AutoshiteBoy wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 3:52 pm
I'm an absolute BL apologist, I just can't help it. And I've driven Morris Minors. So I went and bought a B-series Marina. And it was fucking awful. I started working in the motor trade as an 18 year old, so I've driven all kinds of shite, and as a rule, I can find pleasure driving anything, because anything is better than nothing. But that Marina was dreadful and I blame the front suspension as the major factor. Yes, it was Minor based, but the Minor never carried a B-series and maybe the Minor had a stiffer shell or the rack was mounted lower or it had better alignment? Anyway, Minors are a pleasure to steer, where as the Marina wasn't. And this Marina was a well cared for example. BL wanted shooting with shite for it. The Ital, when fitted with telescopic dampers and sound proofing was a decent, although rudimentary car. But why did it take 10 years and a factory move to get it to an acceptable standard when, lets face it, the basics had been in production since 1948? Did they really have no pride or motivation?
My mates Marina was a 1.3 but he still reckoned it was nose heavy.
I think that the short answer to your last question is that they spent their time firefighting and arguing. Look at all the supposed Rover Vs Triumph infighting for example.
The Marina was bad from end to end. The handling, the shonky ride, the clutch judder, axle tramp, shoddy finish and unreliability. It was an example of what the British motorist would put up with. In comparison the Escort was light and easy to drive as well as being quite robust. The Marina sold well to fleets but the Escort far outsold it to private buyers.
I knew a bloke who but a B-series 1500 Diesel in his Marina - an exercise in making something not that good even worse - although that Diesel was a smooth engine.
In those days "man maths" wasn't a spreadsheet on the "savings" you could get from leasing a 3 series - it was how much you could "save" by spending all your spare time engineering silly things into old cars.
I don't think I could rock a Marina having driven one.
The 1.3 A series was a nice little unit but everything else was fairly grim. Wandery steering, a crashy ride yet oddly bouncy. Once up to 65mph on the motorway it bobbed along quite merrily, but on a twisty A/B road it'd be pretty naff.
People who are only familiar with moderns wonder how the Dolly 1300 was considered a more "premium" product that other cars of the time, but it's easier to see when compared against proper bread and butter cars...
1976 Triumph Dolomite 1850HL - Field based greenhouse. 1977 Triumph Dolomite 1300 - Lean green oil dripping machine. 1983 Triumph Acclaim L - Japanglish daily runner. 1989 Volvo 740GLE Estate - Mobile storage unit.
