Mike Pigott looks at models of the one British car that most British people have never heard of, the Leyland P76.
The Leyland P76 was British Leyland’s attempt to break into the full-size Australian car market, taking on the dominant Holden as well as popular cars from Ford and Chrysler. Despite good intentions, the venture failed, and the P76 is generally regarded as Australia’s Edsel. Trax of Australia made the surprising move to introduce a model Leyland P76 in 2002.
The British Motor Corporation always had a strong presence in Australia. Austin, Morris and Wolseley cars were extremely popular makes, and all sold well until the early 1950. But when General Motors’ Australian-made Holden was introduced in 1948, sales of imported cars dropped sharply, and by the mid-1950s Holden had captured over 50% of the domestic market. BMC responded by introducing the Morris Marshall, an Austin A95 Westminster with a bigger engine and American-style trim. However, only a few thousand were sold and it was withdrawn after a few years.
Other British cars were steady sellers, and had a niche market of mainly British expatriates. Smaller cars like the Morris Minor sold well because there was no Holden equivalent. Local assembly of the Mini-Minor began in 1961, and was BMC Australia’s biggest seller for 18 consecutive years. Later the Mini Moke, a rejected military design, was produced exclusively in Australia and became a popular ‘fun car’.
However, BMC could not crack the family car market in Australia, a problem made worse when Ford and Chrysler began local production of the Falcon and Valiant models. Throughout the 1960s BMC tried for a foothold in the big car segment with the Austin Freeway, Morris 1500 Nomad and Austin Kimberley / Tasman, but none of these were able to secure a large market share.
LEYLAND P76
By 1970, BMC – now known as Leyland Australia, due to a merger between the parent company and Leyland trucks – realised that to crack the Aussie market, it would need to design a car more in line with local tastes. The P76 – named for its drawing-board proposal number – was the result. On first impressions, its hard to see how the P76 could fail. It was a handsome-looking car with a wedge-shaped body designed by Michelotti of Italy. The engine was based on the Rover 3500 aluminium block V-8, although a six-cylinder version was also available. The dimensions were similar of similar size to a Holden or Valiant. The interior was spacious enough for a large family, and most amazing of all, the boot was so large it could hold a 44-gallon drum! The P76 won the 1973 ‘Car of the Year’ award from the influential motoring magazine Wheels.
VARIANTS
Initially there were two levels of trim available on the Leyland P76. The base model, known as the Deluxe, had bench seats and single headlights. The mid-range Special and top-of-the-line Executive both had front bucket seats and quad headlights.
In 1974 a Leyland P76 won the Targa Florio rally in Sicily, and not long after a limited edition special called the Targa Florio was produced. This version came in exclusive colours with side decals and was fitted with sport wheels.
There were plans for a hatchback sports coupe called the Force 7, plus a station wagon, but manufacture of the P76 finished before these models reached volume production. A utility (pick-up) did not make it past the drawing-board.
PROBLEMS
Unfortunately, the P76 was released at the wrong time. In the early 1970s Australia was suffering from industrial unrest and full employment, making it difficult for Leyland to acquire enough qualified staff. As a result, quality control was lax, and cars developed a reputation for mechanical problems and poor build quality. Also, around this time there was a world oil crisis, and buyers looked towards smaller, cheaper Japanese cars, not those with 3.5 or 4.4 litre engines.
To make matters worse, a disastrous decision was made by Leyland’s management to replace the profitable smaller cars with a single model – the Morris Marina. This car failed to compete with Japanese competition, or local small cars such as the Holden Torana. By 1974 Leyland Australia was in serious financial difficulties and appeals for help from the parent company in the UK did no good, as British Leyland also had serious problems. The decision was taken to shut down local production and the P76 was discontinued. Leyland Australia went back to assembling Minis and Land Rovers; eventually developing into Jaguar-Rover Australia. JRA became an importer of luxury cars such as Rover 3500s, Jaguars, and Range Rovers, and – ironically – was one of the most profitable motor companies in Australia.
The story of the P76 is disappointing; it was actually not a bad car, and good examples were very pleasant to drive, being comfortable and powerful. If the build quality had been better, and if it was released twelve months earlier, it could have been the big British / Australian success story.
Although widely regarded as a lemon after production ended, in recent years the P76 has gained cult status and originals in good condition are widely sought after.
MODEL P76
It was quite surprising to see Trax Models of Australia release a 1/43 diecast replica of a Leyland P76 in 2003. This model was chosen due to being most requested by collectors in surveys. It was an excellent model, capturing the wedge-shaped profile of the real car, and was based on a Super sedan with quad headlights. The front grille is nicely made, as are the tail lights and rear quarter indicators. Other notable features are the two-tone interior, internal and external mirrors, and chrome hubs with tiny Leyland logos. There are no windscreen wipers visible, as these were hidden under the forward-tilting bonnet when not in use.
The first release was in three colours: lime green, wine red and dark blue. While collectors acknowledged it was a great model, it did not prove popular with Trax’s regular clientele. This may have been because too many were produced, or because the P76 lacked a devoted following like Holden and Ford. Whatever, the reason, the model just didn’t sell and Trax was left with lots of unsold stock. Some time later, the company made the unprecedented decision to clear the unwanted P-76 models by selling them off at greatly reduced prices. This time they did sell, and while the stock was cleared, Trax was reluctant to produce any more Leyland P76s to avoid losing more money.
MORE MODELS
Then something unusual happened. The price of the once-unpopular P76 models began to steadily increase on the second-hand market, and they began to become quite sought-after. Reviews of the models had appeared in newspapers and car magazines, and many of those chasing a model were not regular model car collectors, but motoring enthusiasts who were keen to acquire a replica of this forgotten and maligned car. Trax had cleared the excess stock, and as the company did not sell models to retail stores (selling by mail-order only) there were none left. There was also a demand from overseas collectors who wanted models of British cars, but were not familiar with the Trax brand.
Due to several requests from collectors, Trax was encouraged to issue another P76 model in 2005. This one was based on the limited edition, sportier ‘Targa Florio’ model, and had thick white stripes printed along the sides, plus mag-style wheels. The first release was produced in very conservative numbers, and was in navy blue with a cream interior. This time it proved very popular and sold out quickly. Two additional Targa Florio models were later released over : one in metallic green and another in nutmeg brown. No further models were possible, as the real P76 Targa Florio had only been produced in these three colours. The next release was another Super sedan, this time in bright orange.
Trax’s final release was a competition version, based on the car that had won the Targa Florio leg of the World Cup Rally in 1974. This model was painted white with a blue bonnet and was covered in realistic sponsor decals. In addition, it was fitted with a bull-bar, extra driving lights and two spotlights on the roof.
Unfortunately, Trax did not make a model of the base-level Deluxe model, even though the grille component was an interchangeable part, and a version with single headlights could have been fitted. The management at Trax believed that models of low-spec cars sold poorly, and preferred to issue replicas of luxury or sporty editions. Trax has now ceased producing diecast models, and has repositioned itself as a manufacturer of limited edition, high-dollar resin items; so it is unlikely any further Leyland P76 models will be issued.
This post is based on a column that originally appeared in Diecast Collector magazine in October 2003.
Text (C) Michael Pigott 2018
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