawed' wrong but 'aesthetic' right.) Twin Cam's' test drive brought back BMC memories. I had a brown VP Princess and an olive green Maxi as my first cars. Uninspiring colours for a 19 Yr old. The Maxi 1800 5 speed was mechanically similar as your Wolsley and just as ugly. But spacious and comfortable, yes. Like travelling on a large mattress. And with that practical hatchback! The Wolsley was the upmarket version of the Maxi.
@@iconicshrubbery thank you for the spelling correction, I am quite literate and can spell flawed, however I intended the use of the term 'floored', as that's where it ended up, on the floor. The competition totally decimated it.
Love the memory lane feeling and the knowledge you instil in these clips. You are by far the best at showing these classic cars. Don't know if you've seen Freddie Dobbs, check out Royal Enfield 350 Meteor. You have the same quality of presentation.
Great review Ed. You did a vlog of this exact car a couple of years back and its so great to see you getting to drive and really appreciate. You should try and do a drive review of another 2 under dogs: the Maxi (I learnt to drive in my Dad's - yeah the gearbox could be a bit of a challenge but wasnt as bad as some people make out) and try and get hold of a real underdog - the Austin 3 litre which I totally love. Keep up the great work mate
When I was a kid I never liked the styling of the ADO17. I thought they were ugly. Cousins of us had a blue Wolseley which I loved riding in. It was better than our MK11 Cortina. You get older and times change. Now I respect what these people were all about. I would have one.
The car I always disliked was the Hillman Hunter.....My goodness, I hated those cars!!! I found them so ugly and unimaginative.....Have to admit I'm pleased they're no longer made, plus, I'm thankful I NEVER sat in one.....
well done Ed a fabulous video and probably one of the most in depth i’ve ever listened to on the land crab like you i love an underdog and especially a BMC BL one! my auntie and uncle and cousin had a 1800 and 2200 respectively and i remember the wafty ride and thick comfortable seats i am hard pressed to think of another car as roomy especially on a run it’s a shame it didn’t catch on more than it did as it could have changed motoring as much as the DS and another missed opportunity is the pininfarina 1800! Ben keeps that 1885 immaculate and it’s a stunning car well done Ed looking forward to the next video
I feel like the proportions of the landcrabs could have been helped massively if they'd just extended the boot a couple more inches, not that the extra space was needed, but it would have given the rear a far more traditional silhouette, while also making the whole car look larger, which would have appeased what I think was one of the biggest problems for buyers' first impressions.
Re: door-sharing, the unique to Australia X6 Tasman and Kimberley also had them. They pioneered the E6 engine. The Vauxhall Victor FB and Cresta PB also shared doors as did Ford's Cortina Mk1 and Corsair. In the Corsair all the glazing was shared with Cortina too. Fiat did the same with their Farina saloons and the succeeding 124 and 125.
Great video Ed. Love the Landcrab and this Wolseley example is probably the most desirable version. Just beautiful IMHO. Thanks also to the owner for providing such a beautiful example. I think this is a MK I and has a nicer interior than the MK II. 😍
Thanks as always Peter! I think so too. The Mk2 has the arm rests, but this one has the more elegant door furniture and proper leather. It's a phenomenal thing and a credit to the owner, who rescued it from a scrap yard in 2018!
Ah, that takes me back...my dad had what must have been one of the last, a 1975 Morris 2200 6 cylinder. This was just when I was learning to drive so I practiced in the Landcrab between lessons in the instructor's Mk2 Escort. Two things I still remember about the hydrolastic suspension - if you did a hill start it would try and level itself when on the handbrake, sometimes to quite extreme angles: but it sat utterly level with a caravan hitched to it and an entire family holiday loaded. It also drove very well with the caravan because the powered wheels were right at the front, not a hint of a weave on the motorway.
I would have this or any BMC over any ford. Yes the interior is huge and you're too far away from the dash but engineering wise it's streets ahead. This and the Maxi are the ones for me. I would like to see a test drive of the orange maxi you had on the channel as that car is lovely.
Ed, you have now covered the “bookends” of the ADO cars so very well, so now it’s time to get a nice ADO16 on the channel - maybe a later 1300 version (Wolseley or 1300 GT even!)
I bought a 2nd hand Austin 1800 mk2 in 1977. It was a truly wonderful thing to drive. I'm 6'2 and was very comfortable in it. It felt refined, yes a bit basic, but a grand vehicle for extended touring
Being used to driving Valiants, the Austin 1800 while looking compact was surprisingly tardis like when getting behind the wheel. Always liked the ute version- would be a great upgrade to shoehorn a Magna V6 AWD driveline or from an EVO lancer , whichever fit better.
I drove an early Model Morris and found it to be, the most luxurious ride in any class I have driven. New car manufacturers could learn a lot from this fine example of motoring.
Apart for some Citroen I have travelled in it was a very nice car, but the electrics failed often, turning it to three-cylinder mode if you drove it through puddles. And it drank oil like no other car I ever have used, about a gallon per filled tank of fuel. Worse than any two-stroke I've used!
Thanks for the great video. Just one complaint, if I may: please, show us the boot of the car next time. I know it might sound weird, but it's one of those details I very much enjoy seeing.
Excellent review. In Australia it came smack up against the conventional 6 cylinder (and later optional V8) Holden, Falcon, Valiant trio of family cars with predictable results. The Mk 1 looked so dumpy but the Mk 2 looked better and sold better too. In the 80s I drove a friends Camino Gold Mk2 automatic quite a bit and it was brilliant, apart from the awkward steering wheel. With regard to the engine. The 1.8 litre B series was a huge improvement on the B series in the Farina cars. It was re-engineered in many areas with a 5 main bearing crank as opposed to the 3 bearing crank of the earlier engines. The 5 bearing engines are much smoother and basically bullet-proof compared to the more vibration prone 3 bearing versions. I can't imagine it with a smaller engine, the 1.8 was adequate but not overpowered by any means. Issigonis was incredibly clever but flawed and I think he had a lot to answer for at the end of the day.
I couldn't agree with you more about the suspension on the BMC 1800. I never had one of these but I did have an MG 1300 with a similar setup. I think it was a 1972 model. I did have the Citroen BX cars, I think I had three of them and although the system not the same as the BMC Hydrolastic, was kind of similar and the net result was an amazing suspension. I did have some slight problems with what I think was the sphere called the accumulator (forgive me if I'm wrong) which failed on two of the cars. However, the costs to repair I don't remember as being exorbitant. I too cannot understand why we no longer have these incredible suspension systems on our vehicles. Maybe I should contact BYD to consider an updated liquid suspension for their EV models of which I now drive. Thank you for a brilliant nostalgic visit to yesteryear.
Splendid car, with the almost bench-like front seats so close together due to no transmission tunnel, and the 'hockey stick' handbrake coming from under the dashboard. My dad had an 1800, and ex-girlfriend had the Wolseley version. and they were the favourite cars of all they both owned. Dad even carried on driving his when one of the gears went kaput, and only got rid of it when another one went. I was a kid when dad owned his, and compared to the Reliant Regal that was his first car, and the Vauxhall Viva HA that followed it, it felt like a limousine. That still went for the two Vauxhall Caveliers that followed it.
Thanks Ed another Brilliant car review, love the Wolseley version of the BMC 1800 think it looks quite stately and like the interior with the wooden dash and round dails over the strip speedo of the Austin & Morris versions. The example you had to test looks incredible what a credit to it's owner ♥️👍🏻.
Ed, I grew up in Australia and my dad's first new car was a 1965 Morris 1100. He had owned a used Austin A40 before that. I got my license in 1975, and my first two cars were Morris Mini 850's. I remember how smooth the Hydrolastic suspension was in the Morris 1100. I have to say I would have loved to own a 3 litre six cylinder version of the Land Crab with the hatchback body which was available in Australia. It was an interesting vehicle.
He missed a feature or this car that surprised me. When I was about 18 and driving around the countryside with friends in Australia, vans and station wagons were very popular, because you could throw a mattress in the back. This meant you could go on an overnight outing with friends and their cars. Some friends took tents, but for convenience and comfort, you couldn't beat a car with a mattress in it. You and if you had one, your girl, could sleep in your car, saving driving in to town and money on a hotel room. Important as most of us had little money back then. Most of it was spent on the trip and party. A friends father purchased an 1800, that I'm sure the Wolseley model has the same capability as they are almost identical. Although the manual model in this video has a floor shift. My friends was an automatic with the gear selector coming out of the dash. When you put the front seats forward and reclined them they lined up perfectly with the back seats, giving you a very comfortable double bed. Sadly the car broke down with gearbox issues I think and his father got rid of it. Which was the real reason why Australians abandoned English manufactured cars. Aussies do a lot of miles, reliability was very important to us. English cars just didn't cut the mustard on that score : (
Another great video. The ADO's big family car was just not pretty, but I do think the Maxi was a great car, and had a hatch. The Princess was a revived 1800 in a new dress and the Ambassador got a hatch. What happened with the Montego? Yep the hydro suspension system should have been developed beyond hydragas, which was better.
