1971 Austin 3 litre Goes for a Drive
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- Опубліковано 10 жов 2019
- The Austin 3 Litre was a short lived British land yacht, and unusually wasnt rebadged as other brands, making this 1971 car a rare beast.
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My uncle Alec had one of these from new about 1970. It was exactly the same colour as this one. He was visiting his mum, my nan, who lived at 105 Moordown at the top of Shooters Hill, one day and said he'd take me for a drive in it.
My mum and dad had an Anglia estate at the time which was a little bit laboured getting up Shooters Hill with the three of us in it.
Well, Alec took me down the hill, round Shoulder Of Mutton Green and back up the hill again and I was totally blown away. The 3 litre just surged up that hill, smoothly, effortlessly and silently. The traffic on a Sunday in 1970 wasn't what it is today and my uncle pulled out and we flew up the hill overtaking everything as we went. I was in total awe, it felt like we were flying but the car just wasn't stressed. Ever since that day, at the age of six, I have been in love with the Austin 3 litre but sadly I have never owned one.
Sadly my uncle Alec has gone, and probably his Austin 3 litre as well, but the memory of that brief but incredible drive is still with me today.
To David Hunt. I always think some of the best things in life are not for as long as we would LIKE them to be! Like a fantastic number- one hit record no- one else remembers! But as long as YOU remember them, it's a privilege because someone else may have come along SINCE, and have NO experience of such fine things AT ALL!
Drove one of these in 1972. Lovely car, big, comfortable and good looking, and an automatic. Leather seats like arm chairs, real wood veneers on the dashboard and plenty of room in the back. Like driving a Rolls,. Todays cars all look the boring same - plenty of black plastic, black bumpers, etc. Bring back some of the old style!
According to BABVVO and TEBBVO laws sadly soon all gas cars will be banned in EU and USA!
Great review, thank you. My dad had one of these before I came along, and he always raved about how great it was. We lost him last year after a long illness, but one of the things that always brightened him up as his mind began to leave him was talking about his old cars, and he could remember every one in great detail. What I wouldn’t give to be able to watch this with him now, and see that sudden perking-up he’d do when certain conversation topics pierced the fog and got him nostalgic and animated!
To Arbrento. I can put your mind at rest, as a spiritualist, about your dad! You would obviously like to watch this video , together WITH your Dad! But when people leave us to start their next life, they KNOW all about us! So your Dad will know you are watching this video, and thinking about him! Hope that helps!
@@nygelmiller5293 That's a lovely thought. I'm an atheist but I do feel Father's presence with me, often when I'm driving alone he is there in my thoughts in the passenger seat and I speak aloud to him, his answers are inside my head. I ask his advice and he helps me to make decisions.
Yes we loved our fathers and they never really leave us, they formed us. In my case I inherited his love and kindness to animals and I'm doing him proud.
@@philiptownsend4026 thanks for replying, with your thoughts about your father! I think you have a good attitude to life, and "death". I'm sure people's role is to help us after their time when the are with us physically. So I think you are noticing that! If you notice such things, it is something you can help other people with - as I try to do, too! Take care!
@@nygelmiller5293 Thanks for your kind reply Nygel,
You say I could help people? I'm afraid I don't know how I could do that. My relationship with my memory of my Father is very personal and inside my head, I don't think other people would understand.
