Tag Archives: Landcrab

1st Class Worker – Austin 1800 Mk II Utility

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British Motor Corporation launched it’s AD017 models known initially Austin 1800’s in 1964 with a Mk II version coming out in 1968.

Austin 1800 UTE, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Today’s featured 1969 pick up was built, solely for the Australian market, a year after the model was launched with the strap line “1st Class Worker“.

Austin 1800 UTE, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Australian 1800’s were built with raised suspension and stronger sump guards to meet the more extreme Antipodean conditions, the 1800 Utililty or UTE also had a low ratio gearbox and heavy duty servo’s for anticipated work on the farm.

Austin 1800 UTE, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Today’s featured car, seen at the Classic Motor Show, started it’s life on a sheep farm in Victoria State and ended up in Melbourne. It was purchased by the current owner and shipped to the UK in 2009.

Austin 1800 UTE, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Apparently it’s first British MOT (mandatory road worthiness test) ran to four pages of faults requiring rectification. These problems were all fixed but the body was in need of a restoration which has just been completed.

Austin 1800 UTE, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

As in Europe the practical, if a little too utilitarian, saloon/sedan Land Crabs, as ADO17’s are known, struggled to find a market down under and this extended to the 1800 Utility of which just over 2,000 were built between 1968 and 1971.

Thanks for joining me on this “1st class worker” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at a car named after a breed of bulls. Don’t forget to come back now !

Brighton Speed Trials Under Threat of Permanent Cancellation !

In their infinite wisdom, Brighton & Hove City Council are seeking to ban the Brighton Speed Trials from 2014.

If you care about speed and or motorsport history, please sign this linked petition to save Brighton Speed Trials in 2014 and beyond.

It’s a faf to Register before signing, but relatively painless compared to loosing the event which has been run with few interruptions since 1905.

You do not need to be resident in Brighton or even the UK to sign.

Thanks and please spread the word through whatever social media you have at your disposal.

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Rally Landcrab Recreation – Morris 1800 (ADO 17)

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1964 saw the launch of the third in range of Alec Issigonis practical front wheel drive British Motor Corporation (BMC) models that started with the Mini variations in 1959 progressed to the ADO16 1100 and 1300 variations first seen in 1962 and had grown to the ADO 17 1800 variations for 1964 with the launch of the Austin 1800 that was followed two years later by the Morris 1800 of the type featured today.

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Prior to the current owner of this 1966 model purchasing it for £200 on the 28th of February 2011 the car had spent 17 years in a barn and a further two years rotting in a garden because the clutch had failed in 1992.

Morris 1800, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol.

Since 2011 the owner has replaced the clutch, rebuilt and refurbished the braking system scraped, cleaned, etch primed and coated the under side in bitumen under seal and carried out a few welding repairs to the wings / fenders around the headlights.

Morris 1800, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

By May 2012 the Morris had passed it MOT and was back in use as a daily driver. Since then the owner, a member of the Norton Radstock Classic Vehicle Club has attempted to use the vehicle as a starting point to recreate a period works rally car of the type that was used in the 1968 London to Sydney and 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally marathons where Landcrabs finished 2nd and 9th respectively.

Morris 1800, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol.

The AD0 17’s in Austin, Morris and Wolseley guises, all affectionately known as land crabs were extremely roomy and rugged vehicles but ultimately even in up market Wolseley guise a touch to pragmatic for owners of vehicles of this size and consequently did not perform in the market as expected. The ADO 17’s were eventually produced in three different series being joined by six cylinder 2200 variations in the third series from 1972. Production of the Morris 1800/2200 variants totaled 95,271 between 1966 and 1975 when the model was replaced by the new wedge shaped ADO 71 Morris 1800 and 2200 which soon after became known as the Princess.

Thanks for joining me on this Morris 1800 (ADO 17) edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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