An impressive, but criminally overlooked car - had it looked as good as it went it could have had a different story. Perhaps the British car buyer at the time though didn’t want clever, or roomy, or novel. Much as it is a very impressive car, it suffered a similar fate to the Mk4 Zephyr - it was too odd! Great presentation as always - it’s nice to see you driving the cars too!!
My dad's was drinking oil like mad in old age, and the car shouldn't be driven in wet weather as it easily reverted to three-cylinder mode. And why on earth not sold as a hatchback?!
In the 1980s I’d often attend car auctions and seeing a BMC/Leyland car limping into the ring with once side lower then the other was a familiar sight. Having said that, I owned a couple of hydrolastic cars and never had any problem with them at all.
Very nice documentary! (I think we can call it that) As always with BL and BMC, so much of only. Your conclusions about Issigonis are very on point, I think. His beliefs in good car design became to dogmatic and they didn't work with bigger cars. As for the weird proportions: big cars for example don't need the wheels on the corners to create a huge wheelbase, because well... they already are big
I had a Wolseley 18/85 it was limeflower in colour! My mother usedto callbit "The yellow Submarine" hah, but i liked it a lot.It was solid pretty reliable and like you said such a smooth drive..
Enjoyable and excellent video! Definitely automotive history is littered with failed cars that had excellent engineering and lousy styling. Stylistically, it's the greenhouse primarily, and the rear deck secondarily ,that kills the Landcrab in my eyes. I agree, the Austin and Morris versions exude absolute poverty. The VDP Princesses of the Farina and ADO16 variety are far more appealing to me. Anyway, over here in Kentucky I'm going for a P4.😁
I was born a couple of years after the Landcrab went out of production. Remember seeing these growing up in the 1980s (many reaching banger status) and thinking how odd they looked compared to the many other saloons on the road.
Everyone should have a look at the Pininfarina 1800. Good god, another ''what could have been''. Edit: There was even a Matchbox version! Edit again...Ha ha you showed it just after I wrote this.
On reviewing this I had a couple of Citroens and a landcrab. I'd argue that the Citroen system was more complicated or less reliable than the Leyland one. Both were good and interestingly the only failure in suspension was on the Landcrab
Another great video Ed. The whole land crab range had the image of an older mans car at the time which was a great shame considering it's driving dynamic. The Ford was archaic in comparison, I mean, cart springs? The Wolseley was the best looking of the bunch. The SIx drove brilliantly and could cruise for days. I would have one tomorrow. Mind you, I am 62 now so maybe I just fit the demographic?
Thanks as always mate! I feel that the Landcrab's elderly clientele wasn't just because of the car's style and attitude, but also thanks to brand loyalty. Some people just always buy cars from the same company, and with Wolseleys traditionally being one of the top UK manufacturers, it's unsurprising that many older people thought they were stepping into something special.
Yes . I also owned an 1800 in Australia went around Australia however sorry to say hydrolastic failure ended my journey after the road became dirt the east west engine ran very hot . The repair bills were horrendous in their day being such an an advance d hi tech not appreciated by the way It was my favourite car I've owned about 75 cars and the seller a mother same her she loved all the side pockets and large glove bow as I'm amech of conventional vehicles I enjoyed its totally different approach to everything. In Melbourne early in the journey I had to replace the primary gear engine out normally however I manage to replace it on the street . So Ed as you can gather here we had our challenges I agreed with all you said but the rally side yes they came second in the most exciting event for me anyway the London to Sydney. However bl entered 4 cars initially heavily invested that event I believe a steering rack was flown in . I watched every stage every on TV Tech comes with down side I s why Toyota is so hesitant to go electric. Isolated countries like Australia with small populations and few industries will struggle. Toyota don't risk you British are extremely courageous I'm this I love your approach . And I hope this is not off track . A hill man Hunter won the first place and deserved it Those cars from routes group were legendary simple and reliable. Ask any Irish front those days or any Iranian.. So edd loved your video The ride was its biggest feature As you notice d Only car also superb Renault 16 Very similar ride quality quite different approach also.only car slowing for speed humps not necessary. Thanks for sharing 70.s mechani c. From a hot dry country. Chris oflaherty.
A brilliant review Ed. Poor marketing research once again hit BMC where it had its biggest opportunity. Spending a huge amount of money to produce a car for a minority market took valuable funds from other options. I like the Land Crab and my dad had a Maxi although I was never a fan of the style even as a child although the practicality was incredible in those times. I do remember being a passenger in an automatic 1800 in my late teens and was blown away by the comfortable ride but other options on the market style wise were much more dynamic and sporty looking even though they were inferior as a car. As the old saying goes you only have one chance to make a first impression. Many thanks for sharing another well produced video Ed. In the unlikely event that I ever consider getting into producing videos I hope you don't mind me asking for your advice.
I agree with you about the almost criminal lack of progress by manufacturers regarding ride quality, considering the state of modern roads, we seem to have reached an impasse where coil springs and struts are regarded as the ultimate solution. , not to mention the bone jarring low profile tyre.
In Australia the 1800 was built and sold as an Austin. I was a teenager in the late sixties, I remember the Mini, the 1100 as a Morris and the 1800 all being popular cars and plentiful on our roads. The late Paddy Hopkirk drove a works Austin 1800 to second place in the London to Sydney car marathon in 1968. That race passed through our farm on a competitive stage. I think the 1800 is a good looking vechile. British Leyland in Australia went on to make a car called the P76 , it got canned for various reasons but was probably ahead of its time too.
The Wolseley's have one of the nicest interior I have ever seen. Regarding the engine, I think they also forgot a very simy thing that was fairly common at the time: overlaping. There should be some overlap in ranges, not much but some. The entry level engine on this should be the same as the top spec on the previous segment car. That way the buyer could choose either a top spec ADO 16 with a very lively engine or.... For almost the same price, a bigger car but with limited power, maybe enticing people to step up from the ADO16 because it wouldn't be that more expensive and wouldn't use that much more gas. Also, for the costumer already wanting one of these,. It would provide them with a much more economical alternative.
Thank you so much for yet another fantastic, professionally produced video, my Dad had a Morris 1800 S with twin SU carbs, your so right it was a long serving absolutely fantastic family car, I was lucky enough to be able to drive it once I had passed my test, it was very quick, happy days 😁
Brilliant video, many thanks. My lasting memory of the 1100 was rust. Especially rusting sills, wheel arches and subframe. Such a pity for a nippy little car. 😕
Im sure thy could have adapted it into an estate option too - using the same floor pan/running gear . It would have been like a removal truck for load capacity
I'm in New Zealand and when I was a youngster I had an 1100 & a 1300 & an 1800, not all at the same time. As a youngster I didn't appreciate the interior size of these cars compared to others. Obviously I knew the 1800 was really roomy, but until I got into Cadillacs, of which I've had a few, I didn't appreciate just how roomy they were for a small car. None of my Cadillacs have had the same leg room as the 1800! Wow! Pure genius!
The X19 was not fitted with the Twin Cam engine ? Some cars have been modified by their owners to accept the Lampredi Twin Cam? You are getting the Fiat X19 with the Lancia Montecarlo code named X20 when it was being developed which was fitted with the Twin Cam engine?
We had these in Australia back in the mid 60’s and were just named the Austin 1800. In size they were almost comparable to the local offerings of Holden and Ford Falcon. Thwarted probably by there wheezy performance and lack of durability on our longer distance’s between towns and less then perfect roads. Farmers found them wanting in their abilities to tow a trailer of any size. Even with the addition of a Ute which I think was just an Australian oddity. There comfort and interior appointments admittedly were first class and superior to the local offerings. Later we had the Tasman and Kimberly which had 2.6 liter 6 cylinder engines but were still considered wheezy and inferior to the other local offerings. The final nail in the coffin in Australia was the introduction of the Leyland P76. A full size car comparable to the Holden and Ford Falcon of the time. The P76 had the British 2.6 liter six and and alloy V8. These vehicles could do nothing to compete against the local offerings. Due to there atrocious build qualities and lack luster performance and terrible build qualities, none of these vehicles could compete against what was offered here so they died a natural death along with the rest of the British car industry🇦🇺.