My Dad traded up to a 1970 Damask Red Manual Austin 3 Litre from an 1965 Austin Westminster at around 1973, and at the same time my Uncle traded from a 1967 6/110 Wolseley ( up trimmed version of the Austin Westminster) also to a 1971 Auto Austin 3 Litre, same colour as in the video. Both cars were used as a towing vehicles for 5 berth caravans, the heavy kerb weight of the Austin 3 Litre made the car an ideal companion to meet the requirement to be two thirds heavier than the caravan you were towing. As a spotty 13 year old back in 73, I recall that holidaying with my family together with my Uncles family and cousins in the caravan, and travelling the length and breadth of Great Britain in the back of the Austin 3 Litre sharing the huge bench seat with two siblings and a dog. Both cars served dutifully for another 10 years. My dad had to change a clutch, but you would expect the extra tear and wear after towing a large touring caravan, and both cars suffered from a lack of adjustment from the self levelling suspension when heavily loaded. My dad cured this by retro fitting Koni dampers and springs to the rear which gave the Hydraulic actuators much needed assistance. The wiring loom on the later cars were pre-wired to meet upcoming EU regulations for daylight running lamps, and only required a extra relay attached to the auxiliary side of the main fuse box. So at least it proved that somebody in the engineering teams were thinking ahead, even though it was never required. I was sad to see the car go, in 73 my Dad paid around £2200 and ten years later it went for around £600. By this time though, we as a family had long stopped caravanning as a family, although my parents continued with smaller caravans and more light weight cars, nothing really replaced the family affection for the Austin 3 Litre.
Lovely memories mate we have three of them in New Zealand one damask red with icon red trim the other BlackBerry with grey trim. The third Persian blue car with grey trim.
My father had one new as a company car , we absolutely loved it . And I’ll always remember how comfortable the ride was
Bought a white Austin 3litre in 1979. Stick shift. Fantastic torque. Three kids, wife plus camping gear to Scotland. Dream drive but very thirsty!!
My dad had one of these back in the early 70s. We were a family of 7+ the dog and all of us got into that car with all our luggage to go on holiday. Pete Birmingham 🇬🇧
Needless to say, styling is subjective. But personally I find this one quite handsome, and what a lovely example! Thanks for a very nice review.
My first car was an Austin 2200 ‘Land Crab’. The 6 cylinder engine sounded good when the exhaust broke giving it a howl and liberating a few extra bop.
Very comfortable with massive interior space and deep seats.
Only cost me £40 with a couple of months MOT.
Sold it for £65 to a guy who ran it for 5 or 6 years and loved it 😊
I had a good mate when I was in UK in the 90s who just loved these cars, he had several including a very rare coach-built estate version. He lent me a red saloon for a long while and apart from the thirst! it was a great car! I loved it, it was so comfortable. Downton Tuning in the late 60s used to offer a tuning package for this car and it really became the car it should have been. I understand the manufactures looked at a Vanden Plas version with the Rover V8, and I believe they actually made some running prototypes with the VP front end and the Rover V8? But all in all, I really enjoyed my time with this car, much underrated. Even though the seats are vinyl they'd have to be some of the best car seats I've ever sat in. The example your driving looks amazing.
As a sixteen year old I was cycling to work in Warwick and saw a red one of these. I was so puzzled /distracted by what seemed an out of proportion Maxi that I rode into the back of a parked Volvo.
To RaymondGill. Oh how VULGAR! Rode into a VOLVO, and not another Austin 3 Litre!
Great to one again , my dad had one in the late 70s , it was grey in colour and he loved it , it used to smell of cigars inside as my dad smoked hamlet lol , he used to call it the working mans rolls royce , quiet , smooth , powerfull and big comfy seats , great memories .
Still looks good today. I never saw the "poorly proportioned" criticism that it received. Shape wise, it was very forward thinking.
I agree on that. The extra length made it more harmonic than the Landcrab.
I think the proportions are fantastic, love the long bonnet and boot and I really love a saloon car where the back doors are as long as the front doors
Hear hear - a thing of beauty
🤦🏼♂️ Yes, folk wisdom says the longer bonnet, wheelbase and boot section would make for proportional improvements - but in reality they don't.
The problems lie in the rear axle line being so far back, combined with a comparatively small boot and rear overhang. RWD sedans typically had the rear axle closer to the back seat area. They also had a longer boot section, which was proportionally a better match with the huge wheelbase.
Engine was only ever used in Austin 3-litre, for which it was designed, and MGC. It has never been used in other cars as you state it was.
Was similar to old C-series Healey Westminster but, illogically, was a totally new design.
Harry Webster had a Rover V8 engined prototype which he loved and drive for some years I think.
Worth reading Neil Kidby's book, its very interesting.
