I had a 2.2, as a one month extended hire at the beginning of 1979. Drove about 4000 miles in it for work & didn't want to give it back - absolutely loved it.
I inherited a metallic denim blue T reg Princess from my great uncle, in the early 90s, the seats were black velour, lovely car to drive, but unfortunately needed a new fuel pump and started to be unreliable 6 months after I got it, I always loved that car, coz it looked ahead of it's time, thanks for the memories.
This looks like the Princess i had back in late seventies. Didnt have any bother with it for a few years but the cam belt broke and wrecked the engine. I really liked it.
They looked good at the front but inside they were awful, no headrests, you were sitting in the middle of the seating space and there was that plastics smell that was later made illegal. Owners got cancer from breathing it up. The worst was the clutch pedal, the automatics were okay but the travel on the clutch pedal was about over a foot in length it was heavy and went away down and round and up, wow!
Nearly a victim of the car scrappage deal!?! I dread to think how many potential classics were lost in the purge of 2009. It was an absolute travesty. 😥
My dad was a mechanic back then.sadly passed now. Wwnt to buy one couldn't get one. Ended up buying a sd1 v8. Yes different class back then. Still smile about it now . Ps was 8 back then.
Yeah but ... they rusted badly in the sills, beautiful above the ragged sills they were and the 'hydragas' suspension used to have them selling used, with wheel arches way down on the tyres, near the road but they'd been much sought after used and appreciated as long as they could be but were rust - rotters as most cars from the late 1970s had been and you know, couldn't really beat the 5 cylinder Audi 100 5E.
I remember working for a company in Somerset in the 80's who had 2 aging company cars, a Ford Cortina 2.3GL Ghia auto and an Princess 2200 auto . I went on a course in Leeds and borrowed both cars separately for each week and they both broke done on the way to Leeds so I remember seeing Leeds for the first time from a Breakdown truck and then the second time from a breakdown truck, on both occasions. Both smooth cars though!
I went all over the UK and France on numerous occasions on holidays when I was a kid in my Dad's 2200HLS. It was a lovely smooth quiet car with big soft seats, squishy ride and tons of room inside, great for long trips. It did have its faults, mainly the power steering, but it never seriously let him down. Alas, rust took it in the end and he replaced it with an SD1. This one looks stunning in black with those wheels, its a credit to its owner and I'm glad people still care for these cars.
Yeah rust took them in the sills, they were like nothing today, you had huge holes underneath where the sills ought to be, welding you know wouldn't work.
I heard Roger (Mr. Bond) Moore was offered a Lotus Esprit after doing one of the films that featured them. But, he chose the Rover SD1 instead. I liked both, at the time. But, dreamt more of having an Esprit, as a child.
Loved our Austin Princess 1800 HL S reg. She would go anywhere, we lived in the Lake District back then when my daughter was little...driving through snow regularly was never a problem as the car handled so well. Miss that car good times.
Very nice indeed. The black example here is a real beauty - that definitely did not deserve to be scrapped! Back in the day, I didn't like the shape of the Princess, but it has grown on me enormously in recent years. Maybe the design was years ahead of it's time, as you say - it might even work now (that drawing of the mk3 Princess looks fabulous, even if it did end up as the rather less impressive Ambassador). I'm presently greatly enjoying watching 'Seaside Garage' in Denmark renovate one here on UA-cam. Luckily it's been fairly well looked after over the years. As well as being a nice car to own and drive, it's one that will get some attention at classic car meets, despite not being 'concourse'.
Excellent video. A taxi company near me ran Princesses, Ambassadors and Montegos, one Ambassador ran to 750,000 miles, most of their cars averaged around 90,000 to 100,000 miles per year.
The taxi companies near me when I was a kid in the 2000s always used British 80s cars like metro cabs and I think ambassadors and author old rovers most of the companies and the drivers owned the cars for decades with out major problems. I was talking to a taxi driver about what happened to all the old taxi cabs and all the British companies that made taxis and he said in the late 2000 and early 2010s they were told to swap then for new cars because of safety and pollution. Now they have to buy more expensive foreign cars that have to be completely replaced every 2 or so years because the foreign companies only make them last a few miles and don't make them so that they can be cheaply repaired.
That's astonishing. My 1st montego cost me £400 to pass only its 3rd mot and by its 5th was no longer viable so went for scrap with just 80 thou on the clock. My next one, and NEXT one .. repeat performance. I kept buying them because I kinda liked em and in the 90s were cheap but becoming increasingly scarce. How anyone eaked 200 thou out of one is baffling.
I like the video format on this channel. It's long enough to contain some details, but not too long that one can't take a look in the morning before going to work. Thank you!
My dad had a princess 2.2 auto delivered new on an S registration. Gleaming white with a brown vinyl roof, it was already showing rust spots on the sills when it arrived. I'd just passed my test and was allowed to drive it, loved it, had a stereo radio / cassette which I'd never heard anything like before.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. The first car I ever bought was a Princess 2.0 HLS, automatic, power steering and webasto sun roof. My neighbour was selling her cheap, and it looked completely different to all the cortinas and cavaliers out there. That car took me all over England and Scotland. Like you said, not fastest car and yes, she was thirsty, but a lovely comfortable ride. And a spacious interior. Great car really 👌
Great video. I had a 1981 2.0HL and ran it for 4 years doing nearly 80,000 trouble free miles. Supremely comfortable and the O series engine had a bit of beef about it. Probably one of the best cars of the 25 I have had over the years.
My dad had a 2.0 V reg. was an ex BL Directors car. Had those Stag wheels, full air conditioning, cruise control, sunroof, power mirrors and electric windows all round. Amazing car and not much could match it for all those accessories for a 1980 car!
What a nice reminder of the time my dad took me to look for a new car in -77. We went to different dealers here in Norway and after a day of many offers we ended up liking a -74 german Ford Taunus 1.6L(Cortina) and a almost brand new Princess with the 2200. 10 year old me was all in for the Princess and my dad was also very tempted to go for the british luxury with just a few miles on the clock. But - when we went back for a longer test drive a few days later several electrical issues showed up, and the car didn´t react to the throttle as it should. Back at the dealer they filled up the carb with oil, wich seemed a bit too exotic to my father. He then asked a mechanic he knew wich car to go for, and chickened out to my great sorrow. German Ford it was, and it served us well. A few years back now I got to service a rough running Princess and I had it run as smooth as any engine I´ve layed my hands on. It was litterally possible to balance a coin on it at idle.