Don't forget the Utility that was unique to Australia and NZ. It had the upgraded drive shafts, as did the MK II 1800. There was also the Nomad based on the 1100 with the hatch back. I had a MK I 1800 with the rubber joints in the drive shafts and simple U bolts. They shredded so often that I always carried spares and could change them in 20 minutes. The distributer cap was also exposed just behind the grill. A rubber glove with the finger tips cut off fixed that disaster. It was a great car to drive though.
Enjoyed this video and the Austin 3 litre. I think they are very interesting looking cars, very nice inside. I'm sure I'll never see either in Western Canada, but I'd live to drive one.
Another excellent review, indeed, it's hard to add much to what has already been said here - a nail most confidentiality hit right on the head. The only thing I might add was that you seldom saw one of these things being driven by anyone under the age of sixty back in the 60's and early 70"s - and as Jaguar's recent troubles testify building vehicles that are (rightly or wrongly) perceived as 'old man's cars' is just death to any brand. If we chose cars with our heads rather than our hearts then this design may have been a more common sight on the road than it ever was. As for good ride quality being the preserve of old Citroen and BMC products with trick suspension this is not really true - drive a Peugeot 406 for the 1990"s for example. The problem is that today many people seem to WANT stiffly sprung sporty feeling cars. Like the pointless SUV's that litter our roads today manufacturers are simply fulling market demand in this respect alas.
Thanks Gary :) The Landcrab was certainly an old people's car. A car bought thanks to loyalty to a brand! As for Jaguar, I feel that's a very outdated view. Only people over 35 really have that perception, as Jaguar's post-2007 refresh has done wonders for its perception in younger folk. I was only seven in 2007, and people my age now view Jaguars as exceptionally cool cars. They aren't fuddy duddy, laden with wood and leather. They're dripping cool. Their problem is that they can't sell these cool cars to younger people because they can't afford them. An F-Type is cool, but it's expensive and outclassed. An XE is the basic Jag saloon, but it's too big and too expensive. Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all offer entry-level small cars now, and that's what younger people opt to drive, because a Jag isn't even on the list. As a result, they build up brand loyalty to those German marques, and therefore never end up in a Jaguar. If JLR want people to start driving Jags, they need to spend the money and do what the Germans realised they had to 20 years ago. As for ride quality, the Landcrab is sublime. I've been fortunate enough to experience a Citroen Xantia this year, and a Peugeot 406, though that one was many years ago. I can't say that either had a patch on the Landcrab. They were much stiffer. The Landcrab genuinely floats in a way I've never experienced before. I'd like to try a Citroen DS, because I'd guess that it's the only car that could match or exceed. I don't understand modern cars either. SUVs are woefully inefficient, both in terms of engineering and packaging. They make zero sense. But people are stupid and so will buy them. I think we need an Issigonis-type figure at a major car company to force a reset, much like he did in the '60s.
I had a an 18/85, just couldn't keep a front wheelbearing in it. Replaced it with a Wolseley 6, which was a revelation...in that it showed me how a modest saloon car could have great performance and be a prodigious drinking champion at the same time. It would see off most of the tuned Fords and some of the early Hot hatches (it stayed with one of those Hot Sunbeams in a fast trip across Yorkshire). But sadly it just couldn't pass a filling stations without tears of regret.....I would have one today with the proviso of a modern Diesel engine.
Was intrigued by the story of ado17 production at Longbridge where the width made it unable to fit in the conveyor bridge needing to be trucked from west to south works, sounds farfetched but not unbelievable. In Australia we also had the slightly better styled Tasman and Kimberley but still not up to the challenge the local Holden, Falcon and Valiant competition and was replaced by the doomed P76
I worked for a BL dealership in the 70's and got to drive a few of these and loved them, particularly the 2200. But all of them had the wafty cable gear linkage that let them down!
Growing up in the 70s & 80s I used to see a lot of Austin Maxis about as well as many other BL models i.e. Allegro, Princess, Marina etc. also older models like the Austin 1300. However I rarely saw a Land Crab and when I did I thought it was some kind of Maxi.
There was also a 3 Ltr with an elongated body as I found out in 1969 on a trip to TER 4 Heathrow to see the first commercial flight of Concorde - I’d swung into the parking place on the 3rd floor then going onto the roof to watch the take off - all went well till we went back to the car by this time having a 3Ltr black limo next to me completely forgetting I was on full lock and proceeded to reverse hitting the lower sill. The Driver of which was a chauffeur to a government Minister. - He calmly looked at the dented sill and said he hadn’t seen it happen !!! Won’t be doing that again. Cool vlog with great in depth history - thanks 👍👏🇬🇧
Thanks Ray, great story 😅 I’d love to have seen Concorde fly. But as I say in the video, the Austin 3-Litre is not an elongated Landcrab. It’s a totally different car that shares the doors.
Thank you for a very comprehensive report on the Landcrab and it's history in the scheme of things. I passed my driving test in 1964 and owned a rubber cone suspension Mini. I also owned Hydrolastic Mini and the Austin 1100, My memory is that the Hydrolastic lost its ride height due to pressure leaks and it had to be restored by a special pump which replaced the lost fluid. This rendered it unsuitable for DIY maintenance. I also drove the Austin 3 litre which I recall was uninspiring on performance. Rusty rear sub frames of the Mini and generally poor build quality, plus a lack of underbody protection from the climatic conditions, meant Austin Morris , BL , BMC were not renowned for longevity.
Have to agree with your analysis. We had an Austin 1300 and I remember my father doing (or trying to do) work on it and explain to a very young child how the suspension worked. It seemed a nightmares, particularly with all the corrosion issues to deal with on top. I remember my father trying to patch the rust up with fibre glass and the the suspension being real pain and having to be topped up. We had holes in the front floor plan you could see through. That said, the car was 1968 reg which we got second hand around 1970 and I think we got rid of it in 1979, so not bad all in all even if it was a constant nightmare for my hard up parents.
I had an Austin 1800 with an auto box for a while; sadly, it died when the body rusted beyond economic repair. Before then, it was arguably the favourite of all the cars I've had (but don't mention the fuel consumption!). Inside, the back was like a playroom for the children, it was so spacious; and the boot was big enough to take all the family holiday luggage without compromise. The handling was such that I felt I could drive it along windy country roads (often in Wales) just like a Mini. The Hydrolastic suspension sprang a leak when the flexible pipe from the actuator rubbed against the body - but that was easily and cheaply fixed with a bicycle puncture repair patch held on with a jubilee clip! And blow convention - I really like the look of the car.
@@winfrithhodges My father looked forward to going on visits with his CO when they used the boss’s 1800 staff car as he said it was comfortable and quick.
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Peugeot clearly stole the rear from this car
Which Peugeot?
You are a breath of fresh air on this era of cars mate, too many lazy car journalists far too eager to dismiss cars from the past with a single sentence and zero research
I was actually half way through the video before I realised just how good your content is. This is like a Top Gear for Nerds. You've also reminded me about just how comfortable the Land Crab was. Especially in the back.
I'd prefer to call it, "Top Gear for sane, grown up people". Top Gear hasn't been a motoring show since that thug Clarkson arrived.
I'm not afraid to say this is THE BEST video of the Landcrab to date. Top notch knowledge, vocabulary and presentation sets you above the usual cartubers.
The future of car reviews. Fantastic research and execution of the video Ed.
Love your work. Your enthusiasm is very catchy.
This is an excellent video I really enjoyed. I live in Canada and my dad had an Austin 1800 when I was a kid. He was so proud of the fact it had more room inside than most of the American monsters of the day. I remember us having 5 or 6 kids in the back, etc. You wouldn't get away with that these days! And now I'm restoring one of my own, to go along with my Mini.
also from Canada: I have a restored 1967 Mini Traveler (station wagon) "steelie" - it had the wood trim deleted at the factory. It's got a 1275 from a Mark III Midget, with 2x1.25 SUs instead of the perfectly adequate 1.5 - they just look so much better! Biggest engine mod: we hardened the valve seats for unleaded - got sick of little bottles of additive. Hope you kept the 10" wheels on your Mini - but I can tell you it's hell's own job converting the fronts with a disc kit. Luck with the crab - you sure have a lot more room to work with!
