1974 Leyland P76 Targa Florio

By: James Secher , Photography by: Nick Hargans

Date: 07.03.2022

The Leyland P76 promised a lot but never found favour with Aussie buyers, now it has a loyal fan base

In 1973 the Leyland P76 V8 won Wheels Car of the Year, the pinnacle of Motoring accolades. But not long after the last celebratory champagne was finished, so was the P76. The all Aussie-made sedan was British owned Leyland’s first bespoke crack at the Australian full-size domestic family car market, though others such as the Austin Kimberley had nibbled at the edges.

For all intent and purposes the P76 was a well thought-out and uniquely designed attempt with Giovanni Michelotti penning the lines. Nicknamed "the wedge" on account of its large boot and narrow sloping front end Wheels magazine hailed it a success. "It sets new standards for medium-sized local cars in its ride/handling/roadholding compromise, it has fine brakes, is comfortable, very roomy, practical and, with the all-important V8 engine, has excellent performance and superior fuel consumption."

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The badge gave it instant street cred

As timing seemed perfect, it would end up being a major factor in the downfall of the P76. Marred by myriad of issues from supply chain problems, industrial action causing parts availability and production difficulties at Leyland Australia’s plant in Zetland. There were also financial issues at parent company British Leyland then the oil crisis killing demand for large cars. The P76’s demise became inevitable.

The Leyland Australia design team developed the local model from the ground up with a meagre budget of $20 million – almost half that of its competitors. It was offered in three models, the Deluxe, Super and top-line Executive. A 2.6-litre six-cylinder engine powered the Deluxe and there was also a 4.4-litre alloy V8. The P76 had more interior room than its GM-H, Ford and Chrysler rivals and several built-in safety features like power-assisted brakes and full-length side intrusion reinforcements.

Quad lights, chrome bumper yells 70s

A quirky selling point was the cleverly designed boot you could fit an actual 44-gallon drum, or had room for a bale of hay and luggage. Initial interest was high however Leyland Australia was a low volume manufacturer with around 20 per cent capacity of its competitors and couldn’t meet demand. In its rush to fill orders Leyland failed to rectify initial teething problems, resulting in negative customer experiences.

These early issues gave opposition manufacturers all the ammunition needed to put doubt in the market and fuel the press. During the time it seemed that if a P76 got a flat battery in Melbourne you’d read about it in Perth and any P76 owner knows the old jab of "P38 – it was only half a car". Eighteen months after production began it ended for the cash-strapped Leyland Australia.

V8 and mags, rare on a family sedan

During those 18 months Leyland did have some major achievements with the P76 as mentioned earlier, winning the Wheels award and taking part in the 1974 World Cup Rally with a V8-powered four-speed manual. Driven by legendary Australian rally driver and journalist Evan Green, the P76 placed 13th overall and won the Targa Florio stage in Sicily. Leyland Australia celebrated the victory by releasing a limited-edition model named the Targa Florio. Offered as an option pack on the P76 Super the Targa Florio sported the 4.4L V8 with ‘Targa’ mag wheels, T-bar auto, limited slip diff, side stripes and was available in three colours – Omega Navy, Nutmeg and Aspen Green.

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Since the demise of the Australian auto-making industry, enthusiasts have taken strong interest in the Aussie heritage that comes with a P76 and of course the limited run Targa Florios. With only 488 produced there are very few original well-preserved cars remaining. One is owned by David Johnson.

With a love of Aussie manufacturing harking back to his youth, David has a strong desire to preserve examples of Australia’s automotive history. "One of my first cars of this era is my HQ One Tonner. I’m a particular fan of the HQ’s and my parents drove a very lovely old HQ Premier wagon. I’ve got some really fond memories of driving around on family holidays. What your parents drove sticks in your head", says David. His diverse collection started with the HQ and quickly grew with a range of Aussie made cars from one of the last Holden Magnum utes, his wife’s Mark I Mini Cooper S, a Brisbane-made AC Cobra replica and more recently the Leyland P76 Targa Florio.

