CELEBRATING THE MORRIS MARINA 1.3 SPECIAL L.E.

One of the many joys of the 2025 Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show was the chance to encounter so many old friends, both human and automotive – such as this 1978 Marina 1.3 Special L.E.  Can it really be a decade ago that I first met Richard Clayton and his remarkable Morris for a Practical Classics shoot?

Of course, the Special L.E. was not the first limited edition Marina for that honour went to the 1973 Jubilee, an elaborately equipped version of the four-door TC.  When the L.E. debuted in April 1978. British Leyland was only a few months away from replacing the Series II with the Series III and the latest special edition Marina raised the model’s profile and helped clear showroom stock.

And for a mere £3,249, you too could a Marina 1.3 two-door with a full-length sunroof, a metallic ‘Oyster’ gold paint finish augmented with decals, a vinyl roof, tinted glass, front head retraints, a clock and a rev counter.

That was not all, as the Special L.E. also featured “special wheel trims”, halogen headlamps, front fog lights and brown/orange/cream upholstery so vibrant as to make the owner don sunglasses for the weekly trip to Fine Fare.

“Don’t miss your chance to own one of the most exclusive 1978 cars in Britain”, urged BL. Your friendly local dealer could also point out that the Special L.E. was £174 cheaper than a Marina 1.8 GT, which did not boast a sunroof. In terms of rivals, a Ford Capri 1300L was £2,829 and came with not a lot of standard equipment.

You might have considered a Datsun 180B Bluebird SSS Coupe for £3,406 but that meant ‘buying Japanese’ rather than the more familiar world of British Leyland.

The Special L.E. was also an exclusive car as BL sold only 2,050 examples. Seeing this rare survivor at the Classic Motor Show was to be reminded how the Morris Marina is now gaining the appreciation and interest that is its due. The Top Gear ‘jokes’ now, happily, seem very distant. To encounter the Special L.E. in the metal is to also note Roy Haynes’ very accomplished styling, for the Morris Marina is a rather understated and good-looking vehicle.

And I still stand by my observation in Practical Classics that the Special L.E. belonged in an episode of George and Mildred. It really is a car “that deserves to be parked outside of an ‘executive villa’ decorated with fake horse brasses - 1970s suburban transport par excellence”.