@@coldlakealta4043 Nice to hear from you! My Mini is a very early 1959 Morris, restored as original. It has the 850, magic wand gearbox, 10" wheels, etc. I'd never chop up such an early car. The 1800 will be as original too when finished.
@@ianmcgee9945 Yep, I remember stirring the gears on my Mum's early Mini. They were always in there somewhere, tho' Be well.
It was the space that I remembered. My brother had one. He described as a living room on wheels. The Austin 3 litre had even more. A friend had a Crayford Estate conversion of a 3 litre, that used to belong to a Brooke Bond executive, he called it the flying tea chest, it had more room than a small van!
My dad had an Austin 1800 (VVY 848J) in the 1970s, too. It was ideal for ferrying lots of kids about and I remember it as luxurious and comfortable with a smooth ride (although I was only a small boy, so my memories might be unreliable, just a bit). It was a sad day when he traded it in for... a Morris Marina. Oh dear, was that a mistake!
Yet another great video. When I was a child we had a harvest gold Austin 2200 and it was great for transporting a family of six. The six cylinder motor was so smooth and torquey that my father couldn’t be parted from it when it was replaced by his first company car - a mark one Vauxhall Cavalier. Consequently it sat on the drive until it rusted away.
Issigonis was responsible for some good cars. My relatives lived next to him and drove an experimental mini he had in his garage unknown to anyone else. Major problem with flawed designs often came from the man himself. He was a prima-donna engineer and the air used to turn blue when it came to suggested design changes especially when related to what customers might want. Sad that his talent and ego got in the way of making outstanding cars.
I heard in the drawing offices his nickname was "Ishegoneyet"?
i still find it fuckin hilarious that the mini had 4 ashtrays but no radio. love issegonis for that, and it even carried over to the metro!!
@@shaungreer3350 Cars didn't generally have radios in the late 50s - and most had even a heater as an optional extra.
I had one and did 250,000 miles in it. And it was far from new when I bought it. It wasn't trouble-free but on the motorway it just sat there like a museum. As it got older, people joked that I should alert the AA in advance before leaving but that was true of many vehicles in those days. It did 120 000 miles after the power steering failed even though the book said don't. I'd give it 4 stars out of five.
A really superb video again. In these 36 months, you have honed your craft to a very high standard, where you now stand alongside the very best motoring presenters. This video for example, is better than it could have been allowed to be on TV. Very well done!
I agree. Just as good actually better - than 5th Gear or Top Gear. Hope you're getting your show reels ready! 🙂
My first car was an Austin 1800 Mk2 here in Australia in the early 70's. One of its greatest features was the ability of the front seats to lay back completely flat which resulted in a wonderful bed. Ideal for drive-inn evenings or ... umm ... other activities. 😉
Wow. My dad's 1800 here in the UK had no such facility, back in the 1970s. Not that I was old enough to even imagine such "other activities". Lovely car, though.
I didn't have one but I do remember the front bench seat cars were great too
Other activities?? I'm certain I have no idea what you mean.
I've worked at a number of car manufacturers in engineering. It's occasionally discussed that the only characteristic of car design that _hasn't_ improved over the years is ride quality.
People seem more interested in Nurburgring times and stupidly large wheel sizes with skinny tyres.
I am in Australia. My first car was a Morris 1100. I have always wondered why hydrolastic suspension didn't become standard. Perhaps it wasn't the best type of suspension for towing.
Especially in view of poor road surfaces, low profile tyres are just dreadful. Thankfully my Volvo v70 doesn't have them.
@@jamesschafferius2687
Probably cost.
@@hoffwell
Yes, easy to smash an allot in a pot hole if you have skinny tyres on it.
Back in the 1980s, even 15" wheels were seen as big for a performance car.
The tickford Capri, with a 2.8i turbo engine, was still on 13" wheels.
Even the Aston Martin V8 Vantage was only on 15".
I agree. I hate the 'crash, bang, wallop' of low profiles. A chiropractor & dentist's dream! But - I have a Defender - so crunch along on huge balloons ... LOL!
The video brings back so many childhood memories for me - thank you. My dad was an upwardly mobile engineering manager in the late 1960's. We were all set to take over a 6 month old Corsair 2000E when my dad moved jobs and we moved house. Apparently, the guy leaving had abused it somewhat in it's short life and my dad rejected it. We ended up with an Austin 1800. When it turned up - like a large white bride - it didn't set the pulse racing with excitement - that's for sure. Especially as my dad had been assigned (short term) an MG1300 saloon AD016 type and we all absolutely loved that. The crab took a long time to get in our good books. It was however spacious and as kids we saw a lot of Britain out of the rear windows. It was also the first car I got to 'steer' whilst it was in motion (health & safety types look away). But, it loaded us all - including granny and grandad - for extended family visits. The build quality wasn't great (did you know bare body shells were transported from one factory building to another on lorries as the covered tunnels weren't big enough to accommodate it's width - LOL)? The white paint flaked off after one of my stray footballs hit it - and that wallowy waft suspension wasn't much cop on black ice - something my dad discovered when he banged up the front wing. But, we toured all of Ireland in it - and it never missed a beat - including in floods and a thunderstorm of epic proportions. But, you are right in your assessment - my mum felt like an old fart in it - and it wasn't replaced at the end of two years by another. Oddly mind, all these years on - I oddly fancy a Wolseley Six. One of my schoolmates dad had one - and towed a caravan with it. With the Rostyles - it is a nice looker - in a warped kind of a way...?
Needed the twin-carb version to do any good.
Can't wait to get another land crab ,saving like mad. Prices can go up to £12 000 , I only paid £75 pounds in 1969. Dumpt on the side of the road ,but used it for over ten years.
Talking of instruments, in 1979 my mate's dad had one of the new model Avengers (when they had become Chrysler rather than Hillman) and it had a green illumination on the instruments. This was so impressive that we referred to this as the X-Wing Fighter dash board, and to be honest we still use the expression to this day for any instrument layout that looks as if be belongs in a cockpit rather than a passenger compartment.
This is great - not just any old landcrab, but the posh Wolseley version! 🥰 I'll always say it's more than "badge engineering" because of the grill & trim etc. These are a popular classic over here. Btw. I'm glad you have a sponsor now - that shows people respect and have confidence in your video work!
That's exactly badge engineering.
Great to see such a detailed assessment of the 1800 series. I must have been a very strange schoolboy as, when my best friend's dad was collecting a brand new Escort Mexico in Daytona yellow, I felt no envy whatsoever and was busy pleading with my own father to buy an 1800 in teal blue. It just seemed so stately and cavernous, and, dare I say, British? We eventually got a Maxi, so I could at least dream some of the dream. Had we ever won the pools what would my choice have been? Austin 3-Litre, without a doubt!
Just to add - Daytona Yellow was the 1970's No1 destination choice of every wasp and insect in the British summer. Park up anywhere in Daytona Yellow and you may as well have smeared yourself from head to toe in honey. Teal blue is, and always will be - really classy. Triumph did a Valencia Blue - which was even classier. I wanted a Stag in Valencia blue - but I was on the company car treadmill by then, so it never happened. At least I saved my wallet from annihilation .. LOL!
Definitely the Austin 3 litre!! Super motor!!
Love your videos that cover classic cars. Wish the UK could bring back its auto design, manufacturing and ownership back, imagine a modern British built Jag XKE. Thanks to Ed and Twin-Cam for another fine watch of automotive history.
Tesla is busy destroying the car industry with its efficient designs.
UK should be stepping up with cars designed to compete. We won’t of course that would need Elon Musk style management, something UK just refuses to do.
@@davidelliott5843 Not a fan of EV's yet, slow charge times, short range and a bit pricey---not to mention the cost of new batteries. Tesla's styling looks like a mid-level car, not great on overall looks, but I do love Musk's "SpaceX." The UK once had some of the best-looking cars, what happened?
A friends father owned a Wolseley six in , I think, blue. A lovely thing to be transported in.
Love the Austin 1800. I had a saloon and a ute,. Put in a smaller engine, are you nuts... not in Australia, it had to compete with six cylinder cars. As usual the accountants won over on the engineers. You are right about not necessarily being better off in the motoring world today. The NSU RO80 was also a car ahead of its time.
IIRC correctly BMC Oz engineered a Rover V8 into an 1800 and though I never saw it a friend's neighbour was on the development team and he used to drive it. Sadly it never got past development and the P76 got the gig for a V8 powered car in Oz. BMC ran an 1800 in rallies driven by Evan Green and it was fairly successful against the works Renault R8 Gordinis.
