The Austin Maxi is Flawed Genius
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- Manor Park Classics
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As a present-day Maxi owner, it's great to see them getting a bit of love. Thanks!
The cops wouldn't like you getting pissed and turning it into a bed, these days
I had two, in the early 80s, and thought they were wonderful. Rust got them eventually, but both went round the clock, and cheaper than an AirBnB......
I loved my Maxis.
They handled really well, were great mile eaters and were incredibly comfortable
A great car that the buying public largely didn’t understand.
I’d love to have OGN835V back.
In the 1980s my mate’s dad had a Maxi.
One summer, he picked us up from London and drove us all the way back to Bolton on the B-Roads. The comfiest 10 hour ride ever.
The 1750 Maxi one that got away. We had Mini's, 1800 S, 1800 Princess, Allegro & Mini Metro, all great cars & fondly remembered & if serviced correctly, reliable 😊
My dad brought a 1725 maxi 5 speed, in 1972 the magazine autocar had one as a staff long term staff car , they put twin SU carbs on it and that changed it with a bit more poke. Every week I would try and convince him to get some but he didn’t want to know. Still that double bed came to be very useful when he lent me the car .
Excellent video. Very informative. But beyond all that, Ed, your enthusiasm and magnificent command of the English language are worth the watch. I’m an old man who made his living as a writer, and listening to you speak is a pure thrill!! Bravo!
Agreed with a caveat: precede rather than proceed ?
First time viewer, and I have to say brilliantly produced. Too many you tube 'experts' on older cars simply do not understand them. This however was brilliantly narrated by someone who clearly understands the era that was 60s & 70s cars. Too many simply knock BMC/BL for poor build quality/strikes without giving any context. Then the rational of a design is left behind, hidden by myths and popular beliefs. You however explained in a neutral case the complexities of the background story. Well done
I owned three Austin Maxis and they were lovely cars and not flawed at all.
I had a 1500 Maxi, it was a lovely car, extremely comfortable, economical for the times, easily repaired although it never broke down, rusty bits were easily repaired AND, it had knobs, dials and switches, all these modern touch screens are a nightmare. Yours sincerely, a boring old git🫢🙄
@davidbolland3860
No, your not boring at all, it's never boring to hear the truth for a change. Instead of all the nonsense normally spoken about British cars by those who never owned one. 👍😊
I had the twincarb one i loved it. The gear lever was a bit like stirring porrige but that was my only complaint.
God i remember these so well from my time with Austin Rover. After the launch of the Austin Maestro there was a glut of these on the market. Solid well made and very practical probably the pre curser to the Ford Sierra.
You're a pleasure to listen to.
I think you're the only person I've listened to that actually makes the Maxi sound exciting.
Its just a pity the people at the BMC couldn't manufacture or design their cars to be exciting.
To Mr.Tickling Stick
Well they DID try to make the "MumsyMaxi" smarter with the nicer styling touches on this particular model. (Although I myself think the wheels still need smartening up. They are still a bit plain)
Excellent review of one of BL's finest! So advanced, so underrated and and a welcome addition to the Fawlty family after Basil beat the 1100 to death with a stick. Note to Manor Park Classics, if I had the space, I'd snap this example up in a heartbeat. Getting Ed to do your publicity was a stroke of genius!
I'm with you on the BL classics. My Dad had both a Morris 1100 and 1800 "land crab" when I was a kid, and I recognize those land crab doors on the Maxi. I loved the fact that these cars were like a "poor man's Citroen", with interconnected self-levelling suspension albeit without the complication of hydraulic pumps or the ability to raise and lower ride height. I inherited the 1100 as my first car, and loved the way it drove, and the amazing fuel economy but outstanding roominess for a small car.
Flame red was mine and a 1750, the only reliability issue I had was the seal between the engine and clutch. Other than that it was a super smooth and comfortable car. I was probably fortunate that the gear change was okay! Never regretted buying it. In the snow it was much better than anything I had since. Great vid thanks 👍🏻
Your experience is exactly the same as mine, my next door neighbour had an identical yours and mine same engine and colour, we both had the same problem with the oil seal leaking on to the clutch plate after 6months or so, he worked somewhere were they used decreasing liquid so we bought new clutch plates and soaked them for so long and then wrapped it in newspaper until it was needed, I think I got it down to 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon,happy days long gone😢😢
Had a test drive in a Maxi when it was launched . I was 18 having passed my driving test a couple of months earlier . It felt huge inside and fishing for years ,especially that elusive 5th was a challenge !
