Wolseley 2200 Remembered

Remembering the wedge - this was the last Wolseley 2200 off the line, as well as the last for the marque
 

Ah...Terry Scott's favourite set of wheels...
British Leyland can be remembered for lots of things. Unfortunately not many of them were inspirational. Industrial disputes, poor management, shoddy workmanship and unreliability resulted in the undoing of a once thriving British motor industry. The 1975 18-22 Series was meant to be one of Leyland's flagships during this troublesome period. It ended up being one of a group of cars that suffered regular ridicule ever since.
The branding of 18-22 was in reference to the two available engines; a 1.8 litre 4 cylinder and a 2.2 litre 6 cylinder petrol. Badge engineering was rife and the range consisted of an Austin, a Morris and the more upmarket Wolseley; the only real difference being changes in trim and the badge on the bonnet. The Wolseley variant was only available with the larger engine and featured such 1970's delights as luxury velour trim.
Like its sister models, the Wolseley featured Hydragas suspension which was intended to make the ride as smooth as possible, (British Leyland looked towards cars like the Citroen CX for inspiration). Unfortunately the engines weren't that powerful and the drive was pretty hit and miss. Reliability was also a big issue and this very much tarnished the reputation of the 18-22.
The styling was always a love it or hate it affair. Designed by British Leyland ace Harris Mann, the 18-22 Series was crafted using the popular wedge-like styling of the 70's, (the Triumph TR7 is another good example). At least you could call them different...
Design and packaging was so-so. Space was pretty much best in class as was comfort but this was undermined by the lack of a 'hatchback'. Rivals mostly featured a practical tailgate and Leyland's creation suffered due to its traditional boot. The whole vehicle dated very quickly.
Towards the end of 1975, the Wolseley name was dropped altogether and the range was re-branded Princess, (Austin and Morris badges were also deleted). The vehicle was in effect the Leyland Princess and it's this name that most people remember it by. Both engines were still offered as well as differing trim levels.

The lack of a 'hatchback' rear, poor reliability and Marmite looks meant the Princess (as it was later known) suffered a stigma that it never recovered from

Following a revamp in 1978 which included some new engines and a not very original change of name to Princess 2, 'The Wedge' finally bowed out in 1981.
Because of the lack of capital at BL, an updated model was launched to a bit of a whimper - the Austin Ambassador. A heavy facelift was really what it was and featured more conventional styling and the much needed (but rather late) hatchback rear end. BL did a similar trick of launching a supposedly new car in the shape of the Morris Ital, (ultimately a Morris Marina with a slightly more contemporary body). The Ambassador was never exported and sold in few numbers with the final models rolling off the Cowley production lines in 1984.

Forgotten Cars - Singer Gazelle



The first generation of the Gazelle, in this case the 'V' iteration

Singer was one of a bewildering array of marques owned by the Rootes Group. Sunbeam, Hillman, Talbot, Humber, Commer and Karrier were all part of their portfolio. Singer's models tended to slot in between the everyday Hillman and the more sporting Sunbeam brands.
The Gazelle was more widely sold as a saloon although a convertible and an estate were also produced with two generations of models manufactured. The first ran from 1956 to 1967 whilst the second was on the scene from 1967 until 1970. Based heavily on the Hillman Minx; (badge engineering wasn't just a British Leyland pastime after all), the Gazelle was the first Singer to be produced following the purchase of the company by Rootes.
The first generation was headed under the Audax group of vehicles whilst styling was penned by hands that also crafted various Studebaker cars in the US.
The second generation of Gazelle is the one that made me personally aware of this Singer as one of my grandparents owned one. The design and styling was much more contemporary in its day - not a world away from rivals such as the Ford Cortina and Morris Marina. This generation of the Gazelle was based on the Rootes Group's Arrow platform and was very similar to the Hillman Hunter, the most popular of models.

The popular Hillman Hunter

Although this generation of the Gazelle faded away from price lists in 1970, (along with Singer as a brand), the Hillman Hunter soldiered on as late as 2005 - in Iran. The Paykan became Iran's national car and was built as a CKD, (complete knock-down kit) form until 1985 when British lines closed down. The car was then completely manufactured in Iran. Not bad for a car that was seen as rather unfashionable when new... 

Princess Diana's Austin Metro

Back in 1981, this was probably one of the most photographed cars in the world by the paparazzi. It was owned by the then Lady Diana Spencer and the press followed her wherever she went in the lead-up to her wedding to Prince Charles.
Although I never knew or met Diana, I've always had a great respect for her. Seeing the car recently at the Coventry Transport Museum made me think of the similarities that the Duchess of Cambridge faced before marrying Wills.
Prince Charles visited the manufacturing plant at Longbridge in Birmingham when the car was being reviewed at it's launch in 1980. I'm not sure if it's because he liked the Metro or if he was just being patriotic, but he decided to give one to Diana as a present.
The Metro was intended to replace the Mini but ironically the Mini outlived it - the Metro, (or Rover 100 as it was then known) ceased production in 1997 whilst the Mini came to the end of the line in 2000. Looking at the car now shows you how much bigger and more complex superminis are nowadays, as well as how dated the Metro has become...
Despite its very long life, the Metro sold well, even towards the end despite being one of the most dated designs on sale at the time. Altogether, 1,500,000 vehicles were sold in the United Kingdom making it the seventh most popular car ever to be sold in the country during its 17 year lifespan.
Durability was not its strong point though as the Metro was one of the most scrapped cars in the middle of the last decade. The DVLA back in 2006 had 21,468 Metros still on the road, just 1.5% of those originally registered.
'A British Car to Beat the World' was the slogan used on the launch advertising campaign. Despite the relative success of the car and one mad 6R4 rally bred Metro, one thinks this was a bit optimistic.
Share your memories/thoughts...