Another fantastic video Ed, even the way you incorporated the sponsorship (other content creators take note!).
The Landcrab had some great success in rallying for many of the reasons you specify.
Had BMC had the funds to do a late 60s reskin it may have been a different story (and indeed obviated the need for the Maxi...)
I miss my Australian MK2 1800 so much. Comfortable, roomy, surprising road holding. Non powered steering was so heavy at parking speeds but just lovely when on the move. Enjoyable video, thanks!
Thanks Liam :)
I have to say, I think an 1800 might be on my 'one day' list.
I've always liked the styling of the landcrab and find it infinitely more appealing than the Maxi (a sort of sister car) which I find had an awkward and ungainly look to it.
I loved the Maxi, I had three of them. One 1500 and two 1750 a very commodious and comfortable family car and I would definitely buy another one.
The Maxi had to share the Landcrab’s doors so it was never going to look good when you consider that the Maxi had to be a smaller car.
I have to agree.
You can tell that the Maxi was constrained compared to the Landcrab.
@@Odnet001 The landcrab's doors were also used in the most expensive car of that era, the Panther De Ville.
@@TwinCam you must be smaller than me ( 220+ LB and 6+FT ) as i wouldn't have bought the BMC-1000 ( can't fit in it same for GM-metros and panda's ) and having the better 3L-5L jag-6 is welcome and i don't care for 4-cylinder's and its under powered in my opinion or at least the one in the video
probably still get the charger, puting this vs american charger in 1968 as a buyer but it is competitive choice im just not a FWD-only-guy as both cost about the same in 1969-window tag's
I love this channel. The little dog. The abandoned serial killer's burial site barn. Perfect for the eccentric British cars of the 50s and 60s.
The Australian Austin Kimberley proved that a Landcrab-based car doesn't need to look ungainly. But as for the BMC 1800, I'm pretty sure it would be more aerodynamic going backwards than forwards!
The Morris 1800 mk2 was my first car, I did nearly 100,000 miles in it ( before I replaced it) in terms of leg room and comfort I haven’t found anything to replace it ( I am 6 foot 7 tall)
My dad had one, it was a lovely car, we had three driving holidays in France with just one glitch. It was a comfortable ride and greatly admired by our French friends. It was capable of accommodating two adults and three teenagers and all our luggage.
History brings back good old memories of the past and refreshes its old beauties to the young generations . I came to know BMC range of products way back in the 60s when I was just a kid ......I am now 75 but memories of those beauties still remain fresh in my mind . Thanks for this channel in reviewing Trojan Horses of yesteryears......
Thanks Bobby :)
I've watched a few Twin-Cam now and they're always well worth watching. 10/10.
i had one for 12 years and i loved it. A great family car with lots of room for the kids and it never lot me down
Thank you so much. What an absolutely fantastic video. You summed up the good the bad the ugly & the brilliance of the land crab perfectly. In 1981 when I was 12 my Dad replaced his K reg Vauxhall Viva with a 1975 Wolseley 6 auto which got us 4 kids, I was the eldest & Mum & Dad in perfectly. I loved it from the second I saw it. The 6 cylinder 2.2 Litre engine the arm rests front & back seats, the auto gear change on the dash board the wood interior well to me it was so posh after the Viva & I was hooked. To me it did & they still do now look such amazing looking cars. Keep up your brilliant work.
Brilliant video, again, Ed. You summed up, beautifully, the advances in automotive development. Whilst I like modern cars they all rely on electronics to ‘enhance’ driver input. Whilst I drive a ‘modern’ for everyday use it’s my older cars I drive for pleasure. I have just added a 1953 Vauxhall Velox (GM-H assembled) to my fleet. The Velox cost £1178/6/6 Aussie pounds, on the road. Just a small point, we did the Aussie thing and shoehorned a 6 cylinder in the Farinas giving us the luxury Wolseley 24/80 (my first car) and the, lower spec, Austin Freeway. Great to see you driving and enjoying the cars you review.
Had a '69 18/85 auto (same colour as this one) that I replaced my 64 16/60 auto with. The dimensions of the landcrab are positively tardis like compared to modern stuff and still a doddle to slot in modern day parking spaces.
I learnt to drive in an Austin 1800. I was 16 at the time. It was my mother's car. It was an amazing car, very secure on the road and very spacious.
I took it to 100 moh and felt very save, more so than in many other cars since.
This video brings back many good memories of this car.
When you put the front seats as far forward as you could, and laid the seat back down, the seat back aligned with the back seat making a huge and very comfortable bed.
Great for camping and - well, I'll leave that to your imagination!
It's a crime they didn't do an estate version of this, they could have solved both the size issue and the awkward market placement.
I never knew much about these, thanks for the video!
That is such a well designed automobile. Its well thought out with a simple approach that is magnificent.
This very nicely put together video brought back many memories of what I have always said was my all-time favourite of all the cars I've owned - the Land crab. I had four of these, all purchased second hand from Frimley car auctions. My first was a 1964, followed by 1966, 1968 & 1970. I also purchased an insurance write off to replace the engine and gearbox in the 1964 car when the big ends started to rattle. Apart from that, I never had any mechanical problems with any of them. I remember too, being told that an 1800 had more room in the back than a Rolls Royce, which may or may not have been true, but it was certainly cavernous. I also purchased a Wolseley 18/85 and a Wolseley Six for my father from the same auctions, and he loved both of them and had many years trouble free motoring. I later had both a 1500 Maxi, a 1750 Maxi and a 1700 Princess. No comparison, I disliked all of them as they just didn't hack it like a Land crab. One thing I never noticed but learned today, the Land crab & Maxi had the same doors. A very enjoyable 37 minutes thanks.
Thanks mate 🙂
Very clever of you, Ed, doing another thirty-minute video of a car you covered in another video...... and it was still such a good job. Thank you.
Great presentation, as always; your knowledge and style are wonderful. Thanks for sharing it on here.
My father owned a Austin 1800 Mkll and a Peugeot 505 and I drove both. They both hard very comfortable rides and good handling and I drove them on Australian Country Dirt roads.
I have always thought that the 1800 was the best car BMC ever made. I love the proportions. All the space within the wheel-base, so that it has secure handling, and enough space inside to actually relax [unless you are driving of course], so that the conventional designs with cart leaf rear driving rear axle - to me at least - look like a triumph of form over function. This car is just as sumptuous for the rear passengers as the front. Perhaps this was not so necessary for the kids in the family setting, but nice to have. I wish that they had made an estate version. That would have been amazing.
The Maxi was also a highly underrated car, but the sad truth is that by then BL were making very badly put together cars that broke for no good reason.
I would love to get a good 1800 and I reckon it would make a wonderful conversion to an EV powertrain. Not for a long distance tourer so much as a comfortable daily local car.
Best wishes from George
Yes George, I had three Maxis, another great car and like the Tardis far more room inside than it seems possible from the outside.
My Uncle had one. BRILLIANT car. Comfy, huge interior, massive trunk, backseat like a London cab, and 25 mpg.
Issigonis was a magician. I had a 1972 Wolseley 18/85 in the late 90s, when it was about 25 years old. I loved it. And let me make clear, it handled well. It was just like a Mini, but on steroids. It went round corners as if on rails. Just as quick as the then modern cars. Previously I had a Wolseley 6 (the 6 cylinder Landcrab). I preferred the 4 cylinder car. A very tough engine, and more in keeping with Issigonis' minimalistic ideas.
He certainly was.
It’s an interesting point though, the four-cylinder engine. While it’s absolutely more minimalist, it’s funny how Issigonis’ last project was a Metro with an experimental straight-six!
An excellent well balanced presentation of a great but floored car. I enjoy your real world approach where 0-60 times are irrelevant and the emphasis is on the practical and aesthetic nature of the cars. Thank you.
(You spelt 'flawed' wrong but 'aesthetic' right.) Twin Cam's' test drive brought back BMC memories.
I had a brown VP Princess and an olive green Maxi as my first cars. Uninspiring colours for a 19 Yr old. The Maxi 1800 5 speed was mechanically similar as your Wolsley and just as ugly. But spacious and comfortable, yes. Like travelling on a large mattress. And with that practical hatchback! The Wolsley was the upmarket version of the Maxi.
@@iconicshrubbery thank you for the spelling correction, I am quite literate and can spell flawed, however I intended the use of the term 'floored', as that's where it ended up, on the floor. The competition totally decimated it.