Bought a 2nd hand 1750 in the early 80's for the family and it was brilliantly practical and relaxing to drive . Interestingly, I was able to fit rear seat belts as the anchor points were already installed in the body shell ( lurking beneath the "c" pillar lining ) which was very forward thinking for the time !
drove a maxi almost identical in the mid 80s for a friend who was considering buying it but didn't have a licence,remember it being quite fast fond memories of the day!
The sound of the engine took me right back to childhood. My dad had two - a white one, JTU483L and an Inca Yellow one, SWL239T. I knew they weren't cool but I still loved them.
An excellent retrospective. Lots of interesting detail.
When my grandad had a Maxi, it used to look huge, and then I saw one on the motorway a few months ago, and it looked tiny next to the new cars. I'm willing to bet that there's still more room inside.
There’s probably more room in the front of a Maxi, than in a new Bentley or Rolls Royce. There’s definitely more room in a Landcrab.
And people thought how revolutionary the Mk3 Escort and Sierra were for having a “hatchback”.
Narrower and not as tall as the modern Mini, and only a fraction longer. Also 30% lighter (but better hope the superior visibility keeps you out of an accident).
6 of us went on holiday in one it only just got back before it broke down
My dad had 2 glutton for punishment
Fantastic video, well done and thank you for making a video the maxi deserves. I've been around them for years, my dad loved them. The biggest problem for the maxi was British leyland. Mine wasn't built in the factory and it's a great car, nothing less than a big mini and more practical.
In the late 70’s I had an older relative with a 1750, one winter he told me he had trouble when it was cold getting it into gear. Stealership told him he needed a new gearbox!! I took it home put it on ramps and found the gear shift tunnel drain holes were blocked and it had water in it which would freeze. Cleaned it up , put some grease in it and sealed it up. Never happened again.
I had access to a Maxi in the early 1970s. Spacious, comfortable, quiet and fast. Fond memories of those days.
I had a 1500 Maxi, J reg, with the cable gear change. The gear stick was secured to the body by rubber grommet-type plugs. On one motorway drive the gear stick detached from the car body (because the rubber plugs had perished?) and was then held only by its cables. Quite funny even at the time it was happening. Another time on a late Saturday drive home in rural West Wales, in the days when Wales closed for business until Monday, the fan belt broke, severed a couple of fan blades (yellow plastic) which speared the radiator and drained the coolant. That was a lonely predicament in the days long before mobile phones but it got me home with the aid of a water bottle and refills. I loved that car. Thanks for conjuring up the fond memories - fifty-ish years later.
I had 1969 Mk1 1500 in Green, my first real car in 1976, then two 1750 mk2's. Very comfortable, and the 1500 could do 50mph on a run. Nothing of that era except Jaguar came near it for practicality, and comfort. I moved a complete concrete sectional garage in the 1500. It went down the road like Concorde taking off. I also manufactured a lot of workshop tooling for Churchill Tools for the E series engine. It was ahead of the A-series in design.
I assume you mean 50mpg. There's nothing spectacular about a 1500 which can reach 50 mph. I'd be rather concerned if that was its top speed.
I did too in a kind of racing green.
One of the first hatch backs brilliant car I loved them.
@@Garry-k2c
Its sister car the Austin A40 from the 1950s was the first hatchback.
This is very, very good.
The distilled and condensed delivery is full of information.
Some niggles, but they are trivial.
1. The 1800 was rallied in era, but not Paris-Dakar. That came much later.
2. Although you can argue that the Mk.III Cortina used engines of "2 litres and up", the reality in Europe is that it didn't.
Nonetheless, excellent content.
I admire your enthusiasm but we British are slow to adapt new techniques. I swapped my early 1500 Maxi for a Renault 16TL. No more leaks,no more rust and no more rip off garage bills. The Renault was streets head in every department but here'sthe sting...I still missed my Maxi.
Very informative video and well presented, will definitely look out for more of the same from you in the future. This brought back memories of a ‘K’ reg Maxi I bought as an 18 year old in 1979. Had to replace all four Hydragas units and fit a new clutch before it was roadworthy but it was all good experience as I was training to be a marine engineer at the time.
Haven't seen one of these since about 1998 when my neighbour's father had an early light blue one he used as a workhorse. Nice to see this one in such beautiful condition.
