Leyland Princess
Encyclopedia
The Princess is a family car
that was produced in the United Kingdom by British Leyland from 1975 until 1981. The car inherited a front-wheel drive
/ transverse engine
configuration from its predecessor, the BMC ADO17 range. This was still unusual in Europe for full-sized family cars and gave the Princess a cabin space advantage when compared with similarly sized cars from competing manufacturers.
The car, which was given the design code ADO71, was originally marketed as the Austin / Morris
/ Wolseley
18–22 series. In 1975 the range was renamed "Princess". This was a new marque created by British Leyland although it had previously been used as a model name on the Austin Princess
limousine from 1947 to 1956. The Princess is often referred to as the Austin Princess, but this name was not used in the home (UK) market. It was, however, used in New Zealand. The car later appeared in revamped form as the Austin Ambassador
, which was produced from 1982 until 1984 and only ever sold in Britain.
Princess sales, although strong for the 1976 model year, tailed off more quickly than forecast, primarily because of quality and reliability issues. Also by 1977 many of its competitors had gained a versatile fifth door which the Princess lacked, and the medium large-car sector fell victim to a poor economic climate further compounded by the OPEC
oil crisis of the day. Total production amounted to 224,942 units.
-engined BMC ADO 17 "Landcrab". For the first six months of production three badge-engineered versions were produced: Austin
, Morris
and Wolseley
. The Austin model bore the original "design intent", featuring trapezoidal headlights and a simple horizontally-vaned grille. The Morris and Wolseley cars had a raised "hump" permitting a larger, styled grille for each model; the Morris one was a simple chrome rectangle with Morris in the lower right-hand corner, while Wolseleys had a chrome grille with the traditional illuminated company logo, with narrower vertical bars either side set back within the chromed surround. Both of these versions had four round headlights, and the Wolseley model was only available with the six-cylinder engine and luxury velour
trim. Apart from their bonnet and headlamp designs, and of course their badging, the Austin and Morris models were virtually identical.
for the production epitome of such style). Within BL the car was often referred to as "The Anteater". The designer, Harris Mann
, was also responsible for the Triumph TR7
, another notably wedge-shaped car, as was his original design for the Austin Allegro
, although by the time that design had been readied for production nearly all the angular styling features had been lost.
The Princess, unlike the Allegro, made it to production metal relatively unscathed and unaltered from Harris's original plan. The bonnet (hood) was a little higher, to allow for taller engines, but the biggest change from Harris's design involved the rear. Harris had intended the design to be a five-door hatchback
, but management decided that the Austin Maxi
should be the only hatchback in the range, making that its unique selling point, and besides, they thought the Princess's prospective buyers would not like a hatchback – despite the fact that in the Rover division the new Rover SD1
was being given a hatchback design. Consequently, the Princess received fixed rear glass and a separate boot, belying its appearance. Some feel this was to prove a sales-loser for the Princess's entire life.
An estate version was also proposed, but never reached production.
Interestingly, for a car that was distinctive (particularly in its body lines), it was actually a popular car with professional car converters, namely Crayford Engineering
, Torcars (who both did conversions of the car to hatchback form – sold confusingly as "Princess Estate") and Woodall-Nicholson – who built stretched limousine and hearse variants.
pushrod straight-4
. The lay-out closely followed that of the predecessor model, but access to the alternator/water pump was greatly improved by exploiting the car's longer nose to fit a front-mounted radiator. The basic design of the engine dated back to 1947 and the unit with a claimed output of 84 bhp was notably lacking in power, although torque was reasonable. The larger engine, fitted to upper models in the range, was a 2200 cc E-series
SOHC straight-6
. This was very smooth and a much more modern engine, with a published output figure of 110 bhp, but was still not hugely powerful. The Princess was a big car, and the engine choice gave lacklustre performance, not helped by the provision of only a 4-speed manual gearbox (a Borg-Warner automatic transmission was an option, but performance with this was by all accounts positively lethargic). A 5-speed gearbox might have improved top end speed, economy and NVH
: alas BL funds never stretched this far in development.