As a kid I didn't like the look of these cars but now I see things in a different light. Well done England, and you for such a good video!
Love the memory lane feeling and the knowledge you instil in these clips. You are by far the best at showing these classic cars. Don't know if you've seen Freddie Dobbs, check out Royal Enfield 350 Meteor. You have the same quality of presentation.
Great review Ed. You did a vlog of this exact car a couple of years back and its so great to see you getting to drive and really appreciate. You should try and do a drive review of another 2 under dogs: the Maxi (I learnt to drive in my Dad's - yeah the gearbox could be a bit of a challenge but wasnt as bad as some people make out) and try and get hold of a real underdog - the Austin 3 litre which I totally love. Keep up the great work mate
When I was a kid I never liked the styling of the ADO17. I thought they were ugly. Cousins of us had a blue Wolseley which I loved riding in. It was better than our MK11 Cortina. You get older and times change. Now I respect what these people were all about.
I would have one.
The car I always disliked was the Hillman Hunter.....My goodness, I hated those cars!!! I found them so ugly and unimaginative.....Have to admit I'm pleased they're no longer made, plus, I'm thankful I NEVER sat in one.....
well done Ed a fabulous video and probably one of the most in depth i’ve ever listened to on the land crab
like you i love an underdog and especially a BMC BL one! my auntie and uncle and cousin had a 1800 and 2200 respectively and i remember the wafty ride and thick comfortable seats i am hard pressed to think of another car as roomy especially on a run
it’s a shame it didn’t catch on more than it did as it could have changed motoring as much as the DS and another missed opportunity is the pininfarina 1800!
Ben keeps that 1885 immaculate and it’s a stunning car
well done Ed looking forward to the next video
I feel like the proportions of the landcrabs could have been helped massively if they'd just extended the boot a couple more inches, not that the extra space was needed, but it would have given the rear a far more traditional silhouette, while also making the whole car look larger, which would have appeased what I think was one of the biggest problems for buyers' first impressions.
Re: door-sharing, the unique to Australia X6 Tasman and Kimberley also had them. They pioneered the E6 engine.
The Vauxhall Victor FB and Cresta PB also shared doors as did Ford's Cortina Mk1 and Corsair. In the Corsair all the glazing was shared with Cortina too. Fiat did the same with their Farina saloons and the succeeding 124 and 125.
Thanks for doing one of my favourite cars and I have had all of the 3 makes nice to see you driving round again
Great video Ed. Love the Landcrab and this Wolseley example is probably the most desirable version. Just beautiful IMHO. Thanks also to the owner for providing such a beautiful example. I think this is a MK I and has a nicer interior than the MK II. 😍
Thanks as always Peter!
I think so too. The Mk2 has the arm rests, but this one has the more elegant door furniture and proper leather. It's a phenomenal thing and a credit to the owner, who rescued it from a scrap yard in 2018!
Ah, that takes me back...my dad had what must have been one of the last, a 1975 Morris 2200 6 cylinder. This was just when I was learning to drive so I practiced in the Landcrab between lessons in the instructor's Mk2 Escort. Two things I still remember about the hydrolastic suspension - if you did a hill start it would try and level itself when on the handbrake, sometimes to quite extreme angles: but it sat utterly level with a caravan hitched to it and an entire family holiday loaded. It also drove very well with the caravan because the powered wheels were right at the front, not a hint of a weave on the motorway.
I reckon if you'd been a BMC salesman in the 1960's, the Landcrab would've been a success...!
Great video! I especially loved the brief glimpse of the brochure that said 'fits five full sized Australians'.
Thanks Chris 🙂
I do love an old brochure.
I would have this or any BMC over any ford. Yes the interior is huge and you're too far away from the dash but engineering wise it's streets ahead. This and the Maxi are the ones for me. I would like to see a test drive of the orange maxi you had on the channel as that car is lovely.
Remember the Maxi had a 5 speed gearbox too...almost unheard of back in those days.
Ed, you have now covered the “bookends” of the ADO cars so very well, so now it’s time to get a nice ADO16 on the channel - maybe a later 1300 version (Wolseley or 1300 GT even!)
I can now confirm that I do have an ADO16 lined up - a Mk1 Wolseley 1100 - so I'll have covered Wolseley versions of all three!
Austin 3 litre too please……if you can find one.
There is a 3-Litre I know of, but whether I can secure it for a video is another matter!
austin 3 litre would be great Ed!
@@TwinCam I have an Austin 3 L in Tasmania Australia. Ready to go anytime. Well…..keep it in mind. 😀
I bought a 2nd hand Austin 1800 mk2 in 1977. It was a truly wonderful thing to drive. I'm 6'2 and was very comfortable in it. It felt refined, yes a bit basic, but a grand vehicle for extended touring
Being used to driving Valiants, the Austin 1800 while looking compact was surprisingly tardis like when getting behind the wheel. Always liked the ute version- would be a great upgrade to shoehorn a Magna V6 AWD driveline or from an EVO lancer , whichever fit better.
I drove an early Model Morris and found it to be, the most luxurious ride in any class I have driven. New car manufacturers could learn a lot from this fine example of motoring.
Apart for some Citroen I have travelled in it was a very nice car, but the electrics failed often, turning it to three-cylinder mode if you drove it through puddles. And it drank oil like no other car I ever have used, about a gallon per filled tank of fuel. Worse than any two-stroke I've used!
Thanks for the great video. Just one complaint, if I may: please, show us the boot of the car next time. I know it might sound weird, but it's one of those details I very much enjoy seeing.
Excellent review. In Australia it came smack up against the conventional 6 cylinder (and later optional V8) Holden, Falcon, Valiant trio of family cars with predictable results. The Mk 1 looked so dumpy but the Mk 2 looked better and sold better too. In the 80s I drove a friends Camino Gold Mk2 automatic quite a bit and it was brilliant, apart from the awkward steering wheel. With regard to the engine. The 1.8 litre B series was a huge improvement on the B series in the Farina cars. It was re-engineered in many areas with a 5 main bearing crank as opposed to the 3 bearing crank of the earlier engines. The 5 bearing engines are much smoother and basically bullet-proof compared to the more vibration prone 3 bearing versions. I can't imagine it with a smaller engine, the 1.8 was adequate but not overpowered by any means. Issigonis was incredibly clever but flawed and I think he had a lot to answer for at the end of the day.
We aussies tested the 6cyl engines in the later Kimberley and Tasman.
@@johncoops6897 there used to be a lot of marinas around in the day.
I couldn't agree with you more about the suspension on the BMC 1800. I never had one of these but I did have an MG 1300 with a similar setup. I think it was a 1972 model. I did have the Citroen BX cars, I think I had three of them and although the system not the same as the BMC Hydrolastic, was kind of similar and the net result was an amazing suspension. I did have some slight problems with what I think was the sphere called the accumulator (forgive me if I'm wrong) which failed on two of the cars. However, the costs to repair I don't remember as being exorbitant. I too cannot understand why we no longer have these incredible suspension systems on our vehicles. Maybe I should contact BYD to consider an updated liquid suspension for their EV models of which I now drive. Thank you for a brilliant nostalgic visit to yesteryear.
Splendid car, with the almost bench-like front seats so close together due to no transmission tunnel, and the 'hockey stick' handbrake coming from under the dashboard.
My dad had an 1800, and ex-girlfriend had the Wolseley version. and they were the favourite cars of all they both owned. Dad even carried on driving his when one of the gears went kaput, and only got rid of it when another one went. I was a kid when dad owned his, and compared to the Reliant Regal that was his first car, and the Vauxhall Viva HA that followed it, it felt like a limousine. That still went for the two Vauxhall Caveliers that followed it.
Thanks Ed another Brilliant car review, love the Wolseley version of the BMC 1800 think it looks quite stately and like the interior with the wooden dash and round dails over the strip speedo of the Austin & Morris versions. The example you had to test looks incredible what a credit to it's owner ♥️👍🏻.
Thanks Steve :)
It's a gorgeous car, and to think, in 2018 it nearly went for scrap!
*Wolsley. 😉
*Wolseley, if we’re being pedantic 😉
@@TwinCam How?!
Ed, I grew up in Australia and my dad's first new car was a 1965 Morris 1100. He had owned a used Austin A40 before that. I got my license in 1975, and my first two cars were Morris Mini 850's. I remember how smooth the Hydrolastic suspension was in the Morris 1100. I have to say I would have loved to own a 3 litre six cylinder version of the Land Crab with the hatchback body which was available in Australia. It was an interesting vehicle.
