Fast Marina Magazine

Red with a white roof was the BMC rally colours and of course all Ferraris and Maseratis are red by law, so if you bought a sporty car it had to be red.

Martec is a user/chooser so maybe Brian could explain?

I think you have it pretty well summed up, if I was buying one new it would have been Blaze or Flame Red Certainly not Bedouin like the first press car was

Weird there aren't any 71 Flame Red TC coupes left considering how many surviving 71s are Flame Red.

None of the surviving 71 TC saloons are Blaze or Flame Red which is also strange. We have one in Glacier White, one in Midnight Blue and one in Teal Blue. I guess those who wanted sporty orange cars bought coupes!

JoshWard wrote:I think you have it pretty well summed up, if I was buying one new it would have been Blaze or Flame Red Certainly not Bedouin like the first press car was

Weird there aren't any 71 Flame Red TC coupes left considering how many surviving 71s are Flame Red.

None of the surviving 71 TC saloons are Blaze or Flame Red which is also strange. We have one in Glacier White, one in Midnight Blue and one in Teal Blue. I guess those who wanted sporty orange cars bought coupes!

Do we have a breakdown of production by colour and/or variant?

A user/chooser, what an interesting label!

I believe Chris is referring to the fact that I bought my TC coupe brand new in 1972. Because it was via my dad's employers discount I ordered in May 72 and had the obligatory 3 months wait until receiving it in August 72.

At the time of ordering (and paying in full) for a TC I only had a choice of three colours, Flame red, White and Purple (sorry can't remember its correct name). During the 3 months wait for the car, BL announced an increase in the range of colours, but I still wanted Flame Red.

I remember seeing a very early blaze 'K' reg car, but having been restricted by BL's colour range in May 72 I have always found it odd to see earlier 'Blaze' TC's. Besides blaze always looks like a faded Flame red.

Just to add another point to early TC's, my under-riders (I still have these corroded items for reference) were of the thin skinny type. Over the years 'experts' have told me what was and wasn't original to my car, maybe 72 was an odd year? but I remember reasonably well what was on my car.

Also in August 72 the car came with only one wing mirror and I bought and fitted an 'export' mirror from my local parts place for the passenger side.

I hope that is what you were after Chris.

Brian

Hi Brian

So effectively you had a very limited choice to begin with red, white or 'purple'. It's a bit like the Peugeot 205 1.9 GTi, they only offered this in three colours initially, red, black and white.

Interesting to note that the one of the three other cars I know bought through the factory scheme is Glacier White and the two others are Midnight Blue which is slightly purple, all L reg 1972 cars as well. Maybe they were trying to use up certain paint colours? I think Flame and Midnight Blue were both dropped in 72/73 although Glacier White was used up until 1975.

Didn't know early TC under riders were different, learn something new everyday

As I said Josh the colour options did open up a bit in June/July but I can't remember what they were. It seems odd that colours were available in 71, but not in the early 72, and I don't remember there being a restriction just for employees.

As for under-riders, they changed to thicker ones (I have some) a bit later. I have been accused of having the front one on the back and all sorts, so there must have been several changes in the Mk1's for people to have seen them.

Brian

PS the Marina passed its MOT today with no advisories, so I can continue towing, it seems only the 9 pin socket and not the 7 pin socket has to be tested!!

User/Chooser was a phrase that I picked up in the 90's. I was driving company cars and could select from a range of listed Makes and Models.

Car marketing depts. would target special offer upgrades to the employers to win business against the competition on the list. You could also play off the dealers by showing them the list and see what trim upgrades and extras they would throw in to get the sale.

Brian you have just answered a question for me, the trailer socket on my Pickup wasn't tested and that's a 7 pin unit.

Didn't know there was a 9 pin trailer socket thought it was 7 or 13

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Martec wrote:As I said Josh the colour options did open up a bit in June/July but I can't remember what they were. It seems odd that colours were available in 71, but not in the early 72.

The earliest colour chart I've found for the Marina is 1972 (labelled 17/72 - week 17, mid-April?). Unfortunately the 1971 chart on the same site doesn't list the Marina .
Marina 1.3 Coupe & Saloon, & 1.8 Coupe, Estate & Saloon
Glacier white
Teal Blue
Midnight Blue
Blaze
Green Mallard
Black Tulip
Harvest Gold
Damask Red

Marina 1.8 TC Coupe & Saloon
Green Mallard
Rheingold Metallic
Lagoon Metallic
Limeflower
Glacier White
Teal Blue
Black Tulip
Blaze
Damask Red
Harvest Gold
Midnight Blue

Glacier White, Teal Blue, Midnight Blue, Blaze, Damask Red and Limeflower were all launch colours (along with Bedouin, Racing Green and Flame Red)

Green Mallard, Black Tulip and Harvest Gold were introduced in late 1971 (along with Aqua, around chassis number 50,000 it seems)

Surprised to hear the metallics were available in 1972, always thought they were later.

Never quite understood the colour guides that said certain models were available in certain colours only, for example that list says Limeflower on TCs only in 1972 but that's not true.

Took my saloon for its MOT test ........ a pass! Phew! No advisories either, yippee!

Well done old boy.

Black tulip was the 'purples' name I couldn't remember, my old catalogue

'lithographed by Nuffield press ltd ,Cowley, Oxford, England 26/36 (81294)2/71-350m. publication No 2824'

This shows TC's in Flame Red and Black Tulip, no sign of Blaze in the catalogue??

Have you fitted that gearbox I gave you yet 'screaming lord stokes'?

Brian

Thanks Chris.
Not yet i'm afraid Brian! Must change it soon though, i have to hold the gear stick to stop it jumping out of reverse now!
Actually i've been neglecting the car just lately while collecting all the parts to rebuild my latest project....a Carlton Team Professional racing bike.