Austin Tasman & Kimberley

When the 1800 ran out of road in Australia, BL Australia restyled it: new front and rear ends on the 1800’s centre structure, keeping the doors, and a transverse 2,227cc E-series six across the front driving the front wheels — which made these among the first front-wheel-drive cars anywhere with a transverse straight six. The Tasman got 76kW on a single carburettor and two round headlamps; the Kimberley 86kW on twin carburettors, four rectangular headlamps and a luxury interior. Mark II versions followed in 1971, the Kimberley Mk2 dropping to a single carburettor. 12,194 were sold in Australia before the Leyland P76 replaced them. They were underdeveloped on a limited budget, and it showed.

In New Zealand they were sold as the Morris Tasman and Morris Kimberley, not Austin. NZMC first imported them from Australia and then assembled most of its stock from CKD kits at Petone, with different interior trim materials as part of 40 to 50 per cent local content. That is the reverse of the usual New Zealand practice of putting Austin badges on Morris designs, and it is the single most useful thing to know when someone rings about one. On parts: doors, glass and the centre structure are 1800 and cross accordingly. The front and rear ends, the E-series six and its ancillaries do not.