Morris Marina vs Mk3 Cortina - Ford vs British Leyland 70s Shootout! (1971 1.8 Super/1977 1.6 L)

In the 1970s, before Vauxhall threw its hat in the ring with the Cavalier, your family car and fleet rep buyer had just two choices: Ford or British Leyland. In the blue corner, the Mk3 Cortina offered American styling, the new Pinto engine, double-wishbone suspension and more space in an effort to improve comfort and refinement. BL, meanwhile, not discouraged by the AD016 1100’s lack of success with fleet buyers, took the proven mechanicals of the Morris Minor and clothed them in a new Roy Haynes-designed body to create the Marina. Which 1970s saloon is best? Joe and Jeff decided to find out!

- Music -


• Instagram: @classicsworlduk
• Twitter: @ClassicsWorldUK

All content on this channel is - unless otherwise stated - the opinion of the given party and any offence caused is severely apologised for. Any and all third-party content is credited and referenced to the best of our ability and all externally-created content is entirely the legal property of its original and rightful owner/s. All rights respected.

Chapters
0:00 1970s Family Favourites
1:02 Morris Marina
5:57 Ford Cortina Mk3
10:20 Which Is Best?

[Cortinaman]

47 years ago I bought a 1974 Mk.3 Ford Cortina (that I still own to this day!) and It was used every day for 25 years, proof it is a superb car to own, it still has its original 1600 OHC engine, and is an Automatic, and has always been kept factory correct, The Marina is also a good car, and lots of owners love them, as much as Cortina Owners love ours, I did drive a Morris ITAL for a few days back in the 1980's and it was also a nice car, but as I have loved the Cortina since it launched in October 1970, for me it will always be my personal favorite, and having lovingly restored to superb Concourse condition with a full panel by panel, extreme restoration and expense, my Mk.3 is looking just like it did on the Ford Production Line back in 1974, and hopefully there is a Marina out there some where just as good, as both cars deserve to be loved.❤

[escapetheratracenow]

In July 1985 me and a mate took my 1976 Cortina 2.0 XL automatic on a road trip from leafy Surrey all the way up to Loch Ness via Edinburgh.
We returned home via Fort William, Glen Coe, Loch Lomond, the Lake District, Blackpool and home in time for Live Aid on the telly.
1600 miles in a glorious week of discovery for an 18-year old. The car performed perfectly using a pint of water and a drop of oil.
It joined the ton-up club effortlessly on the A69 near Hexham and took off over a hump-backed bridge in Wear Dale Co. Durham and took it all in its stride.
Loved that car and that week away. The good old days of leaded petrol, affordable insurance, cars with character and social mobility.😊

[chrispenn]

My father's first new car was a Marina 1.8 SDL when I was about 15. Two years later he replaced it with a new Cortina 1600L. I learnt to drive on the Cortina. At the time, the Marina interior actually seemed more upmarket because you could have a choice of colours - the Cortina was black or black. Build quality seemed about the same, but the Cortina instruments were much nicer and it felt a bit more spacious. Nice to see both cars surviving. Both were decent cars in their day.

[numberstation]

Both are vastly more appealing visually than their modern equivalents.

[neilcooke]

My first car was a 1972 1.6 L M3 Cortina ( two door) in 1976, loved it, then a 2.0 E
Wish l had them now

[lxblwdg]

I inherited my father's 1973 1600 L in the same red as yours. Loved it, used to waft along at 70 all day, big and comfortable. Head gasket blew in 86' and I chopped it in for a Fiat Uno 60s. Loved both cars.

[ozzie-skdh]

My Dad had the Mk 3 L in Sebring orange with black vinyl roof. I learnt to drive in it. Great car.

