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Cars from BMC and its successors have been sold abroad under a variety of alternative names. Here are just a few of them, including a couple of near-misses...

Austin America

Home market name: Austin 1300 Not much thought went into this one. Once the 1300 had been modified for sale in the US and Canadian markets, the name would almost have chosen itself. Must have confused the Swiss, though... More...

Austin Apache

Home market name: based on Austin 1300 This "Austin 1300 with a boot" was designed by Michelotti in 1970, and was built and sold in South Africa. A sister model, the Authi Victoria (see below) was built and sold in Spain. More...

Austin Balanza

Home market name: based on Austin 1800 This name (meaning balance) was used on MkI Austin 1800s sold in the Netherlands. While it is thought to have been officially dropped on the MkII version, some dealers are known to have applied the badge to later cars. Picture kindly supplied by Alexander Boucke

Austin A55 Cambrian

Home market name: Austin A55 Cambridge MkII Cambrian was chosen because it was thought that Cambridge would have infringed a Canadian copyright; just before the launch, the lawyers gave the go-ahead to use the original name.

Austin Freeway

Home market name: based on Austin A60 Cambridge Introduced in 1962, the Freeway used an Australian-built 2.4-litre 6-cylinder engine, and lasted until 1965. It was available in saloon and estate body styles, and there was also a Wolseley version, known as the 24/80.

Austin A40 Futura 2

Home market name: Austin A40 Farina MkII The Futura name was chosen for the Swedish market, not only to suggest a futuristic car, but also to avoid confusion with the Swedish word 'farin', meaning castor sugar.

Austin Glider

Home market name: Austin 1100/1300 In the Netherlands, the Austin 1100 was known as the Glider, presumably a reference to its Hydrolastic suspension. The car still has a healthy following there, supported by the Glider Owners Club. Picture kindly supplied by Alexander Boucke

Austin I4/I5

Home market name: Austin 1100 I4 was the name used by Innocenti in Italy for its locally-built version of the Austin 1100. It was later replaced by the I5, a mildly-revised version of the same car. More... Picture kindly supplied by Henk Shuuring

Austin Kimberley

Home market name: based on Austin 1800 This car was introduced in 1970 as a belated replacement for the Austin Freeway (see above). Though based on the Austin 1800, it used the 2227cc E6 engine that the British car would not receive until 1972. There was also a lower-spec version called the Tasman (see below). More...

Austin Lancer

Home market name: based on Wolseley 1500 Introduced in 1958, the Lancer differed only superficially from the Wolseley on which it was based, and was also sold as the Morris Major (see below). It lasted until 1962.

Austin Marina

Home market name: Morris Marina The Austin Marina replaced the Austin America (see above) in the US and Canada, and was also sold in South Africa alongside the Austin Apache. More...

Austin Partner

Home market name: based on Austin Seven The Austin version of the Mini was sold in Denmark as the Partner from its introduction in 1959 until 1964.

Austin Tasman

Home market name: based on Austin 1800 Like its upmarket sister, the Austin Kimberley (see above), the Tasman used the E6 engine in a heavily modified Austin 1800 bodyshell. More...

Austin Windsor

Home market name: Austin 1800 This name was used in for the 1800 in Denmark during its first year on sale (1966/67), after which it was sold as the Austin 1800. See also Morris Monaco, below.

Austin 11/55

Home market name: based on Austin 1100 In South Africa, the "11/55" tag was used for an uprated, twin-carb version which was sold alongside the standard Austin 1100. The nomenclature will be familar to Wolseley enthusiasts, denoting the engine displacement in decilitres followed by power output in bhp, and appropriately enough, South Africa also had a Wolseley 11/55... Picture kindly supplied by Henk Schuuring

Authi Victoria

Home market name: based on Austin 1300 Sister car to the Austin Apache (see above), the Victoria was built and sold by BLMC's Spanish arm, Authi. Introduced in 1972, it lasted until the operation folded in 1975. More...

Hindustan Ambassador

Home market name: based on Morris Oxford Series III Hindustan Motors in India have been building 1950s Morris Oxfords for well over 40 years, providing relatively cheap but rugged transport ideally suited to local driving conditions. The Ambassador replaced the Hindustan Landmaster, based on the Series II Oxford, in 1957. This restyled version, known as the Ambassador Classic, was introduced for the 2002 model year, and bears an uncanny frontal resemblance to BMW's new Mini.