Suspension used BL's Hydragas system, and was very soft and smooth; the intention was to offer as smooth a ride as the Citroën CX
and this was almost achieved. The Princess's ride was excellent, and comfort in general was a selling point; the car was roomy, reasonably well-appointed for the time, the seating was comfortable, and overall the driving experience – provided you didn't care that much about performance – was excellent.
magazine in March 1975 at the time of the model's launch. It recorded a maximum speed of 104 mph (167 km/h) and reached 60 mph (97 km/h) from a standing start in 13.5 seconds. The top speed was marginally lower than the 109 mph (175 km/h) achieved by a recently tested Ford Consul 2500 L
and a full three seconds slower to 60 mph than the Ford which managed the standing start test in just 10.4 seconds. The 2200 also fell slightly behind the Fiat 132GLS 1800 in these comparisons. At the same time its overall fuel consumption at 20.7 mpg was usefully superior to the Ford's 18.1 mpg. The lighter Fiat was more frugal with fuel than either of the other two. On price, the Austin's domestic market recommended retail prices including taxes of £2,424 was significantly higher than the £2,221 charged for the Ford.
Although its performance figures on paper were a little underwhelming, the testers were impressed with the roominess and roadholding of the Austin 2200. They found it quiet and comfortable, the driving position in particular representing a vast improvement over the car's predecessor. They mentioned in passing that the boot/trunk on the test car "leaked slightly", but did not labour the point.
Build quality of the Princess was affected by poor quality control and constant industrial disputes
; it gained a reputation for unreliability it could never shake off, even though quality improved in later years. The styling, praised upon introduction, was soon labelled "ugly". To quote a phrase in Parker's Car Price Guide
from the 1990s, "an early critic suggested that the people responsible for designing the front and rear of the car were not speaking to one another".
with the new O-Series engine. The new engine was offered in two sizes: 1695 cc and 1993 cc. Since there was an 1800 cc tax barrier for company cars at the time, the 1700 cc O-Series engine was developed to take advantage of that, whilst the 2000 cc engine was developed for the private motorists who wanted something different from the popular Ford Cortina
. The car had perhaps reached its pinnacle when the prestigious Motoring Which publication described the Princess 2200HLS automatic model as "An excellent car, marred only by poor reliability".
Production of the Princess ceased in November 1981.
The basic Princess design lived on in revised form until 1984 as the Austin Ambassador
.
the car was officially sold as the Austin Princess. Assembled in the New Zealand Motor Corporation's plant in Nelson
, it was introduced to the market in 1977 and utilized the Austin 1800 B-series engine
.
In early 1979 the car was re-engined with the BL O-Series OHC motor. Due to a conflict of the Austin Princess and Morris Marina competing in the same market sector in New Zealand, the Princess got a 2.0 L unit mounted transversely, while the Marina (which was face-lifted at that time and renamed in NZ as "Morris 1.7") received the 1.7 L unit mounted longitudinally.
Being competitively priced, the Princess proved a popular car on the New Zealand market, and proved to be a good alternative to the rear-wheel-drive Ford Cortina, Mitsubishi Sigma
and Holden Commodore
ranges.
Local production of the car ended in June 1982, when the completely knocked-down kits of the car had been used up. The Austin Princess R, the last model sold there, was still on new-car price lists in 1983, and was available only in black to commemorate the end of local assembly of a long line of Austin cars.
The original sleek wedge profile was completely retained but the tailgate revealed an enormous loadspace accessible by probably the largest estate car aperture available on any European car at the time. With the rear seat lowered there is a load length of nearly 6 feet (1.8 m), a load width averaging 4 feet (1.2 m), a load height of nearly 3 foot (0.9144 m), and an overall carrying capacity of 54 cubic feet (assuming Dunlop Denovo run-flat wheels and tyres are fitted, obviating the need for a spare wheel).
Also included as standard items not available on the standard Princess were a wash-wipe system for the rear screen is fitted and a fully carpeted luggage area.
of the same name. Similarly Bobby
and Sheila Grant
drove a blue Princess in Brookside
, until the starting was remodelled in the 1990s, their car could be seen throughout the opening credits and was visible on the title-card.
