Another wonderful slice of nostalgia. At the risk of repeating myself, it is enormously satisfying to see so many of the vehicles of this era so well maintained and cherished. Terrific review, I'm now off for some eggs and gammon!
My Dad had two of these as new cars back in the day, both 2200 HLS (top of the range). No 1 was a Harvest Gold (MLN 84P) No 2 was Carmine Red (AWV 989T). They were such comfy cars, just soaked up the miles.
Yes, the 2200 HLS (like this one) had power steering, and it made the drive much more comfortable. Not very fast, but reasonably easy to drive by the standards of the day, and perfect for a family back in the day.
It was a shame the speedometer wasn't working properly when I was doing the test drive, and the car had a leaking head gasket (which has now been fixed), as it felt really slow and I didn't quite know how slow.... I should have just set up my smart phone with a speedometer app before I took it out for a drive! Thank you for watching and commenting, other cars from this collection are listed in the video description.
I was grateful for the power steering, sir! This one was a bit down on power, as the head gasket needs doing, but it was still a real privilege to drive such a nice example.
Why, thank you, sir! I was truly blessed to be offered this wonderful Princess, one of five cars I was offered from an amazing collection in West Sussex, the others of which will be coming up on the channel soon.
Thank you sir. Another golden oldy from my childhood.My grandfather had one of these in around 1982 when I was only about two years old. I can remember it very vaguely and his was blue. He also had a red one a couple of years before that and apparently when I was only a little baby my mum and grandad brought me home from hospital in his red princess although of course I cannot remember that obviously.
A very nice example Sir!…….Reynard metallic? I’ve always loved the looks - it was quite futuristic, but was let down by some of the chintzy detailing. Terry Scott’s was Tara green - one of BL’s more attractive colours! The Ambassador follow-up made it onto to the telly as well - an Oporto Red model was featured on Fresh Fields (remember that?). Then there was John Shuttleworth’s Y Reg……..
Yes, I think it is Reynard. Harris Mann's design was not altered very much before production, unlike the Allegro. We do indeed remember the Y-registration Ambassador from 500 Bus Stops, sir!
The styling now almost 50 years later looks so stylish creative and unique, I had one an 1800HL I can't even remember if it was an Austin or Leyland the car was a bit of a disaster really, another fantastic design from British Leyland (with some faults)
It could have been either an Austin or a Princess with the 1.8 B-Series engine. It is a rather nice design, isn't it? Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!
Well, we have an awful lot of episodes of Sensible Secondhand Classics now, this is just the latest one! It is in extremely good condition for 1978, isn't it? Just about to have a new head gasket done, as it did seem a bit down on power. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!
@@vernonmatthews181 , we have over 1,100 videos on the channel and something like 400-500 reviews. If you look on the channel playlists, then you may find something to your advantage....
Thanks for the vid Mr Lloyd, what a nice example of a Princess, yes as you mentioned about the name, they were never called “Austin Princess” that name was reserved for a car that Austin produced pre BL in the 1940’s I believe. That engine sounds really nice as well, the owner and previous owners have definately cherished the car. For a long time though I can remember these cars became very unloved and a lot were scrapped early on, probably due to build quality and reliability issues so I believe, although it was likely a misunderstanding of the car and mechanical apathy. I can’t remember if this was mentioned but before the Princess 2 was launched the 1.8 B series was used in the cars before they replaced it with the 1.7 O series. It does seem to be a rarely seen Classic these days, so thanks for reviewing this one sir.
Yes sir, we covered all the engines, including the incredibly slow 1.8 B-Series... This one currently has a leaking head gasket, hence why it seemed a bit slow! These did indeed end up being scrapped in large numbers, the depreciation was pretty savage.
My dad bought one new in that spec and colour it broke down and left us stranded three days later. Other than that it was comfortable and practical. He had previously bought the mark 1 and liked it. I'd wanted him to get the Rover SD1 instead of the mark 2.
Yes, this one actually needs the head gasket replacing, so it was a little bit down on power. The comfort and practicality does seem very good, I must say.
Fantastic example. 😍 My favourite BL car in one of my favourite car colours. 🙂 It's a shame that BL didn't include a rev counter on the HLS as standard when the Cortina Ghia had them. I recognise the column stalks as the same from my first car - 1979 Mini.
Yes, those stalks lasted for a while. It was very weird that neither the Princess or Ambassador got a rev counter on any trim (I don't think even the Vanden Plas Ambassador had one). Thank you for watching, sir!
I bought a Marina on an "N" plate and on a walk through town I saw a Wolseley 2200 (also on an "N" plate and I fell in love with it.) In 1980 i traded the Marina in for a brown 2200HLS VFL 290 T (it was the nearest I could find to the Wolseley I had hankered after.) My wife loved everything about her except the fuel consumption around town so I would often put 6 gallons in and tell her I had put 4 in before going on a long journey. The MPG was amazing (or so she thought) and I "was allowed" to keep her for 10 years all because of a little white lie. She was offered a "great deal" against a new Maestro and as it was our first new car out of the box I fell for it too. Worst days work ever although I never had any trouble with the Maestro, but I still miss my Princess.