I owned a 1500cc one back in the early 80s, I passed my driving test in it, I loved that car. Then years later bought the 1750. I replaced the engine in the 1500cc one . Thought me a lot about cars. Good memories.
Ed, I always look forward to your videos. I love the depth that you go into. Your enthusiasm is contagious. This is one of your best.
I pass a Maxi every few days, parked in a flat's car park. Hasnt moved in years, slowly rusting away.
You didn't demonstrate them, but I seem to remember that under the rear seat cushion were a couple of small legs to fold down, after dropping the rear seat back and lifting the rear seat cushion up, to form a completely flat, very comfortable bed.
The Maxi was launched in 1969 with the 1500 engine, the early cars have AUSTIN letters on the bonnet and troublesome cable change gearbox, just 21 of these remain in the UK. From late 1970 the gears changed to rod operation and now a 1750 engine was available, and a chequered flag Maxi front badge. By 1979 the 1500 was dropped and in 1980 came the facelifted Maxi 2 with more plastic and a choice of brighter colours like orange and yellow. Also with five gears that even a Ford Granada Ghia did not have. Many earlier Maxis were in dreary colours there used to be two in my street, dull brown and limeflower green.
My lovely 1974 Maxi 1750 was orange, so no waiting until 1980 for me! A great 1st car.
To MiniMax
Sorry- I LIKE LIMEFLOWER!
I love the Maxi and would never call them ugly ❤
Brilliant video , you’re a natural !
I did my mechanic's apprenticeship at the local Austin Franchise, I was there when the Maxi was introduced, they were my corner of the workshop, any that came in
ended with me, the early ones with 1500cc motors and cable gear change, the later 1750cc rod change, they could not compete with the conventional vehicle designs and the Japanese vehicles that were appearing on the market in finish and value for money.
I can still remember dad constantly filling rust holes and, in summer, our legs sticking unmercifully to the vinyl seats!
As a Canadian, I love reviews like these are cars that were pretty rarely seen here.
In this case -- wow: about a decade ahead of the rest of the industry in terms of layout and engineering. It would take GM until 1979 to offer a FWD, five-door hatch in our market -- and another few years to offer a five-speed in those cars!
As a 55 y/o that was brought up on cars like these, despite their age and potential for retro appeal I feel that styling wise they still have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. They nailed it with the mini and the SD1 but everything in-between was irredeemable tat.
Austin made good reliable motors i worked at a main dealership in the 70s and 80s production could not keep up with demand the o ly flaw with the maxi when it came out was the cable gearchange ,which was soon rectified. Unless you have worked on them and driven them keep stum ,if you want ,rust buckets and unreadable cars back then look at ford
Ford rust was of a lower quality to Austin rust I found. Uaz rust was best 🙄
We're all entitled to our opinion.
Loved my 'R' reg Maxi 1750. It was only 2 years old but it wasn't quite up to snuff when pulling my caravan so I bought a Gold Seal reconditioned engine and fitted a Stage 2 conversion kit, which included 2 x 1¾ carburettors, plus a re-profiled camshaft and distributor drive shaft. The upshot was that the power output was vastly superior to the stock version being 105bhp against 76! I was also fortunate in that I worked in an experimental establishment and had access to a decent dynamometer so I could fine tune it whilst driving - so to speak! Didn't notice the caravan after that although it was necessary to be a bit light-footed during acceleration away from stop!
Excellent presentation once again.
Hier in Deutschland habe ich nie einen Austin Maxi fahren gesehen .
Der Hauptimporteur von Leyland war in Düsseldorf.
Meistens waren hier die Probleme mit den Ersatzteilen und den nicht metrischen Schrauben und Gewinde.
Sie bringen es immer sehr gut rüber ,mit den alten Fahrzeugen.😊
Owned three maxis.
Brilliant
Used to sleep in it
No modern car has come close to being so practical
My mother and I alternated use of a 1750 HL Maxi for a few years. The back seat/boot folding down to form a good sized double bed proved useful, in my courting days. The thrust washers decided to vacate their assigned position and the crankshaft ground its way through the block, so I had to haul the 500lb engine/gearbox out and rebuild with a brand new short engine....hooray! I remember two lads in Brighton resprayed a Maxi in Starsky and Hutch red and white colours; I do hope they had a sense of humour. Apropos of nothing, I now own Alex E Moulton's old cycling Oakley's.
I had one. The most useful, reliable, and comfiest car ive had in my 50 years of motoring.
