British Motor Corporation (Australia) was a motor manufacturing company formed in Australia in 1954 by the merger of the Austin Motor Company (Australia) and Nuffield (Australia).
This followed the merger in 1952 of the
Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company Limited was an English manufacturer of motor vehicles, founded in 1905 by Herbert Austin in Longbridge. In 1952 it was merged with Morris Motors Limited in the new holding company British Motor Corporation (BMC) Limi ...
and the
Nuffield Group in the United Kingdom to form the
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) was a UK-based vehicle manufacturer, formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the Morris and Austin businesses.Morris-Austin Merger Company Named. ''The Times'', Friday, 29 February ...
.
[ Following further corporate changes in the UK in the late 1960s, BMC Australia was absorbed into the newly established British Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia,][ the name of which became Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia in 1972,][ ''The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring'', pp. 272-273] and then JRA Limited in March 1983.[
]
Austin Motor Company of Australia
In 1949, Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
purchased the Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
based Ruskin Body Works and used the factory to make ute
Ute or UTE may refer to:
* Ute (band), an Australian jazz group
* Ute (given name)
* ''Ute'' (sponge), a sponge genus
* Ute (vehicle), an Australian and New Zealand term for certain utility vehicles
* Ute, Iowa, a city in Monona County along ...
and tourer bodies for fitting to imported Austin A40
A number of different automobiles were marketed under the Austin A40 name by Austin between 1947 and 1967.
Austin's naming scheme at that time derived from the approximate engine output, in horsepower. Therefore, the models were also given name ...
chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
.
Nuffield Australia
In 1947 Lord Nuffield
William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, (10 October 1877 – 22 August 1963) was an English motor manufacturer and philanthropist. He was the founder of Morris Motors Limited and is remembered as the founder of the Nuffield Foundation, ...
purchased the former Victoria Park Racecourse, Sydney
Victoria Park Racecourse was a racecourse in Zetland, an inner-city suburb, south of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was bordered by O’Dea Avenue, South Dowling Street, Epsom Road and Joynton Avenue.
The site was originally a lagoon ...
as the site for a car assembly plant. Nuffield Australia opened their new, assembly and factory building in March 1950. The facility was initially set up to assemble Morris Minor
The Morris Minor is a British economy family car that made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, in October 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.6 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in th ...
and Morris Oxford
Morris Oxford is a series of motor car models produced by Morris of the United Kingdom, from the 1913 ''bullnose'' Oxford to the ''Farina'' Oxfords V and VI.
Named by W R Morris after ''the city of dreaming spires'', the university town in which ...
models from CKD kits. Previously these cars were imported into Australia as assembled vehicles.[ ''The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring'', p. 337]
British Motor Corporation (Australia)
In 1954 the Austin Motor Company of Australia and Nuffield Australia merged to form British Motor Corporation (Australia) with the Nuffield facility at Victoria Park becoming the group headquarters of the new company. Austin and Morris vehicles were assembled at the facility and subsequently it was to be the design and manufacturing centre for BMC Australia.
During a period of significant postwar reconstruction, migrant assimilation and technical innovation, the factory employed a peak of 7,000 people from 35 nations. The only plant in Australia to manufacture the complete vehicle, it introduced to Australia the in-line transfer machining of engine blocks, the "rotodip" paint process, automatic conveyor assembly processes and major advances in just-in-time and flexible manufacturing concepts.
This factory produced the Austin Lancer and Morris Major
The Morris Major and Austin Lancer are passenger car models that were produced by BMC Australia between 1958 and 1964.
Series I (1958 to 1959)
The Morris Major and Austin Lancer were introduced in March 1958,BMC-Leyland Australia Heritage Gr ...
models which were based on the Wolseley 1500
Wolseley may refer to:
People
*Sir Charles Wolseley, 2nd Baronet (c. 1630–1714), English politician
*Sir Charles Wolseley, 7th Baronet (1769–1846), English landowner and political agitator
* Frances Garnet Wolseley, 2nd Viscountess Wolseley ( ...
but modified for Australian conditions. In another example of the badge engineering prevalent at the time, the Morris Marshal
The Morris Marshal is a large six-cylinder vehicle which was produced by the British Motor Corporation (Australia) between 1957 and 1960. The car was a Morris branded version of the Austin Westminster which was marketed by BMC Australia's Austi ...
was produced, based on the Austin A95 Westminster.
