BMC ADO17 - Australia

Australia

By 1966 Australia was described as BMC's leading world market. The 1800 was introduced in Australia in November 1965 as the Austin 1800, with a Mark II version being introduced in 1968. Australian-produced vehicles started out with a claimed local content of 65–70% along with an undertaking from the manufacturers to raise the level to 95% in line with government requirements by the end of 1968. Initially the cars were generally identical to their British contemporaries, however the local production was quickly modified to suit the harsher roads and climate of Australia. Modifications to the British Mark I design included raised suspension trim height, the provision of a large, heavy sump guard and better sealing against dust. The Australian Mark II was notable in retaining the lower final drive ratio of the Mark I's manual transmission (but not the lower second gear), and, with the exception of the initial production run, was fitted with a dual circuit hydraulic braking system manufactured locally by Paton's Brake Replacements (PBR) Pty. Ltd. Despite offering the safety of a dual circuit system, it was generally held to be inferior in performance to the earlier Girling equipment. The Australian Mark II was also originally fitted with an alternator manufactured locally by Electricity Meter & Allied Industries Limited (EMAIL), a company better known for its kilowatt-hour meters and household appliances. However, in the event of failure, most EMAIL alternators were replaced by Australian-made Lucas units.

A version unique to Australia was the Austin 1800 Utility, a coupe utility variant which was produced by from 1968 to 1971. Over 2,000 examples were built. The Utility was released near the end of the first series in July 1968 and most of the examples produced were therefore Mk IIs.

Per capita, the Australian model sold better than anywhere else in the world. Ironically, it represented the tail-end of popularity of British-designed cars in Australia. In the Australian market, it offered a roomy and advanced 4-cylinder alternative to the popular 6-cylinder models such as the Holden Kingswood, which used conventional engineering based on American principles. Some versions badged Freeway (a name previously used for a six-cylinder Farina model down under) were exported to New Zealand which also assembled UK-made Austin and Morris 1800s in separate plants.

In 1971, the Australian subsidiary of BL replaced the 1800 with the facelifted "X6" models known as Austin Tasman and Austin Kimberley. These featured new front and rear styling and a 2.2 litre 6-cylinder E series OHC engine (the first front wheel drive car with a transversely mounted six cylinder engine), as well as an updated interior. The X6 series was intended to compete more effectively with the Australian-made rear-wheel drive six cylinder family cars of Holden, Ford and Chrysler. These cars were also offered in New Zealand as Morris models and many were assembled there. The Australian-developed 2.6 E6 was also used in UK-built 2200 models. Despite technical superiority, the X6 was commercially inferior, being superseded by the Leyland P76 in 1973.

As a one-off prototype, an Australian 1800 Mark II body was fitted with the 4.4 litre V8 and modified three-speed automatic transmission of the P76 in the BLMC (Australia) Victoria Park works at Zetland, New South Wales. This vehicle was reportedly shipped to British Leyland in the UK and never seen again.