MORRIS MARINA/ITAL 1978-1984
L’s answer to the simple and fleet-friendly Cortina, the Marina was originally conceived as a stop-gap that was only intended to remain in production until 1976-1977. But with any replacement made impossible under a cash-strapped and part-nationalised BL, it was kept in production as a placeholder. Changes were minimal, but it wasn’t entirely ignored, in 1978 the car finally received a more modern engine option when the B-Series was replaced by the overhead cam O-Series. Offered in an unusual 1.7-litre format, it delivered 78bhp and improved the car’s