Harris Mann 1938 - 2023

The late Harris Mann said: “We’re not trying to be either transatlantic or European. The Americans are big and ornate and the proportions are wrong for what we’re trying to do. We’re not trying to be Europeans. There’s a sharp edge to European styling that I try to avoid. The object was to be International in appeal, but to retain our own identity. The car is not a crib of anyone else’s, but I am glad to see we appear to be moving forward on lines other successful makers are travelling. Certainly, we’re all influenced by the things we see on the stands at the International salons - the dream cars, I suppose.

“In this case the start for me, as I think it was for other designers today, was the sports-racing body. But sports-racers are pure function vehicles and if there is a particular shape on them that can be adapted to practical production models, then it must be a good thing. We started thinking that way on the Allegro pulling in all the corners, cutting the air traps and pockets, trying to curve it in. People knock the stylist, but he’s also there to knock off the unnecessary bits and pieces. He can make a car more efficient at piercing the air as well as giving it the character he wants, whether it be eager or sedate.”

He was famously British Leyland’s Chief Designer, and one of his greatest creations was Project ADO71, aka the original 18-22 ‘Wedge’. When it debuted in March 1975, it bore resemblance to neither the outgoing ‘Landcrab’ nor any other British car of its class. The Observer praised the “distinctive, purposeful appearance” and The Telegraph similarly enthused about “the dramatically good-looking shape that any up-and-coming young executive would be proud to have in the driveway”.

Compared with the 18-22, the Vauxhall Victor FE’s looks harked back to Pontiacs of the late 1960s and the Ford Consul/Granada was smartly conventional. Meanwhile, BL’s in-house rivals, the Rover P6 2200 and the Triumph 2000 Mk. II were both undeniably elegant but the 18-22 made them seem relics of the previous decade.

And much the same applied to the Wedge’s overseas rivals. Those dramatic lines were a world apart from the Pan-Pacific Datsun 200L Laurel and Toyota Corona. Nor did it bear any resemblance to the Chrysler 2-Litre, Fiat 132 or Peugeot 504. However, a Lancia Beta owner might have given more than a passing thought to the more expensive 18-22s. In 1975 a spokesman for the BL Mann Egerton dealership chain told the press: “We are being offered Peugeots, Citroëns and BMWs in part exchange for the new car”.

The Telegraph called the Wedge “Britain’s answer to the Citroën CX” and Motor Sport tested the flagship Wolseley opposite the CX 2000. They concluded: If the Citroën was worthy of the “Car of the Year” award, the credit must go to the CX 2200; the 2000 has too many pitfalls. But the Wolseley in my view is the finest car to come out of British Leyland since the XJ6, with a general performance, finish and specification worthy of a higher price.”

Another potential rival was Renault’s very appealing 30TS, which also debuted in 1975. It would not take a great leap of imagination to envisage a Wolseley 18-22 with even more standard equipment and a fifth door competing with La Regie’s latest executive transport. But the Wedge was a product of British Leyland, who were often to product insight what Emmerdale is to television drama. As Mann told Richard Gunn: “If you look at the rear, it’s the ideal shape for a hatchback. But we were told that would take away the major selling point of the Maxi”.

In reality, the Wedge occurred a completely different marketing sector to the Austin Maxi. It also had a different appeal to the forthcoming Rover SD1, being smaller, front wheel drive and with no sporting pretensions. But a BL manager later reflected: “There was a definite tendency to push Austin-Morris feature levels down from whatever Rover were proposing, instead of letting each model range achieve its best level on straight economics”.

As a result, Leyland never transformed the Wedge into an alternative to the Renault 20/30, the Saab 900 or even the Audi 100 Avant. A further impediment to the 18-22’s considerable potential was BL’s lack of quality control. John Worth, the owner of a rare surviving top-of-the-range model told The Telegraph: his Wolseley had an air of fragility, “just as it did when new and it left the factory. Driving is to be tailored accordingly. Avoid the potholes, for fear that something might drop off. Avoid over-revving the engine, for fear of dropping a valve”.

But none of these issues could overshadow the impact of Mann’s design. The ADO71 is one of the most innovative European cars of its generation and Motor Sport September 1975 called the Wolseley version “a car the British motor industry should be proud of”. And rightly so.