As an apprentice car body builder in the mid 70's It really brings back memories of these quite odd but endearing lovely motors. Goodness me they were comfy and smelt great! Wish the body and panels were made from the same stuff that today's cars are made of!
My dad had the Austin 2200 in the same colour and he loved it. He never stopped polishing it, lovely car.
What a beautiful looking car, it wouldn't be out of place with the ones we have on the road today it gets a big 10 from me. 👍👍👌
My great uncle Ian used to have one (same colour) in the mid 70s-we used to visit once a year driving down in family 2002 Bmw/ Princess/Capri-500 mile round trip.He used to polish under the bonnet and was a lovely car.Thanks for showing this.
In the early 1970s I was in the Territorial Army. During one weekend exercise I was instructed to drive a staff car - an Austin 3 Litre. It had a manual gearbox and the engine was de-tuned so as to accept 2 star petrol. If my memory is correct we were based in the depths of Norfolk so no real chance to thrash the girl, and low octane fuel was never an issue. The car was an absolute delight to drive conveying the "brass" in comfort and safety whilst I was smiling from ear to ear.
My girlfriend's dad had one of these in a beautiful dark green colour. She'd only just passed her test and was allowed to borrow it on the odd Sunday afternoon. We'd drive for miles and go to the NWales coast. We had such a happy joyous time.. We felt very very special in that car and rightly so, it was then and still is a beautiful creation. So so comfortable and with so much space inside, way ahead of the competition but Brits by nature are followers so didn't like to be different. Such a shame. I shall never forget those Sunday afternoons though or the car or my beautiful girlfriend all those years ago when we were young 55 odd years ago.. . Wish I was back there now..
Crazy think it’s 50 year old, looks in magnificent condition
It looks to be original (or at least older) paint and re-done interior. Very very nice though! Edit; being vinyl, it could very well be original.
Makes me wonder where did we go wrong? I watch videos of cars of the 60's and 70's with their smooth ride, good handling, comfort for 4+ adults and GREAT vision out of BIG windows, and wonder...
back in the dark ages when I was at Tech-college, we had a 3 litre C-series engine on a test bed. it would tick over smoothly at 150 rpm without any fuss. we took the rocker cover off one day and watched each valve open and close as it ran. that big tall heavy old lump was quite a culture shock for us lads obsessed with souping up Minis Vivas and Escorts
What a cool car! Never heard of it. This is why I subscribe to this channel.
I think the car looks quite well proportioned on screen. Back end a bit like a VW type 3 and front like a Checker taxi :)
The seven bearing crankshaft makes the crank mounting more rigid, removes motion whip and stabilises the motion of the crank. It also makes it more "rev tolerant" and less likely to throw a rod at high revs. All the Healey 100/six (2600cc engine) owners, myself included, were looking for 3 litre 7 bearing block/crank combos. This was a truly epic and memorable engine. :-)
Good to see a feature on one of these.I remember them as a boy at the time.always quite rare but i always quite liked them .they were RWD as opposed to the front drive 1100s/1800s.they vanished off the roads pretty quickly, though I recall one running as a taxi in my town around1973/74.
Plenty of room for the executive and his secretary on the back seat. Now your talking! What a considerate design element.
An executive and his secretary would not be in the Austin- far too downmarket. A P5 Rover perhaps. More likely a Jag as it was more showy.
No wonder the back of my old car smells of fish!
@@weaponofmassconstruction1940 and ink remover!
I'll be 60 this year, think I'll trade in my MG Midget for an Austin 3 litre!
Great video!
Thanks, love the history presented here!
Many moons ago now I was a trainee Cop Driver. The school had one of these with the synchro taken out and used to teach double de-clutching. I kid you not, it could really shift and was real fun to drive.
I love it, to bad it was never imported into the US. Before you said something about this car should have been fitted with a V8, I was thinking the same thing and the engine bay is big enough for it. Truly beautiful car
Ironically, the V8 mentioned was a Buick engine GM had no use for, was sold to BMC and put in umpteen British Leyland vehicles from Rover to MG, and supplied to various British sports car companies, too.