A Bronze Metallic coloured (BMC/BL colour code: BLVC 370)Princess was used by KGB agents in the TV series The Professionals. The episode in question was titled "Stopover" and it was episode 3 of the third series, first broadcast on 10 November 1979.
The character "Lomper" (actor Steve Huison) attempts suicide in a Princess in the film The Full Monty
.
More recently, fictional character Dirk Gently
owns an Austin Princess, which played an important role in the 2010 television adaptation of Douglas Adams
' novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
. Top Gear
tested the Princess against the Dolomite Sprint and a Rover SD1
, declaring it to be the best car British Leyland made (from the 3 cars selected) after it had performed the best in in some very unconventional tests. Also on Top Gear
the car was shown to Jay Kay for his comments on the vehicle, he selected only a minor part of the trim as having any design merit and demonstrated the poor design of the engine bay by standing in the space left next to the engine.
Family car
A family car is a car classification used in Europe to describe normally-sized cars. The name comes from the suitability of these cars to carry a whole family locally or on vacations. Most family cars are hatchbacks or saloons, although there are MPVs, estates and cabriolets with the same structure...
that was produced in the United Kingdom by British Leyland from 1975 until 1981. The car inherited a front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
/ transverse engine
Transverse engine
A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the long axis of the vehicle. Many modern front wheel drive vehicles use this engine mounting configuration...
configuration from its predecessor, the BMC ADO17 range. This was still unusual in Europe for full-sized family cars and gave the Princess a cabin space advantage when compared with similarly sized cars from competing manufacturers.
The car, which was given the design code ADO71, was originally marketed as the Austin / Morris
Morris Motor Company
The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
/ Wolseley
Wolseley Motor Company
The Wolseley Motor Company was a British automobile manufacturer founded in 1901. After 1935 it was incorporated into larger companies but the Wolseley name remained as an upmarket marque until 1975.-History:...
18–22 series. In 1975 the range was renamed "Princess". This was a new marque created by British Leyland although it had previously been used as a model name on the Austin Princess
Austin Princess
The Princess was a distinctive series of large luxury cars made by Austin and its subsidiary Vanden Plas from 1947 to 1968. However:The Princess name was later also used as follows:...
limousine from 1947 to 1956. The Princess is often referred to as the Austin Princess, but this name was not used in the home (UK) market. It was, however, used in New Zealand. The car later appeared in revamped form as the Austin Ambassador
Austin Ambassador
The Austin Ambassador was a medium-to-large hatchback car model introduced by British Leyland in 1982. The vehicle was a heavily updated version of the Princess, an ageing model that had lacked a hatchback...
, which was produced from 1982 until 1984 and only ever sold in Britain.
Princess sales, although strong for the 1976 model year, tailed off more quickly than forecast, primarily because of quality and reliability issues. Also by 1977 many of its competitors had gained a versatile fifth door which the Princess lacked, and the medium large-car sector fell victim to a poor economic climate further compounded by the OPEC
OPEC
OPEC is an intergovernmental organization of twelve developing countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. OPEC has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965, and hosts regular meetings...
oil crisis of the day. Total production amounted to 224,942 units.
Launch of the 18–22 Series in three varieties
The car was launched to critical acclaim on 26 March 1975 as the 18–22 Series, "the car that has got it all together". The number designation 18–22 referred to the engine sizes available carried forward from the 1800 cc and 2200 cc BMC B-seriesBMC B-Series engine
The BMC B-series was a straight-4 internal combustion engine family, mostly used in motor cars, created by British company Austin Motor Company. The pre-cursor of the "B" series engine was a 1200 cc OHV engine which was used in the 1947 Austin A40 Devon. This A40 Devon engine was based on a...
-engined BMC ADO 17 "Landcrab". For the first six months of production three badge-engineered versions were produced: Austin
Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
, Morris
Morris Motor Company
The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
and Wolseley
Wolseley Motor Company
The Wolseley Motor Company was a British automobile manufacturer founded in 1901. After 1935 it was incorporated into larger companies but the Wolseley name remained as an upmarket marque until 1975.-History:...
