Superb Pathe film, BMC sponsored?

[Junkman]

There was, and still is, a significant price difference between small and big Farinas.

[cros]

I have memories of helping a fellow digger driver try to start his very early Westminster one night. It had a 3 speed gearbox with the overdrive operated by a lever sprouting from under the dashboard. It was the early 70's, the car a rusty hack and his method was to push it with his other motor, an early big finned Oxford. We were on the North circular so I enjoyed a burst up to 60 when it eventually started, then it would misfire, cutout, and Terry would run up the arse end with his mangled bumper to repeat the futile process.
Needless to say the problem, probably fuel pump, was not resolved and he eventually gave up and pushed me back to his flat close to where the phony Ace Cafe is today.
I was a motorcyclist then, I didn't do cars otherwise I'd have probably realised what a nice thing the Westminster was and got one of my own.
For the younger patients, there was little other traffic on the A406 at that time (about 8.30pm winter) and such antics were not so out of place.
On the Machine front, his was a very unusual-for-the-time Leibherr 360 degree wheeled machine, I drove a Case Terramatic. Bet there's even fewer left than 3 speed Westminsters.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

There was, and still is, a significant price difference between small and big Farinas.

True. It's a sign of increasing years that I got slightly moist over a Maroon B 1968 Oxford on Ebay. Not as well engineered/tough as a 404 but what is?

[cros]

You have to wonder if BMC ever bothered to have a proper look at the 404.About the only similarities were the shape and propensity to rust. The French car offered a much more efficient engine and better ride whilst the poor old Cambridge soldiered on just about unchanged dynamically from it's mid 50's predecessor. The MG variant actually took a huge step backwards.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Indeed. The Z Magnette was such a popular car and the choice of banger racers in the 60's and 70's if you actually wanted to win. I wonder who at BMC checked out the Farina version and thought 'hmmm, that's an improvement'. The downside to the Austin Morris merger is that Austin's knife and fork engineering took over from the more expensive but much nicer Nuffield stuff. Pre Issigonis Austin would never have built a Riley Pathfinder, big twin cam and coils springs all round. I have Gerald Palmer's biography somewhere, an excellent read. If I can find it, I'll lend it out. Could be bloody anywhere after two house moves.