He missed a feature or this car that surprised me. When I was about 18 and driving around the countryside with friends in Australia, vans and station wagons were very popular, because you could throw a mattress in the back. This meant you could go on an overnight outing with friends and their cars. Some friends took tents, but for convenience and comfort, you couldn't beat a car with a mattress in it. You and if you had one, your girl, could sleep in your car, saving driving in to town and money on a hotel room. Important as most of us had little money back then. Most of it was spent on the trip and party.
A friends father purchased an 1800, that I'm sure the Wolseley model has the same capability as they are almost identical. Although the manual model in this video has a floor shift. My friends was an automatic with the gear selector coming out of the dash. When you put the front seats forward and reclined them they lined up perfectly with the back seats, giving you a very comfortable double bed. Sadly the car broke down with gearbox issues I think and his father got rid of it. Which was the real reason why Australians abandoned English manufactured cars. Aussies do a lot of miles, reliability was very important to us. English cars just didn't cut the mustard on that score : (
Another great video. The ADO's big family car was just not pretty, but I do think the Maxi was a great car, and had a hatch. The Princess was a revived 1800 in a new dress and the Ambassador got a hatch. What happened with the Montego? Yep the hydro suspension system should have been developed beyond hydragas, which was better.
An impressive, but criminally overlooked car - had it looked as good as it went it could have had a different story. Perhaps the British car buyer at the time though didn’t want clever, or roomy, or novel. Much as it is a very impressive car, it suffered a similar fate to the Mk4 Zephyr - it was too odd! Great presentation as always - it’s nice to see you driving the cars too!!
My dad's was drinking oil like mad in old age, and the car shouldn't be driven in wet weather as it easily reverted to three-cylinder mode. And why on earth not sold as a hatchback?!
Because it was 1964 - almost nothing was a hatchback.
In the 1980s I’d often attend car auctions and seeing a BMC/Leyland car limping into the ring with once side lower then the other was a familiar sight. Having said that, I owned a couple of hydrolastic cars and never had any problem with them at all.
It’s just people that had no idea how the system works.
All they probably needed was a pump up.
1970, Australia got a restyle in the Tasman and Kimberly. The 2.6 litre six, ohc. They didn't sell well. They were replaced by the brilliant P76.
Very nice documentary! (I think we can call it that)
As always with BL and BMC, so much of only. Your conclusions about Issigonis are very on point, I think. His beliefs in good car design became to dogmatic and they didn't work with bigger cars.
As for the weird proportions: big cars for example don't need the wheels on the corners to create a huge wheelbase, because well... they already are big
I had a Wolseley 18/85 it was limeflower in colour! My mother usedto callbit "The yellow Submarine" hah, but i liked it a lot.It was solid pretty reliable and like you said such a smooth drive..
Enjoyable and excellent video! Definitely automotive history is littered with failed cars that had excellent engineering and lousy styling. Stylistically, it's the greenhouse primarily, and the rear deck secondarily ,that kills the Landcrab in my eyes. I agree, the Austin and Morris versions exude absolute poverty. The VDP Princesses of the Farina and ADO16 variety are far more appealing to me. Anyway, over here in Kentucky I'm going for a P4.😁
I was born a couple of years after the Landcrab went out of production. Remember seeing these growing up in the 1980s (many reaching banger status) and thinking how odd they looked compared to the many other saloons on the road.
Everyone should have a look at the Pininfarina 1800. Good god, another ''what could have been''.
Edit: There was even a Matchbox version!
Edit again...Ha ha you showed it just after I wrote this.
On reviewing this I had a couple of Citroens and a landcrab. I'd argue that the Citroen system was more complicated or less reliable than the Leyland one. Both were good and interestingly the only failure in suspension was on the Landcrab
The B series engine was not a refined engine as you suggest? It was more of an agricultural one better suited for a tractor than a passenger vehicle?
Another great video Ed. The whole land crab range had the image of an older mans car at the time which was a great shame considering it's driving dynamic. The Ford was archaic in comparison, I mean, cart springs? The Wolseley was the best looking of the bunch. The SIx drove brilliantly and could cruise for days. I would have one tomorrow. Mind you, I am 62 now so maybe I just fit the demographic?
Thanks as always mate!
I feel that the Landcrab's elderly clientele wasn't just because of the car's style and attitude, but also thanks to brand loyalty. Some people just always buy cars from the same company, and with Wolseleys traditionally being one of the top UK manufacturers, it's unsurprising that many older people thought they were stepping into something special.
Yes .
I also owned an 1800 in Australia went around Australia however sorry to say hydrolastic failure ended my journey after the road became dirt the east west engine ran very hot .
The repair bills were horrendous in their day being such an an advance d hi tech not appreciated by the way
It was my favourite car I've owned about 75 cars and the seller a mother same her she loved all the side pockets and large glove bow as I'm amech of conventional vehicles
I enjoyed its totally different approach to everything.
In Melbourne early in the journey I had to replace the primary gear engine out normally however I manage to replace it on the street .
So Ed as you can gather here we had our challenges I agreed with all you said but the rally side yes they came second in the most exciting event for me anyway the London to Sydney. However bl entered 4 cars initially heavily invested that event I believe a steering rack was flown in .
I watched every stage every on TV
Tech comes with down side
I s why Toyota is so hesitant to go electric.
Isolated countries like Australia with small populations and few industries will struggle.
Toyota don't risk you British are extremely courageous I'm this I love your approach .
And I hope this is not off track .
A hill man Hunter won the first place and deserved it
Those cars from routes group were legendary simple and reliable.
Ask any Irish front those days or any Iranian..
So edd loved your video
The ride was its biggest feature
As you notice d
Only car also superb Renault 16
Very similar ride quality quite different approach also.only car slowing for speed humps not necessary.
Thanks for sharing 70.s mechani c.
From a hot dry country. Chris oflaherty.
A brilliant review Ed. Poor marketing research once again hit BMC where it had its biggest opportunity. Spending a huge amount of money to produce a car for a minority market took valuable funds from other options. I like the Land Crab and my dad had a Maxi although I was never a fan of the style even as a child although the practicality was incredible in those times. I do remember being a passenger in an automatic 1800 in my late teens and was blown away by the comfortable ride but other options on the market style wise were much more dynamic and sporty looking even though they were inferior as a car. As the old saying goes you only have one chance to make a first impression. Many thanks for sharing another well produced video Ed. In the unlikely event that I ever consider getting into producing videos I hope you don't mind me asking for your advice.
I agree with you about the almost criminal lack of progress by manufacturers regarding ride quality, considering the state of modern roads, we seem to have reached an impasse where coil springs and struts are regarded as the ultimate solution. , not to mention the bone jarring low profile tyre.
Low profile tyres are a disease on our motoring experience.
In Australia the 1800 was built and sold as an Austin. I was a teenager in the late sixties, I remember the Mini, the 1100 as a Morris and the 1800 all being popular cars and plentiful on our roads. The late Paddy Hopkirk drove a works Austin 1800 to second place in the London to Sydney car marathon in 1968. That race passed through our farm on a competitive stage.
I think the 1800 is a good looking vechile. British Leyland in Australia went on to make a car called the P76 , it got canned for various reasons but was probably ahead of its time too.
The Wolseley's have one of the nicest interior I have ever seen.
Regarding the engine, I think they also forgot a very simy thing that was fairly common at the time: overlaping.
There should be some overlap in ranges, not much but some. The entry level engine on this should be the same as the top spec on the previous segment car.
That way the buyer could choose either a top spec ADO 16 with a very lively engine or.... For almost the same price, a bigger car but with limited power, maybe enticing people to step up from the ADO16 because it wouldn't be that more expensive and wouldn't use that much more gas.
Also, for the costumer already wanting one of these,. It would provide them with a much more economical alternative.
Thank you so much for yet another fantastic, professionally produced video, my Dad had a Morris 1800 S with twin SU carbs, your so right it was a long serving absolutely fantastic family car, I was lucky enough to be able to drive it once I had passed my test, it was very quick, happy days 😁
Brilliant video, many thanks. My lasting memory of the 1100 was rust. Especially rusting sills, wheel arches and subframe. Such a pity for a nippy little car. 😕
Excellent video, you have raised the bar again….
Thanks mate :)
Im sure thy could have adapted it into an estate option too - using the same floor pan/running gear . It would have been like a removal truck for load capacity
Indeed - an estate would have been bloody marvellous - and cavernous.