Sir, we may have a live video with Mr Coleman again at some point, if you ask nicely... We do indeed very much like the 623 GSis, especially in this rare manual form!
Excellent review MR Lloyd, most enjoyable, I'm glad you went into lots of detail with this. I've always been fascinated by Leyland Princess, I like the styling, it's got better over the years, and actually looks pretty good. One only wishes, that British Leyland would have put, the absolutely stunning, Vanden Plas Princess 2200, into production.
Yes, sir, it would have been better with the Vanden Plas trim, they may even have fitted it with a rev counter! Lots and lots of detail, as there is much to talk about....
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Not many people know about that prototype Vanden Plas Princess, would make an interesting topic. Sadly a missed opportunity, a rev counter and some leather, more wood, would have been most welcomed MR Lloyd, especially how British Leyland had access to all those things at the time.
A schoolmate's dad had a landcrab 2200. It was very roomy and smooth but I do recall a lot of steering wheel twirling needed to turn it around and do the all but 90 exit from the drive of their house. The only car I've ever been in that needed more was a Daimler limousine mourners' car.
Well, if you would like to see a review of a Landcrab, I actually drove one of those on the same day too (same owner)! Should be in the video description below from memory. The arm twirling was ridiculous, this Princess was very easy due to the power steering.
Wow what a beautiful car Sir, Reynard metallic was quite rare, the beautiful condition is an absolute credit to the owner, recognise the sound of the doors & interior, Dad had a brooklands green 1800, from 1978 to 1987, transported us all over the UK, first car I serviced, learnt to drive in it for afew weeks, before he got a 2.0 Sierra. Princess had 4 piston calipers, which was a popular upgrade for the Capri
That is absolutely correct, sir! It is possible to fit Princess brakes to a Capri, Mr Coleman and I have discussed that a few times. Definitely worth doing, as standard Capri brakes are absolutely appalling!
One of my favourite cars of British Leyland. I especially love the E6 2200 engine, super smooth! A great credit to Mr Webb-Moore. Fantastic video again Mr Lloyd!
Indeed, Corporal Mackland! A very nostalgic car for many, even if they weren't perhaps the best made back in the day, and a true classic from the excellent collection of Mr Webb-Moore.
A very beautiful car I think. One of the teachers at my Primary School owned a yellow 1975 Austin Princess 1800. It was very striking. It also looked enormous beside the Head Mistress's Chrysler Hunter. The shape was really lovely with that little roof spoiler, the long bonnet, those Japanese looking flush door handles, that beautiful scripted Princess badge and every schoolboy's favourite feature twin headlights. The way the design rose up from the nose to high rear with those taillights that mirrored a Leyland Leopard Bus. These days it is very easy to forget what a premium feature that headrests used to be. Nothing not to like really but BL managed to make a Hames of it. More is the Pity.
Sir, if it was a 1975, it would either have been an Austin 1800 or a Princess 1800. It cannot have been both, sadly. British Leyland did indeed make a bit of a hash of it in terms of quality and also neglecting to offer it with a hatchback...
my favourite car bar none the funeral home near were I lived had a stretched princess with a hatchback I often wonder were she is now I guess you just never forget your first love ❤ 👌👍👏👏👏
Love these. I think I am correct in saying this engine was developed in Australia for the Austin Kimberley/Tasman range shich came out in 1970. If I am right the recognition is seldom given. Good sweet engine but has a ‘Siamese’ set of cylinders where the extra 2 cylinders were grafted on. Close tolerances means cooling needs to be kept well maintained. We did not get these cars in Australia but they did in NZ. Great video Mr. Lloyd and the owner is a very lucky person to own such a beautiful example of a rare car.
Yes, I think that you are right about the six cylinder E-Series. We only got those from 1972 in the Landcrab. Like with the Morris Nomad, we did not get the Kimberley or Tasman over here. Mr Webb-Moore is a very blessed man to have this indeed!
It is an amazing survivor, in a perfect colour combination, and absolutely the owner's pride and joy. When I drove it, the head gasket was leaking, so it wasn't performing as well as it should have done, but that has now been sorted.
A most excellent Review Sir, there is a Wolsley example round the corner from my parents and has been there for as long as I can remember and I am nearly 40! And its still in daily use.
Mein used to be the model with double headlights, Green metallic with Vinyl roof in black. I loved my car the only Problem was to top up the Suspension in Germany
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching all the way from Germany! Yes, getting the suspension pumped up will be difficult unless you know someone with the appropriate machine, sadly....