This brings back memories for me - my dad had an earlier example and as a family car was comfortable and spacious. The rear windows on ours smashed twice whilst driving (body twist?) and the front bump stop went MIA in France whilst towing the caravan, 5 up and a boat on the roof ! fixed with a tennis ball tied into suspension! a few reliability issues so he traded it in for a Cortina GLS - that felt rubbish ! towed well with "plenty" of power but then he traded that in against another Princess 2. That was much better. His next car was a MG Maestro 1.6 with the twin carbs which was great too with the digital dash. Only issues was hot running on that - overtaking one time it suddenly stopped and he had to free wheel to the side of the road ! He upgraded that to a MG Maestro 2.0 EFi which was so much smoother and powerful. He was a BL fan for many years - previous to that we had 2 of the Landcrab 1800 and a couple of Maxis too. they all travelled well and gave us many happy holiday trips.
For us in Australia and New Zealand, it became clear that there was poor quality control of parts....as if it was decided that the customers "down under" weren't a priority. What might have been good cars, soon became smoking piles of rolling junk. Annoying when the owner was a retired person who had likely brought it as their final car Not surprising then, that Japanese cars quickly took over the markets.
Great video! I have a 1980 2000HL and she’s still taking me out and about for Sunday drives and just done a 600 Km trip around the country. She’s so comfy!
It was one of those cars that promised so much and delivered so little. The quality of materials was awful, but it rode and handled well and was very comfortable. The engines were just dull. The body shape was fine, but it needed an Italian to tidy it up a bit. The Ambassador was just uninspiring and dispensed with the originality of the Princess, though it was a bit better made. If you havn't got a decent engine though, you may as well pack up and go home. That is the heart of any car ( until EVs came along I suppose)
A brilliant design, built by untrained spiteful monkeys. I had both a Princess and later an Ambassador. Very spacious. Equivalent cars like the Ford Cortina (Pinto equiv.) were preferred in some ways. One of those cars which, like the NSU Ro 80, still looks modern today.
Jeffery Smith I had a 2200.HL.automatic it was a beautiful. car. Mine had an LPG adaption, and with both tanks full would do over 600 miles Fantastic shape and ride
My dad had a R reg 2200 HLS in Lime Green...I passed my test in 1982 and he let me use it all summer!... It was an automatic and I loved it!....Brings a tear to my eye watching this!
At my age 75 I remember them well, a friend had one and let me drive it, just smooth luxury, loved it and those looks so much better than todays boring cars.
My late father was a mechanic and as a kid, i can remember him working on scores of these. He never had a very high opinion of them. Then around 2014, I was considering buying a really nice red one that was on Ebay. The car was mint and I figured that it would make a good and fun second car. I showed the ad to my father who dismissed it and said (quote) "Don't touch it, all they do is blow head gaskets!" given this verdict I didn't bid and let the car go. A year later I was looking at a car for a friend at a garage in Clacton and they had one almost identical to the one I'd looked in their workshop with the bonnet up. I wandered over and out of curiosity asked what was wrong. The mechanic replied, "done its head gasket!" My old man knew his stuff.
I had two Princesses. The first one was an 1800 and pretty scruffy. I had a few issues with it, collapsed front suspension that happened at walking pace, worn carbon clutch release bearing, windscreen wipers coming loose and getting tangled up with each other, and the drivers side window glass falling down into the door (the latter two were on 70mph dual carriageways)! And it was slow and cumbersome. A few years later with my marriage on the rocks, I sold the small family car in exchange for a newer second hand 2200 automatic and some cash. I had seen the car in a dealership that sold small economical cars. It had obviously been a part exchange deal and I thought it would be a challenge for the dealership to sell on. So after seeing it hang around for a few weeks, I made an offer and we had a deal. I loved that 2200. It was a completely different car, 3 speed auto box, straight six engine, twin carbs and power steering. Despite what the review states that the 0-60 was slow-I found that it surprised many other drivers when you floored the pedal and took off from the traffic lights. It was after all a large car. The interior and boot space was huge, and it was a very comfortable ride in the front and back seats. I took 2 adults, plus 2 small kids and one teenager along with two tents and all the camping gear on a road trip from the south coast of England, up the west side of the country to the Lake District, Loch Lomond, Isle of Skye, across to Inverness, then Edinburgh and down the east side of the country via Nottingham and York and back home. We did 2,221miles in 10 days! The car never missed a beat although I manually tweaked the ignition timing (by ear) by lake Windermere as I had noticed the car was pinking very slightly. We drove over Honnister and Hardknot passes in the lake district and the car had no trouble at all, it was a great trip. It cost me an awful lot of money in petrol though! Regarding luggage space, these cars were tall and wide. With the old 1800, I used to sell home made wooden toys at craft fairs and steam rallies etc. When the carbon clutch bearing went on that earlier car, I hired a Mk 5 Ford cortina estate as we had booked a show. On the face of it it was a big car, being an estate, but in reality I had to leave stuff at home as I could not get as much in it compared to the Princess!!!
I was a motor mechanic back then and I liked them.They were often the victims of neglect. If you took the trouble to rust proof them when they were new it helped massively
My father imported a princess from England to Ireland. I never liked these cars as a young fella. But it was a nice car to drive. Thanks for the memories.
I had a 2200Hls at 17. Super smooth ride, same autobox Borgwarner type 35 as in the Jag 4.2 same battery as in a Rolls!? Dual circuit brakes, twin su carbs, pre-engaged starter, engine originally from the Landcrab, Worsley. 2200Hls Auto only, engine 'assembled' at the Rolls-Royce factory!
An article that has brought back memories. In August 1975 my father bought the Morris 1800 version of this car (I always preferred the Morris/Wolsey grill & bonnet). I remember thinking it looked a great car but as you say "build quality" wasn't a word in the BL Vocabulary, Within 2 years the sills & flanges of the doors & boot skins were all showing signs of rust & as the car was white, it looked awful. Later when doing my A Levels my geography teacher has the 2200 HLS in metallic blue & darker blue vinyl roof & velour seats. It looked amazingly classy.