Memories Memories......my old man had a Maxi and attempted 2 driving lessons with me in it, but alas my Father was of too nervous a disposition to instruct anyone to drive. He already had pre installed a piece of 2" x 2" inch Timber below the accelerator pedal to limit the travel plus he sat throughout the whole lesson with his hand knuckle white firmly gripping the Handbrake. However I have 2 everlasting memories of driving the Maxi and that was it was like driving a Tank is was a heavy beast and the gear selector was like stirring a pot of soup with a stick. I also seem to recall I was incapable of finding reverse. I assume he had one of the early Cable selector models but still pleasant memories regardless.😁
The 1750 Maxi was one of the best cars I ever had.
Great car that got even better when they updated the suspension from hydrolastic to hydragas on later models.
To DUNCAN etc.
Never realised they went from Hydrolastic to Hydragas! I would like a ride in both, to compare. Personally, having had cars with either, I think I'd prefer the Hydrolastic.
Austin Maxi. Wonderful memories of my friends Ivor and John R.I.P. guys.
I worked for an Austin dealership in the early seventies and was around for the launch of the Allegro but I always thought the Maxi was a good car. For its time it was quite fast (before manufacturers tried to make all cars seem as though they were meant to race everwhere), very comfortable and roomy and pretty good in its handling. Its easy to look back and comment on many of the negative aspects of the design or the standard of finish but it was basically a good car let down by the attitude of some of the workers who made it, including some of the management.
You really hit the nail on the head, these cars never had the Swagger of the rival Fords. The Fords also gave you a variety of up grades in small increments up to the famous 1600 E as shown in this video. This was the era of the repmobile, few reps wanted to be seen in a dated (style) family car, they wanted to cruise the motorways with a bit of Flash !
It used to regularly get the award of Caravan Tow Car oty, blessing or curse ?
My Dad had one of these cars in shade of green ! Changing gear was like stirring rice pudding. This was the last British Leyland car he chose. After that it was a Ford Cortina. Great car with a great gearbox !
I've only ever been in one once, in the late 1970s. A work colleague had borrowed one from a relative and we all went to the pub for lunch. My abiding memory is of coming to a roundabout where the car suffered from such massive understeer that we nearly didn't make it round to the third exit. Sadly, yet another "should have been" from the hissing and bubbling cauldron of confusion that was British Leyland.
My late mother had two1750 maxis from new, moss green then a dark blue that was a rust bucket but still a very practical vehicle.
I SO much wanted that Maxi 1750 HL to be my first car .. I dreamt about it day and night ..
But couldn't afford it, so ended up with a second-hand Marina 1.3 Super ..
I love the combination of cloth and leatherette inside, particularly in this shade, which was identical to that in my (also Austin) Allegro!
I remember my girlfriend drive us around in her mums maxi in the 80s.
She’s been my wife ever since 😁
Another good one Ed. I tried to get my dad into ont, but he bought a Hlman Hunter. Oh dear.
Well done Ed, my dad had one of the earlier 1750 Maxis although not the earlier cable gear change version. As a child I didn't like the style even before my dad got his but it was a brilliant car. He was a semi pro drummer so the hatchback was ideal for him. As a family of five growing up us three kids fought less in the back on longer journeys given the room available compared to the MKII Cortina that it replaced after that was sadly written off (I still love the MKII). As an earlier 1750 the clutch was super sensitive and it was easy for the car to kangaroo but if I recall the later versions had a modified engine mounting that cured this. I actually learned to drive in it as a teenager but I gave up and got into motorbikes. Those were the days. Anyway I still think the Maxi was a great car maybe ahead of its time to a degree, the American influence of car design made the BL cars look bland unfortunately right up until the 18/22 series that were latterly named the Princess were released but that's another catastrophe.... sorry story that should have been a huge success.
I hope you agree. Period incorrect number plates just look wrong to me,otherwise it's a fine example.
I came here to say this too.
Apparently people said the same thing when the yellow number plates started to be fitted. And everyone was used to black and silver.
@@chrishart8548 I have to disagree a bit as during the 70s black and silver was looking very old fashioned. Reflective plates were the equivalent of LED headlights today, I understand the temptation to colour coordinated but I just remember every car after 1971 getting the latest thing fitted and many 60s cars getting them retro fitted. Damn I'm getting old.