North American market for full size & intamidiate size cars, was pretty well sown up by the locals.
Same In Australia where BMC tried many times to get a steal a march on the strongest selling cars.
The P76 was their last attempt & though it was a good design for the time. industrial/quality issues & the move to smaller cars, sunk the P76 within 18 months of release ( & it took BMC Australia, with it).
@@johnsergei
There were a couple of P76's at the first Roverfest. Nice cars.
There is suspicion that the doors are from what would have been the Rover P38:
www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.aronline.co.uk/concepts-and-prototypes/rover-p8/&ved=2ahUKEwjN5IvZjqrmAhX7ShUIHb8zDCcQFjAPegQICBAC&usg=AOvVaw1PLTgOSi3AL2VVboTJ9lla&cshid=1575947731452
My childhood friend's dad had one of these way back when. It was red and I still remember the number plate- BUS740K or bus 74 o.k as we called it.
Back in the day there was a 4 W/D ambulance version made from this. Very smooth for special jobs or traversing a field.
Dad had one . We kids loved being driven in this car. The seven bearing engine was a beauty, and only went in one other model, the MGC. In fact, when the car was scrapped in the 90's the engine and gearbox was used to put in a MGC roadster I was having restored, as it was minus its powerplant. Very much a car of its time. The hydrolastic suspension must have been quite a step up from the Westminster , but i think dad left it to rot in his garage due to the dealer's charges to maintain it. A shame, because with more development and a better understanding of its foibles this car could have been a very good vehicle for my father, and for Austin. Sadly the Mercs , BMWs etc of the time were (tho costlier) probably a better image for executive travel.
Matthew we have 3 Austin 3 Litres and a MGC. My love for the Austin developed from having the MGC roadster. I wrecked an an Austin 3 Litre in the late eighties... hell I still have the Engine and transmission in the garage.
What devotees you are,Palms, to these cars.....must confess that I do regret having scrapped dad's car, but twenty five year ago it looked a fairly hopeless cause to have it repaired, since the costs would never be reflected in its value. But being such a rare model perhaps I should have donated it as parts to those such as you who keep the big Austin alive. The MGC ....ah, different proposition ! @@mrpalm54
i worked at a BL dealer when these came out, new cars were parked round the back, few people bought them, couldnt get parts so brand new cars were stripped for parts to repair the few that did get sold, really BL,s darkest hour until the marina was thrust upon us.
Ohhhh my, stepdad had a small taxi fleet of land crabs in the early 70's and he always wanted one of these.
A land crab with huge mass!
Peace
Charlie 🇬🇧
yup a long wheel base land crab with streched bonnet and boot, it what i thought when i first saw it. mine needed a manual gearbox, hated the borg/warner 35 and if it had existed a 3litre " O " series engine, basically a 3l version of the 2200 in the wedge princess, great engine crap car.
What a lovely looking car, it was way before it's time, pity it's an automatic but I would still have one today. Keep up with the good videos my son👍👍
I loved the Austin 3 litre. Great to drive and ride in. Such a pity the VDP never got produced. All the manuals had overdrive btw.
I think they did an adequate job considering they spent no money developing it
Yes the VDP would have been a Rover beater especially if it had had the square grille.
Yep, we had the 4 speed manual with overdrive. If I remember right you could select overdrive in 3rd and 4th, so sort of a 6 speed box. It wasn't fast but a reasonable gear change meant you could work the 6 cylinder to keep good progress. It was delightfully quiet to pull away in at low revs, it felt refined:-)
Had a 1969 Austin 1800 in 1973. Hydrolastic self levelling suspension. Four cylinder engine. Flat floor and Huge amount of space.
Towed a heavy caravan trailer all over England, Scotland and Wales. Full of kit including gear for family of five. 22mpg towing, 30 solo and never missed a beat. Big parcel tray under the dashboard. Could always find some sweets, toys, pens, books floating around there.