. The Austin model bore the original "design intent", featuring trapezoidal headlights and a simple horizontally-vaned grille. The Morris and Wolseley cars had a raised "hump" permitting a larger, styled grille for each model; the Morris one was a simple chrome rectangle with Morris in the lower right-hand corner, while Wolseleys had a chrome grille with the traditional illuminated company logo, with narrower vertical bars either side set back within the chromed surround. Both of these versions had four round headlights, and the Wolseley model was only available with the six-cylinder engine and luxury velour
Velour
Velour or velours is a plush, knitted fabric or textile. It is usually made from cotton but can also be made from synthetic materials such as polyester. Velour is used in a wide variety of applications, including clothing and upholstery....
trim. Apart from their bonnet and headlamp designs, and of course their badging, the Austin and Morris models were virtually identical.
Models
| Models | Years | Engine Types | Transmissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin 1800 | March 1975–September 1975 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Austin 1800 HL | March 1975–September 1975 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Austin 2200 HL | March 1975–September 1975 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Morris 1800 | March 1975–September 1975 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Morris 1800 HL | March 1975–September 1975 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Morris 2200 HL | March 1975–September 1975 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Wolseley | March 1975–September 1975 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
Controversial styling
Like many other controversial cars, the exterior styling was distinctive, innovative, and somewhat divisive. "The Wedge", as it was often nicknamed, was indeed very wedge-shaped; the styling was all angles and slanting panels. This was in very much 1970s style as created by Italian stylists (see Lamborghini CountachLamborghini Countach
The Lamborghini Countach is a mid-engined supercar that was produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. Its design both pioneered and popularized the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high performance sports cars...
for the production epitome of such style). Within BL the car was often referred to as "The Anteater". The designer, Harris Mann
Harris Mann
Harris Mann is a British car designer. Mann took over from Roy Haynes as chief stylist at British Leyland in 1970.-Biography:...
, was also responsible for the Triumph TR7
Triumph TR7
The Triumph TR7 is a sports car manufactured from September 1974 to October 1981 by the Triumph Motor Company in the United Kingdom. It was initially produced at the Speke, Liverpool factory, moving to Canley, Coventry in 1978 and then finally to the Rover plant in Solihull in 1980...
, another notably wedge-shaped car, as was his original design for the Austin Allegro
Austin Allegro
The Austin Allegro is a small family car manufactured by British Leyland under the Austin name from 1973 until 1983. The same vehicle was built in Italy by Innocenti between 1974 and 1975 and sold as the Innocenti Regent...
, although by the time that design had been readied for production nearly all the angular styling features had been lost.
The Princess, unlike the Allegro, made it to production metal relatively unscathed and unaltered from Harris's original plan. The bonnet (hood) was a little higher, to allow for taller engines, but the biggest change from Harris's design involved the rear. Harris had intended the design to be a five-door hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
, but management decided that the Austin Maxi
Austin Maxi
The Austin Maxi was a medium sized 5-door hatchback car from British Leyland for the 1970s. It was the first British five speed five-door hatchback.-History:...
should be the only hatchback in the range, making that its unique selling point, and besides, they thought the Princess's prospective buyers would not like a hatchback – despite the fact that in the Rover division the new Rover SD1
Rover SD1
Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of large executive cars made by British Leyland or BL through its Specialist, Rover Triumph and Austin Rover divisions from 1976 until 1986....
was being given a hatchback design. Consequently, the Princess received fixed rear glass and a separate boot, belying its appearance. Some feel this was to prove a sales-loser for the Princess's entire life.
An estate version was also proposed, but never reached production.
Interestingly, for a car that was distinctive (particularly in its body lines), it was actually a popular car with professional car converters, namely Crayford Engineering
Crayford Engineering
Crayford Engineering was an automobile coachbuilder based in Westerham, Kent, England and formed in 1962 by David McMullan and Jeffrey Smith. In the 1970s, a subdivision within the company, called Crayford Auto Developments, Ltd., was established for automobiles...
