Love these cars. Seen one parked, in Sainsbury’s car park, just the other day 22 November 2019, looking in very nice original condition. Suddenly I wanted one for myself, a lovely British classic car.
Would have been registered in Canterbury Kent when new probably supplied by Barretts of Canterbury the BMC agent who is still trading today with multiple franchises.
I owned a garage business in the late 70’s/early 80’s. Must have spent nearly half of our time welding up 1100/1300’s for MOT’s. Outer and inner wings, sills, subframes etc. You see the thing is, they would rust so fast that they were rotting out within two years of leaving the factory which meant they still held a book value and people could not afford to scrap them. There was no under wing protection which meant that all the wet and mud would get trapped behind the headlamps and in the door pillars. Cars from the factory were not even under sealed, you had to go to a specialist undersealer to get that done. Would be totally unacceptable nowadays but back then they could get away with it and nobody complained.
My late father specified underseal at the factory on his Hillman Imp when he bought it in 1968. He had it for 10 years and it never went structurally rusty although the body picked up a few dings.
We had a mark 3 in Sri Lanka and the hydrolastic suspension was super smooth on good roads and had great visibility in comparison to Japanese cars. A genuine classic.
Austin 1100 is one of the nicest compact of any time, my family in Italy had one in the 70s - 80s (Austin Innocenti 1100) Wonderful! But the video is ancient.
These 1100's were extremely reliable cars in Jamaica . They were also used as taxis & held up very well. Seeing it brings back pleasant childhood memories.
Mr. Warren has a lot of that wisdom and common sense that is so unpopular in today's buy-and-trash consumer culture! so nice to listen to some old-timer common sense! and he's got a lovely car!
Good old BMC I was service trained on these and other BMC cars in the 1960.s I know Roy from my time working at Jack Loggins in Chesterfield..good days and fond memories.
I had the Wolseley 1100, lovely little car. It had been fitted with a 1300 twin-carb lump, and was a nice old thing. The only reason it went was that a chavvy shitbox Corsa smashed into the back of it. Still miss that old tub now. Never let me down, was reliable, simple to service, and had the old A series engine of course. Sadly many BMC vehicles were crap, it was certainly a case of "if only". The people who made the body panels at Pressed Steel wanted to change the design to eradicate many of the rust problems. But they were over-ruled by Issigonis. Same with the old Mini, another motoring icon.
In 2002 i bought an Austin 1100 (2 drs) from 1969 . Used it as a daily cruizer for a while. It never broke down. Reliable and easy to maintain. It's now parked in a dry garage and only going outside for a 'sunday drive'.
I love the ADO-16, I find they are a very easy car to work on, I have lost count how many I have given a new lease of life after, setting up my car restoration and MOT welding business back in 1978, I remember restoring a Vanden Plas Princess 1300 reg number NOV 40M for a member of the Vanden Plas owners club then there was the 1100 Club I have done lots of work for John Boyd the parts sectary, them where the days lots of rust and lots of money, love your video.
I Live in Australia. And still own a 1965 MG 1100. I’ve owned 4. 1100’s they are great cars. Australia built 1100’s , but only Morriss except for export I think they made Austin’s for New Zealand.. badge engineering. Great car.
I had a Austin 1300 GT for 13 years was mustard colour with black vinyl roof 0was the best fun car I ever owned had amazing room inside for a small car was an absolute treat to throw around the hill roads.
Interestingly GJG655 (The Morris Oxford MO featured in part 1) is currently being sold on ebay.The description states "it's original owner... had owned it from new in 1953 until his death last year at the age of 97".
The A40 Devon, Morris Oxford and Austin 1100 featured in this programme are all still on the road. The MG1100 owner obviously coughed up that £5.5k as the car is now on the road. KDX 682 is currently registered off the road, but there is no trace on the DVLA register of the Wolseley 1500 featured here.
I had an Austin 1300, a 1971 J reg. It was a good car being very roomy for their size and nice and comfortable to drive, in fact i passed my driving test in it in 1979 so it was 8 and a half year old but it was still in good condition as it had been looked after, i admit the bodyshell had built in rust traps so you had to check very carefully when buying one secondhand.
My mum had a 1960 Morris Minor UBL 242 (known in our family as "Ubble"). When my mum had to stop suddenly because a car pulled out from a side road, I learned the hard way that a) leather seats are very shiny and you slide off them if the car stops suddenly; b) the seats are not fastened to the floor in a two-door car and a little sister sitting behind you will catapult you out of the seat; c) a metal dashboard is very hard if you hit it after being catapulted out of the seat. It was a lovely car (I can still remember the burble of the engine if you lifted off the power going downhill) but it was a deathtrap for the reasons given above. Mum bought the car just after she passed her test in 1966 and had the trafficators replaced with proper flashing indicators. After the wings started to rust in the early 70s, dad got out the chicken wire and the the Plastic Padding and filled the rust holes, then painted the whole car bright blue with a brush and a can of gloss paint - the brush strokes looked *very* naff :-( Ubble ended its days in the mid 70s as the first car of dad's secretary's daughter.