My Dad had a Princess then two Ambassadors (all company cars). Used to holiday in the UK and drove up to Scotland, The Lakes and down to Bath, Cornwall. Never had any breakdowns. Had the Vanden Plas edition with the electric windows, so I was a happy kid.
Had a ‘79 1.7 model in my early twenties, made a great (cough) passion wagon with a nice big back seat, very comfortable drive over long distances and did well as a tow car.
My late dad had this car, it was the last he owned before he we lost him in 1983. We were living in British Forces accommodation in Germany at the time and my mum sold it as she didn’t have a drivers license. I was devastated that we had lost my dad but also that we had to get rid of his car too. I had it in my head that I could look after it until I was old enough to drive, which at 11 years old would have been quite some time! Used to love watching my dad working on the car. Happy memories brought back with this video, thank you!
Yeah but ... they didn't all have headrests fitted, even the six-cylinder Automatics were like that and the seating space was very cramped, the driver sitting in the middle of the cabin, it felt very dated although the outside design was genius, the manual shift cars had a huge, long travel clutch pedal that couldn't make for a great Rally car and ten years before, would have been developed in the East Africa Rally, but it was the late 1970s and Cambridge University had pulled the plug on the project in 1976 and it was really put into production as an obsolete idea. Mechanically they were bad news, but the few that have survived are likely the only ones ever made that weren't awful.
Had a princess 2200 straight six, fabulous car. Luxurious lots of room and comfortable.. Had the automatic not the most economical but lovely to drive... Would tow amazingly. A proper British car ..
Thanks for such a balanced and fair review - and I agree, dismiss the Princess at your peril. My Dad ran one of the last of the bunch, an '81 HL. In five years of ownership (and he bought it second-hand in '86) it never let him down. Quiet, comfortable, smooth. And it held its own on the motorway too.
I had a 2200 HLS when they were big cheap bangers. Great car for lounging around the Highlands in, and its economy wasn't too bad. Big ends went in the end, so off to the breakers. If I had the room then that I have now, I'd have kept it and fixed it, as the body was in excellent condition.
My Dad had the Wolsley six auto, when it broke. I went out and purchased a Princess for without him know. Many years ago now but will always remember his reaction. He spent more time polishing it and driving.
To Kevin Thacker. MY dad also had the Wolseley automatic, but it was the 1800. Our favourite most comfortable car! To replace it later with a Princess, was just TWO OF THE BEST.
I learnt to drive in my dads Austin Princess. What a beautiful car. The head gasket went whilst on holiday in Devon. Thanks to a fried of a friend who worked for Royal Mail, he fixed the problem. Apparently this was a common problem and effected the LDV vans they ran (same engine). Always remember this car fondly and the ridiculously hot heater, dad did like his car warm. He changed it for a Rover 2600s SD1. Unfortunately this was written off whilst parked. So he next went big old jAAAGgg, such classic cars
Anyone else remember the advertising campaign for that year? 🎶 🎵The S plate special coming down the line, The S plate special right on time, Leyland cars, always looking great, You can get them now with the new S plate...🎵🎶 Always wanted one of these as our family car, but my old man loved his maroon Marina 1.8 super though. Family next door had one and I was always jealous of them going on their holidays. Wafting down the M5 in luxury en route to the Brummie Mecca that was Butlins Barry Island.
Had one of these in the early 1990s. bought it for less money than a pair of new Nike trainers... (paid 20 quid for the princess ).. enjoyed every drive in it.
My Dad bought a 1983 Ambassador in 1983 on a Y plate. 2.0 HLS. Very comfortable. The twin SU carbs made it just about lively enough. Only the front windows were powered. PAS standard which was unusual in its era. I think apart from HLS and VP it was unassisted steering. The straight six Princess engines - E series - were lovely. Thirsty and underpowered but smooth
Great review! I've always loved the styling of the Princess. Its a shame that there are so few left on the road. Although, I'm so glad that example was saved from being scrapped. It certainly looks in great condition!👍
Actually, my memory of these cars is that motoring journalists were not ecstatic about the looks. More than a few put their opinions in a way that said they thought the styling was somewhat weird, without actually using the word 'weird'. At the time family saloons were of little interest to me as a buyer. However, several years down the way, on a fortnight's summer holiday back in the UK from my work in South East Asia, I needed a rental car. Rather than pay eyewatering prices from the usual hire car suspects, I chose a company called Rent a Wreck. Their cars weren't wrecks, but mostly somewhere between 4 and 6 years old, as I recall. Mine was one of these wedges, with the 1.7 engine. Can only say I was well surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Roomy, comfortable.., you could drive lots of miles without feeling knackered at the end of the journey. The engine was adequate, without offering any thrills. It did the job. A little side story to this. My ex had been staying at my house till shortly before I returned. She'd had a few parties, and had left behind a bunch of refuse filled black bags in the garage. First thing I did was to load these into the wedge, and take them to the nearest tip. Unfortunately, one or more of the bags had milk bottles, which leaked their rancid contents into the car. I spent half my holiday cleaning and cleaning inside the car trying to rid it of the smell, but it just kept returning, albeit slightly less each time. Eventually, it was time to head back to Asia, and I drove down to the Rent a Wreck people. Parked up, and went into their office... "Just returning the car...". "Thank you, how was it..?" "Oh, it was great, I really enjoyed it.." Put the keys on the counter, and made it out of there as briskly as I could. Have to say, the styling stands up very well today,
I remember my dad having the Wolsely Princess. White, black vinyl roof, dark blue velvet type seats. It was very plush, nice reading lights in the back 2.2. I think. Rode very smoothly and reliable (as far as I can remember).
I remember my Sergeant Major ordering one which was delivered to our base in W.Germany he only had it a week when his wife got confused at the pumps and filled it with diesel, after being flushed several times he had it back on the road.
A friend of the family had one of these gifted to them brand new as a wedding present. They drove it until it was literally falling apart and even then they could not bear to get rid of it. They were redoing their drive way at the time it was finally condemned and they had the builder dig down far enough so they could bury it under the drive so it was always there at their house.
