MORLEY’S WORKSHOP
Maybe you know that
between 1963 and
1972, the MGB roadster
was assembled in
Australia, first at
Enfield in Sydney
and then around the
corner at Zetland in
the plant that would
build the Leyland P76.
But did you know that
no less than 9000
of the buggers were
assembled and sold
here? Local assembly
stopped after the
government changed
the tariff goal-posts,
making 85 per cent
local content the new
target. The MGB had
just 45 per cent local
content, and that was
the end of that.THE B’S KNEESstresses involved in such a
powerplant are immense
and that simply has to take
a toll on the wearing bits
inside. The chemistry may
have improved, but you
can’t get around physics.
That said, there are
always other standouts,
too. The original Mazda
MX-5 with its little 1600cc
engine that showed about
3200rpm at 100km/h
in top and revved like a
banshee, is still capable of
400,000km or so before
most people lift the head
for a look-see. But then
you discover that this
engine was designed to be
turbocharged but was sold
in the wee roadster in atmo
form. Ah-ha!
Also, my own experience
of a lot of European
engineering is that
it doesn’t appreciate
Australian heat cycles.
Many Euro-brands, for
instance, have found that
their machinery – which
never gave an ounce of
trouble on the Continent –
suddenly croaks early whenyou expose it to Aussie
ambient temps and usage
patterns. Cylinder heads
seem the main culprit, but
even the plastic used in
some of the cooling-system
plumbing can die an early
death out here.
Then there’s the question
of culture and how long
people in various parts
of the world expect an
engine to last. For us,
it’s black arm-bands if
an engine drops its guts
before a quarter of a million
kays have passed under
its wheels, but in other
places, that’s not the case.
When early versions of
the Chev LS1 V8 (six-bolt
mains regardless) started
burning oil, for instance,
Holden in Australia was
forced by a mob of angry
owners on the war-path
to replace a bunch of mills
under warranty. But in the
US where the same engine
was burning the same oil,
punters tended to just top
them up between services
and not complain. Because
the car is much more ofcars to people like me for
chump-change because
they think the (not-very)
old girl is getting worn out.
Meantime, I don’t recall
anybody mentioning that
their Honda Civic needed
an overhaul at the same
point on the odometer.
And more modern
locally-made cars seem to
go forever if they’ve been
serviced correctly. The
secret is surely in design,
manufacturing accuracy
and improvements in
metallurgy over the years.
Stuff is just better these
days; tolerances are tighter,
and the materials superior.
So it lasts longer and goes
fur ther.
However, as you point
out, Paul, there are
always the wild-cards like
the highly-strung AMG
two-litre you’ve used as
your example. Frankly,
while I don’t think it’ll be
a hand-grenade as such, I
doubt whether I’d be taking
a punt on a second-hand
one with, say, 200,000km
or so on board. The