I think you mean ‘B’ series Mike,that started out as a 1500 and later 1800 – nice engine btw.
I had a lovely old (1964) 3 bearing crank MGB at one time 😀

Actually it started out as 1200cc although it appears 1500cc was planned at the outset.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMC_B-Series_engine

It was me in post 122 that said the Isis was the six. Taking the Oxford as a base, the Cowley was a cattle class version and the Isis was first class.

Also using what I’ve always assumed to be the same basic shell was the Morris Six. My dad had one for several years in the 60s, it was a sort of low rent Wolseley 6/80.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Six_MS

Edit. It would have been a good idea if I’d read the link, it says it was the same shell from the windscreen back.

Hi dhf
I have done a little googling around and the consensus seems to be…
The Holbay engine as originally modified was indeed around 120 bhp,but the engine was derated or further modified for road use (ie for production cars).
So the production GLS and Rapier H120 were rated at…

105 bhp @5200rpm (I have seen 105.107,110 quoted so am simply using the lowest figure).
Later rerated to 93bhp (DIN) @5200rpm
So as I suspected it is a slight confusion between earlier and later bhp standards

rgds baz

It was the H120 designation that came to mind when you first mentioned it. It may date back to the habit that developed of testing engines on a test bed with NO ancillaries, water pump, dynamo/alternator, exhaust etc, in the 1960s. My 3.4 Jaguar was declared as 210 bhp but the later 4.2 engines were a more honest 160 bhp. It came in handy when I pointed it out to a bloke down the road, who I really didn’t like, with a nearly new Daimler XJ. Made my day, he was crestfallen. 😀

My Sparkrite kept the points, it was even cheaper…

I had a Sparkrite unit of some sort but Lumenition is the dogs danglies.

The Pinto in my Ginetta wouldn’t start one day, the only time ever. When I took the distributor cap off I was staggered at the wear in the shaft. There must have been over 1/4″ play. With points it would have stopped years earlier but with Lumenition the cap never comes off – until it doesn’t go that is.

I thought the Hunter with the Holbay engine was 120bhp? A manager at a firm I worked at in the 70s had one as a company car. It certainly went like the proverbial off a shovel, and it was a bit disconcerting seeing those two hulking great Webers under the bonnet of a “boring” Hunter.

I can’t help with the name but I read a snippet this morning when I was checking to make sure I wasn’t talking out of my a**e. There was a unique 2.4 litre six fitted to Australian Austin and Wolseley saloons which were midway in size between the Farina Cambridge and Westminsters. Source Classic Cars of the 1950s and 1960s – Michael Sedgewick.

Edit: Just remembered an article in Practical Classics a couple of years ago and wondered if it might be the answer. It was.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Freeway

http://www.bluestreaksix.com/

More…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Major

I couldn’t remember which way round the Cowley and Oxford were. The Cowley was the base model, less chrome, no heater etc. Wiki again.

Not convinced. I can’t remember this, nor can I find any reference to Morris Major in the UK market after the mid 1930s.

Australia had the name after the war 1950s > 1960s

Moggy

That’s what I meant Rob. Austin Lancer and Morris Major were for the Antipodeans.
I’ve no idea where to find a reference now but I think the original idea was for a sort of Super Minor, for which Morris Major would probably have been as good a name as any. BMC decided to push it further upmarket for home sales, possibly because the Minor was selling so well and it could have taken sales away, upped the trim and bolted various goodies on and sold it/them as Wolseleys and Rileys.

Edit: Oxford was the four-pot, Isis was the six.

Morris Major IIRC too. Jellymould floorpan with a new body and bigger engine. My Riley didn’t have the extra hole in the front, although there was at least one non-original one underneath. Didn’t have the numbers or tape either…

Great little car actually, I wish I’d still got it.