First P76 built from tooling in Australia

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2003 11:51:18 +0800

The Mentiplay family has tracked down and purchased the first P76 built from tooling in Australia. The car was a Planning Build Car and carries a prototype number which is YX 410.

It was hand assembled by Leyland with the intention as Hal states in his book of the engineers working out how long various parts would take to be built on the assembly line. Bruce Elson from Leyland has confirmed the car as being the first built and used the car as his own company vehicle from November 1973 until the Leyland closure from which he bought the car for himself until selling it in 1976.

The car is a Bold as Brass Super V8 with T Bar Auto, it has factory air and power steering and a parchment interior. According to Bruce the car also featured in Wheels magazine in some of the scoop shots in early 1973 as well as in the "Carmakers" chase sequence at the end of the movie.

The car differs from the production P76's in a number of ways, it has no jacking plates in the sills, different bonnet pressing as well extra gauges in the centre console and different roof lining among other things.

We feel the car is of enormous significance because not only is it the first Australian built P76 (the early prototypes were built in England) but is the only surviving P76 prototype.

We found the car in Wollongong late last year after over 12 months of looking and it has just arrived in Perth after protracted negotiations with the former owner. It will now be undergoing a restoration before spending the rest of it's life in Perth.

The photo shows a small difference in the bonnet pressing. At the top of the bonnet is a key hole shaped hole that is cut into the boonet, this was done after the car was assembled to allow the bonnet to close with the windscreen motor fitted.

Production cars have a 4x4 inch depression or indentation (about 1 inch deep) moulded into the bonnet to allow for the motor.

The photos shows the different location of the air vents in the hood lining next to the C Pillar.

The boot seal attached to the body as opposed to the boot lid as per normal.

On the loading lip Leyland has finished it off with a garnish panel to protect the paint work. The garnish panel is made of the same mesh alloy as the early sill plates that leaked the water into the cabin.

Bruce Elson who had this car as his company vehicle could have changed the boot seal himself later on down the track.

Bruce was in charge of the Leyland Task Force that was developing better dust proofing for the P76. He was also heavily involved in the Mark 2 P76 and has sent us documentation showing his proposals to Leyland for changes that should be made for the Mark 2.

• In the previous photo
  
  
  
  you will see the badges on the front guards are fitted exactly on the waiste line, on the production models it was changed to be about 3 inches above the waiste line.
• The lack of jacking points under the sill.
• A different floor pan pressing from behind the front seats back.
• No holes drilled in B Pillar for front door bump stops.
• Different location for heater hose holes in fire wall.
• No depression in spare wheel well on left hand side to allow for spare wheel to sit lower in well.
• Different insulation on fire wall.
• Differences in internal rear wheel arch ( single skin).

There are more differences that we are still finding as we strip the car for restoration which I will inform you of as they come to light.
Please email James Mentiplay if you need to know further information.