Following Henk's request that we take some photos at the recent Eastern Creek Classic Display of common Australian cars that are unknown in Europe, I thought I'd start with one of the most maligned cars ever built in Australia - Leyland's P76.
Leyland was a subsidiary of the British Motors Corporation. BMC built a number of cars in Australia, including the Mini and the Austin 1800. The Leyland P76 was Leyland Australia's attempt to produce a car that could compete with the big three - Ford's Falcon, Holden's HQ and Chrysler's VJ. The P76 was released in 1973 and had the option of a 4.4 litre all alloy V8 developed from the Rover 3.5 V8 engine or a 2.6 litre six clyinder engine.
As Nota has mentioned, the car was quite light for such a big car - weighing in at 1206kg (thanks Nota) in V8 form. One of its features was that a 44 gallon drum could be fitted in the back.
Road tests from the period suggested that the P76 was a better driving car than its main rivals. With its all alloy V8 and lightweight construction techniques, it was certainly a more advanced car than the competition.
The P76 won Wheel's Car of the Year award in 1973 - but it must be pointed out that the award was for the V8 model only.
The P76 was only in construction from 1973 to 1975. Unfortunately during this time it developed a poor reputation. Problems included premature rust; poor panel fit and quality; and the V8 was prone to overheating in traffic. Warranty repairs took their toll on Leyland Australia's financial position. Also, the fact that the P76 was a large car introduced at a time of an energy crisis and was more costly than the oppostion at a time of high inflation and low consumer confidence, help seal the fate of both the P76 and Leyland. Leyland went out of business in Australia in 1975 and the last of the P76s was sold in Australia that year.
With the benefit of time, the P76 has attracted quite a following in the Australian club scene. It is recognised as a good idea that was poorly executed, unfortunately leading to the end of Leyland as a manufacturer in Australia.
An interesting website on the P76 can be found here.
Photo from the 2006 Eastern Creek Classic Display.