THE SHORT AMERICAN CAREER OF THE “AUSTIN MARINA”
13th March, 2020
What was the final Austin-badged car to be officially marketed in the USA? It was not the ADO16 or the Mini, for that honour goes to the Marina.
It wore Longbridge badging in the States, where it even became a minor star of prime-time television when Ed Asner drove one in Lou Grant.
BL began exporting the Marina to the USA in 1973 in response to the fuel crisis. Management decided upon the Austin marque as it was better known than Morris in the USA, and the Marina was available in four and two-door forms.
The 1.8TC saloon was marketed as ‘$2,899 For the tough Marina. The family sedan with the gas-saving MGB engine. It’s a tough deal to beat’.
The sales copy informed all Firebird owners that the Austin possessed ‘the strong heart of a sports car’.
Other advertisements reassured the potential buyer that the Marina had ‘positive rack & pinion steering like our Jaguar’s.
Great for responsive handling’ and a ‘rugged transmission and fade-resistant disc brakes like our Triumph’s. Great for driving satisfaction’.
Anyone expecting their new Marina to behave like a combination of an E-Type Series III and a TR6 was to be sorely disappointed.
Still, as a compact family saloon, it did appear to stand a chance with US buyers.
More and more drivers were opting for smaller cars from Japan and Europe and the Marina was mechanically simple enough to not frighten motorists in beautiful downtown Burbank.
It also benefited from a pleasant appearance, for the Roy Haynes styling is rather accomplished. Graham W.
Whitehead, the president of “British Leyland Motors”, thought the Marina exemplified the firm’s ‘improved international competitiveness’ and stated ‘As a first‐rate economy sedan the Marina meets a growing consumer demand in the United States’.
No less a title than The New York Times found it to be ‘not flashy, nor can it be considered a fun car.
It is a plain‐Jane, utilitarian car good for city and suburbs, made to be sold at a competitive price.
And it is designed to be serviced easily’. However, the scribe did complain of the ‘finish, in joints and seams, in insulation, in paintwork and in cheap materials like stamped metal and plastic’.
Popular Science tested the Marina in December 1974 and compared it with the Ford Cortina and the Plymouth Cricket (aka the US-market Hillman Avenger) as ‘Conventual in every way’.
The tester thought the Austin ‘a nice, modern, practical car with a roomy trunk’ – qualities which the market appeared to demand.
Yet Marina exports to the USA ceased in 1975 after a mere 23,000 examples units as they faced extremely fierce competition.
And not even boasts of how ‘lean, clean lines reflect the English appearance of uncluttered good looks’ enhanced its sales...
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