BMC ADO17

BMC
	Morris 1800
ADO17
Sales designation:	Austin 1800 and 2200 ; Morris 1800 and 2200 ; Wolseley 18/85 and Six
Production period:	1964-1975
Class :	Middle class
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Gasoline engines : ; 1.8 liters and 2.2 liters
Length:	4190 mm
Width:	1690 mm
Height:	1400 mm
Wheelbase :	2690 mm
Empty weight :	1190 kg
Previous model	BMC ADO38
successor	BMC ADO71

The project name BMC ADO17 refers to a model family from the British car manufacturer British Motor Corporation (BMC), which was offered from 1964 to 1975 by way of badge engineering under the corporate brands Austin , Morris and Wolseley . Some BMC subsidiaries around the world derived their own models from this construction. In the English-speaking world, the ADO17 models are commonly referred to as Landcrab because of their unusual body . They were among the most advanced mid-range models of their time, but were not commercially successful.

Development history

Conventional predecessors

With the Mini ( BMC ADO15 ) presented in 1959, BMC had established a new type of drive and space concept in large-scale production: transverse front engine, front-wheel drive and low body overhangs . The basis was the efforts of BMC engineer Alec Issigonis to achieve maximum interior space with minimal external dimensions. In 1963, BMC transferred these features developed by Issigonis to the ADO16 family of small cars . At that time, the models of the - next higher - middle class at BMC still consisted of conventionally designed four-door sedans with a longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive and a conventional notchback body designed by Pininfarina .

Innovative concept for the middle class

Long wheelbase, short overhangs: ADO17 (Austin 1800)

Remained in production at the same time: The cheaper ADO38 (Morris Oxford VI)

Comparable body concept: the smaller ADO16 (Austin 1100)

Due to the success of the Mini, the company's management decided in 1959 to replace the in-house BMC ADO38 and commonly known as Farina Saloons mid-range models in the mid-1960s with new designs that in turn followed the Issigonis concept. This setting of the course led to BMC developing a completely new mid-range model for the first time since the end of World War II, which was not just a mere update of its predecessor.

The development began in 1958 as Project XC9001 and was soon given the internal designation ADO17. Stylistically, the Issognis concept, which included body overhangs that were as short as possible, resulted in a very long wheelbase of 2690 mm for the middle class, which exceeded that of the predecessor by 175 mm and almost the level of the Austin Westminster and Vanden models in a higher class Plas Princess reached 3 liters . Since the ADO17, on the other hand, was almost 250 mm shorter than its conventionally designed predecessor, the body had extraordinary proportions.

The public launch of the ADO17 took place in October 1964. The car was initially only sold as the Austin, whose model designation 1800 referred to the displacement of the only available engine. It was not until a year and a half later that a technically and externally identical version of Morris appeared, also bearing the model name 1800. In March 1967, a high-quality version of Wolseley was added. In the following years the models were revised twice; the individual series are referred to as series 1, 2 and 3. With the third series, a six-cylinder version was finally introduced, which was given the designation 2200 (Austin and Morris) or Six (Wolseley).

When the ADO17 hit the UK market, it was wider, heavier, stronger and significantly more expensive than the ADO38 models it was supposed to replace. In order not to leave a gap between the small ADO16 and the new ADO17, BMC continued production of the outdated ADO38. The ADO38 remained in the program until 1971. Four years later, production of the ADO17 was stopped. The successor was the wedge-shaped ADO71 , which was initially sold under the same brand and model names as the ADO17 before it was named Princess.

Unsuccessfulness

The ADO17 models did not have any commercial success. Initial plans were to produce 4,000 copies of the vehicle per week. That would have meant an annual output of around 200,000 cars and would have roughly matched the level of the similarly dimensioned Ford Cortina . In fact, the ADO17 clearly missed these production figures. BMC sold at most a fifth of the originally planned vehicles annually; annual emissions of 40,000 cars were rarely achieved. In view of this failure, the company decided not to introduce further ADO17 variants for the MG and Riley brands .

The failure of the ADO17 is usually explained by the fact that the buyers of mid-range models were overwhelmed with the unusual concept, but above all with the design of the car: They "simply did not understand the car." The ADO17 was 10 cm shorter than the Ford Cortina, but cost £ 150 more. In addition, there was the impression that the engine was too large and therefore too expensive in view of the small vehicle dimensions. The assumption is often made that the ADO17 would have been more successful with the 1.6-liter engine of its predecessor.

Body and technology

body

Different rear sections: Morris 1800 Series 3 (left) and Series 1 (right)

The body of the ADO17 was largely developed by the BMC designers. BMC regularly consulted Italian design studio Pininfarina during the development process. However, Pininfarina's influence on the overall concept was minimal. The passenger cell and the rear section of the ADO17 followed almost entirely British designs. Pininfarina's contribution was limited to the front end; H. the fenders, the lights and the grille.

In addition to its long wheelbase, a special design feature of the ADO17 was the large, glazed passenger cell. The ADO17 had very thin vehicle pillars . In contrast to the initial plans, the space between the rear doors and the D-pillar was also glazed. The D-pillar was based behind the rear axle line. This was followed by a very short trunk with a hint of a notchback, which is sometimes referred to in the literature as a stub tail. Stylistically, the body remained almost unchanged during the entire construction period. Only the arrangement of the rear lights changed from horizontal to vertical with the introduction of Series 2.

