Dimming the stop lights at night is something modern cars should take note of. Many LED lights are unbearable to even look at and probably contribute to accidents by blinding drivers.

I had a Morris 1800 and never once considered it a failure - lovely car

This actual car was supplied in Spring 1970 by myself, a dealer in Redditch Worcs.    I supplied it to my Aunt and Uncle who were retired living near Stafford. Really surprised to see it but they did not do much mileage in the many years they owned it.

My Grandfather had a white Morris 1800 back in the 1960's /1970's , which I fondly remember travelling long distances in as a child. It was a nice comfortable car with a good ride.

I inherited my father's Austin 1800 (in Australia) in 1969 when he died - I drove it on beach camping trips - the front seats laid back flat so it became like a double bed - it was wonderfully comfortable for 2 people to sleep in.  Pity I rolled it on a winding dirt road and it was never the same again.

I keep hearing the claim that these were duds, but they sold very well here in Australia. My understanding is that there were more sold here, per capita, than anywhere else in the world. Not a bad achievement, given that they were quite expensive when new which pushed them into the market segment where six cylinder Holdens and Fords were the competition. The 1.8 litre B Series engine in the 1800 used the same (double valve spring) head as the MGB and endowed the car with quite decent performance (for its day). The handling of these cars was exceptional. Cornering was very flat and safe. You would really have to drive like a dill to lose control of an Austin 1800. Once you adjusted to the bus-like steering wheel position the rack and pinion steering allowed for very accurate placement of the vehicle on the road (although my mum always hated how heavy the steering was at parking speeds - power steering was never an option here).  Front disc brakes with load distribution, a heater as standard, a very effective ram-air fresh air system, Hydrolastic suspension, rack and pinion steering, plush comfortable seating, full carpeting, door arm rests front and rear. These were safe, comfortable and extremely spacious motor cars. Much more competent than urban myth would have you believe.

These were fantastic cars, had a great reputation for towing and were especially popular with the farming  community because they were rugged and dependable. They may have been developed through their production run but I never heard of them being called a failure!
My father drove one for six years covering 120000 miles and apart from rust (common to all cars of that era) it was a dependable car.

I had a Morris 1800 company car and it was one of the best cars I ever drove.  The family loved it too; both my wife and I were pretty large people and the width of the car made us more comfortable, and because brother and sister are prone to fight, my kids were nicely spaced apart in the back with the armrest between them.  Back in those days my wife didn't drive, so on long journeys, especially down through France, I had to do all the driving and with the 1800 it was never a chore.  These cars weren't 'nearly brilliant', they were really brilliant.

We had one of these Austin 1800 it was great. It was enormous it needed power steering though. It was built like a tank. We used a tow a heavy boat with it. It was almost indestructible other than rust.

I wish these had sold better.
I loved the spacious interior and comfortable ride.

My dad bought an Austin 1800 new back in 1968. He always loved how you can fold the front seats all the way back and they would fall level with the rear seat like a huge bed. He also said it was a comfortable car.
He never really said anything bad about it but he did say when he bought it it had an oil consumption issue, so it was put on a weekly oil test by the dealer.
Anyway when they confirmed it had an issue he told the service manager that he believed the oil rings were the wrong way around. They let him watch them tear it down and the Service Manager couldn't believe it that they were upside-down. He had the choice of a new motor or rebuild. He got them to rebuild it and it ran like a clock after that.

I had 2 Wolseley six`s in the 70`s great cars.

I’m 70 now and I enjoy your videos. Great videos. Keep them coming.

Interesting how oil consumption in Audi's and past rust issues in Mercs, electrical faults in BMWs etc didn't seem to dent their image, reputation and sales.  People are odd creatures.

I had one in the eighties . When I couldn't get any grip in the snow from my xr2  , I drove the Wolseley to work lol .

My wife's mother had one and the family loved it. As I recall it earned an enviable reputation as a "sure footed" car, reassuring to drive and to be driven in.

I signed as guarantor on a finance deal for my brother when he purchased a 1year old Wolseley 18/85.  He was in the RAF and could not obtain finance on his own.  He kept the car for 9 years and reluctantly sold it with over 100,000 miles with little but regular maintenance to keep it going.  I recall several trips in it, I got to drive it on a German autobahn where it performed quite well.  This series of BMC cars was good and sadly, underestimated by many.

Great commentary and information on this amazing car. We had them in South Africa as well and they were very popular due to the space, thankfully our dry climate ensured that they did not rust much so we still see a few on our roads and at motor shows. Keep up the good work!

Miss out the word "nearly". It was brilliant. I have owned both the Wolseley 18/85 and the Six. I actually prefer the 1800 engine, because of it's simplicity and reliability. One thing you overlooked in your report was it's handling. It goes round corners like a Mini. Compared to cars like the Cambridge the handling was phenomenal. It is still seriously good even by modern standards. Both my cars had power assisted steering, which no doubt helped. Also the sheer space and comfort was simply amazing. It had more space than the large (about 3 litres) cars like the Austin Westminster and the Rover P5. Find one in good condition and you will have a really great classic, and one that could still be used as a daily driver (albeit with higher fuel consumption than some moderns). Also they make a good tow car, because of their stability, short rear overhang and torquey engines.

The leg room in the back was phenomenal. Very comfortable.