[MeMe-qrgo]

A very fair and balanced review overall and I was pleasantly surprised by how you didn't slate the Marina like so many have done. My friend had a really old 1.8 super back in the late 80s/Earl 90s and it really was 'done'. The engine was worn out and it was only running on 3 cylinders due to broken piston rings and yet it could still easily out accelerate a mk3 Cavalier. It could have done with a 5th gear or an overdrive but it was still a fun car. I'm not convinced that Marinas had a smaller boot than cortinas as this one had a bigger boot than a mk4 cortina. There was also a front suspension conversation that could be done to the Marina that used telescopic shock absorbers from the rear of a Hillman hunter. It was just basically a bracket that stood out from the lever arms at the top and another mounting on the lower arms. You had to drain the oil out of the lever arms and think of it as an upper wishbone. Apparently it was a major improvement. BL did something similar on very late Itals.
It would be amazing to drive a pristine Marina like the one you tested. All in all a great video.

[miketucker]

I bought a Marina last year just for the 1275, but my daughter has decided it’s cool…. TBH she’s right it’s far less dull than any ordinary saloon from the last 25 years!

[RVPartsGerald]

Having driven both in that era I will step outside the box a go with the Fiat 131 Mirafiori. It out handled both Cortina and Marina. Great review guys.

[annabellaandrewkingdon]

My dad had a gold 1.8 special 3 door (LE) marina and it had a large webasto roof and jazzy orange and brown seats. It was a like an upgraded TC and actually looked cool. Never seen one since as I believe they only made a few. We had loads of fun going to beach holidays in it with the roof wound back and the Sharp radio on loud. Those were the days!

[ricknelnelson]

In Australia we had 6cyl variants of both.

[nigellamaccini]

My father had a MK3 Cortina 2000e - in 1976 or thereabouts. Each "rank" in his company who were eligible for a company car started with a Cortina 1.3 base, them L then XL and the final rank was a Cortina 2000 GXL (later E). Higher management always had Granadas which followed the same badge ranking. The only exception was the Chairman who was allocated a Daimler. Ford really understood the psyche of the times :-) The 2000 E was and is very cool!

[Rayfaedundee]

I own a 1981 Morris Ital 1.3 HL.. (KAM299X) I’ve owned the car from 2011 at that time it had 385 miles from new. At present time (Nov 2022) it has 925 miles .. I’ve heard all the stories and jokes about Morris Marina and Ital cars, but I don’t listen to them. Haters will always hate any BL car especially the Marina or Ital and the usual is, oh watch out for any falling pianos. In all the years I’ve owned my Ital, it’s never let me down…. Unlike most modern day cars that have ECU and computers/sensors/etc,

[shipoffools]

Ford Australia fitted the Cortina with a 250CI straight six! That was the Cortina I fell in love with!

[neilearl]

I spent 14 years in a Marina, Coupe then a saloon. I learnt to drive in a 1.3 saloon in the 80s, such an easy car to learn in. Country roads in Oxfordshire, so nice to drive,

[markrogers]

My second car was a mk3 cortina, what a fantastic car,

[geoffashden]

What I loved about 70s cars was that pretty much all of them could be identified from a distance just by their individual styling, something lacking today. back in the mid to late 70s, I passed my test in a wolesley Hornet and a few months later bought a 2 Litre GXL MKIII Cortina. I absolutely loved that car and it had a lot of street-cred back then!

[Bicyclehub]

Loved this video and it is a pleasure to hear your enthusiasm for these two cars. The often overlooked fact about BL is that they had great engineers and designers. For the budget and time constraints that existed at the time they did very well; it was brought to life very quickly as you say. And the B series is a strong, durable engine with decent performance. The body to me looks very similar to a Hillman Avenger. I remember as a kid thinking that the Morris Minor was so incredibly old-fashioned and when the Marina replaced it, it seemed super-modern. It was an early example of platform engineering- the platform being the Minors. It is a mystery why Ford only made the Mk3 for 5 or 6 years, having put so much design effort into it.

[fatbudgiekillen]

In Australia, the Marina was sold with 1.5, 1750 cc four cylinders but if you wanted extra thrill there was the 2620cc straight six, with extra! understeer. The Cortina came 2.0 l, 3.3 and 4.1l straight six. Much more understeer