In 1961 the Mini
The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
entered production in Australia as the Morris 850. The Mini proving very popular in Australia as it was in the UK. Its success prompted a revised Australian only model line up to be introduced in 1965, beginning with the Morris Mini Deluxe, the first to use Hydrolastic
Hydrolastic is a type of space-efficient automotive suspension system used in many cars produced by British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successor companies.
Invented by British rubber engineer Alex Moulton, and first used on the 1962 BMC p ...
suspension, to have wind-up windows, ignition key operated starter and an improved level of trim and options. Australian Minis were fitted with wind-up windows years ahead of their UK counterparts. Morris Mini Coopers and Cooper S were also made and supplied to the Australian and New Zealand Police forces as high speed pursuit vehicles. The Mini K (for Kangaroo) was the renamed Deluxe MKII and launched in March 1969 complete with Kangaroo decals.
Released in 1962, the Austin Freeway
The Austin Freeway is an automobile which was developed by BMC Australia, based on the British Austin A60 Cambridge. Introduced in 1962, it was marketed under the Austin name in both four-door sedan and five-door station wagon body styles. ...
and Wolseley 24/80
The Wolseley 24/80 is an automobile produced by British Motor Corporation (Australia) from May 1962 to October 1965,[Austin A60 Cambridge
:''See Austin 10 for the Cambridge models of 1937 to 1947.''
:''See Austin A40 for other A40 models.''
The Austin Cambridge (sold as A40, A50, A55, and A60) is a medium-sized motor car range produced by the Austin Motor Company, in several ge ...]
and Wolseley 15/60
The Wolseley 15/60 is an automobile which was produced from 1958 to 1961, and then, as the Wolseley 16/60, from 1961 to 1971. The 15/60 was the first of the mid-sized Pininfarina-styled automobiles manufactured by the British Motor Corporation ( ...
respectively, both powered by a six-cylinder version of the BMC B-Series engine. To add some Australasian brand confusion, in New Zealand the Austin Freeway was badged as a Morris Freeway and the Morris Mini Deluxe was badged as an Austin Se7en. All were made in the Sydney factory.
A local version of the BMC 1100
The BMC ADO16 is a range of small family cars built by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and, later, British Leyland. Launched in 1962, it was Britain's best-selling car from 1963 to 1966 and from 1968 to 1971. The ADO16 was marketed under va ...
joined the line up, badged as the Morris 1100 and henceforth the smaller front-wheel-drive BMC models were all to be badged as Morris and the larger ones as Austins borrowing from the established markets where Vice Regal cars were Austin Princess limousines and Morris cars were mass motoring cars. Production of the Morris Mini Moke
The Mini Moke (styled "MOKE") is a small, front-wheel-drive utility and recreational convertible, conceived and manufactured as a lightweight military vehicle by British Motor Corporation (BMC), and subsequently marketed for civilian use unde ...
started in 1966 but fitted with larger, 13-inch wheels and longer rear wheel arms, than the UK original 10-inch.
A local version of the Austin 1800
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16), ...
was also produced from 1965 and this was developed into the Austin X6 range in 1970 with a longer wheelbase than the original. These were called the Austin Tasman
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city i ...
for the basic model and Kimberley
Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to:
Places and historical events
Australia
* Kimberley (Western Australia)
** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley
* Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania
* Kimberley, Tasmania a small town
* County of Kimberley, a ...
for the de luxe hi-end model. In New Zealand these were also sold with Morris badging and some were assembled there.
In December 1966, a plant in Rocklea
Rocklea is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Rocklea had a population of 1,595 people.
Geography
Rocklea is located 9 kilometres south of the city. The west of the suburb is bordered by the Oxley Creek. The ...
, Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
was opened.
Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia
By 1969 BMC Australia's parent company had merged with the Leyland Corporation to form British Leyland
British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...
[ and a merger in Australia saw the creation of the British Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia.][ BMC Australia continued to trade as a division of the new company but had been renamed the Austin Morris Division by 1970. The company name was changed yet again in 1972 when it became the Leyland Motor Corporation of Australia,][ with the Austin Morris Division carried across to the new company.
In 1973 the Morris Mini became the Leyland Mini and the Morris ]Mini Moke
The Mini Moke (styled "MOKE") is a small, front-wheel-drive utility and recreational convertible, conceived and manufactured as a lightweight military vehicle by British Motor Corporation (BMC), and subsequently marketed for civilian use under ...
became the Leyland Moke. The Australian version of the Morris Marina
The Morris Marina is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive C-segment, small family car that was manufactured by the Morris Motors, Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1971 until 1980. It served to replace the Morris Minor in the Mo ...
