1968 AUSTIN 1800

Works prepared at BMC Competition Department in Abingdon

Finished 21st in 1968 London to Sydney Marathon

Finished 11th in 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally

Bearing its original registration number SMO227G

Unrestored and still in World Cup Rally livery

Runs and drives.

Whilst not being the fastest car on the rally scene, in the late Sixties the Austin 1800 “Landcrab” surprised many by proving to be a remarkably durable competitor with the ability to travel very quickly over rough roads thanks to its Hydrolastic suspension. These were just the sort of qualities that suited long distance events like the Safari Rally and the London-Sydney Marathon. In 1968 BMC decided to make a big effort for the London-Sydney event, entering no less than five Austin 1800s.

Four brand new cars were built at the world famous BMC Competition Department in Abingdon. This 1968 Austin 1800 Works Rally Car, one of those four cars prepared specially for the Marathon. ‘SMO227G’ was built from a bare shell for a 3 man crew of Australians - Evan Green, Jack ‘Gelignite’ Murray and George Shepheard. Sporting number 31, Green’s Austin was up with the leaders for a time but a seized wheel bearing on the Australian leg put them out of contention for the win and they ultimately finished a very creditable 21st overall. Paddy Hopkirk, driving ‘SMO226G’ very nearly clinched the victory, finishing second behind Andrew Cowan’s Hillman, and all five of the works 1800s finished the gruelling, 10,000 mile event. Despite what was in reality a fantastic result for the heavy Austins, Lord Stoke was disappointed that they hadn’t won and the works team 1800s were immediately retired from competition.

This car stayed in Australia and was re-registered in New South Wales as ‘ATF 353’. It was entered as a privateer car in the 1969 Southern Cross and Alpine rallies with Greg Garrard. It was then re-registered again as ‘AZN 256’ and prepared by the Leyland Australia Competition Department for the 1970 World Cup Rally, which ran from London to Mexico. Officially, it was a privateer entrant, acting as a back-up car for Evan Green’s Triumph 2. 5 Pi, crewed by Ken Tubman, Andre Welinski and Bob McAuley. Bearing the race number 32, the plucky 1800 should have finished in the top ten but lost time gallantly assisting another entrant after they had crashed and their final placing after 16, 000 miles was 11th.

Sold after the World Cup Rally, it was re-registered again as ‘668 BMM’ and went to live at Gilltrap’s Museum in Coolangatta, Australia, where it stayed for many years. Whilst there it was erroneously displayed as ‘SMO974G’, one of the other London-Sydney cars. It finally made its way home to the UK in 2002 where it was re-registered one last time, returning to its original registration plate of ‘SMO227G’. The previous vendor owned it since 2014 and it formed part of his extensive BMC / British Leyland collection, being a regular on the show scene.

I bought in 2025 with the intention to restore it to endurance rally spec for a specific event but plans have changed. There can be no doubt that this is a rally car that wears its patina with pride, presenting unrestored and in its London-Mexico livery. It looks absolutely fabulous, a world away from a standard Landcrab. It takes a moment to drink in all the details, from the twin spares on the roof to the giant rubber flaps ahead of the front wheels. Highlights in the cabin include a pump for the hydrolastic suspension sitting on the rear shelf, timers, an altimeter on the dash and plexiglass windows. The original fibreglass race seat with runners does come with the car but has been replaced with something more comfortable for driving to shows. The big Austin comes with a stack of paperwork which includes V5C, copy build sheets, lots of papers, photographs and reports covering its rally career, a workshop manual and some invoices. Also included is a copy of the original build sheets prepared for the London-Sydney cars, setting out in great detail the original specification. There is also a box filled with books about the London-Sydney and London-Mexico rallies, a spare set of keys and three Minilite wheels. It’s rare to find a works rally car with such great provenance.

This Landcrab is able to boast that it is the only car to complete both the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon and the 1970 World Cup Rally, two of the longest and most demanding rallies ever run. That it remains unrestored but still in such great, useable condition is just the icing on the cake. This represents a golden opportunity to buy a piece of motorsport history.