I remember the early cars badged Austin, Morris and Wolseley, the Austin had trapezoidal Peugeot like headlights and the Morris and Wolseley four round lights, the Wolseley famous for its illuminated badge. When it was renamed Princess the four round lights were the cheaper models and the trapezoidal lights the more upmarket. Not sure with the Princess 2 the 1700 engine was the same as in the Morris Marina.
Yes, that is absolutely true, and the 1.7 O-Series was indeed used in both the Marina and Ital, as well as the Princess/Ambassador. Thank you for watching and commenting.
I owned a 2200HLS auto, underrated, Jag comparable ride... Impressive brakes. Same autobox as in the Jaguar 4.2 6Cly, dual circuit brakes, same battery as in a R / Royce 👍
Yes, the brakes are so good, that they are a common swap onto the front end of a Mark III Capri! Didn't realise the automatic gearbox was the same as in a Jaguar XJ.
My Dad owned multiple Austin Princesses, the 1800 and 2L versions. They were a good car, but like so many British cars a brilliant concept marred by inadequate engineering.
So many reasons why this did not work out for British Leyland, but nevertheless a very interesting car. Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting and sharing your memories!
dad had loads of them, as a BL mechanic he hated the flashing seatbelt light and he would upon getting in any one he was in. rip out the wiring at the belt anchor and disable it.
I have always wondered - if they were to make this today, with a few notable mechanical improvements and higher build quality, however remaining essentially the same design, would people buy it?? Imagine a "Restomod" version being available brand new - would it attract buyers??
It's an interesting thought. They are starting to do this with the Renault 5 and the old Opel Manta A, so why not with the Princess? Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting.
Anything which British Leyland tried in the 1970s was undermined by public opinion and poor management, sadly, regardless of whether the car was actually any good or not.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I was there, in the 1970s. The public attitude had developed from a weariness with continually striking workers - particularly in the car industry. This was a problem which was not solved until Mrs Thatcher came to power. And by then, it was too late.
Never sold in Australia of course ..but an attractive design until you get around back when the rear window appears altogether too high and none too cohesive. Perhaps it should have been a hatch to begin with and lower glass at the back. Slightly Arabian tent headlining.
Yes, you could get a hatchback conversion for these, but it was an aftermarket one. Hopefully, we will be able to test its successor, the Ambassador, at some point, which did have the hatchback.
Sorry nostalgia fans, but I owned one of these (admittedly second hand) in the early eighties and it was crap. On the plus side it was very comfortable and a nice place to sit and wait for the AA van to arrive. Everything else was rubbish. The engine was gutless and drank oil by the gallon. I spent a lot of money getting it re-bored, after which it was only slightly less gutless and drank oil by the pint. Amongst its more interesting quirks was the time when it melted a transistor radio that I left on the back floor over the exhaust pipe area. Amazingly the carpet was undamaged. On one of the high passes in the Lake District it decided to get stuck in top gear. I managed to nurse it back to a garage, but I would not have the skill or courage to do that these days. I hurtled down hill as fast as my nerve would allow in order to build up enough momentum to get up the other side. I think it was the worst car I ever owned, marginally worse than my Morris Marina. On both cars everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong, it's just that there were more things to go wrong on the Princess, notably the Hydragas suspension. Anyway, I still wish the very best of luck to anyone who wants to run one of these today.
This one has a leaking head gasket, so it was nowhere near as powerful as I was expecting. That is going to be sorted soon. Other than that it seems OK, but back in the 1980s a lot of these were in bad condition, and they had a lot of problems. They also depreciated very badly, which did not really encourage people to look after them properly.
You sound like my uncle James and many others back then that bought old unlooked after heaps of junk and then blamed the car/manufacturer for all of the breakdowns and problems they ended up having. We never had any problems with the Hydrogas suspension on the two Allegros we had in our family at the same time and my uncle Jackie that had a Princess and then later an Ambassador never had any problems with the Hydrogas on them either and I never had any problems with my 1978 Mk2 Marina 1.8 HL/TC and my brother never had any problems with his earlier Mk1 1.8 Super either. I drove my Marina and my 1980 Allegro 1750 TC Equipe hard and fast all the time as well and all of these cars were excellent and very reliable cars but then again we all - apart from my uncle James - looked after and serviced our own cars and did not rely on cowboy garages and fast fits etc to rip us off with work that did not need done or did not get done. That was a massive problem back then as well as people who never spent any money on servicing their cars etc until they broke down or had problems and then they just sold them on to other mugs like my uncle James etc. Still a lot of this going on today.
I like the sound of Uncle James, a man after my own heart. I hope he is still alive and kicking and having less trouble with his cars. I concede that the Leyland cars I owned were pretty much knackered when I bought them, despite being only a few years old. I will also admit that if I had had the time, the skill and the work ethic to do my own servicing I might have had fewer problems. The thing is that while BL were still making cars designed to keep the home mechanic busy, companies like Honda and Toyota were already making cars that would still work when driven by mugs like me and Uncle James.