Honda Crossroad

Home market name: Land Rover Discovery

Innocenti Regent

Home market name: Austin Allegro The Allegro was built and sold by Innocenti as the Regent for a couple of years, until BLMC sold Innocenti to De Tomaso. More...

MG Sports Sedan

Home market name: MG 1100 BMC were quick off the mark in lauching in MG 1100 in the US, with sales of the Sports Sedan starting almost simultaneously with those of the UK car. More...

Morris Cavania

Home market name: Morris Marina Cavania was to have been the name for the Marina in Australia, but at the last miniute Donald Stokes insisted on Marina. By that time, some cars already built had bootlid holes drilled to take the longer namebadge, so the final postion was ingeniously filled with a full-stop! Picture kindly supplied by Scott Williams

Morris IM3/IM3S

Home market name: based on Morris 1100 Like the Austin I4/I5 (see above), the Morris IM3 and IM3S were Innocenti's Italian offerings based on the ADO16. More...

Morris Major

Home market name: based on Wolseley 1500 Like its sister car, the Austin Lancer (see above), the Major was also built and sold in Australia from 1958. In 1962, however, a restyled version of the Major was introduced, known as the Morris Major Elite.

Morris Marina

Home market name: Morris 1100/1300 When introduced to Denmark in 1964, the Morris 1100 was called the Marina, while its sister car was just called the Austin 1100. When the Roy Haynes Marina arrived in Denmark in 1972, the Morris version of the 1100/1300 was dropped, leaving just the Austins to hold the fort.

Morris Marshall

Home market name: based on Austin A95 Westminster In 1957, this car represented BMC Australia's first entry into the lucrative local six-cylinder market. It was dropped in June 1960.

Morris Mascot

Home market name: Morris Mini Minor (later Mini) In Denmark, the name Mascot is synonymous with Mini, having been applied to that car from its introduction in 1961, right through to 1981, when official imports ceased.

Morris Monaco

Home market name: Morris 1800 The Morris 1800 was sold as the Monaco in Denmark from 1966-1972, after which only the Austin 1800 was sold. See also Austin Windsor, above.

Morris 1500 Nomad

Home market name: based on Morris 1300 The Nomad used the basic ADO16 bodyshell, but with a hatchback rear-end, modified frontal styling and the E-series engine from the Maxi. More...

Morris 1700

Home market name: Morris Marina While the Marina name was insisted upon for the Australian market (see above), it was dropped altogether by their neighbours in New Zealand. In a similar move, the Montego 2.0 was later sold in Germany as the Rover 2.0 GTi (petrol) or GTD (diesel). Picture kindly supplied by Henk Schuuring

Riley Fordor

Home market name: Riley 4/68

Siam di Tella 1500

Home market name: Riley 4/68 Siam di Tella Automotores was founded in Argentina in 1959, building a range of saloon and estate cars based on the MG and Riley Farinas. They also produced a unique pick-up version of the Riley, called the Argenta. Picture kindly supplied by Henk Schuuring

Standard Gazel

Home market name: based on Triumph Herald Introduced by Standard-Triumph's Indian subsidiary in the mid-Sixties, the Gazel replaced the Standard Herald in the local market. Both these models differed from Heralds built in the UK in that they were based on a 4-door prototype dating from 1960. The Gazel was restyled front and rear, losing the Herald's distinctive fins in the process, and it remained in production for around ten years; a 5-door estate model was also available.

Standard 2000

Home market name: based on Rover SD1 In 1985 Standard resumed car production after ten years building vans and trucks. The 2000 used a reworked version of an ancient 1991cc Standard engine producing just 85bhp. Aimed squarely at India's rich businessmen, it was quite well equipped, but lasted only until 1988.

Triumph Chicane

Home market name: based on Triumph 2.5 PI MkII Dating from 1972, this car used the automatic transmission from the 2000 and the Stromberg carburettors from the 2500, thus giving Leyland SA an automatic saloon that had the power to cope with the local terrain, while avoiding the 2.5PI's fuel injection system, which was perceived as being unreliable.

This page was contributed by Declan Berridge

Copyright © 2002 Keith Adams