Morris Nomad
Encyclopedia
The Morris Nomad is a car which was produced by Leyland Australia for the Australia
n market from 1969 to 1972. It is a hatchback
version of the Morris 1500 sedan, itself a locally produced BMC ADO16
design with a larger (1500 cc) engine. When ordered with automatic transmission, the Nomad was fitted with a 1300 cc engine. The hatchback styling resembles that of the Austin Maxi
, which was never sold in Australia.
The Nomad was a small - medium sized car, sitting above the Morris Mini but below the Morris Marina
in size and price.
It was a front wheel drive car, with an all independent coil suspension linked by water filled chambers, which was called Hydrolastic
suspension by the company. The suspension gave a comfortable ride, only suffering a little from "droop" if overloaded in the boot, and sometimes going into oversteer if the body rolled too much with hard cornering.
Power came from an E-series SOHC engine with alloy head, with improved performance and economy compared with the original Morris 1100 model. A four speed manual or three speed automatic were available.
The body was largely identical, except with new pressings for the front and rear panels to fit with the Leyland "corporate look", and to finally get rid of the tailfins of the original model.
The gearbox problems experienced with the Morris 1500, which was very difficult to engage into reverse because of the location of the gearstick couplings under the dashboard and the "pull-up" action, were not fixed.
The Nomad used ribbon cables for the secondary electrical circuit. These proved so disastrous, the board of Leyland decided to adopt them across the entire BMC range in the UK.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n market from 1969 to 1972. It is a hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
version of the Morris 1500 sedan, itself a locally produced BMC ADO16
BMC ADO16
ADO16 is the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland...
design with a larger (1500 cc) engine. When ordered with automatic transmission, the Nomad was fitted with a 1300 cc engine. The hatchback styling resembles that of the Austin Maxi
Austin Maxi
The Austin Maxi was a medium sized 5-door hatchback car from British Leyland for the 1970s. It was the first British five speed five-door hatchback.-History:...
, which was never sold in Australia.
The Nomad was a small - medium sized car, sitting above the Morris Mini but below the Morris Marina
Morris Marina
The Morris Marina is a car which was manufactured by the Morris division of British Leyland in the UK throughout the 1970s, which was a period of great turbulence and difficulty for the British car industry. It was known in some markets as the Austin Marina, Leyland Marina, and Morris 1.7...
in size and price.
It was a front wheel drive car, with an all independent coil suspension linked by water filled chambers, which was called Hydrolastic
Hydrolastic
Hydrolastic is a type of space-efficient automotive suspension system used in many cars produced by British Motor Corporation and its successor companies....
suspension by the company. The suspension gave a comfortable ride, only suffering a little from "droop" if overloaded in the boot, and sometimes going into oversteer if the body rolled too much with hard cornering.
Power came from an E-series SOHC engine with alloy head, with improved performance and economy compared with the original Morris 1100 model. A four speed manual or three speed automatic were available.
The body was largely identical, except with new pressings for the front and rear panels to fit with the Leyland "corporate look", and to finally get rid of the tailfins of the original model.
Market
The Nomad failed to replicate the success of the Morris 1100.The gearbox problems experienced with the Morris 1500, which was very difficult to engage into reverse because of the location of the gearstick couplings under the dashboard and the "pull-up" action, were not fixed.
The Nomad used ribbon cables for the secondary electrical circuit. These proved so disastrous, the board of Leyland decided to adopt them across the entire BMC range in the UK.