I came across a brochure for the Princess and a "W" (1980-81) reg car was priced at 1/3rd that of a good 3 bed semi house in the town I grew up in. That would equate to over £80,000 today. I never realised these cars were so expensive back in the day.
Had the 2.2 back in the day! Loved it, apart from the clicking driveshafts and sagging suspension and poor fuel consumption! What a shame😥 Was a pleasure to drive through!
My brother-in-law bought a brand new Princess. A few days later it was back at his local garage for something and the mechanic said, "I think you'd better have a look at this...", and showed him the underside of the floorpan.........just bare metal totally devoid of any underseal!
That doesn't sound terribly likely given that that the entire body shell would be painted at the same time. Whilst I can absolutely believe thst the car was lacking underseal as this was applied much later, it would not really be possible for the underside to be 'bare metal'. In 1981 a friend of mine bought an Allegro 3 and the dealership asked him if he wished for underseal to be applied as part of the PDI and my friend said no he would rather apply it himself. This may give a clue to the origin of your story. Bare metal. No sorry I don't buy that.
My dad got a brand new Ital and the first cold morning of winter it failed to start, there was no anti-freeze, just plain water and the block had cracked. Good old BL and Red Robbo!
Looks great, I always have good memories of them as a passenger when I was a kid, the local Taxi company used them and I travelled hundreds of miles in the back of these and Cortina's, whilst my heart is still with a Tina and owned lots when I grew up I have no bad things to say about the Princess, even if I never owned one, the 1750 Maxi II is another massively underrated car IMO.
Excellent article. Surprising that fuel consumption was so poor, usually BL cars, with SU carbs, were quite good on fuel. We never owned a Princess, although we bought the replacement for the Allegro (the Maestro, an F reg 1.6 L) and the Princess (the Montego). I had a G reg (post facelift, with unleaded engine) Montego Estate, a 1.6 L. one of the nicest looking estates ever built, a really good car, it did 32 mpg (good fuel consumption figures in the early 90s), and was mechanically pretty reliable, I used to do around 25K miles a year, by then I was self employed.
I had a 1800 HL and is was a great car that was very reliable. I did change the front tyres to 65 profile from the standard 80's and it transformed the steering. Very comfortable and also very roomy.
I had the special six and did galatic miles in it when i was in the armed forces.. never failed me once... and was the most comfortable drive ive ever had...
My uncle owned every BL and Austin car ever made, apart from the Metro & Maestro as they were too small for him and my grand-parents, up to the MG Montego EFi. He had a bright orange Maxi for years, and traded that in for a Princess and then an Ambassador from day they were launched and both were luxurious cars for their time. Such a comfy ride in the rear (where I sat!) and loads of room inside.
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I had a 2.2, as a one month extended hire at the beginning of 1979. Drove about 4000 miles in it for work & didn't want to give it back - absolutely loved it.
my fecking comment was deleted!
My dad had one of these and it was really comfortable with a great ride and an amazingly spacious and plush black interior.
I inherited a metallic denim blue T reg Princess from my great uncle, in the early 90s, the seats were black velour, lovely car to drive, but unfortunately needed a new fuel pump and started to be unreliable 6 months after I got it, I always loved that car, coz it looked ahead of it's time, thanks for the memories.
This looks like the Princess i had back in late seventies. Didnt have any bother with it for a few years but the cam belt broke and wrecked the engine. I really liked it.
They looked good at the front but inside they were awful, no headrests, you were sitting in the middle of the seating space and there was that plastics smell that was later made illegal. Owners got cancer from breathing it up. The worst was the clutch pedal, the automatics were okay but the travel on the clutch pedal was about over a foot in length it was heavy and went away down and round and up, wow!
Definitely agree on the shape still working today.
Nearly a victim of the car scrappage deal!?! I dread to think how many potential classics were lost in the purge of 2009. It was an absolute travesty. 😥
There are lists online if you fancy tormenting yourself... :(
@@ClassicsWorldUK 😭
I'd be surprised if any, by 2009 these were definitely enthusiast's cars so I can't imagine any
@@ClassicsWorldUK I don't think i could take the pain
So many. May the architects of the scrappage scheme go to hell
My dad was a mechanic back then.sadly passed now. Wwnt to buy one couldn't get one. Ended up buying a sd1 v8. Yes different class back then. Still smile about it now . Ps was 8 back then.
The cars when we were kids were great!
That example is actually beautiful.
Yeah but ... they rusted badly in the sills, beautiful above the ragged sills they were and the 'hydragas' suspension used to have them selling used, with wheel arches way down on the tyres, near the road but they'd been much sought after used and appreciated as long as they could be but were rust - rotters as most cars from the late 1970s had been and you know, couldn't really beat the 5 cylinder Audi 100 5E.
I remember working for a company in Somerset in the 80's who had 2 aging company cars, a Ford Cortina 2.3GL Ghia auto and an Princess 2200 auto . I went on a course in Leeds and borrowed both cars separately for each week and they both broke done on the way to Leeds so I remember seeing Leeds for the first time from a Breakdown truck and then the second time from a breakdown truck, on both occasions. Both smooth cars though!
All credit to the owner - that is one pristine motor. Good looking too, dare I say it! 😁👍
We agree, Ian's done a top job! He's @balterleycross on Twitter if you want to see more of it ;)
@ClassicsWorldUK is it in burton on trent I have seen one off the a38 looks identical
I went all over the UK and France on numerous occasions on holidays when I was a kid in my Dad's 2200HLS. It was a lovely smooth quiet car with big soft seats, squishy ride and tons of room inside, great for long trips. It did have its faults, mainly the power steering, but it never seriously let him down. Alas, rust took it in the end and he replaced it with an SD1. This one looks stunning in black with those wheels, its a credit to its owner and I'm glad people still care for these cars.
To John j. Replaced the Princess, with an SD1? Two stylish cars!
@@nygelmiller5293 My Dad was a stylish guy😁 After the Princess he had 2 x SD1's, then an 825i, then 2 x 827's!
@@johnj3577 I agree with you. Your Dad WAS a stylish guy@
Yeah rust took them in the sills, they were like nothing today, you had huge holes underneath where the sills ought to be, welding you know wouldn't work.