Values of these cars in the price guides are woefully inaccurate as many now sell without being advertised as there are always buyers contacting the enthusiasts' club asking if any are for sale. A 1975 Wolseley recently sold for £9,000 and a '78 2200HLS sold for £7,500. Ambassadors struggle to find buyers, though.
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching, despite all the mistakes! Yes, this car is worth considerably more than £5,000, particularly as it has now had some major engine work. It's hard to value them accurately due to rarity and many not being available on the open market, as you say. I very much enjoyed it, however, the power steering was really helpful!
My dad had 4 in succession as company cars and they were heaps due to some poor design and bad quality. They got less reliable over time, you'd have thought that a X-reg would have been better than an early P- reg but no. The X-reg wasn't even painted properly with loads of primer showing inside the boot and a few other areas. Comfy ride and huge interior, but otherwise fairly dreadful. All 4 were rusting before they were changed at 2 years old despite being well looked after. If you got a good one, you must be really lucky
This one seems good, although it does need a new head gasket, hence why it seemed a bit slower than I thought it would be. Very interesting on paper, shame that so many of these were let down by poor quality. Once these are sorted, they are pretty good, but there is a car from this collection which I enjoyed even more.
Bl and their cost cutting at its best, for the top of the line range there's no tilt steering, no intermittent wipe feature, no tachometer, no 5 speed gearbox, no a/c or power steering. Only BL could have a car designed as a hatchback and then not make it so for a stupid reason. Gearbox in sump is a recipe for reduced engine life as metal particles from the gearbox kill the oil pump and bearings etc. As you noted, a V6 is just begging for that engine bay. Princess was a great idea that unfortunately slept on a pea and woke up with a back ache.
Unfortunately, this car had a leaking head gasket when I drove it, so it wasn't very fast (much better now it has been mended). A very nice example, but not necessarily the most luxurious car compared with the more expensive Ford Granada Mark II Ghia, for example, which came out the previous year. You did get power steering, though, which is very much needed. I also drove an Austin Ambassador earlier this year, and that was even more interesting, as they are even rarer than the Princesses!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting oops precoffee, I should say the original princess. We had our own market production of them here in nz, competitive with the sigma, cortina, and holden commodore. Absolutely zero left on the roads now, you might occasionally see an early sigma that hasn't rusted away, I think I have only seen a princess in a collection
It's strange after 40 years vauxhall are using the bl design with the gm 1.6 cdti timing chain at the gearbox box side of the engine. like the princess timing chain was connected to the fly wheel. The most unreliable engine in the vauxhall range is the 1.6 cdti and land-rover are doing that as well . The mind boggles why engineers are going back the way instead of forward. making engines difficult to work on these days
Well, it's just as well that we don't talk about diesels on this channel, isn't it? Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting, Malcolm!
Another wonderful slice of nostalgia. At the risk of repeating myself, it is enormously satisfying to see so many of the vehicles of this era so well maintained and cherished. Terrific review, I'm now off for some eggs and gammon!
"Eggs and Gammon,
Poor Rhiannon,
Ken's Bad Wind"
I hope that you enjoyed the video, sir! Got four more from this collection to come...
Whether it's a Wolseley, an Austin or a Leyland, that Princess is a gem
Sir, we did very much enjoy it, and it is in excellent condition!
My Dad had two of these as new cars back in the day, both 2200 HLS (top of the range). No 1 was a Harvest Gold (MLN 84P) No 2 was Carmine Red (AWV 989T). They were such comfy cars, just soaked up the miles.
Yes, the 2200 HLS (like this one) had power steering, and it made the drive much more comfortable. Not very fast, but reasonably easy to drive by the standards of the day, and perfect for a family back in the day.
Great review, ive owned 4 of these. Seriously underrated. The main difference between the 1.8 and the 2.2 is the torque. A genuinely nice car...
It was a shame the speedometer wasn't working properly when I was doing the test drive, and the car had a leaking head gasket (which has now been fixed), as it felt really slow and I didn't quite know how slow.... I should have just set up my smart phone with a speedometer app before I took it out for a drive! Thank you for watching and commenting, other cars from this collection are listed in the video description.
Wedgy 70's Leyland loveliness 😊 You clearly enjoyed driving this one, sir!
I was grateful for the power steering, sir! This one was a bit down on power, as the head gasket needs doing, but it was still a real privilege to drive such a nice example.
Great research and what a fab look at a cracking example of this classic car. Always had a soft spot for these. Superb video Joseph!
Why, thank you, sir! I was truly blessed to be offered this wonderful Princess, one of five cars I was offered from an amazing collection in West Sussex, the others of which will be coming up on the channel soon.