, Torcars (who both did conversions of the car to hatchback form – sold confusingly as "Princess Estate") and Woodall-Nicholson – who built stretched limousine and hearse variants.
Mechanical details
The base engine fitted was the 1800 cc B-SeriesBMC B-Series engine
The BMC B-series was a straight-4 internal combustion engine family, mostly used in motor cars, created by British company Austin Motor Company. The pre-cursor of the "B" series engine was a 1200 cc OHV engine which was used in the 1947 Austin A40 Devon. This A40 Devon engine was based on a...
pushrod straight-4
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
. The lay-out closely followed that of the predecessor model, but access to the alternator/water pump was greatly improved by exploiting the car's longer nose to fit a front-mounted radiator. The basic design of the engine dated back to 1947 and the unit with a claimed output of 84 bhp was notably lacking in power, although torque was reasonable. The larger engine, fitted to upper models in the range, was a 2200 cc E-series
BMC E-Series engine
The BMC E-series engine was a straight-4 and straight-6 overhead camshaft automobile petrol engine from the British Motor Corporation . It displaced 1.5 L or 1.8 L in four-cylinder form, and 2.2 L or 2.6 L as a six-cylinder...
SOHC straight-6
Straight-6
The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...
. This was very smooth and a much more modern engine, with a published output figure of 110 bhp, but was still not hugely powerful. The Princess was a big car, and the engine choice gave lacklustre performance, not helped by the provision of only a 4-speed manual gearbox (a Borg-Warner automatic transmission was an option, but performance with this was by all accounts positively lethargic). A 5-speed gearbox might have improved top end speed, economy and NVH
Noise, Vibration, and Harshness
Noise, vibration, and harshness , also known as noise and vibration , is the study and modification of the noise and vibration characteristics of vehicles, particularly cars and trucks...
: alas BL funds never stretched this far in development.
Suspension used BL's Hydragas system, and was very soft and smooth; the intention was to offer as smooth a ride as the Citroën CX
Citroën CX
The Citroën CX is an automobile produced by the French automaker Citroën from 1974 to 1991. Citroën sold nearly 1.2 million CXs during its 16 years of production. The CX was voted European Car of the Year in 1975....
and this was almost achieved. The Princess's ride was excellent, and comfort in general was a selling point; the car was roomy, reasonably well-appointed for the time, the seating was comfortable, and overall the driving experience – provided you didn't care that much about performance – was excellent.
Performance and price comparison
A six-cylinder car was road tested by Britain's AutocarAutocar
Autocar is a weekly British automobile magazine published by Haymarket Motoring Publications Ltd. It refers to itself as "The World's oldest car magazine".-History:...
magazine in March 1975 at the time of the model's launch. It recorded a maximum speed of 104 mph (167 km/h) and reached 60 mph (97 km/h) from a standing start in 13.5 seconds. The top speed was marginally lower than the 109 mph (175 km/h) achieved by a recently tested Ford Consul 2500 L
Ford Granada (Europe)
The March 1972 released Granada succeeded the British Ford Zephyr, and the German P7-series as Ford's European executive car offering. At first, lower models in the range were called the Ford Consul, but from 1975 on they were all called Granadas. The car soon became popular for taxi, fleet and...
and a full three seconds slower to 60 mph than the Ford which managed the standing start test in just 10.4 seconds. The 2200 also fell slightly behind the Fiat 132GLS 1800 in these comparisons. At the same time its overall fuel consumption at 20.7 mpg was usefully superior to the Ford's 18.1 mpg. The lighter Fiat was more frugal with fuel than either of the other two. On price, the Austin's domestic market recommended retail prices including taxes of £2,424 was significantly higher than the £2,221 charged for the Ford.
Although its performance figures on paper were a little underwhelming, the testers were impressed with the roominess and roadholding of the Austin 2200. They found it quiet and comfortable, the driving position in particular representing a vast improvement over the car's predecessor. They mentioned in passing that the boot/trunk on the test car "leaked slightly", but did not labour the point.