This one seems to have the post 2001 narrower font as well, which is doubly ick
A real bugbear of mine too 🙁
It would be interesting to see a modern Mini parked next to the Maxi. Which is bigger?
you can see the dimensions on Wikipedia - current Mini is 80mm wider, 50mm taller, and 380kg (39%) heavier. It is 160mm shorter though.
My brother had one of these with black vinyl seat and red/orange paint. 1750cc. Superb and strong car.
Later I had one of the very last, but nI bought it for £75. Bangernomics! Still an excellent car, but seriously rusted away!
There is nothing like the Maxi today, which I think is a shame.
As for the styling, I love it. Commanding driving position, plenty of glass, splendid wide opening door, and glass the retracts all the way down. The proportions are superb, and the space is where you need it, Tardis-like, inside!
I liked all the Issigonis cars, from the Morris Minor, the Mini, the 1100, the 1800, and the Maxi. In my view the Allegro and the Princess were less attractive from the design and style point of view.
In my view the whole image problem was largely the result of that strange fascination we have for denigrating our own production, while lauding Fords, GM, and the French and German competitors. No doubt that the early Japanese cars were actually better made as they came in, but they did rust like crazy. We tend to forget that about them nowadays. In the 1970s almost all cars were showing signs of rust early in their lives, except for Volvos, but they were made for the harsh Swedish winters. A different priority.
Mobile bed they where great cars had loads of fun in mine and the only problems i had i caused myself would love another one
I’d have a Maxi over a Porsche any day of the week.
My Grandad had 2 of these, and they were reliable, a decent workhorses.
I loved ours,a brilliant car😊😊
👍Good video, thanks.
A white Austin Maxi was the car, I used to grow up in. Half of my childhood was that the place on such a backseat. The other half was an Allegro 3, until we had a bad accident with that. My first new car was a Maestro Clubman in 1993. And I owned that until 2019.
Maxi 1750 was the second car I ever owned and I loved it, had it a number of years. Comfortable, fast enough that K-series engine was smooth as silk.
The Maxi 1750, 5 speed, overhead cam. The best car Bmc ever made.
Drove one for a few months 82/83 winter (bad one) for a daily commute. It never failed me and dealt with snowy and icy roads well; biggest fault was the pudding stirring gear change although I could also have done with a trilby and pipe to have felt more at home.
One of the best and most versatile cars of its time! As 1500 its quite fast and revvs nicely. Its reliable car too. They could have installed a Perkins Diesel in the Maxi too it would have made a great Taxicab too. I love BL cars. The Maxi looks much more modern compared to those Fords. Maxis, Allegros and Princess are the Citroens and Lancias of England. Please make a Princess 2200 HLS manual gerbox version video.
I think the Renault 16TS... European car of the year 1966... was the first six window five door hatchback in the world... sensational!
Yeah but we aren't interested in Europe we are talking our wonderful austin marque here.
I'm sure a lot of us would love to go back in time and have a few wise words with Issigonis and his team. For me the main failure was not evolving the car. They could have overcome the image deficiency by making it the most refined, the best built, the most reliable car in its class. But all they did was make it worse by the time the Maxi 2 came out with those awful cheap-looking black bumpers. Volkswagen proved that constant evolution of a basically right design can be a great success. But you have to believe it it and stay the course. BL didn't do that.
My dad had at least three of them over the years loved them 😊
We had new a 1500 and 1750 for the school runs as the Silver Shadow was a bit much for my sisters when being collected from school. 1500 gear change was poor but 1750 went much better. Good in the snow up in Northumberland. Good practical car.
I've owned an Austin 1300GT and a late model Metro. I like Minis, though I've never owned one and generally have a soft spot for British vehicles. As mentioned in the video, I think that the Maxi was looking dated by the time it came out. Elements of its styling had been around for years in other BMC cars.
My father bought a Renault 16TS, which got a name check. It came out several years before the Maxi. The hatchback wasn't such a novel option in family cars by 1969. Simca also made them. I think that Maxi attracted buyers looking for practicality who still expressed an element of patriotism when selecting a car. BL went on to suffer strikes during the 1970s which impacted sales even if you were sympathetic with the workers.
Good one Ed.and it’s beige. 😍
I had a 1750TC and I thought that it was great car for all the reasons that you state. Having been in mine my Father bought one for himself because, as a small shopkeeper, the hatchback versatility and loadspace was uniquely useful. Unfortunately I had to get rid of mine because of the engine. The bottom-end started to rattle and I had to rebuild the engine. However, when I got it back together it didn't seem to be lasting so I sold it - shame!