Thank you sir. Another golden oldy from my childhood.My grandfather had one of these in around 1982 when I was only about two years old. I can remember it very vaguely and his was blue.
He also had a red one a couple of years before that and apparently when I was only a little baby my mum and grandad brought me home from hospital in his red princess although of course I cannot remember that obviously.
Yes, the ultimate late 1970s family car! Ever so comfortable and spacious. Not surprised your first trip was in one of these! Thank you for watching.
A very nice example Sir!…….Reynard metallic? I’ve always loved the looks - it was quite futuristic, but was let down by some of the chintzy detailing. Terry Scott’s was Tara green - one of BL’s more attractive colours! The Ambassador follow-up made it onto to the telly as well - an Oporto Red model was featured on Fresh Fields (remember that?). Then there was John Shuttleworth’s Y Reg……..
Yes, I think it is Reynard. Harris Mann's design was not altered very much before production, unlike the Allegro. We do indeed remember the Y-registration Ambassador from 500 Bus Stops, sir!
The styling now almost 50 years later looks so stylish creative and unique, I had one an 1800HL I can't even remember if it was an Austin or Leyland the car was a bit of a disaster really, another fantastic design from British Leyland (with some faults)
It could have been either an Austin or a Princess with the 1.8 B-Series engine. It is a rather nice design, isn't it? Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!
Now this takes me back - my grandparents had a 1977 'S' reg Princess in sand yellow and I remember it had plenty of leg room.
Yes, lots of space, comfort and a warm nostalgic glow for us all! Thank you ever so much indeed for watching.
Very tidily presented 2200, first close up of engine ever.
Very smart for 1978
👍👌🍺🍻🥃🌎🗽
Well, we have an awful lot of episodes of Sensible Secondhand Classics now, this is just the latest one! It is in extremely good condition for 1978, isn't it? Just about to have a new head gasket done, as it did seem a bit down on power. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting I will need to keep my eyes 👀 wide open to spot your episodes on your channel, thanks for the attention to detail.👍👌💚
@@vernonmatthews181 , we have over 1,100 videos on the channel and something like 400-500 reviews. If you look on the channel playlists, then you may find something to your advantage....
Thanks for the vid Mr Lloyd, what a nice example of a Princess, yes as you mentioned about the name, they were never called “Austin Princess” that name was reserved for a car that Austin produced pre BL in the 1940’s I believe.
That engine sounds really nice as well, the owner and previous owners have definately cherished the car.
For a long time though I can remember these cars became very unloved and a lot were scrapped early on, probably due to build quality and reliability issues so I believe, although it was likely a misunderstanding of the car and mechanical apathy.
I can’t remember if this was mentioned but before the Princess 2 was launched the 1.8 B series was used in the cars before they replaced it with the 1.7 O series.
It does seem to be a rarely seen Classic these days, so thanks for reviewing this one sir.
Yes sir, we covered all the engines, including the incredibly slow 1.8 B-Series... This one currently has a leaking head gasket, hence why it seemed a bit slow! These did indeed end up being scrapped in large numbers, the depreciation was pretty savage.
My dad bought one new in that spec and colour it broke down and left us stranded three days later. Other than that it was comfortable and practical.
He had previously bought the mark 1 and liked it. I'd wanted him to get the Rover SD1 instead of the mark 2.
Yes, this one actually needs the head gasket replacing, so it was a little bit down on power. The comfort and practicality does seem very good, I must say.
Fantastic example. 😍 My favourite BL car in one of my favourite car colours. 🙂 It's a shame that BL didn't include a rev counter on the HLS as standard when the Cortina Ghia had them.
I recognise the column stalks as the same from my first car - 1979 Mini.
Yes, those stalks lasted for a while. It was very weird that neither the Princess or Ambassador got a rev counter on any trim (I don't think even the Vanden Plas Ambassador had one). Thank you for watching, sir!
I bought a Marina on an "N" plate and on a walk through town I saw a Wolseley 2200 (also on an "N" plate and I fell in love with it.)
In 1980 i traded the Marina in for a brown 2200HLS VFL 290 T (it was the nearest I could find to the Wolseley I had hankered after.) My wife loved everything about her except the fuel consumption around town so I would often put 6 gallons in and tell her I had put 4 in before going on a long journey. The MPG was amazing (or so she thought) and I "was allowed" to keep her for 10 years all because of a little white lie. She was offered a "great deal" against a new Maestro and as it was our first new car out of the box I fell for it too. Worst days work ever although I never had any trouble with the Maestro, but I still miss my Princess.
Sir, we may have a live video with Mr Coleman again at some point, if you ask nicely... We do indeed very much like the 623 GSis, especially in this rare manual form!