This programme was shown in 1999. Surprisingly Ken's old 1100 CFN847B is still on the road in 2019 (I wonder if Ken is?) as is the white MG1100 DCC585D
My Dad had one of these, it was a great little car, went everywhere in it, my mom took me to the dentist one day to have tooth out, in those days you had gas. Just got home and I puked up blood all over the place.Dad was not amused.
Had a Austin America in the States, think it was a 1300 though, it was a stick shift, took my driving test in it and because i was so good at shifting that car the inspector told me i had passed after 10 minutes driving, or maybe it was just too small for his big American car taste. It was the first real front wheel drive car that most yanks had ever seen, in those days gas station attendants pumped fuel for you and checked the oil if asked to, and we asked to a lot just to see the perplexed look on the attendant face when he came to the window to tell us that the engine is sideways?,
I had a Wolseley 1100, it was my first car. It was a delight to drive, as good as any modern car of similar size, sadly as mentioned in many comments, it rusted terribly. I took mine off the road, stripped the interior out, and was about to get a local restorer to fix everything, when someone stole the rolling body shell! I suppose fairly well known is the story of how Alec issigonis threw a hissy fit when pressed steel sent the plans for the car back, pointing out all of the rust traps he'd designed into it and insisted they build the car his way. Sadly typical of BMC's high-handed, clueless management. I wish I still had my Wolseley, still have a few bits from it, and occasionally think about buying another.
What always amazed me was that the Mini gearboxes originally had plain bearings. Only when the gearboxes' longevity was found to be poor (by the customers ! ) were they redesigned with needle rollers. Amazing that Alec issigonis didn't take Pressed Steel's advice, he certainly wasn't the perfect engineer.
People going on about these things rusting away forget just how much most car makers around the world had rust problems back then. Personally I think the beautiful Japanese cars of the day had it far worse
Yes - the Datsun 120Y springs to mind in this context. It was lucky that so many were sold in a sort of rust-coloured orange that disguised it slightly. Of course the Alfasud was beyond terrible in the rust department. The A pillars sprouted rust holes at the base within weeks of leaving the show-room.
@@ColinMill1 That Plant in Naples for the 'Alfa Sud' was famous for lack of quality control the production line would shut down seasonally as many of the employees were from farming stock and went off to harvest various crops in their locality Olives and Fruit picking, ... back then the Italian Labour government poured loads of money into same to try to kickstart industries and various light engineering /manufacturing projects in that part Southern Italy, but whatever about A Pillars rusting out my friend had the rear subframe of his fairly new Austin 1100 just drop out on a motorway due to same rotting off and parting company those securing points cruising on a motorway lucky his whole family weren't killed...
IK heb er ook zo'n 1100 tudor gehad,nieuw gekocht na een paar maanden al aan het roesten aan de voorste slijkplaten,daarna de rechtse deur eruit gevallen,niet normaal
The Allegro was much better than the 1100. The 1100 was a complete rot box. Allegro was much improved and handled just as well, with 1100 to 1750cc engines to choose from.
What a wonderful nostalgic series this must have been! I never noticed it at the time, which really surprises me as I've liked classic cars since I was about 12! I like the clips over the end credits. I'm glad Ken still had his Morris 1100, it looked pristine & so well kept. I wonder if he's still alive? :-/ if he isn't, I imagine his daughter will have the car now.
I had the US version (the Austin America). It was a total disaster. Water leaked in in many places. Fluids leaked out everywhere. The door locks were installed upside down and couldn't be fixed. Well, there were 30+ issues with the car. Bought new and got rid of after 6 months.
My Dad owned one: The exhaust steadied the engine which frequently fractured close to the manifold (poor engineered design). The 'Hydrolastic' suspension failed resulting in it listing to port. It had catastrophic rust which cost a fortune to mend. The final straw was the gearbox disintegrating one day (fortunately at low speed) and bits dropping on the road. He gave up and bought a two year old Morris Minor. Older design but reliable.
Sir Alec Issigonis was recommended by Pressed Steel to design out the bodywork rust traps before proceeding with production but Sir Alec said to proceed without design amendment. My Dad bought one around 1965 and did 168000 miles in it on one engine but 3 gearboxes.
I used to work with an American chap whose family owned one in the early 1970s. They coped with San Francisco hills better than you might have expected. The conversation was triggered by a yellow Austin appearing in the movie Dirty Harry :)
Today's cars are also rust buckets. In Eastern Canada, it doesn't show as much because people change their cars every 3 to 5 years. The rust problem exploded when MOT began putting salt on the roads in winter. Car manufacturers don't complain because it helps them reach their goal of planned obsolescence. The consumers get robbed out of their investment.