I heard Roger (Mr. Bond) Moore was offered a Lotus Esprit after doing one of the films that featured them. But, he chose the Rover SD1 instead. I liked both, at the time. But, dreamt more of having an Esprit, as a child.
Loved our Austin Princess 1800 HL S reg. She would go anywhere, we lived in the Lake District back then when my daughter was little...driving through snow regularly was never a problem as the car handled so well. Miss that car good times.
Very nice indeed. The black example here is a real beauty - that definitely did not deserve to be scrapped! Back in the day, I didn't like the shape of the Princess, but it has grown on me enormously in recent years. Maybe the design was years ahead of it's time, as you say - it might even work now (that drawing of the mk3 Princess looks fabulous, even if it did end up as the rather less impressive Ambassador).
I'm presently greatly enjoying watching 'Seaside Garage' in Denmark renovate one here on UA-cam. Luckily it's been fairly well looked after over the years. As well as being a nice car to own and drive, it's one that will get some attention at classic car meets, despite not being 'concourse'.
Excellent video. A taxi company near me ran Princesses, Ambassadors and Montegos, one Ambassador ran to 750,000 miles, most of their cars averaged around 90,000 to 100,000 miles per year.
The taxi companies near me when I was a kid in the 2000s always used British 80s cars like metro cabs and I think ambassadors and author old rovers most of the companies and the drivers owned the cars for decades with out major problems.
I was talking to a taxi driver about what happened to all the old taxi cabs and all the British companies that made taxis and he said in the late 2000 and early 2010s they were told to swap then for new cars because of safety and pollution.
Now they have to buy more expensive foreign cars that have to be completely replaced every 2 or so years because the foreign companies only make them last a few miles and don't make them so that they can be cheaply repaired.
Metro Cab had nothing to do with BL😎
Yes those Japcrap Toyotas all fall apart don't they.
That's astonishing. My 1st montego cost me £400 to pass only its 3rd mot and by its 5th was no longer viable so went for scrap with just 80 thou on the clock. My next one, and NEXT one .. repeat performance. I kept buying them because I kinda liked em and in the 90s were cheap but becoming increasingly scarce. How anyone eaked 200 thou out of one is baffling.
I like the video format on this channel. It's long enough to contain some details, but not too long that one can't take a look in the morning before going to work. Thank you!
Glad to hear, Alexandre! Hope this video put you in a good mood before work :)
My dad had a princess 2.2 auto delivered new on an S registration. Gleaming white with a brown vinyl roof, it was already showing rust spots on the sills when it arrived. I'd just passed my test and was allowed to drive it, loved it, had a stereo radio / cassette which I'd never heard anything like before.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. The first car I ever bought was a Princess 2.0 HLS, automatic, power steering and webasto sun roof. My neighbour was selling her cheap, and it looked completely different to all the cortinas and cavaliers out there. That car took me all over England and Scotland. Like you said, not fastest car and yes, she was thirsty, but a lovely comfortable ride. And a spacious interior. Great car really 👌
Sounds like you love the Princess as much as Phil does, Dave!
"She was thirsty but a lovely comfortable ride"
For a minute I thought you were talking about my girlfriend......
Great video. I had a 1981 2.0HL and ran it for 4 years doing nearly 80,000 trouble free miles. Supremely comfortable and the O series engine had a bit of beef about it. Probably one of the best cars of the 25 I have had over the years.
My dad had a 2.0 V reg. was an ex BL Directors car. Had those Stag wheels, full air conditioning, cruise control, sunroof, power mirrors and electric windows all round.
Amazing car and not much could match it for all those accessories for a 1980 car!
My first csr at 17. Everyone said get the cortina for sale next to it. But I wanted something different. My princess vanden Plas. I loved it
Gosh, what a beautiful Princess! Those Triumph wheels really suit it! It’s a pity that BL didn’t have the same idea!
Thank you! It is my pride and joy.
@@iancross4631 Oh, I SEE!Those wheels were ones I hadn't seen on a Princess before, because you thought of fitting them YOURSELF! Very well done!
That was going to binned off in the scrappage scheme!! That would have been criminal that!!
Agreed! We're glad Ian saved it
@@ClassicsWorldUK I am glad you have made it famous!
What a nice reminder of the time my dad took me to look for a new car in -77. We went to different dealers here in Norway and after a day of many offers we ended up liking a -74 german Ford Taunus 1.6L(Cortina) and a almost brand new Princess with the 2200. 10 year old me was all in for the Princess and my dad was also very tempted to go for the british luxury with just a few miles on the clock. But - when we went back for a longer test drive a few days later several electrical issues showed up, and the car didn´t react to the throttle as it should. Back at the dealer they filled up the carb with oil, wich seemed a bit too exotic to my father. He then asked a mechanic he knew wich car to go for, and chickened out to my great sorrow. German Ford it was, and it served us well.
A few years back now I got to service a rough running Princess and I had it run as smooth as any engine I´ve layed my hands on. It was litterally possible to balance a coin on it at idle.
My Dad had one when i was a kid, loved it :) The one in this video is a stunning example
Served my apprenticeship working on these in the seventies. Lovely old car!
This brings back memories for me - my dad had an earlier example and as a family car was comfortable and spacious. The rear windows on ours smashed twice whilst driving (body twist?) and the front bump stop went MIA in France whilst towing the caravan, 5 up and a boat on the roof ! fixed with a tennis ball tied into suspension! a few reliability issues so he traded it in for a Cortina GLS - that felt rubbish ! towed well with "plenty" of power but then he traded that in against another Princess 2. That was much better. His next car was a MG Maestro 1.6 with the twin carbs which was great too with the digital dash. Only issues was hot running on that - overtaking one time it suddenly stopped and he had to free wheel to the side of the road ! He upgraded that to a MG Maestro 2.0 EFi which was so much smoother and powerful. He was a BL fan for many years - previous to that we had 2 of the Landcrab 1800 and a couple of Maxis too. they all travelled well and gave us many happy holiday trips.
I had the Morris 1800HL with the twin headlights and styled bonnet, in Lunar Blue. Terrific car, stylish, enormous room, a beauty.
In the early 80s, one of these was the only taxi on Anglesey, it ran 24 hours a day, I never heard of it breaking down, excellent reliability!