Excellent review MR Lloyd, most enjoyable, I'm glad you went into lots of detail with this. I've always been fascinated by Leyland Princess, I like the styling, it's got better over the years, and actually looks pretty good. One only wishes, that British Leyland would have put, the absolutely stunning, Vanden Plas Princess 2200, into production.
Yes, sir, it would have been better with the Vanden Plas trim, they may even have fitted it with a rev counter! Lots and lots of detail, as there is much to talk about....
@@lloydvehicleconsulting
Not many people know about that prototype Vanden Plas Princess, would make an interesting topic. Sadly a missed opportunity, a rev counter and some leather, more wood, would have been most welcomed MR Lloyd, especially how British Leyland had access to all those things at the time.
@@paulie-Gualtieri. , yes, they certainly did, but perhaps they just didn't see the market for it, sadly.
A schoolmate's dad had a landcrab 2200. It was very roomy and smooth but I do recall a lot of steering wheel twirling needed to turn it around and do the all but 90 exit from the drive of their house. The only car I've ever been in that needed more was a Daimler limousine mourners' car.
Well, if you would like to see a review of a Landcrab, I actually drove one of those on the same day too (same owner)! Should be in the video description below from memory. The arm twirling was ridiculous, this Princess was very easy due to the power steering.
Wow what a beautiful car Sir, Reynard metallic was quite rare, the beautiful condition is an absolute credit to the owner, recognise the sound of the doors & interior, Dad had a brooklands green 1800, from 1978 to 1987, transported us all over the UK, first car I serviced, learnt to drive in it for afew weeks, before he got a 2.0 Sierra. Princess had 4 piston calipers, which was a popular upgrade for the Capri
That is absolutely correct, sir! It is possible to fit Princess brakes to a Capri, Mr Coleman and I have discussed that a few times. Definitely worth doing, as standard Capri brakes are absolutely appalling!
One of my favourite cars of British Leyland. I especially love the E6 2200 engine, super smooth! A great credit to Mr Webb-Moore.
Fantastic video again Mr Lloyd!
Indeed, Corporal Mackland! A very nostalgic car for many, even if they weren't perhaps the best made back in the day, and a true classic from the excellent collection of Mr Webb-Moore.
A very beautiful car I think. One of the teachers at my Primary School owned a yellow 1975 Austin Princess 1800. It was very striking.
It also looked enormous beside the Head Mistress's Chrysler Hunter. The shape was really lovely with that little roof spoiler, the long bonnet, those Japanese looking flush door handles, that beautiful scripted Princess badge and every schoolboy's favourite feature twin headlights. The way the design rose up from the nose to high rear with those taillights that mirrored a Leyland Leopard Bus. These days it is very easy to forget what a premium feature that headrests used to be.
Nothing not to like really but BL managed to make a Hames of it. More is the Pity.
Sir, if it was a 1975, it would either have been an Austin 1800 or a Princess 1800. It cannot have been both, sadly. British Leyland did indeed make a bit of a hash of it in terms of quality and also neglecting to offer it with a hatchback...
@@lloydvehicleconsulting you are correct of course. She was indeed a Princess
my favourite car bar none the funeral home near were I lived had a stretched princess with a hatchback I often wonder were she is now I guess you just never forget your first love ❤ 👌👍👏👏👏
Glad you enjoyed it, sir! Yes, I think I have seen those with the hatchback, although not for some time.
Love these. I think I am correct in saying this engine was developed in Australia for the Austin Kimberley/Tasman range shich came out in 1970. If I am right the recognition is seldom given. Good sweet engine but has a ‘Siamese’ set of cylinders where the extra 2 cylinders were grafted on. Close tolerances means cooling needs to be kept well maintained. We did not get these cars in Australia but they did in NZ. Great video Mr. Lloyd and the owner is a very lucky person to own such a beautiful example of a rare car.
Yes, I think that you are right about the six cylinder E-Series. We only got those from 1972 in the Landcrab. Like with the Morris Nomad, we did not get the Kimberley or Tasman over here. Mr Webb-Moore is a very blessed man to have this indeed!
What a stunning car, absolutely beautiful
It is an amazing survivor, in a perfect colour combination, and absolutely the owner's pride and joy. When I drove it, the head gasket was leaking, so it wasn't performing as well as it should have done, but that has now been sorted.
A very classy car in its day
I mean, we have power steering in this one, sir, so a very classy car indeed!
A most excellent Review Sir, there is a Wolsley example round the corner from my parents and has been there for as long as I can remember and I am nearly 40! And its still in daily use.
Sir, a Wolseley Saloon! Those are absolutely amazing, very, very rare now. Thank you again for watching!
I remember when they used to have Mini's parked in their driveway.
@@Pmjs and the metro.
Mein used to be the model with double headlights, Green metallic with Vinyl roof in black.
I loved my car the only Problem was to top up the Suspension in Germany
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching all the way from Germany! Yes, getting the suspension pumped up will be difficult unless you know someone with the appropriate machine, sadly....