Interesting cable operated gear shift. Bit like a box of chocolates, you never knew what you might get. Stability was amazing, big mini really with a wheel at each corner.
When I was a nipper our instructor used to have 5 air cadets in the back of one of these bad boys magnificent car.
My 1971 Wolsleley 1660 has anchors for rear seatbelts (front belts with BL labels), which certainly look like something done the factory, and the boot is lit too. I'd imagine a large engined auto from that era isn't economic, but those are fine cars. Thanks for the crisply done review.
To be honest, it looks far better than the 1800. It is very elegant and understated design, very harmonious.
Maybe if this had come before the 1800 it would be a hit as nobody would think it looked like a cheaper car, instead people would enjoy it and then look at the 1800 like "it looks just like that amazing 3litre but more affordable"
The Maxi was interesting, not just because it used the same doors as the three litre. The Maxi started off with a modern looking plastic dashboard and on the first much needed facelift, when they changed to a rod gearchange from cables, they ditched the dash and replaced it with a big slab of veneered wood.
A real blast from the past seeing one of these. J reg I think is 1970, I was sixteen, just left school and started work. My mode of transport back then was a Lambretta SX200 which was my pride and joy. Very enjoyable watching this, brought back a lot of good memories. Cheers.
Owned one back in 1980, lovely car. Problems? Engine had been around the clock once, and burned more oil than petrol, but still had poke. Loved the space, and my first car with power-steering. Loved the interior dipstick to check the G-Box oil, and it was as smooth as silk. Plenty of space and mega-comfortable. Regret selling the old girl, but at 20 mpg, and spares drying up, it had to go -- sob, sob, sob!
Thanks very much for this video, My dad had one of these and in the mid 70's took the 6 of us to Sweden in it.. happy,and some car sick, memories, 😁 awesome car.
"Tea shelf?", no, no, no. They were 'picnic tables!', and only ever appeared in Van den Plas cars, finished at the Kingsbury coachbuilding works. And never for a tea cup! A cut glass of wine, if you you please! My uncle had a 3 litre when new. Gorgeous smooth car. The dash centre is clearly referencing the lovely MG Z dash from the 1950's. BMH may have been starved of money, but my God they still had ambition and determination.
My first car was a 1969 Austin 3 litre. It had faults but I loved it. Quiet, stylish and very comfortable.
I was just chatting to my Father in law who had one back in the 70s. The car was superbly comfortable, but he sadly blew the engine up towing a horsebox up a very long steep hill near Bristol.
I used to have one of these in the early 1970s. A very underrated car I was most impressed with it and we used it for camping and it was very comfortable on long distances with plenty of room. Lovely 6 cylinder 3 Litre engine and the ride was so smooth. Mine was light Blue and was replaced with a Jaguar Mk.2 which was very nice but lacked the room and comfort of the Austin. Happy memories
Do you know what I like about these beautiful old english cars? The interiors! No one does this aswell as the british. So much leather and wood plus that speedo is just so cool.
Beautiful looking car. For some reason, this car wasn't sold here in the USA. At least not enough that I've seen any today. This example was either beautifully restored, or was beautifully preserved original. Either way, it's a lovely looking car. I love the condition. I love the colour. Very pretty. Ready to drive anywhere one wants to go. :)
I absolutely love this. I would drive this daily for the sheer joy of it. The extra boot space has given it a longer rear overhang, which has given it a beautiful proportion to my eyes. The Tardis of the car world, with more room than a 73 Cadillac.
Great to see the Austin 3 litre getting some attention! My Dad owned one for a couple of years - his had a manual gearbox with (I think) overdrive. It was amazingly comfortable to ride in, but as you say, guzzled the fuel! Great review anyway :)
Just what I thought! I was born in jan '71, so I'm fifty... my Rover P5b, 3.5 litre V8 was first registered in June '71, so is not quite there yet!!!
Love it . Simple , effective , easy maintenance . The only thing I'm not frilled with in any car is the self leveling suspension . All ways becomes a money pit .
