Features
Tale from Oz

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In 1964, I joined the Advertising & Public Relations Department of BMC Australia in Melbourne, but after three years was transferred to Sydney, where the factory was located.

The Australian range of BMC was very much simplified from the the British one; we concentrated on building three main models with a high Australian content. These were the Mini, 1100/1300 and 1800. All of these were re-engineered for Australian conditions, which meant they could withstand harsher conditions. The 1800 was particularly successful, as at one stage over 40% of 1800s sold in the world were Australian made.

An Austin 1800 shown at the International Classic Car Show in the UK in 2003

OZ sites for 1800, 1100 and Mini enthusiasts
1100 and 1300's
1800
Mini

The E series engine as fitted to the webmasters car

When the ADO 14 Maxi was being developed in the UK, it was obviously evaluated for this market. The A-Series engine in the Morris 1100 and 1300 were considered too small, so the E-Series 1485 cc engine was shoehorned into the 1300 body shell, resulting in the Morris 1500. A five-door hatch, along the lines of the Maxi was developed from the 1300 shell, which was called the Morris Nomad, and released in 1969. The whole engine plant now revolved around production of the E-Series, both 4 and 6 cylinder. The Austin Kimberley and Tasman range, released in 1970 and replacing the Austin 1800, was the world's first transverse six cylinder car, predating the British Austin/Morris 2200 by about 18 months. The E-Series was also used in the Australian Morris Marina, in longitudinal form, using either 4 and 6 cylinder units.

For pictures and information about the Nomad go to elevenhundred.com

As an aside, in 1966, BMC Australia imported into this country the first Renault 16, even before RenaultAustralia had one. We believe that two were bought by BMC in England; the other one may have remained at Longbridge. The 16 was the obvious inspiration for the Maxi and the Nomad, and we could only improve on better utilisation of interior space, due to the suspension units.

With our much smaller production runs, it was felt that the pricing of the Maxi would be too close to the 1800 to make it viable, and it would have meant us having four cars aiming at a high Australian content, whereas General Motors Holden, Ford and Chrysler had only two each.

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