Princess
By September 1975, the process of unifying Austin and Morris dealerships was advanced sufficiently, while the Wolseley marque was to be abandoned. Thus the policy of selling seven 18–22 series models under three different marques was changed and the range was reduced to four models all sold under the Princess name. A crown badge was affixed to the point of the bonnet and the script word "Princess" was affixed to the grille, the thick vinyl-clad C-pillars and the boot. Only the 1800 cc model bore the twin headlights, with the 2200 cc models sporting the wedge-shaped headlights Harris Mann had designed the car to be seen with.Build quality of the Princess was affected by poor quality control and constant industrial disputes
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
; it gained a reputation for unreliability it could never shake off, even though quality improved in later years. The styling, praised upon introduction, was soon labelled "ugly". To quote a phrase in Parker's Car Price Guide
Parker's Car Guides
Parker's Car Price Guide is a monthly magazine and, more recently, website listing prices for new and used cars in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1972 and is the longest-running price guide available to the public. It has expanded over the years to offer reviews, technical data and...
from the 1990s, "an early critic suggested that the people responsible for designing the front and rear of the car were not speaking to one another".
Models
| Models | Years | Engine Types | Transmissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princess 1800 | September 1975–July 1978 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 1800 HL | September 1975–July 1978 | 4-cyl 1798 cc B Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2200 HL | September 1975–July 1978 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2200 HLS | September 1975–July 1978 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
Princess 2
In July 1978, the Princess was given a revamp and renamed the Princess 2. The main change was the replacement of the old 1800 cc B-Series engineBMC B-Series engine
The BMC B-series was a straight-4 internal combustion engine family, mostly used in motor cars, created by British company Austin Motor Company. The pre-cursor of the "B" series engine was a 1200 cc OHV engine which was used in the 1947 Austin A40 Devon. This A40 Devon engine was based on a...
with the new O-Series engine. The new engine was offered in two sizes: 1695 cc and 1993 cc. Since there was an 1800 cc tax barrier for company cars at the time, the 1700 cc O-Series engine was developed to take advantage of that, whilst the 2000 cc engine was developed for the private motorists who wanted something different from the popular Ford Cortina
Ford Cortina
As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
. The car had perhaps reached its pinnacle when the prestigious Motoring Which publication described the Princess 2200HLS automatic model as "An excellent car, marred only by poor reliability".
Production of the Princess ceased in November 1981.
The basic Princess design lived on in revised form until 1984 as the Austin Ambassador
Austin Ambassador
The Austin Ambassador was a medium-to-large hatchback car model introduced by British Leyland in 1982. The vehicle was a heavily updated version of the Princess, an ageing model that had lacked a hatchback...
.
Models
| Models | Years | Engine Types | Transmissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princess 2 1700 L | July 1978–November 1981 | 4-cyl 1695 cc O Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 1700 HL | July 1978–November 1981 | 4-cyl 1695 cc O Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 1700 HLS | May 1979–March 1980 | 4-cyl 1695 cc O Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 2000 HL | July 1978–November 1981 | 4-cyl 1993 cc O Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 2000 HLS | May 1979–November 1981 | 4-cyl 1993 cc O Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 2200 HL | July 1978–January 1979 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Princess 2 2200 HLS | July 1978–November 1981 | 6-cyl 2226 cc E Series | 4-speed Manual 3-speed Automatic |
New Zealand — Austin Princess
In New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
the car was officially sold as the Austin Princess. Assembled in the New Zealand Motor Corporation's plant in Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
, it was introduced to the market in 1977 and utilized the Austin 1800 B-series engine
BMC B-Series engine
The BMC B-series was a straight-4 internal combustion engine family, mostly used in motor cars, created by British company Austin Motor Company. The pre-cursor of the "B" series engine was a 1200 cc OHV engine which was used in the 1947 Austin A40 Devon. This A40 Devon engine was based on a...
.
In early 1979 the car was re-engined with the BL O-Series OHC motor. Due to a conflict of the Austin Princess and Morris Marina competing in the same market sector in New Zealand, the Princess got a 2.0 L unit mounted transversely, while the Marina (which was face-lifted at that time and renamed in NZ as "Morris 1.7") received the 1.7 L unit mounted longitudinally.