The car actually looks better today than it looked to me in its day. I think that's partly because at that time there were so many "landcrab" variations on the road it always looked like a landcrab with a different front and rear tacked on, whereas now not having seen any of the more lowly "landcrabs" I don't see that in the same way and actually see more of the Morris Oxford and Austin Westminster resemblances.
Perhaps the mistake was not marketing it as a Riley or Wolseley, something more upmarket than the Austin brand, despite the fact they did have the Westminster. As I remember them from my younger years, they did seem rather dated even when launched, the fact it took so long to get in production couldn't have helped.
My Dad had one of these at the time I took my test. Had quite a few driving lessons in it - You could in those days. Borrowed it quite often too. Never had any problem. Seemed huge at the time but really comfortable.
I had one of these in1977 when I was 21. Great car to drive and quite luxurious in those days.
My dad, during the early 70's owned a classy-looking damask red Austin 3 litre with red interior that I drove a few times. Luxurious/smooth drive back then with a lovely quiet engine. Could hardly hear it when it was ticking-over. Recall it was said with these cars that the power steering rack would last for circa 14,000 miles, which was the case with both my dad's and an employer I worked for at the time who had one also.
what an AWESOME car! glad they took it out of storage. my friend has an MGC, can just about hear that motor and smell that interior! what a wasted opportunity its just a lovely vehicle
Back in the 70's My dad was quite high up in the Royal Mail and they used these on the rare occasion he was chauffeured to important meetings. A Goth couple who lived near me in the late 90's has one of the Woodhall Nicholson hearse conversions.
What an interesting car. I have a feeling that a lot more could have been done with the chassis as a basis for other cars, pity. The interior is lovely and I hope you have written to the directors of British Leyland about the lack of tea shelves. A shocking oversight. Thanks for showing us this car. Cheers.
Having read all the comments I see more likes than not. We have three of them in New Zealand and an MGC. Lovely handling and riding car, the Austin loves to be pushed through the corners and benefited from very early RR input in the suspension department with an independent rear end. The car featured was originally damask red. A real pleasure to drive. The engine was a redesigned C series six cylinder engine with no one casting the same as the old C series in the Healey and 6/110. It is slightly lighter and shorter than the old unit. The engine in standard form suffered from poor manifolding that doesn't help economy and the downton modified Austin gives 175HP and more economy. Our old girls give about 20mpg on the highway. Thanks for a nice review of a lovely old car.
A neighbour had one of these back in the early 80's, it was always on blocks or ramps. Rarely saw it driving, but it was a beautiful looking thing!
I loved this car as a youngster - it was the dogs gonads for me; I was ever dreaming of doing well enough to own something like this, or the fabulous Westminster. I was 17 and got an Austin 1800 on finance by forging guarantor signatures/mail interception etc etc....I didn't want to bother me uncle with stuff he knew nothing about. Nor did I bother the authorities by passing my test, it took me 4 years to achieve that. Those were the days when a Guinness label looked like a November tax disc - and you bought a cover when getting a 7 day producer. My 'crab' was white with black interior - petrol back then was 4/6 to 5 bob a gallon - 23p - 25p conversion. I managed to pay it all off then gave it to my younger bro who passed his test 1st time - that still hurts ha ha. I know that back then we suffered the 3 day week, one motorway (M1), avocado bathrooms, flared check trews and vodka n lime - but, even in the night time standstill of traffic, you felt such freedom by just being in a car of your own.
So sad
This was my first car back in 1982. I love love loved it the wooden dash, straight six automatic. It was my luxury motor. Sad I got rid of it two years later, sellers regret.
Never got over the stretched-1800 look. That the link was just the cabin pressings surprises me now. 50 years later.
Interesting review Matt!
I don’t ever recall having seen one of those before!
But what a lovely car! That straight-six sounded nice!
Quite an imposing car, too.
Nice one! Keep up the good work!
Always liked the look of this car. Not shown in your film but strange how the single rear exhaust pipe was always at an off centre of middle position.
