FIVE BRITISH LEYLAND SPECIAL EDITION CARS

Or five familiar Leyland cars in very exclusive guises…

Austin Allegro Special LE

The Special LE made its bow on the 5th of April 1978, for £2,965.95. For this modest sum, the buyer gained five-speed transmission, Sundym tinted glass, a passenger door mirror, a lockable fuel cap, a push-button radio, a tachometer and a leather-covered steering wheel. The paint choices were either Tara Green or Astral Blue augmented by side stripes. Some 6,800 Specials left the factory, but few now survive.

Morris Marina 1.3 Special LE

Here was a truly the Marina of Marinas, from the full-length sunroof and metallic gold paint finish, to its exciting decals and “high level of trim”. On its debut in April 1978, motorists probably besieged their local BL dealer so they could place an order for one of just 2,050 examples. The LE was also a helpful method of clearing the showrooms of the Marina Series II, as the face-lifted Series III would make its bow in the autumn of that same year. And who could resist the lure of a Morris with such tasteful brown/orange/cream upholstery?

Triumph Dolomite 1500SE

The SE was a rather clever method of British Leyland to use unsold stocks of the 1500 saloon. Prospective buyers were warned its striking good looks might hypnotise them, and they would almost certainly be mesmerised by the black paint finish with silver ‘go-faster’ stripes. The extra equipment also included a radio, a front spoiler, tinted glass, door cappings and a dashboard finished in burr-walnut veneer. There were even ‘sports wheels’ sourced from the Spitfire. 2, 163 SEs left the factory but possibly less than 30 have survived.

Mini 1100 Special

Some limited edition cars were intended to clear dealerships of models on the verge of replacement, but a few very select examples celebrate a significant anniversary. The 1100 Special definitely falls into the second category, for it marked twenty years of the Mini. Power was from the 1,098cc A-Series engine, and the specification included your choice of silver or rose metallic paint, the inevitable stripes, alloy wheels, a tachometer, a clock, a cigar lighter and a radio. BL planned to build only 2,500 Specials, but demand obliged them to make 5,100.

MGB LE

In the same year of the Mini 1100 Special, MG unveiled the B LE. The advertisements offered motorists the chance to acquire a “rare and final edition of the most loved, most famous sports car that has ever been built”. The Bronze Metallic Roadster cost £6,445, the Pewter Metallic GT £6,937, and the specification included alloy wheels a la the Triumph Stag and a “special distinguishing livery” – i.e. stripes. Two examples were destined for British Motor Heritage, and the final example departed Abingdon on the 23rd of October 1980. It was the last car manufactured in the famous plant.

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Here at Lancaster, we love classic cars as much as you do and we understand what it takes to protect them for future generations.

We have links with some of the top classic car clubs around the country and some of our policies even offer discounts of up to 25% for club members.

Other benefits of classic car insurance through Lancaster can include:

• Historic rally cover
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Give your classic the protection it deserves and get a quote for your classic today.