Being competitively priced, the Princess proved a popular car on the New Zealand market, and proved to be a good alternative to the rear-wheel-drive Ford Cortina, Mitsubishi Sigma
Mitsubishi Sigma
Mitsubishi Sigma may refer to one of several vehicles manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors between 1976 and 1996:*The Mitsubishi Galant Σ , a version of the Mitsubishi Galant sedan built between 1976 and 1987...
and Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
ranges.
Local production of the car ended in June 1982, when the completely knocked-down kits of the car had been used up. The Austin Princess R, the last model sold there, was still on new-car price lists in 1983, and was available only in black to commemorate the end of local assembly of a long line of Austin cars.
Torcars Princess Estate
The Princess designer Harris Mann intended it to be a hatchback and Torcars created a conversion designed to meet the growing demand for fifth-door saloons which was dealer approved. The Torcars Princess Estate was available in 1800 or 2200 engine sizes, with manual or automatic gearboxes.The original sleek wedge profile was completely retained but the tailgate revealed an enormous loadspace accessible by probably the largest estate car aperture available on any European car at the time. With the rear seat lowered there is a load length of nearly 6 feet (1.8 m), a load width averaging 4 feet (1.2 m), a load height of nearly 3 foot (0.9144 m), and an overall carrying capacity of 54 cubic feet (assuming Dunlop Denovo run-flat wheels and tyres are fitted, obviating the need for a spare wheel).
Also included as standard items not available on the standard Princess were a wash-wipe system for the rear screen is fitted and a fully carpeted luggage area.
Today
Few Princesses are left in roadworthy condition. By the 1980s the Princess was outdated and practically valueless; most went to the breakers yard or were dismantled for parts. Displacers for the Hydragas suspension system are now no longer manufactured, meaning that Princesses (and Austin Ambassadors) still on the road face a dwindling supply of this essential component.Popular culture
A Princess was owned by Terry and June Medford, in the BBC sitcomTerry and June
Terry and June is a British sitcom that was broadcast on BBC1 from 1979 to 1987. The programme is largely a continuation of Happy Ever After, and stars Terry Scott and June Whitfield as a middle-class suburban couple, Terry and June Medford...
of the same name. Similarly Bobby
Bobby Grant
Bobby Grant is a fictional character from British soap opera, Brookside played by Ricky Tomlinson. Bobby appeared in Brookside from the first episode in 1982 until the character's departure in 1988...
and Sheila Grant
Sheila Grant
Sheila Grant is a fictional character from British soap opera, Brookside played by Sue Johnston. Sheila appeared in Brookside from the first episode in 1982 until the characters departure in 1990.-Character:...
drove a blue Princess in Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
, until the starting was remodelled in the 1990s, their car could be seen throughout the opening credits and was visible on the title-card.
A Bronze Metallic coloured (BMC/BL colour code: BLVC 370)Princess was used by KGB agents in the TV series The Professionals. The episode in question was titled "Stopover" and it was episode 3 of the third series, first broadcast on 10 November 1979.
The character "Lomper" (actor Steve Huison) attempts suicide in a Princess in the film The Full Monty
The Full Monty
The Full Monty is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber, and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy...
.
More recently, fictional character Dirk Gently
Dirk Gently
Dirk Gently is a fictional character created by Douglas Adams and featured in the books Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul...
owns an Austin Princess, which played an important role in the 2010 television adaptation of Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
' novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is a humorous fantasy detective novel by Douglas Adams, first published in 1987. It is described by "the author" on its cover as a "thumping good detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time travel-romantic-musical-comedy-epic".The book was followed by a sequel,...
. Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
tested the Princess against the Dolomite Sprint and a Rover SD1
Rover SD1
Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of large executive cars made by British Leyland or BL through its Specialist, Rover Triumph and Austin Rover divisions from 1976 until 1986....
, declaring it to be the best car British Leyland made (from the 3 cars selected) after it had performed the best in in some very unconventional tests. Also on Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
the car was shown to Jay Kay for his comments on the vehicle, he selected only a minor part of the trim as having any design merit and demonstrated the poor design of the engine bay by standing in the space left next to the engine.