The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Looks like from an Ital like the listing says.

He's changed the words since I saw it!

Marina, Ital whatever the name the cars junk even if its in perfect factory condition.

Nice sprint nos front crossmember too, good starting point for someone

Tony

trackerjack wrote:Marina, Ital whatever the name the cars junk even if its in perfect factory condition.

I have a soft spot for the Marina, maybe it is because I am not old to remember them when they were common on the roads.

They look like any other 3 boxes severnties car, no better, no worse. Seeing one in the metal at a show, you got alot more car then say with a Dolly or an Escort.

The engines were A and B series, pretty proven lumps. OK it had cart springs and a live rear axle, but so did lots of things. The triumph gearbox is not the greatest, but hardly the worst box ever designed. The ancient lever arm suspension should have been binned, but that was on MGBs and Minors, and no-one seems to hate those.

At the end of the day it was just a bog standard cheapo rep mobile, nothing special, but was it really that terrible?

cleverusername wrote:

trackerjack wrote:Marina, Ital whatever the name the cars junk even if its in perfect factory condition.

I have a soft spot for the Marina, maybe it is because I am not old to remember them when they were common on the roads.

They look like any other 3 boxes severnties car, no better, no worse. Seeing one in the metal at a show, you got alot more car then say with a Dolly or an Escort.

The engines were A and B series, pretty proven lumps. OK it had cart springs and a live rear axle, but so did lots of things. The triumph gearbox is not the greatest, but hardly the worst box ever designed. The ancient lever arm suspension should have been binned, but that was on MGBs and Minors, and no-one seems to hate those.

At the end of the day it was just a bog standard cheapo rep mobile, nothing special, but was it really that terrible?

Yes it was!!!! Build quality was even worse than Triumphs, the suspension was a hangover from the 803cc sidevalve Moggy Minor of 1948 and only adequate then, the 1300 was gutless and the 1800 was too powerful for the chassis, both gearboxes were weak and as in the Triumphs they were derived from, suffered from worn synchros and laygear noise, paintwork was rubbish, rustproofing , non existent and the whole thing felt tinny and badly made. I had one briefly as a company car (only firm that ever gave me a car) it replaced an ageing mkI Escort pool car i'd started with. I begged to have the 'Scort back but to no avail! Eventually I landed a 1600 mkI Cavalier which was brilliant by comparison.

Steve

My grandparents had an Ital. It had an oil leak from brand new that I don't think was ever sorted out.

I know of a chap who picked up an Ital two years ago with.........................


less than 1000 miles on the clock.

The Marina is a complete and utter disgrace to our car industry.

I'm struggling to think of anything worse made since world war 2 by any UK car company. There probably
is something, but nothing that was produced in such large numbers.

To think that it replaced 2 or even 3 cars - Moggie thou, Oxford and Morris ADO16 variants possibly - all good cars in their own way - with something so completely inferior to all of them - well that's really quite an achievement.
It really makes you wonder if SpyCatcher wasn't right all along with his comments about moles and plants all over
British industry.

It may well be possible to do a proper front suspension based on torsion bars. I think the E type managed it, but
not the Marina - oh no. The Riley 1.5 of 1958 was actually a lot better to drive.

Combine this with decent styling but really cheap detailing and a sub 105E anglia quality interior and why they sold in such large numbers is a complete mystery to me.

Jonners

For once Jonners, we are in total agreement!
Even the bland, boring and usually underpowered Hillman Avenger was a more competent car than the Marina!

I would pick up on one minor point though and that's the Riley 1.5. Don't get me wrong, I loved mine dearly but it was (as they all were) an abysmal rot box that cornered on the door handles and probably had more power than was good for it. The brakes were pretty naff too! Despite that it had more charm and character than a shedload of Marinas. But it was just a Moggy in a tarts dress!

I'm not sure it's possible to make torsion bars work on the front of anything, I've owned an E type (a right dog of an E type but an E type nonetheless) driven several more and followed a few round Castle Coombe back before they put the chicanes in and believe me, they're not that good! Or the MGC, go past anything including corners! Beetles also had torsion bars of the transverse variety, nuff said! A lot of modern jap 4x4s have them but nobody expects those to go round corners anyway so the lack of roadholding is seldom noticed. I did though, both my Shoguns handled like bricks, I won't say a Disco is better, but there's not much in it!

Talking of Discos has made me think of a contender for all time worst British car and my special award goes to.......................... The Landrover Freelander!!!!!

Steve