1982 in Motoring - United Kingdom

United Kingdom

British Leyland began the year with two new vehicles in their extensive armoury - the Triumph Acclaim and Austin Ambassador. Both cars were spacious and competitively priced. The Acclaim was a Ford Escort competitor that offered a more up-to-date and solid package than the ageing Austin Allegro. The Acclaim was derived from the Japanese Honda Ballade. The Ambassador was a heavily reworked version of the Princess, and offered the hatchback bodystyle which was considered too downmarket for the original 1975 car. However, it carried over the Princess's virtues of good ride and handling as well as a spacious and comfortable interior. Equipment levels were also good, and the asking price was competitive.

British Leyland also revived the famous MG marque, a year after the last MGB was sold. The MG Metro 1300 was a sporty version of the standard Austin hatchback with a more powerful 1.3 petrol engine which was capable of 100 mph. British Leyland also expanded the Metro range with the introduction of a luxurious Vanden Plas version.

This year also saw the sell-off by British Leyland of the Coventry Climax forklift truck and specialist engines business into private ownership.

After 20 years on sale, for most of which it was the best selling car in Britain, the Ford Cortina ceased production. Its successor was the aerodynamic Sierra, a range of hatchbacks and estates which quickly earned the nicknames "salesman's spaceship" and "jelly mould" due to their futuristic styling. Underneath, however, the Sierra differed little from its predecessor. 1.3, 1.6, 2.0 and 2.3 petrol engines were carried over from the Cortina although the car rode on a new rear wheel drive platform with independent rear suspension. There was the added option of an economical 2.3 diesel unit sourced from Peugeot and a 5 speed gearbox became available.