The Princess is a large family car produced in the United Kingdom by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1975 until 1981 (1982 in New Zealand). The car inherited a front-wheel drive, transverse engine configuration from its predecessor, the Austin/Morris 1800 range, which was still unusual in Europe for family cars of this type and gave the Princess a cabin space advantage over similarly sized cars.
Princess at a glance
| Produced | 1975–1981 (1982 in New Zealand) |
|---|---|
| Design code | ADO71 |
| Launched | 26 March 1975 as the Austin/Morris/Wolseley 18–22 series; renamed Princess ahead of the October 1975 London Motor Show |
| Layout | front-wheel drive with a transverse engine |
| Engines | 1.8 L (BMC B-series) and 2.2 L (E-series, six-cylinder) |
| Limousine | Princess 2200 HLS Limousine by Woodall Nicholson, 1975–1979 |
| Built | 224,942 |
| Successor | the Austin Ambassador (1981–1984) |
This page is based on English Wikipedia only (a trusted source), so the facts were not cross-checked against a second source.
History of the Princess
The car, with the design code ADO71, was originally marketed as the Austin/Morris/Wolseley 18–22 series. Ahead of the October 1975 London Motor Show the range was rebranded “Princess”, which was effectively a new marque created by British Leyland, although the Princess name had previously been used for the Austin Princess limousine from 1947 to 1956 and the Vanden Plas Princess. The car is often called the Austin Princess; the name was not used on the UK market but was used officially in some export markets including Switzerland, New Zealand, France, Italy and Denmark, while the name Leyland Princess was used in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium and Spain.
Launch, 1975
The car was launched on 26 March 1975 as the 18–22 series, “the car that has got it all together”. The number designation referred to the engine sizes carried forward from the 1800 cc BMC B-series and 2200 cc E-series engined BMC ADO17 “Landcrab”. For the first six months of production three badge-engineered versions were produced: Austin, Morris and Wolseley. The Austin bore the original design intent, with trapezoidal headlights and a simple horizontally vaned grille; the Morris and Wolseley had a raised hump in the bonnet permitting a larger styled grille, with four round headlights, and the Wolseley was only available with the six-cylinder engine and luxury velour trim.
Position and sales
Princess sales, although initially strong, tailed off by the end of the 1970s. Some competitors had added a fifth door as a hatchback, which the Princess lacked, though Harris Mann originally designed it with a hatch. It sat between the Ford Cortina and the Ford Granada in size. British Leyland restyled the Princess with a separate boot so that it would not compete with their SD1 and Maxi designs.
Limousine
The limousine was devised in late 1975 and produced on a small scale by Woodall Nicholson, based on the top-of-the-range Princess 2200 HLS, stretched at the B-pillar for more rear room while the front door remained unchanged. It was built from 1975 to 1979 and mostly sold to local councils as a mayoral car and to the funeral trade, as a lower-cost alternative to the Daimler DS420. Total production was 224,942, with most examples scrapped by the 1990s. The car was revamped as the Austin Ambassador hatchback, built from 1981 to 1984.
Design and features
- Layout: front-wheel drive with a transverse engine, giving a space advantage.
- Engines: the 1.8 L B-series and the 2.2 L E-series.
- Badge engineering: Austin, Morris and Wolseley versions at launch.
Princess versions
- 18–22 series (1975): Austin, Morris and Wolseley.
- Princess 1700, 2000 and 2200 (from late 1975): the rebranded range.
- 2200 HLS Limousine (1975–1979).
More Austin cars are in our Austin collection, for example the 1800 it succeeded, the Ambassador that revamped it and the Maxi.
Princess questions and answers
When was the Princess built?
From 1975 to 1981.
What was it first called?
The Austin/Morris/Wolseley 18–22 series.
How many were made?
224,942.
Was there a limousine?
Yes, the Princess 2200 HLS Limousine by Woodall Nicholson.
What replaced it?
The Austin Ambassador, from 1981.
Video: Leyland 18/22 Series / Princess Development 2
Video by BLHeritageFilms on YouTube.
Sources
- Princess (car), English Wikipedia: history, launch and limousine
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