David purchased his P76 in 2020 and is totally smitten. "This particular Leyland P76 is a Targa Florio, which is a limited edition of later production in 1974. All the Targa Florios came out in V8 combination with automatic, and this one is in the most popular colour of Omega Navy. It’s a rather lovely old girl."

The 4.4-litre alloy V8 was a gem

David acquired the Targa Florio in very much as-is condition and with a few other projects on the go realised just how much time, effort and money goes into preparing a car. "This particular car was already repainted and a lot of the body work was done. The interior was also very good. So I could see the value in the car and the fact that a lot of the work had already been done to get it as you see it today", said David.

With all the negative press surrounding the P76 and limited production run, one of the first questions that comes to mind is what drew David to this car? "This was the era when I was a kid, all these cars were racing around brand new and, of course, I was a huge fan of brand-new cars. The Leyland was one of those very under-rated packages at the time, this was partially due to the fact they came out with a massive number of flaws, maybe not design flaws, but certainly production flaws, that pretty much saw the end to its production.

Big comfy seats

"I think that they were a much-maligned car that, had they had a bit more of a run, had more financial backing and quality control, I think they would’ve actually been a really good car. And I’m a massive fan of Australian-made, and that’s part of the reason why I like anything to do with Australian-made manufacturers."

The P76’s all alloy 4.4L V8 was a derivative of GM’s Buick Oldsmobile Pontiac engine. Jack Brabham and Repco used the Buick block as the platform for the F1 Repco engines in the championship winning Brabhams. Rover successfully used a similar specced 3.5lt version in many vehicles. Not only was it a great engine of the time but some would argue it was leaps and bounds ahead of its competitors.

The dash had a full spread ofgauges

David can attest to the P76’s prowess in performance and handling. "The car drives brilliantly for a 1974 model car. I’ve driven old Statesmans and old Fairlanes, and it’s very much in that era with a similar sort of quality ride. It’s a soft ride. I don’t think I’d like to throw it around Bathurst with any great gusto, but it certainly has an ample amount of power. It’s a lovely old V8. It just lopes along beautifully, whether it be around town or on the highway, I think it drives very well".

Although the car is presented well, there are a few items David intends on replacing and correcting. "There’s a lot of stuff that’s just not quite right in the car, just small items, like incorrect wing mirrors and guard badges, and a few other little components in the car, which I’m intending to get back to a very original car. Because, again, I would just like to see it preserved as very much a part of Australia’s motoring history".

A bit of faux timeber veneer

As you could imagine with a limited run of cars, parts for the Targa Florio are not in abundance, however David has had an enormous amount of help from the P76 owner’s community, with custodians more than happy to help out a fellow enthusiast. "Parts for the car these days are getting a lot harder to get. I’m very fortunate to be part of the Queensland P76 Owners Club and they’ve been absolutely marvellous, the members of the club are very much P76 devotees. They own not only multiple examples of them, they have a huge storage of parts, and they’ve been very helpful".

David’s plans to continue the restoration to bring the Targa Florio back to absolute originality, complete with all badging, steering wheel and dashboard and says he’s about 95 per cent there. But a must for David is the ability to use it regularly. "The main thing that I like with my cars is that I want to be able to enjoy them. None of them are concours. They do have their defects. They’ve got a few scratches and nicks and bumps. I try to keep them in as good condition as I can, but I certainly like to be able to drive them. I intend to do quite a few club runs in and get the real use out of the car and enjoy it."

1974 Leyland P76 Targa Florio

NUMBER BUILT: 488
BODY STYLE: Four door sedan ENGINE: 4416cc alloy V8 with overhead valves.
POWER & TORQUE: 143kW @ 4250rpm, 387Nm @ 2500rpm
PERFORMANCE: 0-100km/h – 8.4 seconds. Quarter mile – 16.3 seconds
TRANSMISSION: Three-speed automatic
SUSPENSION: MacPherson strut (f)Four link, coil springs
BRAKES: Disc (f) drum (r) power assisted
TYRES: E78L14 radial

From Unique Cars #462, Feb 2022

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