@@lloydvehicleconsulting then in the 80s it wasn't posible but know you can buy the tool to do the job
@@yorkshire6458 , yes, I think you can still buy the tool for the job, some garages do still have it over here.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting yes ive seen the Equipment on the RUclips been used
I remember the early cars badged Austin, Morris and Wolseley, the Austin had trapezoidal Peugeot like headlights and the Morris and Wolseley four round lights, the Wolseley famous for its illuminated badge. When it was renamed Princess the four round lights were the cheaper models and the trapezoidal lights the more upmarket. Not sure with the Princess 2 the 1700 engine was the same as in the Morris Marina.
Yes, that is absolutely true, and the 1.7 O-Series was indeed used in both the Marina and Ital, as well as the Princess/Ambassador. Thank you for watching and commenting.
I owned a 2200HLS auto, underrated, Jag comparable ride... Impressive brakes.
Same autobox as in the Jaguar 4.2 6Cly, dual circuit brakes, same battery as in a R / Royce 👍
Yes, the brakes are so good, that they are a common swap onto the front end of a Mark III Capri! Didn't realise the automatic gearbox was the same as in a Jaguar XJ.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting A Borgwarner Type 35. Pre engaged starter...
Oh yes, a very common gearbox at the time.
My Dad owned multiple Austin Princesses, the 1800 and 2L versions.
They were a good car, but like so many British cars a brilliant concept marred by inadequate engineering.
So many reasons why this did not work out for British Leyland, but nevertheless a very interesting car. Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting and sharing your memories!
The blanket on the rear seat was OE in this model 😉
A compulsory addition to any Princess!
It is such a shame there are so few of these cars left. 😢
Yes, I think low secondhand values and lack of classic interest for many years may have been responsible for that.
dad had loads of them, as a BL mechanic he hated the flashing seatbelt light and he would upon getting in any one he was in. rip out the wiring at the belt anchor and disable it.
Oh yes, the higher specification Dolomites used to have a flashing seatbelt light too! Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and subscribing.
I have always wondered - if they were to make this today, with a few notable mechanical improvements and higher build quality, however remaining essentially the same design, would people buy it?? Imagine a "Restomod" version being available brand new - would it attract buyers??
It's an interesting thought. They are starting to do this with the Renault 5 and the old Opel Manta A, so why not with the Princess? Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting.
The british Citroen SM
I suppose so! Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting.
I had one. It was brilliant. It should have overwhelmed the competition.
I agree with "Twin Cam". The wretched British public did it no favours.
Anything which British Leyland tried in the 1970s was undermined by public opinion and poor management, sadly, regardless of whether the car was actually any good or not.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting
I was there, in the 1970s.
The public attitude had developed from a weariness with continually striking workers - particularly in the car industry.
This was a problem which was not solved until Mrs Thatcher came to power.
And by then, it was too late.
Never sold in Australia of course ..but an attractive design until you get around back when the rear window appears altogether too high and none too cohesive. Perhaps it should have been a hatch to begin with and lower glass at the back.
Slightly Arabian tent headlining.
Yes, you could get a hatchback conversion for these, but it was an aftermarket one. Hopefully, we will be able to test its successor, the Ambassador, at some point, which did have the hatchback.
Sorry nostalgia fans, but I owned one of these (admittedly second hand) in the early eighties and it was crap.
On the plus side it was very comfortable and a nice place to sit and wait for the AA van to arrive. Everything else was rubbish. The engine was gutless and drank oil by the gallon. I spent a lot of money getting it re-bored, after which it was only slightly less gutless and drank oil by the pint. Amongst its more interesting quirks was the time when it melted a transistor radio that I left on the back floor over the exhaust pipe area. Amazingly the carpet was undamaged.
On one of the high passes in the Lake District it decided to get stuck in top gear. I managed to nurse it back to a garage, but I would not have the skill or courage to do that these days. I hurtled down hill as fast as my nerve would allow in order to build up enough momentum to get up the other side.
I think it was the worst car I ever owned, marginally worse than my Morris Marina. On both cars everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong, it's just that there were more things to go wrong on the Princess, notably the Hydragas suspension.
Anyway, I still wish the very best of luck to anyone who wants to run one of these today.
This one has a leaking head gasket, so it was nowhere near as powerful as I was expecting. That is going to be sorted soon. Other than that it seems OK, but back in the 1980s a lot of these were in bad condition, and they had a lot of problems. They also depreciated very badly, which did not really encourage people to look after them properly.