Had an Austin 1100 then a 1300. Nice cars, roomy, economical and lively. My 1100 could reach 90 mph but sadly another driver crashed into it, end of. Strange but the steering wheel and pedals were offset to the driver's seat. Austin had the nice bar speedo instead of the Morris dial speedo. In the 70's there were zillions on British roads.
I retired to Sisaket Thailand, but had to return due Terresa Mays mishandling of Brexit that drove the pounds value down by 40%, However parked for years in a side street, is a white 1100, in very good condition, right hand drive a project for someone perhaps, sat in front of it is a very good VW Beetle.
I had a MG 1300, bumped the kerb, and the battery fell through the inner wing! Father in law had a Morris 1100, and he hit a pot-hole, and the entire rear sub-frame fell off! They were total rust buckets, if you ever had a crash in one it would dissolve into dust aound you.
The salt we spread on the roads each year is slowly munching away at your pride and joy. Even now with modern sheet metal treatments, the only way to avoid the damage it does, is to park it in the garage and find another mode of transport until Spring returns.
You can't beat a true British motor car like this. It is a crying shame that there are no longer any British Marques in production. It didn't matter about quality issues, reliability.I would still have bought British!!!
+LONE WOLF British is best were the laurels we hung on to for far too long. A breakdown on a rainy day with a carload of kids? Sorry but quality and reliability are the only measure that would make me buy.
Although the 1100/1300 is a more modern design, they were WAY more rust prone than Minors. It may actually be one of the most rust prone cars of all time.
Its namesake the Simca 1100 was seriously rust prone too. To a greater or lesser degree all volume cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s tended to be rusty. It’s only really in the ‘80s that most manufacturers had a range of cars that didn’t include a rust prone one amongst them. Ironically, for all it’s faults, the 1100/1300’s successor, the Allegro, seemed pretty rust resistant relative to most of its competitors- the polar opposite of the 1100 range in that respect. Though perhaps that’s one of the few ways in which the Allegro outshone its predecessor?
@@BungleBare Yeah the Allegro may have been one of the most rust-resistant cars before rustproofing measures improved in the 1980s. They're by most first-hand accounts not a bad car but lack the crisp styling of the 1100.
i HAD A 11.00 NUMBER PLATE AKL 740B I WONDER IF SOMEONES STILL HAS IT , BEST CAR I EVER HAD , GREAT FUN TO DRIVE , I WOULD DRIVE IT INTO A FIELD TAKE THE BACK SEAT OUT AND FILL THE BOX SECTION WITH ENGINE OIL PROTECT IT FROM RUST , INNER TRUMPETS WOULD GO UNDER THE FRONT WING, BUT MY ONES WERE SOLID, RACING GREEN ,EVEN TO THIS DAY I STILL GET THE ODD PERSON THAT REMEMBERS ME AND THAT CAR , ID PULL INTO A PETROL STATION AND THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD ASK IF THEY COULD JUST SIT BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL , BOUGHT BACK MEMORIES FOR THEM , EXTRA LARGE STEERING WHEEL , AND FLASHING INDICATOR ARM, ALMOST LIKE A TOY CAR FROM THE 60S , GOOD MEMORIES ..................
Me and mate bought an old one of these in 1981, it never ran, we just parked it outside the house and used it as chatting room for the lads, funny, it sat there for 18 months with no tickets, no clamps, and not lifted away buy some dirty money making scum or council, we only got it scrapped when the ole boy whose house we parked outside asked us to shift it. Those were the days!
Door mirrors could interfere with the opening of the quarter lights in the door. Only when ventilation systems improved massively and quarter lights were phased out did door mirrors start to become more commonplace. Japanese domestic market cars seemed to persist with wing mirrors well into the late ‘80s in some cases - often in large plastic aerodynamic shrouds. That was to keep the width of the cars down for arcane classifications that had parking/taxation implications. Door mirrors stuck out further, relative to wing mirrors.
Mick Carson MG Rover (as BMC became eventually) lasted until 2005 before going bust. One of the remnants of the company, MG, survives to this day -albeit under Chinese ownership, and with the cars manufactured in China. If you want to you can still buy a brand new MG here in the UK today.
Mick Carson These days all imported from China. There was a time when the MG TF continued in production at Longbridge under Chinese ownership (tiny numbers were made), and some final prep of early family sized cars (the MG Magnette and 6) there for a while too, but that didn’t last long. No British built MGs any more.
