Forgotten Cars of Australia: The Leyland P76

The 'big three' in Australia were joined by a fourth musketeer back in the 1970s – with British Leyland offering an alternative to the popular Falcon, Kingswood and Valiant models of the era.

It could be argued that this era was the high point for our car industry, with multiple manufacturers producing a wide variety of vehicles. The Australian subsidiary of British Leyland was right in the mix.

Before the 70's Leyland Australia sold a number of Austin and Morris models but then decided to venture into the large car segment, which was the biggest selling market in the country at the time. Then in 1969, the company was given the approval to go ahead with project 76 (thus the name P76), costing $20 million to develop.

During the model's life (1973-75), the big sedan was ahead of the rest with a number of features that were considered advanced for the time. Front disc brakes were standard, there was MacPherson strut front suspension, rack and pinion steering and concealed windscreen wipers, just to name a few. There was also a massive boot that could hold a 44 gallon drum, something that is most commonly remembered by Aussie car enthusiasts.

Two engines were offered, a 2.6-litre inline six-cylinder and a 4.4-litre Rover V8. The latter produced 143kW/386Nm, which couldn't match its competitors but did weigh less, which helped with handling. In fact handling was praised by journalists, saying the big three could learn a thing or two from the P76.

A coupe version called the Force 7 was announced in 1974, but never went into full production, with only 10 prototypes left in existence. With a much more stylish body and the same engine options, performance, handling and fuel economy were further improved over the four-door sedan, but it was all coming to an end.

Leyland also planned to expand the range with a wagon version, which was arguably better looking than the sedan, with its heavy and voluminous boot.

But time ran out for the P76 – and Leyland Australia.

A lot contributed to the death of the P76. At the time of production British Leyland was already struggling with financial issues. Also a problem was the oil crisis, which saw buyers turn away from larger cars – particularly a relatively unknown model like the P76. Fit and finish was poor; every time it rained, water would enter the cabin. And industrial disputes lead to a shortage of parts available.

Despite being commonly regarded as a dud in our automotive history the Leyland did contribute plenty to the industry, winning Wheels car of the year in 1973 and leading the field in the Targa Florio stage of the 1974 World Cup Rally, finishing that event in 13th overall. As recently as four years ago, the P76 proved itself still a formidable competitor in a transcontinental rally.

However, when Australia's own Prime Minster of the time, Gough Whitlam, regarded the car as a lemon there was no chance of success. This is just another story that could have been successful, but the P76 was plagued with issues that the company couldn't recover from.

Pictures courtesy of SV1ambo, Sicnag and Jeremy/Wikimedia Commons