I can beat you there. The first and second cars that I can remember my parents owning were both Morris Marinas. The first one was a nice yellowy-beige colour like this one. They must have had that for about 8 or 9 years and then replaced it with a blue one with a black vinyl roof exactly like this. (Just looking at that picture brings back nasty memories!) They had that one for almost as long and finally replaced it with a Ford Sierra when I was about 16.
I still have no idea why they bought the second Marina. I remember the struggles to get the car started on cold winter mornings, and exhilarating rides downhill on family camping holidays as my dad tried to bump-start it. I remember being amazed when getting lifts with friends’ parents in cars that had such space-age technology as FM radios, electric windows, and seats that weren’t made out of vinyl that would heat up to 300 degrees and melt the skin off the backs of your legs in summer.
My wife and I currently have a Renault Clio that is 10 years old, has done 115,000 miles and has never once broken down or failed to start.
I remember the advertising campaign for the marina, in the USA-it was sort of a mongrel car.
It had:
-the engine of a Morris
-the transmission of a Triump
-the suspension of a Hillman
-and electrical gear by Lucas (Prince of Darkness (C)
From what i read, the car was a disaster-BL wound up buying many of them back from the dealers.
Ford was not seen as a ‘foreign’ make - neither was Vauxhall/GM. Both produced distinctly British designs, not sold anywhere else, from British-made components in British factories. Of course by the '70s this started to change and universal designs sold, with minor local variations, across Europe started to take over.
Chrysler also had a British presence, having bought the remains of the old Rootes Group. They pulled out of Britain in 1979 having decided they couldn’t make money here, although they have been seeping back in recent years.
