Model Page
Morris Ital
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Production Run: |
175,276 |
|---|---|
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Production Date: |
1980 - 1984 |
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Engine: |
BMC A-Series 1,275cc BMC O-Series 1,695cc BMC O-Series 1,993cc |
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Built: |
Cowley (UK) Longbridge (UK) |
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0-60: |
1.3 - 15.2 Secs 1.7 - 12.5 Secs 2.0 - 11.7 Secs |
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Max Speed: |
1.3 - 91 Mph 1.7 - 98 Mph 2.0 - 101 Mph |
The final car to wear the Morris badge, the Morris Ital was a medium sized four door saloon car built by British Leyland between 1980 and 1984. Essentially a re-styled, slightly modified Morris Marina the car was outdated at launch and the car built up a somewhat undeserved reputation of being a poor handling, poorly built car.
In the seventies British Leyland was in turmoil, with severe financial difficulties and with the Montego and Maestro several years away from production a new vehicle needed to be introduced into the mid sized car segment. Ray Horrocks the Managing Director of Austin Morris realised this and ordered a mild redesign / facelift of the aging Morris Marina to maintain interest and sales in the model until the Maestro / Montego replacements were launched.
Morris Ital HLS Front Shot
A common misconception is that the Morris Ital was styled by the Ital design studios in Italy, in fact the design team was led by Harris Mann at the Longbridge facility with Ital Design consulting on making the vehicles production viable. With finances tight the facelift was restricted to a development budget of only £5,000,000, therefore changes were minimal. The major body panels were left in tact without any changes but the design was given a fresher appearance through the installation of new large rear lamp clusters, new plastic and chrome squared off bumpers, redesigned door handles and a new front end that did not necessitate the revision of the front panel. The car benefited from increased soundproofing throughout to give a more refined feel to the car but significantly the car retained the same four speed manual gearbox, lacking a fifth gear the Ital was criticised for giving too frantic a driving experience at motorway speeds, a three speed automatic was optionally available.
The Ital retained its predecessor, the Marina’s chassis and drive-train utilising the same traditional front engine rear wheel drive layout. These basic foundations were taken and (subsequently re-engineered) from the Morris Minor many decades previous due to time and cost constraints within BL, this perhaps explains some of the complaints received with the poor handling exhibited by the vehicle.
Rear Shot of the Morris Ital HLS
The car was launched in 1980 with a choice of three four cylinder Austin engines, namely a 1.3 A Series, 1.7 O Series and 2.0 O Series units. The entry level 1.3 A + series engine was of an overhead valve design with an 8 valve head, the engine had a bore of 70.6mm and stroke of 82.3 mm and a compression ratio of 9.4:1. The 1,275cc engine utilised a single SU carburettor and generated 61 bhp @ 5,500 rpm and 68 lb/ft @ 2,450 rpm. This unit was modified for use in the Ital, modification included a strengthened cast iron crankcase, modified bearings, new design for the pistons and valves and a new inlet manifold. The mid range 1,695cc O Series engine was shared with the Austin Princess and had a bore of 84.45mm and stroke of 75.8mm and a compression ratio of 9.0:1 in this guise the unit generated 79 bhp @ 5,150 rpm. The range topping 1,998 cc four cylinder engine developed 90 bhp @ 4,750 rpm, notably this is the only engine in the Ital range that is capable of running with unleaded fuel without valve seat modification.
Production began at Morris's factory in Cowley but in September of 1982 manufacturing was relocated to the Longbridge facility as the Cowley factory was subject to a total refit in readiness for the production of the forthcoming Maestro and Montego models.
Morris Ital Interior
The Ital was available in a range of specifications from the factory, base models wore the ‘L’ designation, next in the hierarchy was the ‘HL’ followed by the range topping ‘HLS’ in 1982 the ‘L’ was dropped and the ‘HL’ replaced by the ‘SL’ with the range topping ‘HLS’ now becoming the ‘SLX’. Unlike the Marina the Ital was not available as a Coupe but did come in the four door saloon, four door estate and van body styles.
In 1982 the car received a minor reworking, the Ital benefited from trim upgrades and change in the suspension configuration with the introduction of passive top arms replacing the level arms previously used. At this time telescopic shock absorbers were introduced that had stiffer spring rates than the original setup and rear parabolic springs installed. Whilst these changed bettered the handling characteristics the car still suffered from its natural tendency to under steer. At this point the both the ‘L’ models and all two litre models were dropped from the line-up.
The car was aimed at the fleet market, Morris realised it would be difficult to pitch the car against the more sophisticated front wheel drive Ford Escort and Vauxhall Cavalier. In a smart move Morris realised that they could exploit the elderly, but proven design showing fleet managers that maintenance costs would be low in comparison with the more technologically advanced rivals. In the short production run between 1980 and 1984 175,276 vehicles were sold, quite an achievement for a car based on an ageing chassis with very little development budget. Once a common sight on British roads the Morris Ital is no longer common place due to a high scrap rate as the value of the remaining vehicles is often exceeded by restoration costs.
The Facts
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Engine: |
BMC A-Series BMC O-Series |
|---|---|
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Capacity: |
1,275cc (A+ -Series) 1,695cc (O-Series) 1,993cc (O-Series) |
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Valves: |
8 |
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Compression Ratio: |
1.3 - 9.4:1 1.7 - 9.0:1 2.0 - 9.0:1 |
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Fuel System: |
1.3 - SU Carburettor 1.7 - 2.0 - |
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Maximum Power: |
1.3 - 61bhp @ 5,500 rpm. 1.7 - 79 bhp @ 5,100 rpm 2.0 90 bhp @ 4,750 rpm |
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Maximum Torque: |
1.3 - 68 lb/ft @ 2,450 rpm. 1.7 - 2.0 - |
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Transmission: |
Manual 4 Speed 3 Speed Automatic |
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Top Gear: |
- |
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Brakes: |
Servo Assisted Front Discs / Rear Drums |
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Kerb Weight: |
1.3 (Saloon - Man) - 939 Kg 1.3 (Saloon - Auto) - 944 Kg 1.3 (Estate - Man) - 939 Kg 1.7 (Saloon - Man) - 970 Kg 1.7 (Saloon - Auto) - 975 Kg 1.7 (Estate - Man) - 1025 Kg 1.7 (Estate - Auto) - 1030 Kg Van 440 - 864 Kg Van 575 - 865 Kg |
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Max Speed: |
1.3 - 91 Mph 1.7 - 98 Mph 2.0 - 101 Mph |
|
0-60: |
1.3 - 15.2 Secs 1.7 - 12.5 Secs 2.0 - 11.7 Secs |