Thanks for the film great to see all the interior elements and how it rode so
smoothly .👍
Wow I’ve never seen one of these before. Looks a much older car than 1971 to my eye, particularly the interior. Lovely all the same!
Thanks for this great look a round at the lovely Austin. I really like it. I love the tail lights especially and the shape of the boot. I also prefer vinyl to leather , as leather has to be given so much care and with vinyl it is so easy to clean up if she spill anything on it. As always, thankyou for all your efforts in presenting these great cars, which I really love watching. Cheers, John (Australia)
Ahhhhh, when cars were made of steel, wood, leather !
And chrome bumpers.................
and rust
@@whocares264 I was going to add rust, but your comment beat me to it!.
You only ever saw them as illustrations in Enid Blyton books.
My Dad had one of these - also a J reg - but with manual gears & in Midnight Blue with bluey-grey interior. His had the optional real leather seats too. A sublimely comfy & smooth-riding car. In 1972 he replaced it with a Wolseley Six which had the same seat design so was just as comfy. If only modern cars had such comfy seats & rode so smoothly!
More a car a designer would like than the man on the street - me, I love it!
good review thanks,i think mine Wolsey had E series engine ohc?, I had one in purple built like a tank!,some knob reversed into front of my car and done nothing importance just broke spot light, but stoved his rear end badly and pushed up his rear pan floor up... haha!,car had loads torque ,very very comfy car lovely drive..ahhh nostalgic times..miss these iconic cars we uk produced. no
Yeah had a ride in one of these back in the late seventies and remember being very impressed and suprised at how good it was!
I used to own one of these cars and remember the were very nice to drive. The room in the back was a big buying point for me. I need a large car to tow our family caravan. The car was very stable as a tow car. The thing was that it used to like to drink fuel about 15 to19 mpg. My Father also had one his was manual which was a little better on fuel about 19 mpg. I always liked the look and remember seeing it at the 1967 Motor Show. BMC C engine was always a smooth engine and respond well when needed.
I forgot this Austin ever existed. I bet there's not many left that are still on the road.!! The longer boot lid from the side and rear make it look a lot like a saloon version of the Gordon Keeble, now that was a very desirable car.
At it's price point it needed to be a Rover V8. Itself a magnificent and tragically beautiful car. One I still cherish.
Such an underrated car. I always thought they looked great and the room inside was cavernous. I can't think of a car today that has quite the space inside the cabin.
Nice presentation. I have a black and white press photo of the car from about ‘68. Such a stylish vehicle! Never rode in one, but the cavernous rear of the land crab made me very car sick on a drive from Wolverhampton to Hereford when I was ten.
Nice car. One of the good British cars just as the Triumph 2000 series we're making their debut. What you might call the beginning of the end of a great erra for British cars.
I think it's stunning!
Very unusual .
Love the front end.
There was one going on eBay few weeks ago for very little money.
Great vid as usual.
Their values can be all over the place and ones do still turn up for not much money, often to try and keep them out of the hands of banger racers. A big problem with these is that the cost of restoring one is going to far exceed its finished value as a really, really nice one is maybe a £12,000 car. Whilst these were a great deal more rust-resistant than pretty much any competitive car of the time and a lot better than the Landcrab it was based on, a lot of parts just aren't available any more and mechanical parts can be very expensive due to their use in the MGC and Austin-Healey 3000. They really are rather lovely, though, and they can be made a lot quicker and more economical using parts developed for the big Healeys, I know someone who has a manual overdrive example on which he's tweaked the engine and it will turn in mid-20s mpg and a surprising level of performance. Needless to say, the engine work wasn't cheap, but it really didn't matter with it being his forever car...
Better looking than 99% of modern executive cars all day long! About 15 ft 6 inches long although you'd swear blind it's 16ft! So amazingly no longer than a mk 3 Ford Mondeo. If I see a cheap one going no matter how rotten am buying it. Not interested in restoring it to showcar condition to make money and all that bollocks, plan to keep it long term and use it every day!