, which had joined the range in 1972, became a Leyland Marina and was offered with a local market only six-cylinder 2,623 cc engine. Australian Marinas were also shipped as CKD assembly packs to New Zealand and South Africa, where the six cylinder engine was also offered.
The Australian big car model, which was intended to see out the 1970s, was the 1973 Leyland P76
The Leyland P76 is a large car that was produced by Leyland Australia, the Australian subsidiary of British Leyland. Featuring what was described at the time as the "standard Australian wheelbase of 111 inches", it was intended to provide the co ...
. This was designed to take a straight six or alloy Rover V8 engine
The Rover V8 engine is a compact V8 internal combustion engine with aluminium cylinder block and cylinder heads, originally designed by General Motors and later re-designed and produced by Rover in the United Kingdom. It has been used in a wide ...
with the latter being the more popular, but V-8 engine supplies were restricted reducing production.
Following the worldwide collapse of British Leyland and its associates, linked with the reduction of import tariffs protecting car manufacturers in Australia (Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
, Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
and Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thre ...
), the Victoria Park Racecourse, Sydney
Victoria Park Racecourse was a racecourse in Zetland, an inner-city suburb, south of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was bordered by O’Dea Avenue, South Dowling Street, Epsom Road and Joynton Avenue.
The site was originally a lagoon ...
factory, opened by Lord Nuffield
William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield, (10 October 1877 – 22 August 1963) was an English motor manufacturer and philanthropist. He was the founder of Morris Motors Limited and is remembered as the founder of the Nuffield Foundation, ...
in 1957 was closed by 1975. Production of the Mini from imported CKD shells was continued by Pressed Metal Corporation
Pressed Metal Corporation was an Australian automotive body building and assembly operation based in New South Wales.
History
Pressed Metal Corporation (PMC) was established in the late 1930s as a joint venture between Larke Hoskins, the Aust ...
(PMC) in the Sydney suburb of Enfield
Enfield may refer to:
Places Australia
* Enfield, New South Wales
* Enfield, South Australia
** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb
** Enfield High School (South Australia)
...
until 1978 and the Moke until 1982. PMC also assembled Land Rover
Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...
s, Hinos and pressed metal coffins.
Leyland of Australia then proceeded to assemble the Peugeot 505
The Peugeot 505 is a large family car produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot from 1979 to 1992 in Sochaux, France. It was also manufactured in various other countries including Argentina (by Sevel from 1981 to 1995), China, Thailand (by Yont ...
(sedan and wagon) and import the Honda Quint
The Honda Quint is a subcompact car manufactured by Honda in Japan from 1980 until 1985. It was introduced in February 1980 in Japan as a five-door liftback version of the Honda Civic, being more upscale than the Civic, and was sold at the ''Hon ...
, which was sold as the Rover Quintet locally.
JRA Limited
In March 1983 Leyland Motor Corporation Australia ceased to exist and its place was taken by JRA Limited. The new company was organised into several divisions including Jaguar-Rover-Australia, Leyland Trucks and Leyland Bus Australia. In 1987 JRA was sold by Rover Group
The Rover Group plc was the British vehicle manufacturing conglomerate known as "BL plc" until 1986 (formerly British Leyland), which had been a state-owned company since 1975. It initially included the Austin Rover Group car business (comprisi ...
in a management buyout
A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management-, and/or leveraged buyout became noted phenomena of 1 ...
. In October 1992 JRA was placed in administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
by the Bank of New Zealand
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) is one of New Zealand's Big Four (banking), big four banks and has been operating in the country since the first office was opened in Auckland in October 1861 followed shortly after by the first branch in Dunedin in D ...
with Deloitte Ross Tohmatsu appointed as administrator. The Austral, Denning and Pressed Metal Corporation South Australia
Pressed Metal Corporation South Australia (PMCSA) was an Australian bus bodybuilder based in Royal Park, Adelaide.
History
The business originally formed as Freighter-Lawton Industries being rebranded Freighter Industries in 1963. businesses were sold to Clifford Corporation
Clifford Corporation was a listed Australian company that purchased several bus manufacturing businesses in the mid-1990s before collapsing in November 1998.
History
In August 1995 Clifford Corporation purchased the Ansair
Ansair was an Aust ...
in July 1996.[Acquisition of JRA Limited '' Fleetline'' issue 243 July 1996 page 131]
References
Further reading
*
{{Authority control
Car manufacturers of Australia
Australian subsidiaries of foreign companies
Australian companies established in 1954
British-Australian culture