Sunday Snip: Leyland P76 V8 Auto

Date: 16.10.2016

Twin headlamps gave away it was a premium sedan.

Interior on this one looks good.

Big and blocky rear wasn't the most attractive.

Massive boot was famous for taking a 44 gallon drum.

Alloy V-eight was light for its day

Twin headlamps gave away it was a premium sedan.

Interior on this one looks good.

Big and blocky rear wasn't the most attractive.

Massive boot was famous for taking a 44 gallon drum.

Alloy V-eight was light for its day

Leyland's P76 now rates as a quick and interesting Aussie classic

The mighty V8 P76 is an under-rated buy.

Spotted in our classifieds: what appears to be a tidy Leyland P76 Super - which means it's running Buick-derived all-alloy V8 widely used by Leyland at the time.

The wedge-shaped machine was styled by Giovanni Michelotti and was launched as a full-size Australian sedan in 1973, with the intention of taking on the likes of Holden, Ford and Chrysler.

It was developed with a mere $20 million at the time and won a fair bit of critical acclaim. However dramas with the parent company helped to bring production to an untimely end, before the car had time to settle in and fully develop.

The base engineering was pretty standard, though the alloy-block V8 was a novelty and a significant weight-saver. You could also get a straight six, but performance was a little asthmatic. Borg Warner supplied the transmissions.

Your biggest issue these days will be making sure the cosmetics are complete and all there, as they won't be easy to replace. The mechanicals however should present no serious problem - particularly for the V8 which in various forms graced a lot of cars over the years.

If this car is as good as it looks, we reckon it's typical of the breed - offering a hell of a lot for the the money. Compared to other V8 Aussie classics, they're relatively cheap.

Let us know if you buy it, as we'd love to do a story on it - email uniquecars@primecreative.com.au

See our background feature on the P76.

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