In the case of the sd1, it was a brilliant car let down by detailing. piss-poor lucas electrics (but to be fair, Leyland were tight as a ducks bum with their suppliers, so weren't going to get top notch components) and things like the crappy millboard dashboard top, door panels etc that warped almost immediately, and (at first) the paint that fell off in sheets. Basic design was good, they just couldn't build them properly.
lock all the doors at the flick of a switch, and it has to have a name that starts and ends with R, have a 3.5 V8 and be sat right in front of me to make me look like the twat that I am
I did buy an Allegro once that was ten years old (I was going through a bad period financially at the time) and it was a very good car! Leyland cars in the 70's were a bit like American cars of that era - good cars poorly assembled! Cars made on a Thursday were thought to be OK as the workforce were looking forward to Friday and the start of the weekend.
Every British Leyland came with a guarantee.............that it would break down. Frankly if that's the best we could produce as a country then good riddance.
Thats Brummies for you. In the late '30s the govt wanted to use austin's car factory to build the spitfire fighter plane. the company agreed, but the workers went on strike.
Great ad from a long ago, before some of you get into Leyland bashing , sure they had problems, but what car company hasn't, its arseholes like Clarkson and his mob who burnt out a perfectly good Marina and other British cars, in the name of "entertainment", destroying historical vehicles that should have been saved, if it were up to him, we should all be driving French and Euro rubbish, when we had a good car industry, give me a Metro any day, j4 EA, Sherpa, enjoy your euro box
Some bl cars were good. My uncle owned a good condition and reliable (must've been built when the workers had tea) Allegro and i liked it. The marina deserved it, it was an awful car made to be unsophisticated and ugly on purpose. The princess is a good car too, and the TR's
Ugly on purpose? you obviously haven't heard the catchline used on the Marina adverts at first "Beauty with brains behind it"!
They reportedly also had to scrap the first batch of brochures as the photo bearing that caption infact had a flock of sheep behind the vehicle in question... Some brains.. lol
"Gotta seat five people in comfort mind, have a 5 speed gearbox, have crap MPG, rust inside eighteen months & poor spare parts avalliblty", " The new Rover 3500 Sir"................."Crap cars & great deal less from Leyland.....Leyland carrrrsss
Ironically the Rover SD1 probably has better parts availability now than when it was current., thanks to Rimmer bros. they can pretty much supply enough parts to build a brand new one. The fundamental soundness of the design has meant that people look past the shortcomings and cherish them as a classic these days.
@Plews why is it wshen the lady opens the door on the xjs in the beginning, the passenger, no wait, uk drivers side window go up? if she was driving was it a left hand drive xjs?
In 1975 my neighbour bought a Datsun 180 Bluebird to replace his Triumph 2000. It lasted precisely 5 years before having to be scrapped because rust had dissolved the entire chassis. He went back to his Leyland dealer and bought a Triumph Dolomite 1500 which lasted him until his death in 2004.
maybe, but everything rusted in the '70s. the appeal with datsuns was that you knew it would always start and the generous standard equipment. dont get me wrong, I have had loads of Leyland stuff over the years but build quality left a lot to be desired. your neighbours triumph was the exception rather than the rule I am afraid
Agreed. At least back then, cars had distinction and individuality about them. Nowadays we have four-wheeled "delights" such as the Ford Focuzzzzzzzzzzzzzz................... Mike S.
@colong88 It can't date from 1975, they used a Rover 3500 (SD1) which came out in 1976. They said "new" Rover 3500, meaning this ad is from circa 1976-1978. The 1977 date is correct
well not worse than anyone elses back then, in my experience it was the cruddy paint quality that caused the problems. allegros actually lasted better than a lot of '70s rivals. lack of quality control and inadequate pre-launch testing also played a part
I agree. Bad paint was a major problem. I have a Land Rover Series 3 from my grandfather. It didn't have even a single malfunction, but, God, the paint was awful.
In the case of the sd1, it was a brilliant car let down by detailing. piss-poor lucas electrics (but to be fair, Leyland were tight as a ducks bum with their suppliers, so weren't going to get top notch components) and things like the crappy millboard dashboard top, door panels etc that warped almost immediately, and (at first) the paint that fell off in sheets. Basic design was good, they just couldn't build them properly.
mrspivvy 1 month ago
lock all the doors at the flick of a switch, and it has to have a name that starts and ends with R, have a 3.5 V8 and be sat right in front of me to make me look like the twat that I am
mrspivvy 1 month ago
I did buy an Allegro once that was ten years old (I was going through a bad period financially at the time) and it was a very good car! Leyland cars in the 70's were a bit like American cars of that era - good cars poorly assembled! Cars made on a Thursday were thought to be OK as the workforce were looking forward to Friday and the start of the weekend.
kafcan 8 months ago
I like the old seller --hehehe I would buy such a leyland car immediately,
BMW and Mercedes is boring!