For us in Australia and New Zealand, it became clear that there was poor quality control of parts....as if it was decided that the customers "down under" weren't a priority.
What might have been good cars, soon became smoking piles of rolling junk.
Annoying when the owner was a retired person who had likely brought it as their final car
Not surprising then, that Japanese cars quickly took over the markets.
Great video! I have a 1980 2000HL and she’s still taking me out and about for Sunday drives and just done a 600 Km trip around the country. She’s so comfy!
Excellent! Good to hear from another Princess driver.
As a yank who will never see one of these in the metal, I remain oddly fascinated by this car.
Think of them like a slightly simplified big Citroen. Aerodynamic, lots of space, fluid/gas suspension.
It was one of those cars that promised so much and delivered so little. The quality of materials was awful, but it rode and handled well and was very comfortable. The engines were just dull. The body shape was fine, but it needed an Italian to tidy it up a bit. The Ambassador was just uninspiring and dispensed with the originality of the Princess, though it was a bit better made. If you havn't got a decent engine though, you may as well pack up and go home. That is the heart of any car ( until EVs came along I suppose)
A brilliant design, built by untrained spiteful monkeys.
I had both a Princess and later an Ambassador. Very spacious.
Equivalent cars like the Ford Cortina (Pinto equiv.) were preferred in some ways.
One of those cars which, like the NSU Ro 80, still looks modern today.
@Eric Hurt Hydragas on Wedges. Uses Nitogen gas as the springing medium rather than the Rubber of Hydrolastic.
Jeffery Smith I had a 2200.HL.automatic it was a beautiful. car. Mine had an LPG adaption, and with both tanks full would do over 600 miles
Fantastic shape and ride
My dad had 5 and each and every one was a great car
I loved them as a kid
So good a car these were
I had a 2.4 back in the 80s....and I loved it. My only regret is that I wasn't enough of a driver at that time to be worthy of it. Lovely car.
My dad had a R reg 2200 HLS in Lime Green...I passed my test in 1982 and he let me use it all summer!... It was an automatic and I loved it!....Brings a tear to my eye watching this!
My 17th birthday in 1981. Dad came home from work, stuck L plates on our 22 hundred HLS and I learnt to drive. Great memories.
At my age 75 I remember them well, a friend had one and let me drive it, just smooth luxury, loved it and those looks so much better than todays boring cars.
My late father was a mechanic and as a kid, i can remember him working on scores of these. He never had a very high opinion of them. Then around 2014, I was considering buying a really nice red one that was on Ebay. The car was mint and I figured that it would make a good and fun second car. I showed the ad to my father who dismissed it and said (quote) "Don't touch it, all they do is blow head gaskets!" given this verdict I didn't bid and let the car go.
A year later I was looking at a car for a friend at a garage in Clacton and they had one almost identical to the one I'd looked in their workshop with the bonnet up. I wandered over and out of curiosity asked what was wrong. The mechanic replied, "done its head gasket!" My old man knew his stuff.
Good old dad 😊….lovely story ! 😢
I love the shape of the Princess.
That HLS is a beauty. My grandad had one when I was a kid and I can remember it being really smooth.
I had two Princesses. The first one was an 1800 and pretty scruffy. I had a few issues with it, collapsed front suspension that happened at walking pace, worn carbon clutch release bearing, windscreen wipers coming loose and getting tangled up with each other, and the drivers side window glass falling down into the door (the latter two were on 70mph dual carriageways)! And it was slow and cumbersome.
A few years later with my marriage on the rocks, I sold the small family car in exchange for a newer second hand 2200 automatic and some cash. I had seen the car in a dealership that sold small economical cars. It had obviously been a part exchange deal and I thought it would be a challenge for the dealership to sell on. So after seeing it hang around for a few weeks, I made an offer and we had a deal.
I loved that 2200. It was a completely different car, 3 speed auto box, straight six engine, twin carbs and power steering. Despite what the review states that the 0-60 was slow-I found that it surprised many other drivers when you floored the pedal and took off from the traffic lights. It was after all a large car.
The interior and boot space was huge, and it was a very comfortable ride in the front and back seats.
I took 2 adults, plus 2 small kids and one teenager along with two tents and all the camping gear on a road trip from the south coast of England, up the west side of the country to the Lake District, Loch Lomond, Isle of Skye, across to Inverness, then Edinburgh and down the east side of the country via Nottingham and York and back home. We did 2,221miles in 10 days!
The car never missed a beat although I manually tweaked the ignition timing (by ear) by lake Windermere as I had noticed the car was pinking very slightly. We drove over Honnister and Hardknot passes in the lake district and the car had no trouble at all, it was a great trip. It cost me an awful lot of money in petrol though!
Regarding luggage space, these cars were tall and wide. With the old 1800, I used to sell home made wooden toys at craft fairs and steam rallies etc. When the carbon clutch bearing went on that earlier car, I hired a Mk 5 Ford cortina estate as we had booked a show. On the face of it it was a big car, being an estate, but in reality I had to leave stuff at home as I could not get as much in it compared to the Princess!!!
That is a wonderful story.
I was a motor mechanic back then and I liked them.They were often the victims of neglect. If you took the trouble to rust proof them when they were new it helped massively
The one in the film was rust proofed when new, (I spoke to the original garage who did it) and frequently afterwards and it really shows.
My father imported a princess from England to Ireland. I never liked these cars as a young fella. But it was a nice car to drive. Thanks for the memories.
A great product lacking the sec appeal that motorists wanted. Bold design and this one in black with those alloys really pops!
Spot on. I remember driving one in the 80s. I thought it was great. Loads of space and really comfortable. I still like the shape too.
Immaculate example. Don't see many at classic car events. Interesting to see someone has fitted Triumph Stag alloys to that one.
Yes I haven't seen many around. I fitted Stag wheels as I always liked the style and found out they were a straight swap.
I owned one of these. Loved it. Absolutely cavernous. I would buy one today if they were around
Never thought I'd say this ..but that princess in the video looks very good looks good in black with them lovely wheels 👍🇬🇧
I had a 2200Hls at 17. Super smooth ride, same autobox Borgwarner type 35 as in the Jag 4.2 same battery as in a Rolls!? Dual circuit brakes, twin su carbs, pre-engaged starter, engine originally from the Landcrab, Worsley. 2200Hls Auto only, engine 'assembled' at the Rolls-Royce factory!