Motorization

1.8 liter version of the BMC B-Series four-cylinder engine

The serial engine was a four-cylinder gasoline engine from the so-called B series. This engine, manufactured since 1953, had already been used in the previous models and had a displacement of 1.5 ( ADO9 ) or 1.6 liters (ADO38). In the ADO17 a version enlarged to 1.8 liters (1798 cm³ displacement) was used, which was initially developed for the MGB sports car . For use in the ADO17, however, the engine has been revised in details. Unlike the MGB, it now had a crankshaft with five bearings, and the bore / stroke ratio had been changed. The engine was equipped with a single carburetor as standard. In the course of the production time there were different performance levels:

In the series 1, the engine developed 84 bhp (62 kW).
With the introduction of the Series 2, the output rose to 86 bhp (63 kW).
In the Series 3, the power increased slightly to 87 bhp (64 kW).
A sports version (1800 S) available from 1968 had an output increased to 96 bhp (70.5 kW).

From 1972, a six-cylinder E-series engine was optionally available (Austin and Morris) or exclusively (Wolseley). It developed 106 bhp (78 kW).

Drive and chassis

As with the Mini and the ADO16, the engine of the ADO17 was also transverse to the front. The gearbox was underneath, driving the front wheels. The radiator was on the left side along the direction of travel. The entire drive unit was located in front of the front axle. The ADO17 had individually suspended wheels on all sides , on double wishbones at the front and drawn swing arms at the rear . The spring elements of the Hydrolastic suspension were installed horizontally, at the top at the top across the engine and longitudinally at the rear. In contrast to the Mini, there were no more subframes; instead, the body was designed to be correspondingly rigid and stable. One of the technical innovations was a brake force regulator .

The individual versions of the ADO17

British model versions

Austin 1800 and 2200

Austin 1800 (1969)

The Austin was the first version of the ADO17. It came on the market in autumn 1964. With the further development of the model to Series 2 in the summer of 1968, a sporty version with the designation 1800S was added, which reached a top speed of 159 km / h with 70.5 KW. The Austin 1800 was the most successful version of the ADO17. Together with the 2200, which came on the market in 1972, over 200,000 copies were created. The successor to the ADO71 model family initially took on the names Austin 1800 and 2200.

Morris 1800 and 2200

A year and a half after the Austin 1800, the Morris 1800 appeared, which was technically and stylistically identical to the Austin with only minor deviations. It was sold in the UK through a separate dealer network.

Wolseley 18/85 and Six

Wolseley 18/85

The third version of the ADO17 was the Wolseley 18/85 introduced in 1967. With this nomenclature, BMC took up a designation that had previously been used for a Wolseley model manufactured from 1938 to 1948. The Wolseley was the highest quality and most expensive member of the model family. While the Austin and Morris models were almost identical in appearance, the Wolseley had its own front section, which carried a radiator grille shaped according to traditional models, in which - as is usual with Wolseley - an illuminated brand emblem was embedded. When the 2.2 liter six-cylinder engine was introduced in 1972, Wolseley also received a version equipped with this engine. This model was called Wolseley Six. In contrast to Austin and Morris, the four-cylinder version was omitted at the same time.

Export markets

In some export markets, the vehicles manufactured in Great Britain were given different names. In Belgium and the Netherlands the Austin 1800 was known as the Austin Balanza , in Australia as the Austin Freeway and Denmark as the Austin Windsor (1964 to 1966). The latter was replaced from 1966 by the Morris 1800, which was given the name Morris Monaco in Denmark .

production

Production figures BLMC ADO17
brand	Austin		Morris		Wolseley
model	1800	2200	1800	2200	18/85	Six
construction time	1964-1975	1972-1975	1966-1975	1972-1975	1967-1972	1972-1975
number of pieces	221,000		105,000		35,597	25.214

Related automobiles

BMC and BLMC

Austin 3-liter (1967–1972): For the 3 liter, parts of the passenger cell (and the doors!) Were used, the floor pan was newly developed. The longitudinally installed six-cylinder gasoline engine drove the rear wheels. The car had a bigger trunk and better equipment. With a new price of £ 1500, the 3-liter was almost twice as expensive. 9992 copies of this type were built.
Austin Maxi (1969–1981): The Maxi was another passenger car model with the doors of the Austin 1800. It had a shorter body with a hatchback and a large tailgate.
Austin Kimberley and Tasman (1970–1973): were further developments of the ADO17 constructed in Australia with an extended front and rear section and with the six-cylinder engine of the later Austin 2200.

Panther De Ville

The passenger cell and parts of the eye-catching doors of the ADO 17 were used for the four-door version of the neoclassic Panther De Ville , which was produced from 1974 to 1985 .

Rolls-Royce Rangoon

In the early 1960s, the ADO 17 was part of a joint development project between BMC and Rolls-Royce . The British luxury car manufacturer used the passenger cell of the ADO 17 for a “little Rolls-Royce” developed in 1963, which was located below the Silver Cloud . The model was named Rolls-Royce Rangoon , Bentley's sister model was named Bengal. There was no series production.