DO YOU REMEMBER – THE MORRIS MARINA ESTATE?

Evoke Classics Ltd. recently sold this car guaranteed to turn heads at shows for £6,500 – which was once as familiar as How We Used to Live on Schools ITV.

The first appealing aspect of this Marina is its paint finish. Some enthusiasts may prefer Sandglow or Damask Red, but, for this writer, Brooklands Green seems perfect for a 1977 Marina Estate. It is the sort of smart yet sensible colour scheme that would have been favoured by a sitcom next door neighbour or a deputy headmaster on Grange Hill.

Secondly, estate cars often endure a tougher life than their saloon counterparts, so any Marina station wagon is now an object of fascination. Thirdly, there is the fact that this example is a Super De Luxe, the fourth trim level in the Marina 2 hierarchy, ranking only above the De Luxe and below the Specia. As for the flagship versions, the two-door GT and the four-door HL were comparatively rare sights; just as I cannot recall seeing that many Ford Cortina Ghia Mk. IV or Vs or Vauxhall Cavalier 2000 GLS Mk. Is.

Instead, you were more likely to encounter a Marina Super De Luxe. Its owner would revel in its cigar lighter, dipping rear-view mirror and reclining front seats. The upholstery was in the finest Sorrel-coloured “knit-backed expanded vinyl” available to humanity, and drivers even benefitted from “patterned panels”. When the fleet manager handed you the keys to a Marina Super, you knew you were climbing that corporate ladder.

Fourthly, there is the sheer nostalgia value in a second-generation Morris Marina for many people of this writer’s vintage – i.e. old enough to recall this commercial:

There are those stylish Super wheel trims and, of course, the centre console to angle the driver’s eyes away from the optional radio.

Fourthly, and perhaps most importantly, the last 20 years have marked a radical change in the Marina’s image. Yes, you still encounter people who make “Piano Jokes” with all the hilarity of a defunct Ceefax page. Yes, you will still meet self-appointed “experts” who still rant about British Leyland’s image in the 1970s.

But today, new generations of owners appreciate the Morris Marina on its own merits – straightforward, easy-to-service transport. They also understand the joys – and challenges – of maintaining a fascinating example of Britain’s automotive heritage. Plus – who could resist those wheel trims?

With thanks to: https://www.evoke-classics.com/