You sound like my uncle James and many others back then that bought old unlooked after heaps of junk and then blamed the car/manufacturer for all of the breakdowns and problems they ended up having. We never had any problems with the Hydrogas suspension on the two Allegros we had in our family at the same time and my uncle Jackie that had a Princess and then later an Ambassador never had any problems with the Hydrogas on them either and I never had any problems with my 1978 Mk2 Marina 1.8 HL/TC and my brother never had any problems with his earlier Mk1 1.8 Super either. I drove my Marina and my 1980 Allegro 1750 TC Equipe hard and fast all the time as well and all of these cars were excellent and very reliable cars but then again we all - apart from my uncle James - looked after and serviced our own cars and did not rely on cowboy garages and fast fits etc to rip us off with work that did not need done or did not get done. That was a massive problem back then as well as people who never spent any money on servicing their cars etc until they broke down or had problems and then they just sold them on to other mugs like my uncle James etc. Still a lot of this going on today.
I like the sound of Uncle James, a man after my own heart. I hope he is still alive and kicking and having less trouble with his cars.
I concede that the Leyland cars I owned were pretty much knackered when I bought them, despite being only a few years old.
I will also admit that if I had had the time, the skill and the work ethic to do my own servicing I might have had fewer problems.
The thing is that while BL were still making cars designed to keep the home mechanic busy, companies like Honda and Toyota were already making cars that would still work when driven by mugs like me and Uncle James.
Values of these cars in the price guides are woefully inaccurate as many now sell without being advertised as there are always buyers contacting the enthusiasts' club asking if any are for sale. A 1975 Wolseley recently sold for £9,000 and a '78 2200HLS sold for £7,500. Ambassadors struggle to find buyers, though.
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching, despite all the mistakes! Yes, this car is worth considerably more than £5,000, particularly as it has now had some major engine work. It's hard to value them accurately due to rarity and many not being available on the open market, as you say. I very much enjoyed it, however, the power steering was really helpful!
My dad had 4 in succession as company cars and they were heaps due to some poor design and bad quality. They got less reliable over time, you'd have thought that a X-reg would have been better than an early P- reg but no. The X-reg wasn't even painted properly with loads of primer showing inside the boot and a few other areas. Comfy ride and huge interior, but otherwise fairly dreadful. All 4 were rusting before they were changed at 2 years old despite being well looked after. If you got a good one, you must be really lucky
This one seems good, although it does need a new head gasket, hence why it seemed a bit slower than I thought it would be. Very interesting on paper, shame that so many of these were let down by poor quality. Once these are sorted, they are pretty good, but there is a car from this collection which I enjoyed even more.
Bl and their cost cutting at its best, for the top of the line range there's no tilt steering, no intermittent wipe feature, no tachometer, no 5 speed gearbox, no a/c or power steering. Only BL could have a car designed as a hatchback and then not make it so for a stupid reason. Gearbox in sump is a recipe for reduced engine life as metal particles from the gearbox kill the oil pump and bearings etc. As you noted, a V6 is just begging for that engine bay. Princess was a great idea that unfortunately slept on a pea and woke up with a back ache.
Unfortunately, this car had a leaking head gasket when I drove it, so it wasn't very fast (much better now it has been mended). A very nice example, but not necessarily the most luxurious car compared with the more expensive Ford Granada Mark II Ghia, for example, which came out the previous year. You did get power steering, though, which is very much needed. I also drove an Austin Ambassador earlier this year, and that was even more interesting, as they are even rarer than the Princesses!
Ever track down a princess 2?
I tracked this one down for review....
@@lloydvehicleconsulting oops precoffee, I should say the original princess. We had our own market production of them here in nz, competitive with the sigma, cortina, and holden commodore. Absolutely zero left on the roads now, you might occasionally see an early sigma that hasn't rusted away, I think I have only seen a princess in a collection
@@tortron , yes, I would imagine that they would be exceptionally rare these days!
Morris Marina have a better body .And white is love !❤
White is love?
Classic ?!!!😢 Rolling on floor😅
Roll on the floor if you like.
1:24 It's just a Princess. It's not a Leyland Princess , it's not an Austin Princess, it's just a..... Leyland Princess.. . Err.....😕
It all went horribly wrong.
It's strange after 40 years vauxhall are using the bl design with the gm 1.6 cdti timing chain at the gearbox box side of the engine. like the princess timing chain was connected to the fly wheel. The most unreliable engine in the vauxhall range is the 1.6 cdti and land-rover are doing that as well . The mind boggles why engineers are going back the way instead of forward. making engines difficult to work on these days
Well, it's just as well that we don't talk about diesels on this channel, isn't it? Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting, Malcolm!
1st
How are you feeling about that, sir?
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Top of the world, sir. It feels great to be in pole position.....
@@nickyboy. , next video will be up at 5pm, sir!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Looking forward to it, sir
70,s love of yuck brown cars
Yes, it's hard to get any more typical of the 1970s than a Princess in this colour with a vinyl roof.
I had one of these, 1700cc model, comfortable car. Rubbish gearbox iirc.
I don't remember the gearbox being particularly great, I must admit... Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting!