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www.leylandprincess.co.uk Stories
Geoff Markham recalls his memories of Princess ownership… Well, I
had two, both 2200 autos. The first
one was landed on me when I was promoted in 1977, and I asked for a Capri
3000 that in theory I was entitled to, but the group that I worked
for had a metallic blue Princess auto going spare that was a few months
old, as the previous user had left the company. I was told that 'sports cars
were unsuitable for directors', and that I had to
have the spare car. As a 30
year old I was somewhat under whelmed, but did not think it politic to make a
fuss. Anyway, I had been a bit of a BMC enthusiast, having a Sprite and an
Austin Healey 3000 before I married, and my dad always had Austin’s, so I
shrugged my shoulders and got on with things. I recall
that the engine felt thrashy at high revs; it had
the most comfortable ride of any car I had driven up to then; the car
felt superior to the 2.0 litre Cortina I had previously; the Borg Warner auto
box packed up at 25,000 miles, and perhaps most importantly, my wife liked
it. In 1978 my
boss and I left the company to set up as a competitor with another company's
money. The new group owned, amongst other things a Ford and BL
dealership. We both needed cars quickly, so he had a Rover 2600 and I had to
have something a bit cheaper. In stock they had a dark green MGBGT, very
tempting, but with two small children not a realistic choice, and a limited
edition Princess Special
Six, if I recall the correct name. They were only available
in black and had a Webasto sunroof as standard. I
must say it looked very striking in the showroom, so I had another dose. I recall
taking it to France and receiving admiring glances from the locals (for the
car, not me) with of 'oh, le Princess, plus belle' or similar. It was
very comfortable, especially on poor road surfaces, but the auto gearbox
packed up at 25,000 miles. By 1980 the company was going well, and I part
exchanged it for a new Rover 2600, while my boss had an SD1 3500. Happy
days! Geoff
Markham. February 2004. Tell us
your Princess story. Email it to me and I’ll put
it on the site, and don’t forget the pictures! |
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