I am addicted to your informative reviews - wonderful - my dad had a relatively-rare Austin Westminster back when I was a kid...(in TORONTO, CANADA!!) - and you could probably predict how THAT ended up! (the engine was probably the same 6-pot MG unit as this Austin 3-litre - don't know)...one general comment about your videos: The 'chop-cut' editing is a bit headache-inducing. Yes, I'm sure that from the yards of video you take for your reviews, and the multitiudes of videos you make (usually with static camera mount - reducing any particular video to a manageable 'UA-cam' size means some quick editing...but, the twitchiness of the 'hard cuts' is a bit hard on the eyes...Keep up the great work...Oh, by the way - my dad had an early 50's Austin A-35, a late 50's Austin A-40 (which SHOULD have had a hatch, not the silly little trunklid!), then we had a powder blue '64 Austin Cambridge (which made it across Canada - but on the way back, snapped a leaf spring in Thunder Bay - which was welded back together by a local muffler shop) then, the aforementioned, Austin Westminster - which was dad's LAST British car! cheers!
Many thanks for that. I don't believe any of these came to Australia, so its good to get a close look. It is indeed a massive lump of visual incongruity, but I'm not surprised that it's extremely pleasant to be in. I've sat behind the C series motor in a couple of Wolseleys and would happily do so again.
I like it. Even though I was around back then, I don't remember ever seeing one of these.
PS: You can turn and stop on a sixpence. It just means a very little amount of space.
I had one in the 70s magnificent self leveling suspension very stiff handled like a dream but loved oil!
Friend of mine his father had the 1800 version of that but single headlights and sloaping boot pulled a 12 ft caravan down to the south of France every year with it he had that car for 10 year's I think it may have been made 60s early 70s like you said loads of room in them you can stop it on a tanner or sixpence
Watched this for the third time today. Each time I watch it I love it more. A beautiful big car with a very under stressed big engine. If the petrol gets low, buy more petrol and keep on floating along in luxury.
Wish I could smell that interior.
Had one after I passed my test in 94 almost a 2 ton car as a trainee mechanic at the time I had to strip and rebuild the engine after it blew up on A48
Magnificent! I just love a car with those solid wood door cappings. Just like dad's mk1 and 2 Triumph 2000's. Now all we get are fake wood inserts. If you'd do a Triumph 2000 review that would be very cool!
I had the use of a nearly-new one of these around 1972. I liked it a lot, but found it hard to drive smoothly (manual shift). It was nice to drive and felt much lighter than its weight. Much more than just a larger 1800.
Those doors actually look in proportion on this car and the rear end looks good too. A pity the front end looks a bit odd.
Those ugly headlamps tucked rather too high on the grill.
Brilliant ! I never knew of their EXISTENCE ! And my uncles used to describe the stopping power of some cars as ( ere lad when I throw anchors out it stops on a tanner )
This is what the Wolseley Six should have been. My grandparents had a Wolseley Six each - Grandpa’s was dark brown, Granny’s light brown. Underpowered with the auto box on Devon hills. But much nicer than my parents’ Cortina. My grandparents got the Rover SD1 when that came out - still my favourite car of all time.
To Danny 1774. My dad had a Wolseley 1800 automatic, and THAT too was great for power until it was filled with passengers and luggage, UPHILL. It was fine carrying all the equipment for my mobile disco equipment, when he sometimes let me borrow it! And the clever front to rear connected Hydrolastic suspension distributed the load well! There was, An 1800 'S' version with more power - but not really advertised, and I believe only available on Austin and Morris versions. (WHY?) Bad marketing!
To Danny 1773.
I just saw the video again of the Austin 3 Litre. I noticed this time, that you mentioned that BOTH your grandparents had one of these! Now that's what I call STYLE!
Oh, that is really nice, sir! I would certainly like to drive one of those. Lovely interior as well...
I thought I knew all classic cars at least a tiny bit. But this one, I did not know. Congrats!
A beautiful piece of Leyland history, alas, far to frivolous for Sir Alec's liking. Another great review. Thanks Matt.
Yet another fabulous video! I never really knew about this car, and I’m surprised to say that I really like it!