Haffschlappe 1 year ago
Hey brickback, if you still want a TR7, I have a ragtop, that I would like to talk to you about
kkenbb 1 year ago
All rust buckets,Apart from the allegro,Which had other issues.
arobekie 1 year ago
My brother still has his red TR7. I once had a boyfriend who owned a TR8, which was made for the American market. They are lovely cars.
Feisty1967 1 year ago
Every British Leyland came with a guarantee.............that it would break down. Frankly if that's the best we could produce as a country then good riddance.
Freddie1980 1 year ago
Boy he had low standards when an allegro was the best forreign car he had ever owner
STEFAZON500 1 year ago
@STEFAZON500 *owned
STEFAZON500 1 year ago
the guy should have asked also for a reliable car, sales person would have had to say, no we dont have that model, "
reliable" how dare you utter that word in here.
bikersrule07 2 years ago
I just hope the Union people who went on strike during the BL-era are satisfied with themselves that they more-or-less destroyed our car industry!
80sfordman 2 years ago 4
Thats Brummies for you. In the late '30s the govt wanted to use austin's car factory to build the spitfire fighter plane. the company agreed, but the workers went on strike.
mrspivvy 2 years ago
Triumph is the badge we miss the most...
TR's. Stag, Dolomite, 2000/2.5.....
WelshyM 2 years ago 3
I really hope that the Chinese can bring back the Austin brand to life.
LeguimOla 2 years ago
You forgot Jaguar who belongs now to Tata Motors from India.
LeguimOla 2 years ago
Great ad from a long ago, before some of you get into Leyland bashing , sure they had problems, but what car company hasn't, its arseholes like Clarkson and his mob who burnt out a perfectly good Marina and other British cars, in the name of "entertainment", destroying historical vehicles that should have been saved, if it were up to him, we should all be driving French and Euro rubbish, when we had a good car industry, give me a Metro any day, j4 EA, Sherpa, enjoy your euro box
canopus1964 2 years ago
Some bl cars were good. My uncle owned a good condition and reliable (must've been built when the workers had tea) Allegro and i liked it. The marina deserved it, it was an awful car made to be unsophisticated and ugly on purpose. The princess is a good car too, and the TR's
daryl4classic 2 years ago
Ugly on purpose? you obviously haven't heard the catchline used on the Marina adverts at first "Beauty with brains behind it"!
They reportedly also had to scrap the first batch of brochures as the photo bearing that caption infact had a flock of sheep behind the vehicle in question... Some brains.. lol
GingerPhilG 1 year ago
"Gotta seat five people in comfort mind, have a 5 speed gearbox, have crap MPG, rust inside eighteen months & poor spare parts avalliblty", " The new Rover 3500 Sir"................."Crap cars & great deal less from Leyland.....Leyland carrrrsss
DELTIC55007 2 years ago 2
Ironically the Rover SD1 probably has better parts availability now than when it was current., thanks to Rimmer bros. they can pretty much supply enough parts to build a brand new one. The fundamental soundness of the design has meant that people look past the shortcomings and cherish them as a classic these days.
I used to get 30mpg from my 3500 V8 manual.
mrspivvy 2 years ago 3
you gotta love that slogan guess they couldnt predict the future lol
hammy028 2 years ago
"All with Supercolor!" (:50)!!!
That was all they could come up with after fifty seconds?
"There's still ten seconds!"
"Well, mates, what's left, then?"
"Don't know...did we mention those super colors?"
"You mean 'doo-doo brown'?"
"Yes, but what super name might we use for these super col...wait, I've got it!...
veedriver 2 years ago
It's actually "Supercover" - a warranty that covered them in case of breakdowns.
(cue jokes about how they all needed it)
Woollylinnet 2 years ago
Thanks...
