Back in 1972 Motor Transport’s technical editor Pat Kennett was lucky enough to get behind the wheel of the all-new Austin-Morris Marina van – the successor to the infamous Minor.
Now it’s no secret that the Marina, and the polished-turd (Morris Ital) that followed it, were absolute crap. It’s therefore interesting to see how he went about writing this test.
Continued below:
He starts off being rather kind – referring to the van’s best characteristic – it’s external appearance. “There is no doubt that the van’s appearance is pleasing,” he says. Then it’s on to the interior, which he finds equally as impressive. “The interior is practical and comfortable by any standards,” he says. In fact, his biggest gripe is the lack of a coat hook. So far so good, British Leyland is going to be happy with this review.
Incredibly he actually likes the van’s handling ability too, which he describes as “safe and stable”. Adding that “there wasn’t a trace of that familiar roll oversteer that afflicts some car-derived vans”. Check out the Top Gear video below - Jeremy Clarkson is somewhat less kind about the handling!
Despite only managing to achieve 40mph in a pitifully slow 11 seconds he raves about the “excellent torque output of the 1.3-litre engine”. But he isn’t quite so kind about the 1.1-litre, “which was neither easy not pleasant to drive” – that’s an understatement if ever I’ve heard one!
I just love the way he refers to the van’s braking ability. He was clearly alarmed by quite how crap the brakes were, but worded it in such a way as not to get hate mail from Lord Stokes.
“I disliked the result. There was plenty of retardation but the action had a peculiar insensitivity”.
And now for the conclusion:
“There are some criticisms to be sure, but what vehicle is perfect? Anyway, I’m sure that some of these points will be put right in later production” – afraid not Pat!
I've got a couple of great Marina videos for you to watch.
This is the original TV advert:
And here is Jeremy Clarkson destroying one: