It barely qualified as facelifted. New door handles were the main change iirc. It was obviously a Marina. And it was obvious why they changed the name. It was an open admission effectively.
NT
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6 years ago
OT: Why can't a petrol engine start itself?
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6 years ago
It did have a different choice of engines, though.
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6 years ago
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6 years ago
I know they shared a windscreen, because the one I fitted to a friend's Marina came out of an Ital - I didn't realise at the time that they were basically the same car. But wasn't the Marina just an evolution of the Minor anyway?
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6 years ago
The Marina looked nothing like
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6 years ago
It was an Ital :-)
It looked nicer than a Marina and just different enough to let me think I was getting a bargain.
I learnt everything about cars from that vehicle.
Even how to strip an A+ engine down, rebuild it and then take it for a recon when the thing burnt as much oil three months later :-(
I was near broke, I also learnt that it wasnt a good idea to keep a cassete tape on the dash, covering the oil light.
That was the very last lesson the car provided.
AB
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6 years ago
The dash was bent!
I have a vague recollection that it made the choice of wireless difficult, not sure though, I was too infatuated with my motor to worry about Terry Wogan
AB
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6 years ago
I was following one around a roundabout once in my Mini, thinking "Hurry up, why are you going so damn slowly" when his back end stepped out...
Andy
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6 years ago
He was actually going rather quickly
When the drivers eyeballs are just about over kerb level a mini was the closest any mortal got to experiencing warp speed.
Although the pet tortoise may have similar experiences when stampeding round corners.
AB
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6 years ago
I think that when following every car. Why is everyone's brain slowing down?
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6 years ago
Everything seems very fast when driving a Lotus 7 style kit-car.
It's like driving a road-going go-kart!
SteveW
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6 years ago
Then you didn't actually learn how to re-build an engine. ;-)
The A+ engine if reasonably looked after is capable of quite high mileage. Far more than earlier versions.
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6 years ago
I learned not to trust Halfords torque wrenches, tightening the big end shells got slightly easier, just before the crack as the pins broke.
This wasn't the reason for the recon though.
Apparently I should have had a rebore, not just fitted rings and roughed the cylinders.
Why does every DIY job seem to entail having one or two goes, just to figure out how to do it properly :-(
I found out afterward, it was an ex company car, I had a couple of Leyland offerings for company use, they did not suit the all brakes or accellerator technique of the young inexperienced "immortal" that I was in those days.
The lunacy of youth, flat out was something to be experienced in the first hours of having a new "toy"
God knows how many vehicles I have driven over the last 12 months, but I can safely say that beyond a quick blip when overtaking, the pedal has never been anywhere near the floor.
AB
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6 years ago
Trick is to check the lip at the top of the bores where the rings don't get to so has no wear. If a finger nail sticks at the ridge, it needs a re-bore. ;-)
True. Everyone learns by experience.
I had a 1275 Midget - near enough the same engine - which did a lot of miles, very often thrashed. But did let it warm up fully before pushing it and gave it regular oil changes.
Finding somewhere to extend a powerful car can be tricky these days.
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6 years ago
No. It was BLs attempt to make a crappieer car than a Mk1 escort.
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6 years ago
On Wednesday, 28 March 2018 00:25:00 UTC+1, Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp
Many of mine have required prolonged periods of foot to the floor just for normal to sluggish driving. Consumer expectations have really changed.
NT
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6 years ago
It was actually after the commercial traveller 'Cortina' market. Hence the large boot.
BL thought they were losing out on the market for a simple car with their FWD models. Hence the Marina. And cut down on design costs by using bits they had lying around. ;-)
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6 years ago
Standard practice with my Mini van. Foot to the floor at the start of a journey and release at the end. ;-) But great fun to drive.
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6 years ago
The Vauxhall/GM/Opel (ffs why can't they just use one name?) Corsa has taken over as the worst piece of shit you can buy. I had one for a year or so, and if you put 5 people in it (it had 5 seats) the suspension bottomed out!
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6 years ago
With less room inside because of that bloody driveshaft tunnel.