The brakes were fighting in some way?
@@richardrichard5409 I am sure you knew what I didn't mean! 🤣
An article that has brought back memories. In August 1975 my father bought the Morris 1800 version of this car (I always preferred the Morris/Wolsey grill & bonnet). I remember thinking it looked a great car but as you say "build quality" wasn't a word in the BL Vocabulary, Within 2 years the sills & flanges of the doors & boot skins were all showing signs of rust & as the car was white, it looked awful. Later when doing my A Levels my geography teacher has the 2200 HLS in metallic blue & darker blue vinyl roof & velour seats. It looked amazingly classy.
The alloy wheels suit this Princess very well. I love them.
My Dad had a Princess then two Ambassadors (all company cars). Used to holiday in the UK and drove up to Scotland, The Lakes and down to Bath, Cornwall. Never had any breakdowns. Had the Vanden Plas edition with the electric windows, so I was a happy kid.
Had a ‘79 1.7 model in my early twenties, made a great (cough) passion wagon with a nice big back seat, very comfortable drive over long distances and did well as a tow car.
SUCH a lovely ride!
They were really underrated.
My late dad had this car, it was the last he owned before he we lost him in 1983. We were living in British Forces accommodation in Germany at the time and my mum sold it as she didn’t have a drivers license. I was devastated that we had lost my dad but also that we had to get rid of his car too. I had it in my head that I could look after it until I was old enough to drive, which at 11 years old would have been quite some time! Used to love watching my dad working on the car. Happy memories brought back with this video, thank you!
I remember it was the car used by “Terry & June” in the Tv series, which featured in several of their comedy situations..
Terry spent ages trying to remember the reg number, NMO 49 W.
My Dad had 3 of these from new. He said he liked the carpets!
No kidding?
Yeah but ... they didn't all have headrests fitted, even the six-cylinder Automatics were like that and the seating space was very cramped, the driver sitting in the middle of the cabin, it felt very dated although the outside design was genius, the manual shift cars had a huge, long travel clutch pedal that couldn't make for a great Rally car and ten years before, would have been developed in the East Africa Rally, but it was the late 1970s and Cambridge University had pulled the plug on the project in 1976 and it was really put into production as an obsolete idea. Mechanically they were bad news, but the few that have survived are likely the only ones ever made that weren't awful.
We had an orange one with brown vinyl roof. The 70’s all in one package, on wheels.
As a little kid, I liked them, even had the BL Princess brochure. In junior school!!
I always liked those of a certain year. This one, in the video, is a beauty!
Had a princess 2200 straight six, fabulous car. Luxurious lots of room and comfortable.. Had the automatic not the most economical but lovely to drive... Would tow amazingly. A proper British car ..
Thanks for such a balanced and fair review - and I agree, dismiss the Princess at your peril. My Dad ran one of the last of the bunch, an '81 HL. In five years of ownership (and he bought it second-hand in '86) it never let him down. Quiet, comfortable, smooth. And it held its own on the motorway too.
I had a 2200 HLS when they were big cheap bangers. Great car for lounging around the Highlands in, and its economy wasn't too bad.
Big ends went in the end, so off to the breakers. If I had the room then that I have now, I'd have kept it and fixed it, as the body was in excellent condition.
My Dad had the Wolsley six auto, when it broke. I went out and purchased a Princess for without him know. Many years ago now but will always remember his reaction. He spent more time polishing it and driving.
To Kevin Thacker. MY dad also had the Wolseley automatic, but it was the 1800. Our favourite most comfortable car! To replace it later with a Princess, was just TWO OF THE BEST.
I learnt to drive in my dads Austin Princess. What a beautiful car. The head gasket went whilst on holiday in Devon. Thanks to a fried of a friend who worked for Royal Mail, he fixed the problem. Apparently this was a common problem and effected the LDV vans they ran (same engine). Always remember this car fondly and the ridiculously hot heater, dad did like his car warm. He changed it for a Rover 2600s SD1. Unfortunately this was written off whilst parked. So he next went big old jAAAGgg, such classic cars
God bless the person who protects this beautiful car . This one is stunning
Agreed!
Anyone else remember the advertising campaign for that year?
🎶 🎵The S plate special coming down the line,
The S plate special right on time,
Leyland cars, always looking great,
You can get them now with the new S plate...🎵🎶
Always wanted one of these as our family car, but my old man loved his maroon Marina 1.8 super though.
Family next door had one and I was always jealous of them going on their holidays. Wafting down the M5 in luxury en route to the Brummie Mecca that was Butlins Barry Island.
My headmaster had one. Not the reason I bought this one, but a very early memory!
Had one of these in the early 1990s. bought it for less money than a pair of new Nike trainers... (paid 20 quid for the princess ).. enjoyed every drive in it.
Went in one of these once (A minicab) massive & comfy.
I learned to drive in a 1700 HSL , great car
My Dad bought a 1983 Ambassador in 1983 on a Y plate. 2.0 HLS. Very comfortable. The twin SU carbs made it just about lively enough. Only the front windows were powered. PAS standard which was unusual in its era. I think apart from HLS and VP it was unassisted steering. The straight six Princess engines - E series - were lovely. Thirsty and underpowered but smooth
Great review! I've always loved the styling of the Princess. Its a shame that there are so few left on the road. Although, I'm so glad that example was saved from being scrapped. It certainly looks in great condition!👍
It is a bit of a survivor!
@@iancross4631 Definitely! Can't be many in that colour either.
@@Car_and_classic_lover I know of a base spec 1800 in black and a couple of Wolseleys, but I have never seen another in the flesh.
2200 . Broke my heart and bank account. Like my then wife, good looking and so much trouble! Never forgotten either!!!!!!
What A classic design, The first car with the hidden windscreen wipers behind the hood.
Actually, my memory of these cars is that motoring journalists were not ecstatic about the looks. More than a few put their opinions in a way that said they thought the styling was somewhat weird, without actually using the word 'weird'. At the time family saloons were of little interest to me as a buyer. However, several years down the way, on a fortnight's summer holiday back in the UK from my work in South East Asia, I needed a rental car. Rather than pay eyewatering prices from the usual hire car suspects, I chose a company called Rent a Wreck. Their cars weren't wrecks, but mostly somewhere between 4 and 6 years old, as I recall. Mine was one of these wedges, with the 1.7 engine. Can only say I was well surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Roomy, comfortable.., you could drive lots of miles without feeling knackered at the end of the journey. The engine was adequate, without offering any thrills. It did the job.
A little side story to this. My ex had been staying at my house till shortly before I returned. She'd had a few parties, and had left behind a bunch of refuse filled black bags in the garage. First thing I did was to load these into the wedge, and take them to the nearest tip. Unfortunately, one or more of the bags had milk bottles, which leaked their rancid contents into the car. I spent half my holiday cleaning and cleaning inside the car trying to rid it of the smell, but it just kept returning, albeit slightly less each time. Eventually, it was time to head back to Asia, and I drove down to the Rent a Wreck people. Parked up, and went into their office... "Just returning the car...". "Thank you, how was it..?" "Oh, it was great, I really enjoyed it.."
Put the keys on the counter, and made it out of there as briskly as I could.
Have to say, the styling stands up very well today,
I remember my dad having the Wolsely Princess. White, black vinyl roof, dark blue velvet type seats. It was very plush, nice reading lights in the back 2.2. I think. Rode very smoothly and reliable (as far as I can remember).
Yes, the rear reading lights are there in this HLS too!
the benefit of nostalgia - at the time these were antiques, I remember their image was a grandad's car, nothing as glamorous as an SD1.
That car is imaculate
As a German, I would like to say, that was a beautiful car and had deserved a better karma.
I remember my Sergeant Major ordering one which was delivered to our base in W.Germany he only had it a week when his wife got confused at the pumps and filled it with diesel, after being flushed several times he had it back on the road.
Much nicer than most cars today I used to see lots of this in 1977
A friend of the family had one of these gifted to them brand new as a wedding present. They drove it until it was literally falling apart and even then they could not bear to get rid of it. They were redoing their drive way at the time it was finally condemned and they had the builder dig down far enough so they could bury it under the drive so it was always there at their house.
I came across a brochure for the Princess and a "W" (1980-81) reg car was priced at 1/3rd that of a good 3 bed semi house in the town I grew up in. That would equate to over £80,000 today. I never realised these cars were so expensive back in the day.
Very unique looking car the princess, always had a thing for them
My dad had a green princess with a tan interior. It had armrests in the front and back, as kids we felt really posh ❤
Truly a beautifully styled automobile.
Had the 2.2 back in the day!
Loved it, apart from the clicking driveshafts and sagging suspension and poor fuel consumption! What a shame😥
Was a pleasure to drive through!
My brother-in-law bought a brand new Princess. A few days later it was back at his local garage for something and the mechanic said, "I think you'd better have a look at this...", and showed him the underside of the floorpan.........just bare metal totally devoid of any underseal!
That doesn't sound terribly likely given that that the entire body shell would be painted at the same time. Whilst I can absolutely believe thst the car was lacking underseal as this was applied much later, it would not really be possible for the underside to be 'bare metal'. In 1981 a friend of mine bought an Allegro 3 and the dealership asked him if he wished for underseal to be applied as part of the PDI and my friend said no he would rather apply it himself. This may give a clue to the origin of your story. Bare metal. No sorry I don't buy that.
@@mtamin1 Maybe I should have been more clear. When I said "bare metal" I meant It just had the body paint and void of any underbody sealant.
@@Bulletguy07 I don’t think that was unusual back then.
My dad got a brand new Ital and the first cold morning of winter it failed to start, there was no anti-freeze, just plain water and the block had cracked. Good old BL and Red Robbo!
I used to drive a 2.2 van den plas version to weddings for the CO OP . It was very nice to drive and the air con worked well .
Looks great, I always have good memories of them as a passenger when I was a kid, the local Taxi company used them and I travelled hundreds of miles in the back of these and Cortina's, whilst my heart is still with a Tina and owned lots when I grew up I have no bad things to say about the Princess, even if I never owned one, the 1750 Maxi II is another massively underrated car IMO.
Excellent article. Surprising that fuel consumption was so poor, usually BL cars, with SU carbs, were quite good on fuel. We never owned a Princess, although we bought the replacement for the Allegro (the Maestro, an F reg 1.6 L) and the Princess (the Montego). I had a G reg (post facelift, with unleaded engine) Montego Estate, a 1.6 L. one of the nicest looking estates ever built, a really good car, it did 32 mpg (good fuel consumption figures in the early 90s), and was mechanically pretty reliable, I used to do around 25K miles a year, by then I was self employed.
Back in the day a bloke round my way had the starskey and hutch stripes !
i remember it had a really soft ride and a great heater
We ran 22ooHLS 2 in 1970/80ts and gave sterling service we had one drive shaft and power steering pipe apart from those faults we loved it
I had a 1800 HL and is was a great car that was very reliable. I did change the front tyres to 65 profile from the standard 80's and it transformed the steering. Very comfortable and also very roomy.
I had the special six and did galatic miles in it when i was in the armed forces.. never failed me once... and was the most comfortable drive ive ever had...
The Special Six is a lovely version. I almost bought one instead of this one.
Had one as a daily driver 1982 one of the most comfortable car I’ve ever driven 2.2 auto
I had a 1.7 princess for several years it was a good car. I had no issues at all really comfy and bags of room inside.
My Uncle had one from new... 120K miles later it was still going strong..
Superb looking example. Bravo. An inspired choice are those Triumph wheels. They really finish the look.
Thank you, I have always liked the Stag style and it is fortunate they are a straight swap. A shame Leyland didn't think so!
My uncle owned every BL and Austin car ever made, apart from the Metro & Maestro as they were too small for him and my grand-parents, up to the MG Montego EFi.
He had a bright orange Maxi for years, and traded that in for a Princess and then an Ambassador from day they were launched and both were luxurious cars for their time. Such a comfy ride in the rear (where I sat!) and loads of room inside.
I remember these being a common sight in the seventies, haven't seen one in a very long time.
2200 HLS Beautiful car - still looks good today ❤