@@BungleBare But, the car was British, right? Why buy it from overseas. Dont you know that imports create jobless? What was wrong with building at home? Anything that is built overseas and then imported spells disaster for both the country of origin and the pollution they make during imports. Ships don't sink, do they? Containers don't fall to the bottom, extra air pollution from ships or planes doesn't matter? And the local jobs? Import is really a bad idea. Products should be made at home not at some distant country. It was like that in the old days why they had to change it, costs? So? That's why each country has monetary value.
In Argentina, the CIDASA compound had 3 of those car to being building. But sadly, they never see the light. The factory broke, and all of those people lost their jobs.
Average wage in 1964 - About £1200 peter year. Car cost £650 ie, about 55% average wage. Present day. Average wage about $35,000 (28 times 1964). Morris 1100 equivalent - Hyundai i30 about £13,000 about 35%. But look how much car you get for your money. - air con, power steering, GPS, electric windows. Great stereo. Incredible safety features. Petrol in those days. £0.25 per gallon ie £0.06 per liter - now 16 times the price ie cheaper than in 1964. The modern motorist has never had it as good. Motoring is relatively cheap nowadays. (way safer and more luxurious)
I had a 1955 Hillman Minx and a 1959 Hillman Minx and a 1959 English Ford all awsome cars but in The USA very hard to get parts and a mechanic who could the repairs was hard to find. So the cars went to the junk yard. Very sad!
That guys grandads MG saloon, DCC 585D is taxed and tested until next year, so he obviously got it restored. Good work Sir !!
Brilliant.
And still on the road today! It is due for a test next year.
Very heartening to learn it's still around, these sort of videos are proper social history.
2019 and I just checked the reg of his 1100 on the DVLA site and it's STILL ON THE ROAD!!!!
Wonderful to hear John Peel again
❤️
Not quite 'again', since he's still dead.
John Peel with his serious head on! You just know he’s straining at the leash to lapse into cynical mode.....! A much-missed man.
Indeed, just to hear his voice sends me back to another time. Great days!
Love these cars. Seen one parked, in Sainsbury’s car park, just the other day 22 November 2019, looking in very nice original condition. Suddenly I wanted one for myself, a lovely British classic car.
CFN 847B tax due 1 Nov 2019 - keep her going - marvellous
29th Dec - Untaxed :(
Would have been registered in Canterbury Kent when new probably supplied by Barretts of Canterbury the BMC agent who is still trading today with multiple franchises.
I like thousands of others learnt to drive in one of these in 1967, a favourite of the UK driving schools, only 50p for a hours lesson back then.
I owned a garage business in the late 70’s/early 80’s. Must have spent nearly half of our time welding up 1100/1300’s for MOT’s. Outer and inner wings, sills, subframes etc. You see the thing is, they would rust so fast that they were rotting out within two years of leaving the factory which meant they still held a book value and people could not afford to scrap them. There was no under wing protection which meant that all the wet and mud would get trapped behind the headlamps and in the door pillars. Cars from the factory were not even under sealed, you had to go to a specialist undersealer to get that done. Would be totally unacceptable nowadays but back then they could get away with it and nobody complained.
My late father specified underseal at the factory on his Hillman Imp when he bought it in 1968. He had it for 10 years and it never went structurally rusty although the body picked up a few dings.
We had a mark 3 in Sri Lanka and the hydrolastic suspension was super smooth on good roads and had great visibility in comparison to Japanese cars. A genuine classic.
Austin 1100 is one of the nicest compact of any time, my family in Italy had one in the 70s - 80s (Austin Innocenti 1100) Wonderful! But the video is ancient.
These 1100's were extremely reliable cars in Jamaica . They were also used as taxis & held up very well. Seeing it brings back pleasant childhood memories.
I own 1969 Austin America 1300. Love it...very fun to drive. It is a rust bucket...you have to stay on top of it.
Hannah Montgomery most bmc cars from the 60s were rust buckets .come to think of it most other makes were aswell.
Mr. Warren has a lot of that wisdom and common sense that is so unpopular in today's buy-and-trash consumer culture! so nice to listen to some old-timer common sense!
and he's got a lovely car!
I have owned an MG 1100 for 40 years that has not rusted-It's A "Matchbox" car.
bikebeer
bikebeerrun1960 🤣😁😂
LOL. 😀
dunno about matchbox, but certainly a shitbox.
Good old BMC I was service trained on these and other BMC cars in the 1960.s I know Roy from my time working at Jack Loggins in Chesterfield..good days and fond memories.
There were three of the cars shown here, in my family over those years. I enjoyed these 3 episodes so very much, thank you.
I had the Wolseley 1100, lovely little car. It had been fitted with a 1300 twin-carb lump, and was a nice old thing. The only reason it went was that a chavvy shitbox Corsa smashed into the back of it. Still miss that old tub now. Never let me down, was reliable, simple to service, and had the old A series engine of course. Sadly many BMC vehicles were crap, it was certainly a case of "if only". The people who made the body panels at Pressed Steel wanted to change the design to eradicate many of the rust problems. But they were over-ruled by Issigonis. Same with the old Mini, another motoring icon.
Why would most of the british car companies let a different company build their own body panels and such?
@@DeerKoden because it was cheaper to let PS produce the panels , even RR had their bodies built by them
@@DeerKoden Also Pressed Steel were owned by BMC & later BLMC & still later were associated with BMW.
Never went upmarket, Wolsey, Riley or MG. I owned a Austin and later a Morris during the 80s. Rust buckets both but so much fun.
In 2002 i bought an Austin 1100 (2 drs) from 1969 . Used it as a daily cruizer for a while. It never broke down. Reliable and easy to maintain. It's now parked in a dry garage and only going outside for a 'sunday drive'.
I love the ADO-16, I find they are a very easy car to work on, I have lost count how many I have given a new lease of life after, setting up my car restoration and MOT welding business back in 1978, I remember restoring a Vanden Plas Princess 1300 reg number NOV 40M for a member of the Vanden Plas owners club then there was the 1100 Club I have done lots of work for John Boyd the parts sectary, them where the days lots of rust and lots of money, love your video.
I Live in Australia. And still own a 1965 MG 1100. I’ve owned 4. 1100’s they are great cars. Australia built 1100’s , but only Morriss except for export I think they made Austin’s for New Zealand.. badge engineering. Great car.
Be like Ken.... Keep everything. If it does the job- keep the bloody thing.
03:15 Am I the only one who expected this man to stop the car and start beating it with a small branch?
We had a 1965 1100, the floor rotted out! Then we got a 1970 one, we took to Kenya. It lasted years in the dry climate. Great car.
Well done Dear Sir! What a beautiful veteran car! And so beautifully kept!
I had a Austin 1300 GT for 13 years was mustard colour with black vinyl roof 0was the best fun car I ever owned had amazing room inside for a small car was an absolute treat to throw around the hill roads.
Interestingly GJG655 (The Morris Oxford MO featured in part 1) is currently being sold on ebay.The description states "it's original owner... had owned it from new in 1953 until his death last year at the age of 97".
Those were the days. No lock on the garage. Key in the ignition. Fat chance these days!
did you eat gravel for dinner...good old days crap cars that were rusty when they were brand new...
@@whocares264 factory fitted rust!
Had one in 1971. It replaced my mini. It was bigger, had a good boot, better fuel return, more comfortable, loved it. Not a mini though.
Austin 1000 De Luxe (1975)! My father’s first car!!! ❤️
First car I ever bought. One of the last ones made. Also had a Riley version and a 1300 GT. Fast for it's time.
The A40 Devon, Morris Oxford and Austin 1100 featured in this programme are all still on the road. The MG1100 owner obviously coughed up that £5.5k as the car is now on the road. KDX 682 is currently registered off the road, but there is no trace on the DVLA register of the Wolseley 1500 featured here.
I had an Austin 1300, a 1971 J reg. It was a good car being very roomy for their size and nice and comfortable to drive, in fact i passed my driving test in it in 1979 so it was 8 and a half year old but it was still in good condition as it had been looked after, i admit the bodyshell had built in rust traps so you had to check very carefully when buying one secondhand.
I just checked, some of these cars are still on the road today!
My mum had a 1960 Morris Minor UBL 242 (known in our family as "Ubble"). When my mum had to stop suddenly because a car pulled out from a side road, I learned the hard way that a) leather seats are very shiny and you slide off them if the car stops suddenly; b) the seats are not fastened to the floor in a two-door car and a little sister sitting behind you will catapult you out of the seat; c) a metal dashboard is very hard if you hit it after being catapulted out of the seat. It was a lovely car (I can still remember the burble of the engine if you lifted off the power going downhill) but it was a deathtrap for the reasons given above.
Mum bought the car just after she passed her test in 1966 and had the trafficators replaced with proper flashing indicators. After the wings started to rust in the early 70s, dad got out the chicken wire and the the Plastic Padding and filled the rust holes, then painted the whole car bright blue with a brush and a can of gloss paint - the brush strokes looked *very* naff :-( Ubble ended its days in the mid 70s as the first car of dad's secretary's daughter.
My first car was an 1100. Good to hear John Peel too.🤗🤗
The Lemon Hundred was a great design and a great drive, but a rust bucket.
Cycle down to Devon ?.......Don't make them like they used to !!
great post,thanks.
John Peel.. I miss you
This programme was shown in 1999. Surprisingly Ken's old 1100 CFN847B is still on the road in 2019 (I wonder if Ken is?) as is the white MG1100 DCC585D
A real person.Wish we had more peolple like Ken around.Down to earth and real.Thnaks for video . enjoyed it.Cheers, John
john dean enough bad drivers around without having more kens.
Hatte 1966 - 1988 auch einen Austin 1100. Tolles Auto, aber ständig kaputt ...
My Dad had one of these, it was a great little car, went everywhere in it, my mom took me to the dentist one day to have tooth out, in those days you had gas. Just got home and I puked up blood all over the place.Dad was not amused.
Yes John peel miss him
These were lovely cars to drive, and all cars at that time word rust
Stephen Adams starting in the showroom!
Had a Austin America in the States, think it was a 1300 though, it was a stick shift, took my driving test in it and because i was so good at shifting that car the inspector told me i had passed after 10 minutes driving, or maybe it was just too small for his big American car taste. It was the first real front wheel drive car that most yanks had ever seen, in those days gas station attendants pumped fuel for you and checked the oil if asked to, and we asked to a lot just to see the perplexed look on the attendant face when he came to the window to tell us that the engine is sideways?,
First car i ever drove, Austin 1300 GT
Learnt to drive in one of those. Absolute rust buckets though. By the time we traded it in the body was 50% Plastic Padding
The beige Austin 1100 is still taxed and MOTed until next year. No previous owners
2018 Still taxed. No MOT information.
My relatives had a 1100. They’ve later changed it for a Austin Maxi.
I had a Wolseley 1100, it was my first car. It was a delight to drive, as good as any modern car of similar size, sadly as mentioned in many comments, it rusted terribly. I took mine off the road, stripped the interior out, and was about to get a local restorer to fix everything, when someone stole the rolling body shell!
I suppose fairly well known is the story of how Alec issigonis threw a hissy fit when pressed steel sent the plans for the car back, pointing out all of the rust traps he'd designed into it and insisted they build the car his way. Sadly typical of BMC's high-handed, clueless management.
I wish I still had my Wolseley, still have a few bits from it, and occasionally think about buying another.
What always amazed me was that the Mini gearboxes originally had plain bearings. Only when the gearboxes' longevity was found to be poor (by the customers ! ) were they redesigned with needle rollers.
Amazing that Alec issigonis didn't take Pressed Steel's advice, he certainly wasn't the perfect engineer.
My mother had a dark green MG 1100 in the early sixties until trading it for a new white Austin 1300GT. Nice cars, plenty of room and stylish.
People going on about these things rusting away forget just how much most car makers around the world had rust problems back then. Personally I think the beautiful Japanese cars of the day had it far worse
Yes - the Datsun 120Y springs to mind in this context. It was lucky that so many were sold in a sort of rust-coloured orange that disguised it slightly.
Of course the Alfasud was beyond terrible in the rust department. The A pillars sprouted rust holes at the base within weeks of leaving the show-room.
My brother had a Datsun 180 j had more glass fibre than a reliant regal
Don't forget the Lancia Beta either... another rot box of the day.
@@ColinMill1 That Plant in Naples for the 'Alfa Sud' was famous for lack of quality control the production line would shut down seasonally as many of the employees were from farming stock and went off to harvest various crops in their locality Olives and Fruit picking, ... back then the Italian Labour government poured loads of money into same to try to kickstart industries and various light engineering /manufacturing projects in that part Southern Italy, but whatever about A Pillars rusting out my friend had the rear subframe of his fairly new Austin 1100 just drop out on a motorway due to same rotting off and parting company those securing points cruising on a motorway lucky his whole family weren't killed...
All cars of the 70’s rusted. Some German brands and the Swedish were a bit better. You don’t have to look far to find a decent Mercedes or Volvo.
aaah, I do miss peely's voice.
MG is back!
IK heb er ook zo'n 1100 tudor gehad,nieuw gekocht na een paar maanden al aan het roesten aan de voorste slijkplaten,daarna de rechtse deur eruit gevallen,niet normaal
The Allegro was much better than the 1100. The 1100 was a complete rot box. Allegro was much improved and handled just as well, with 1100 to 1750cc engines to choose from.
What a wonderful nostalgic series this must have been! I never noticed it at the time, which really surprises me as I've liked classic cars since I was about 12! I like the clips over the end credits. I'm glad Ken still had his Morris 1100, it looked pristine & so well kept. I wonder if he's still alive? :-/ if he isn't, I imagine his daughter will have the car now.
I had a Austin America based on the 1100 and 1300 it had all the American features
I had the US version (the Austin America). It was a total disaster. Water leaked in in many places. Fluids leaked out everywhere. The door locks were installed upside down and couldn't be fixed. Well, there were 30+ issues with the car. Bought new and got rid of after 6 months.
Here in Spain, it was a very popular car in the early seventies.
My Dad owned one:
The exhaust steadied the engine which frequently fractured close to the manifold (poor engineered design).
The 'Hydrolastic' suspension failed resulting in it listing to port.
It had catastrophic rust which cost a fortune to mend.
The final straw was the gearbox disintegrating one day (fortunately at low speed) and bits dropping on the road.
He gave up and bought a two year old Morris Minor. Older design but reliable.
Sir Alec Issigonis was recommended by Pressed Steel to design out the bodywork rust traps before proceeding with production but Sir Alec said to proceed without design amendment.
My Dad bought one around 1965 and did 168000 miles in it on one engine but 3 gearboxes.
Had a 1972 1300 loved it. Well before Vauxhall or Ford turned there engines round.They all followed BMC.
well they did not follow BMC into bankruptcy
Agree that Ford engines didn't last in the 60s. BMC were far better and more economical on fuel.
Simple maybe, there is true wisdom in that. People who think they are superior usually miss the wisdom and peace of mind that comes with simplicity.
Personally I think these are cool as hell. They sold them in the US, but I've never seen one...
southshore516 The reason you never saw one in the us. was thay all rusted away.
I used to work with an American chap whose family owned one in the early 1970s. They coped with San Francisco hills better than you might have expected. The conversation was triggered by a yellow Austin appearing in the movie Dirty Harry :)
Such a beautiful car with beautiful , expensive looking l curves you dont
Usually associate with small cars.
Today's cars are also rust buckets. In Eastern Canada, it doesn't show as much because people change their cars every 3 to 5 years. The rust problem exploded when MOT began putting salt on the roads in winter. Car manufacturers don't complain because it helps them reach their goal of planned obsolescence. The consumers get robbed out of their investment.
Nice boy Arsehad.
Had an Austin 1100 then a 1300. Nice cars, roomy, economical and lively. My 1100 could reach 90 mph but sadly another driver crashed into it, end of. Strange but the steering wheel and pedals were offset to the driver's seat. Austin had the nice bar speedo instead of the Morris dial speedo. In the 70's there were zillions on British roads.
I retired to Sisaket Thailand, but had to return due Terresa Mays mishandling of Brexit that drove the pounds value down by 40%,
However parked for years in a side street, is a white 1100, in very good condition, right hand drive a project for someone perhaps, sat in front of it is a very good VW Beetle.
I passes. My test in a Austin 110 June 1978 but unfortunately i had to px it because of rust .
I had one the front wheel collapsed after going down a steep hill it gave me a mortality check
my late dad had An Austin 1100 in Navy Blue
I had a MG 1300, bumped the kerb, and the battery fell through the inner wing! Father in law had a Morris 1100, and he hit a pot-hole, and the entire rear sub-frame fell off!
They were total rust buckets, if you ever had a crash in one it would dissolve into dust aound you.
With ya,leo NZ,POMMY SHITTTA,NO DISRESPECT MEANT
My dads 1100...showroom to scrapyard in 5 years. Total duster...scarily so.
The salt we spread on the roads each year is slowly munching away at your pride and joy. Even now with modern sheet metal treatments, the only way to avoid the damage it does, is to park it in the garage and find another mode of transport until Spring returns.
The GT 1300 version was a great car my boss had one s 1973 model the MG version was sweet too.
wow both cars still exist in 2019
1970's there was an Austin 1100 in Gloucester with the registration BRA 34B! Wonder what happened to both?
Gloucester?
It’s still there.
The Austin is propably gone.
i'VE NEVER SEEN A CAR GROWING MOSS BEFORE ...
The Beige Austin is still taxed and MOT’d to date!
That's some good news
You can't beat a true British motor car like this. It is a crying shame that there are no longer any British Marques in production. It didn't matter about quality issues, reliability.I would still have bought British!!!
+LONE WOLF British is best were the laurels we hung on to for far too long. A breakdown on a rainy day with a carload of kids? Sorry but quality and reliability are the only measure that would make me buy.
Luckily enough the Morris marinas all came with a complimentary bus timetable,
Did he get his mg.done?
My dad had an austin 1300 which is pretty much identical to the 1100 but with a 1300cc engine k reg.
Although the 1100/1300 is a more modern design, they were WAY more rust prone than Minors. It may actually be one of the most rust prone cars of all time.
Its namesake the Simca 1100 was seriously rust prone too.
To a greater or lesser degree all volume cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s tended to be rusty. It’s only really in the ‘80s that most manufacturers had a range of cars that didn’t include a rust prone one amongst them.
Ironically, for all it’s faults, the 1100/1300’s successor, the Allegro, seemed pretty rust resistant relative to most of its competitors- the polar opposite of the 1100 range in that respect. Though perhaps that’s one of the few ways in which the Allegro outshone its predecessor?
@@BungleBare Yeah the Allegro may have been one of the most rust-resistant cars before rustproofing measures improved in the 1980s. They're by most first-hand accounts not a bad car but lack the crisp styling of the 1100.
i HAD A 11.00 NUMBER PLATE AKL 740B I WONDER IF SOMEONES STILL HAS IT , BEST CAR I EVER HAD , GREAT FUN TO DRIVE , I WOULD DRIVE IT INTO A FIELD TAKE THE BACK SEAT OUT AND FILL THE BOX SECTION WITH ENGINE OIL PROTECT IT FROM RUST , INNER TRUMPETS WOULD GO UNDER THE FRONT WING, BUT MY ONES WERE SOLID, RACING GREEN ,EVEN TO THIS DAY I STILL GET THE ODD PERSON THAT REMEMBERS ME AND THAT CAR , ID PULL INTO A PETROL STATION AND THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD ASK IF THEY COULD JUST SIT BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL , BOUGHT BACK MEMORIES FOR THEM , EXTRA LARGE STEERING WHEEL , AND FLASHING INDICATOR ARM, ALMOST LIKE A TOY CAR FROM THE 60S , GOOD MEMORIES ..................
Sorry to report untaxed as of 01/08/1994
Me and mate bought an old one of these in 1981, it never ran, we just parked it outside the house and used it as chatting room for the lads, funny, it sat there for 18 months with no tickets, no clamps, and not lifted away buy some dirty money making scum or council, we only got it scrapped when the ole boy whose house we parked outside asked us to shift it.
Those were the days!
That's the one basil walloped with the Bush..
As he's a baker how did he crimp the edge of the pies with no teeth?
if you think these "rusted to buggery" you should have tried the contemporary Ford range.
Can’t understand why manufacturers hadn’t thought of putting door mirrors on cars instead of wing mirrors. Couldn’t see sod all out of those things.
Door mirrors could interfere with the opening of the quarter lights in the door. Only when ventilation systems improved massively and quarter lights were phased out did door mirrors start to become more commonplace.
Japanese domestic market cars seemed to persist with wing mirrors well into the late ‘80s in some cases - often in large plastic aerodynamic shrouds. That was to keep the width of the cars down for arcane classifications that had parking/taxation implications. Door mirrors stuck out further, relative to wing mirrors.
My dad had a2 door mg lite green subframe f back it was sraped it looked nice dad gone cars gone so sad
Just sold my morris minor for an austin 1300 hope I've done the right thing but at lest old people love there cars
My uncle ronnie bought an Austin 1100 brand new 1964.
That was the best economically priced car that floated on fluid. It carried 6 people.
@MusicMadMaurice
BMC was a great British company. Pity they didn't make it into the millennium. ☹
Mick Carson
MG Rover (as BMC became eventually) lasted until 2005 before going bust.
One of the remnants of the company, MG, survives to this day -albeit under Chinese ownership, and with the cars manufactured in China. If you want to you can still buy a brand new MG here in the UK today.
@@BungleBare
Is the car made in UK or imported from Ch
Mick Carson
These days all imported from China. There was a time when the MG TF continued in production at Longbridge under Chinese ownership (tiny numbers were made), and some final prep of early family sized cars (the MG Magnette and 6) there for a while too, but that didn’t last long. No British built MGs any more.
@@BungleBare
But, the car was British, right? Why buy it from overseas. Dont you know that imports create jobless? What was wrong with building at home? Anything that is built overseas and then imported spells disaster for both the country of origin and the pollution they make during imports. Ships don't sink, do they? Containers don't fall to the bottom, extra air pollution from ships or planes doesn't matter? And the local jobs? Import is really a bad idea. Products should be made at home not at some distant country. It was like that in the old days why they had to change it, costs? So? That's why each country has monetary value.
A classic you must be kidding
The speedo was cool - a moving bar instead of clock
I think that was designed by Smiths at Witney and based on our aircraft Machmeter. Also seen on the Austin 1800.
Mike Rogers - thanks for that info !!
our car the 1100 is on my Facebook page
In Argentina, the CIDASA compound had 3 of those car to being building. But sadly, they never see the light. The factory broke, and all of those people lost their jobs.
Average wage in 1964 - About £1200 peter year. Car cost £650 ie, about 55% average wage.
Present day. Average wage about $35,000 (28 times 1964). Morris 1100 equivalent - Hyundai i30 about £13,000 about 35%. But look how much car you get for your money. - air con, power steering, GPS, electric windows. Great stereo. Incredible safety features.
Petrol in those days. £0.25 per gallon ie £0.06 per liter - now 16 times the price ie cheaper than in 1964. The modern motorist has never had it as good. Motoring is relatively cheap nowadays. (way safer and more luxurious)
I had a 1955 Hillman Minx and a 1959 Hillman Minx and a 1959 English Ford all awsome cars but in The USA very hard to get parts and a mechanic who could the repairs was hard to find. So the cars went to the junk yard. Very sad!