BL / FIAT / Renault / Citroen fwd cars were always better than boring Fords. You can say what you want about rust but ALL cars rotted back then (many still do now) but arguing parts were cheaper for a Ford kind of explained the point - they were cheap because you needed more of them regularly hence economies of scale made them cheaper
Why can’t we have a car with seating that can fold into a bed like this for resting at the seaside for instance, are they incapable I wonder nothing can be bettered nowadays it seems what about column gear change again what about a front bench seat no not capable imposable, bring back yesterday I say, I don’t suppose anyone knows if hydro suspension is still available anywhere nowadays perhaps someone who owns a car like this might let us know!
The Austin Landcrab.
It's on the wrong over-retro silver-on-black plates.
Would have been black on white/yellow when it was new and it was only a DVLA mess-up that made it legal for '73-'79 to later have them.
Ive always had a soft spot for the maxi.
My dad had five of these from 1974-89. Lovely to ride around in but the gearchange was never very good! Funny how we love our silver-on-black 'retro' number plates now...but in the '70s people all had the new black on reflective white or yellow...even on older cars.
My Mum bought a HL in 1973 ....brand new 🙂
.
I now see the genius in the car.... but back then it offered no "street cred" 😞
.
Would have loved an old rusty Jaguar XJ that i could have polished to my hearts content 🙂
.
(and a cheap little Fiat to just do the shopping) .... but Mum and Dad were thick .....lol ....but i miss em
we had 2 of these I learned to drive in one 1985 it was n reg red nice car
I remember Car Magazine's late 70s review of the Maxi
For: Tough, roomy body
Against: Everything else
They were pretty rude about the Triumph Dolomite as well
Oh Death, where is thy sting
Enjoyed the video but 'rose coloured spectacles' more than spring to mind. My dad bought a Renault 16 in 1973 and I remember asking as I just turned 16 why on earth he was buying 'foreign rubbish'. I learned a very early lesson. The Renault was leagues ahead of the maxi in every meaningful way but especially comfort and giving you the feeling of being 'special'. It was introduced well before the Maxi, but was also front wheel drive, hatchback and in comparison pure luxury. Within 18 months 2 of my friends fathers had changed from a Maxi to the R16 and to the best of my knowledge none of them (or my dad) have ever bought a British car again. That's a real shame but inevitable given the rubbish being churned out here in the UK at this level in the market. It was just so clear that the British volume makers were destined to loose so much of their market share. Despite my initial comments in 1973 I never bought a British car in my entire life until 2019 and a Jaguar XJ which I still have (amongst other cars) with 24k on the clock now. That said I am doing far fewer miles these days and had more faith in 7 series, S class and A8's when I was doing some serious miles.
Replaced the clutch in one hour
I always wanted one of these as it ticked all the boxes for a practical car. When I started looking for my own car in the mid-80s the Maxi was always too expensive so folk obviously valued their design and practicality. I have lost hope that we will ever be offered the chance to own a modern interpretation given the amount of huge barges on the roads today. Thankfully my Sandero will probably last longer than I will...
they were a common site in New Zealand in the 1970's
I had one for a short while. I couldn't get a smooth gearchange to save my life. The best point was it took about 20 minutes to change the clutch.
I had a 1978 1750 HL twin carburettors
The one design fault that no-body mentions is the gear lever knob.
When the Naxi was released with the 1500 cc engine many owners complained about its lack of power, Butat that time no one was used to overdrive, which the 5th gear indeed was. I have maintained for many years that the Gear Knob should have been marked with q, 2, 3, T ( for top) and O ( for overdrive) and people might have got the messagethat the 5th gear was for economical cruising not accellerating or towing.
If you doubt my credentials in this matter, just know that I am the man who killed the 9X engine!
Ny brother had one as his daily driver go anywhere family car and when he reluctantly changed it .he couldn't get another one as it had gone out of production.
That should be " fishing for GEARS not YEARS ! (although it did quite some time to find them !)😅
Of course they had planned 4000 BMC 1800's a week but only managed 1000, so that production capacity of doors was why Austin 1500/ Morris 1500 (Stokes came up with the Maxi name) had the 1800 doors. The Morris was a saloon version of the hatchback and reached pre production but the Leyland guys decided BMC needed the ADO28, Marina so the Morris 1500 Saloon became redundant but it was a much prettier car than the hatch Maxi. All very interesting