I'm in New Zealand and when I was a youngster I had an 1100 & a 1300 & an 1800, not all at the same time. As a youngster I didn't appreciate the interior size of these cars compared to others. Obviously I knew the 1800 was really roomy, but until I got into Cadillacs, of which I've had a few, I didn't appreciate just how roomy they were for a small car. None of my Cadillacs have had the same leg room as the 1800! Wow! Pure genius!
Beautiful vehicles and I had 2 over 40 years a 64 and a 68 and now with being retired I'm looking for a half decent one to play with.
The X19 was not fitted with the Twin Cam engine ? Some cars have been modified by their owners to accept the Lampredi Twin Cam? You are getting the Fiat X19 with the Lancia Montecarlo code named X20 when it was being developed which was fitted with the Twin Cam engine?
We had these in Australia back in the mid 60’s and were just named the Austin 1800. In size they were almost comparable to the local offerings of Holden and Ford Falcon. Thwarted probably by there wheezy performance and lack of durability on our longer distance’s between towns and less then perfect roads. Farmers found them wanting in their abilities to tow a trailer of any size. Even with the addition of a Ute which I think was just an Australian oddity. There comfort and interior appointments admittedly were first class and superior to the local offerings. Later we had the Tasman and Kimberly which had 2.6 liter 6 cylinder engines but were still considered wheezy and inferior to the other local offerings. The final nail in the coffin in Australia was the introduction of the Leyland P76. A full size car comparable to the Holden and Ford Falcon of the time. The P76 had the British 2.6 liter six and and alloy V8. These vehicles could do nothing to compete against the local offerings. Due to there atrocious build qualities and lack luster performance and terrible build qualities, none of these vehicles could compete against what was offered here so they died a natural death along with the rest of the British car industry🇦🇺.
Don't forget the Utility that was unique to Australia and NZ. It had the upgraded drive shafts, as did the MK II 1800. There was also the Nomad based on the 1100 with the hatch back. I had a MK I 1800 with the rubber joints in the drive shafts and simple U bolts. They shredded so often that I always carried spares and could change them in 20 minutes. The distributer cap was also exposed just behind the grill. A rubber glove with the finger tips cut off fixed that disaster. It was a great car to drive though.
Enjoyed this video and the Austin 3 litre. I think they are very interesting looking cars, very nice inside. I'm sure I'll never see either in Western Canada, but I'd live to drive one.
Another excellent review, indeed, it's hard to add much to what has already been said here - a nail most confidentiality hit right on the head. The only thing I might add was that you seldom saw one of these things being driven by anyone under the age of sixty back in the 60's and early 70"s - and as Jaguar's recent troubles testify building vehicles that are (rightly or wrongly) perceived as 'old man's cars' is just death to any brand. If we chose cars with our heads rather than our hearts then this design may have been a more common sight on the road than it ever was.
As for good ride quality being the preserve of old Citroen and BMC products with trick suspension this is not really true - drive a Peugeot 406 for the 1990"s for example. The problem is that today many people seem to WANT stiffly sprung sporty feeling cars. Like the pointless SUV's that litter our roads today manufacturers are simply fulling market demand in this respect alas.
Thanks Gary :)
The Landcrab was certainly an old people's car. A car bought thanks to loyalty to a brand!
As for Jaguar, I feel that's a very outdated view. Only people over 35 really have that perception, as Jaguar's post-2007 refresh has done wonders for its perception in younger folk. I was only seven in 2007, and people my age now view Jaguars as exceptionally cool cars. They aren't fuddy duddy, laden with wood and leather. They're dripping cool. Their problem is that they can't sell these cool cars to younger people because they can't afford them. An F-Type is cool, but it's expensive and outclassed. An XE is the basic Jag saloon, but it's too big and too expensive. Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all offer entry-level small cars now, and that's what younger people opt to drive, because a Jag isn't even on the list. As a result, they build up brand loyalty to those German marques, and therefore never end up in a Jaguar. If JLR want people to start driving Jags, they need to spend the money and do what the Germans realised they had to 20 years ago.
As for ride quality, the Landcrab is sublime. I've been fortunate enough to experience a Citroen Xantia this year, and a Peugeot 406, though that one was many years ago. I can't say that either had a patch on the Landcrab. They were much stiffer. The Landcrab genuinely floats in a way I've never experienced before. I'd like to try a Citroen DS, because I'd guess that it's the only car that could match or exceed.
I don't understand modern cars either. SUVs are woefully inefficient, both in terms of engineering and packaging. They make zero sense. But people are stupid and so will buy them. I think we need an Issigonis-type figure at a major car company to force a reset, much like he did in the '60s.
I had a an 18/85, just couldn't keep a front wheelbearing in it. Replaced it with a Wolseley 6, which was a revelation...in that it showed me how a modest saloon car could have great performance and be a prodigious drinking champion at the same time. It would see off most of the tuned Fords and some of the early Hot hatches (it stayed with one of those Hot Sunbeams in a fast trip across Yorkshire). But sadly it just couldn't pass a filling stations without tears of regret.....I would have one today with the proviso of a modern Diesel engine.
Was intrigued by the story of ado17 production at Longbridge where the width made it unable to fit in the conveyor bridge needing to be trucked from west to south works, sounds farfetched but not unbelievable.
In Australia we also had the slightly better styled Tasman and Kimberley but still not up to the challenge the local Holden, Falcon and Valiant competition and was replaced by the doomed P76
I worked for a BL dealership in the 70's and got to drive a few of these and loved them, particularly the 2200. But all of them had the wafty cable gear linkage that let them down!
Growing up in the 70s & 80s I used to see a lot of Austin Maxis about as well as many other BL models i.e. Allegro, Princess, Marina etc. also older models like the Austin 1300. However I rarely saw a Land Crab and when I did I thought it was some kind of Maxi.
Good to see you driving the car!
There was also a 3 Ltr with an elongated body as I found out in 1969 on a trip to TER 4 Heathrow to see the first commercial flight of Concorde - I’d swung into the parking place on the 3rd floor then going onto the roof to watch the take off - all went well till we went back to the car by this time having a 3Ltr black limo next to me completely forgetting I was on full lock and proceeded to reverse hitting the lower sill. The Driver of which was a chauffeur to a government Minister. - He calmly looked at the dented sill and said he hadn’t seen it happen !!! Won’t be doing that again. Cool vlog with great in depth history - thanks 👍👏🇬🇧
Thanks Ray, great story 😅
I’d love to have seen Concorde fly.
But as I say in the video, the Austin 3-Litre is not an elongated Landcrab. It’s a totally different car that shares the doors.
@@TwinCam thanks for the heads up ! 👍
Thank you for a very comprehensive report on the Landcrab and it's history in the scheme of things. I passed my driving test in 1964 and owned a rubber cone suspension Mini. I also owned Hydrolastic Mini and the Austin 1100, My memory is that the Hydrolastic lost its ride height due to pressure leaks and it had to be restored by a special pump which replaced the lost fluid. This rendered it unsuitable for DIY maintenance.
I also drove the Austin 3 litre which I recall was uninspiring on performance.
Rusty rear sub frames of the Mini and generally poor build quality, plus a lack of underbody protection from the climatic conditions, meant Austin Morris , BL , BMC were not renowned for longevity.
Have to agree with your analysis. We had an Austin 1300 and I remember my father doing (or trying to do) work on it and explain to a very young child how the suspension worked. It seemed a nightmares, particularly with all the corrosion issues to deal with on top. I remember my father trying to patch the rust up with fibre glass and the the suspension being real pain and having to be topped up. We had holes in the front floor plan you could see through. That said, the car was 1968 reg which we got second hand around 1970 and I think we got rid of it in 1979, so not bad all in all even if it was a constant nightmare for my hard up parents.
I had an Austin 1800 with an auto box for a while; sadly, it died when the body rusted beyond economic repair. Before then, it was arguably the favourite of all the cars I've had (but don't mention the fuel consumption!). Inside, the back was like a playroom for the children, it was so spacious; and the boot was big enough to take all the family holiday luggage without compromise. The handling was such that I felt I could drive it along windy country roads (often in Wales) just like a Mini. The Hydrolastic suspension sprang a leak when the flexible pipe from the actuator rubbed against the body - but that was easily and cheaply fixed with a bicycle puncture repair patch held on with a jubilee clip! And blow convention - I really like the look of the car.
@@winfrithhodges My father looked forward to going on visits with his CO when they used the boss’s 1800 staff car as he said it was comfortable and quick.