Don't suppose there's an extended warranty available...
veedriver 2 years ago
Its Supercover, their warranty program.
suttory 2 years ago
austin allegro was horrendous
Turismo87 2 years ago
jaguar/daimler is the only one left people
pharbi1 2 years ago
landrover, ldv,mini and mg still excist.
hamster639 2 years ago
@pharbi1 Only trouble is that Jaguar is now owned by the Chinkys!
themanmaschine 10 months ago
almost all dead
lonelydriver9119 3 years ago
triumph tr7
hansoph 3 years ago
It's a Triumph ,but i don't know the name of the model...
psykotanks 3 years ago
It's a TR7.
SirJiveBunny 2 years ago
was that the leyland in englan in preston ?
smithyere2k8 3 years ago
leyland was in birmingham, oxford, speke and lots of other places
hamster639 2 years ago
I LOVE Leyland products.
Wouldn't drive anything else. :)
OPHYCLIDE 3 years ago 3
but its true
STEFAZON500 3 years ago 2
guarenteed to break down every time
STEFAZON500 3 years ago
Muy lindo ! Gracias ,desde argentina.
bellinivernon 3 years ago
Is it me or is there a white Rover P5B in the background in the dealership? That went out of production in 1973!
Plews 3 years ago
Its you, thats a white Stag Hardtop...
barspeed 3 years ago
lol, must be the wheels. Now I look again its far too low at the back of the roof
Plews 3 years ago
@Plews why is it wshen the lady opens the door on the xjs in the beginning, the passenger, no wait, uk drivers side window go up? if she was driving was it a left hand drive xjs?
mikeluscher159 9 months ago
I love the song!
prisonshank 4 years ago 2
Triumph 2500S - a special car indeed...
BL had a few diamonds sadly the unions never helped them!
WelshyM 4 years ago 3
Woot, I'm I live in Leyland! :D
ajax123123 4 years ago 3
I love that advert!
brettdude92 4 years ago 3
In 1975 my neighbour bought a Datsun 180 Bluebird to replace his Triumph 2000. It lasted precisely 5 years before having to be scrapped because rust had dissolved the entire chassis. He went back to his Leyland dealer and bought a Triumph Dolomite 1500 which lasted him until his death in 2004.
starstorm55522 4 years ago 3
maybe, but everything rusted in the '70s. the appeal with datsuns was that you knew it would always start and the generous standard equipment. dont get me wrong, I have had loads of Leyland stuff over the years but build quality left a lot to be desired. your neighbours triumph was the exception rather than the rule I am afraid
mrspivvy 4 years ago
Gimme a TR7, Allegro or Dolly Sprint over a boring modern vehicle any day
brickbat246 5 years ago 4
hear hear!
barspeed 4 years ago 2
Agreed. At least back then, cars had distinction and individuality about them. Nowadays we have four-wheeled "delights" such as the Ford Focuzzzzzzzzzzzzzz................... Mike S.
25AUG1968 4 years ago 8
@brickbat246 Too bad Dolly Sprints weren't sold here in North America, I would've bought one! Sexier cars than BMWs of that era, in my opinion.
quirpco 1 year ago
yea leyland cars :)
bakednoodle 5 years ago 2
Im sure the Tax disc on the triumph Dolomite reads 77? P reg on a clubman can mean that its from an older ad or they used an older car?
barspeed 5 years ago
I think the ad dates from 1975, judging from the P suffix on the number plates.
colong88 5 years ago 2
@colong88 It can't date from 1975, they used a Rover 3500 (SD1) which came out in 1976. They said "new" Rover 3500, meaning this ad is from circa 1976-1978. The 1977 date is correct
whattheheck1000 1 year ago
long live the Austin Maxi
austinmaxi 5 years ago
I loved this ad when I was a kid! Great music and nice to see the old cars without rust lol!
koksy 5 years ago
Were BL's cars rusty?
Supermirafiori131 4 years ago 2
well not worse than anyone elses back then, in my experience it was the cruddy paint quality that caused the problems. allegros actually lasted better than a lot of '70s rivals. lack of quality control and inadequate pre-launch testing also played a part
mrspivvy 4 years ago 2
I agree. Bad paint was a major problem. I have a Land Rover Series 3 from my grandfather. It didn't have even a single malfunction, but, God, the paint was awful.
Supermirafiori131 4 years ago 2
A classic never dies
Bourbons3 5 years ago
Love that dolomite rally
DavidcPoole 5 years ago
Back when they knew how to do advertising . . .
JackieIrish 5 years ago
Leyland leyland cars :D
andycarr75 5 years ago