Not Land Rovers - but...

[Kuno]

...somehow I cannot avoid the impression that Austin and Morris tried to copy the LR. It is now 10 years ago that I saw them on a Libyan scrapeyard. Have no clue what thes two cars were. It looks to me as if it would have been the same car but built by two companies. Would be nice, if somebody could enlight me in this subject..

[Tony B]

They are Austin Gipsey's. they look like the G4M15 long wheel base model from about 1960 to 1968. As my first car was Gipsy G4M10 SWB, excuse me shedding a tear. I notice the engine and gear box have gone. Proably in something else they running gear was superb.

[Kuno]

This was really a "quick reply"! Thanks. Was the Morris then as well a "Gipsy"?

[Tony B]

Moris and Austin all became part of The British Motor corparation B.M.C. They were sold under diffrent badges. I don't know of a Gipsy sold under the Morris name. The main problem was the steel body work rusted, yours seem to have survived. Over here about the only ones left are from the old civil defence corp fleet.

[andrewroberts.1953]

Hi, yes both are the same, differant badge. MOD bought a few, with modifications for testing. But the land Rover won out in the end. Some of the Gypsies I seem to recall had rubber (Molton ltd) springs. I did have a mountain rescuce ambulance, Ex-RAF for a while.

I seem to recall, the half shafts were a bit on the thin side. but the engine and gearbox were of the brick outhouse proportions!

[Kuno]

It's really strange that cars BUILT for offroad use are suffering from rust more than the normal street cars (made the same experience with my Landrover when I had it for 3 years at the coast near Benghazi - much more corrosion than the normal streetcars we had :-()

[Tony B]

The early Gipsys had a flat front and were fitted with Flexitor indesuspension. Rubber stuff. Wasn't a success, the later G4s had standard leaf springs. I always found them far superior to land Rovers in relaibility and comfort. My old lady lived on Jersey, an Island 11 miles long by 5 miles wide. Rust on her was never a problem, despite spending a lot of time at the sea side. Sold her when I went to college, the stupid things we do when young. The other bunch that had one on the Island were the St Helier Traffic Wardens. :shake: There was also a Mk1 and a long wheel base M15. The Morris name must have been export only then?

[Adam Elsdon]

I have a LWB G4M15 Austin Gipsy, i believe the Morris was a badged export version.

The straighter one of the two looks to have quite good bodywork, which was the main failing of these vehicles. As mentioned above, the mechanicals and chassis are bomb proof, but the steel bodywork dissolved readily!

Excellent off-road, selectable four-wheel drive on the move at speed with a choice of rear or front wheel drive. Alot of them had a compressor on the gearbox to inflate your tyres, and they had alot of Power Take Off options.

Killed off when British Leyland amalgamated everything, including Rover.

The perfect combination would of been later Chassis/Drive train from the Gipsy, with the Aluminium bodywork of the Land Rover!

Word has it that Land Rover engineers were glad they went, as it was a good bit of kit before it got axed.

[Tony B]

You've just revealed my 'Lottery Project' :argh: It would be a great combi ally body on Gipsy running gear, especailly the old 2.2 disiel. The beauty was, though it was not on the vehicle selection plate, the handbook told you how to engae front whel drive only, that got me out of some holes. the other thing was the front hubs on some had a capstan shape, you could sling a cople of ropes round them and pull out. why Land Rover never adapted tha bit I don't know, probaly beacuse they were to busy spreading stories about the chassis breacking.

[Adam Elsdon]

You've just revealed my 'Lottery Project' :argh: It would be a great combi ally body on Gipsy running gear, especailly the old 2.2 disiel. The beauty was, though it was not on the vehicle selection plate, the handbook told you how to engae front whel drive only, that got me out of some holes. the other thing was the front hubs on some had a capstan shape, you could sling a cople of ropes round them and pull out. why Land Rover never adapted tha bit I don't know, probaly beacuse they were to busy spreading stories about the chassis breacking.

 

What were they breaking the chassis with..... a tank! Croc has a large number of Gipsy's and associated stuff, and all the chassis are in very good condition, partly due to their construction as they have Oval shaped members, the mud has nowhere to sit or hold onto.

Austin obviously didnt want to lower themselves and point out the easily rotted out rear cross member and outriggers on the Land Rover product!

[v8 bubba]

they were awfull diesels in standard form they always ended up adicted to easy start we put a 3.8 six cylinder in ours ...much better

[Tony B]

I had an old 2.2 BMC disiel in a Land Rover, yes it became addicted to easy start, when we took the head off you could move the pistons about with a finger tip. Thing it the engine was still running, once started it just kept chugging.

[v8 bubba]

yup thats how they were before putting the 3.8 in my uncle george fittid some tube that went from the cab to the inlet manifold so he could use the easy start without messing with the bonnet

[Adam Elsdon]

The petrol engine is nice, lovely and smooth!

[v8 bubba]

it is realy nice to see the odd one about again since a few resrve one were sold i never understood why when british leyland was created that then never shared the best of the land rover and the gypsy

in stead of the rather compromised product of aunty rover

[Smithy]

Attached is a pic of my dads Gypsy. Whenever anyone asks about it we always say that Land Rover brought them out as the Gypsy was far better then a LR and they were worried about them :-D thats why they were only built for a short space of time. :tup::

[Kuno]

Sounds logical - the Gypsy was the better choice so they continued the Landrover. Not logical - but I think that such is more the common case than the exception if companies are merged together...

[Adam Elsdon]

Land Rover had already sold a stack before the Gipsy appeared, and by the time of the merger into BL they really had sold alot of Land Rovers compared to the newer Gipsy, so i suppose it was easier to kill off the Gipsy, however they maybe should of retained some of the ideas......but then the british car industry was starting to go into its death throes, so it will always be another "What if".

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

I think a mish mash of the two would of ended up looking like an arsefart,its the new word down here for anything thats a bit,well you know,like an arsefart,:rofl:

[ted angus]

Land Rover had already sold a stack before the Gipsy appeared, and by the time of the merger into BL they really had sold alot of Land Rovers compared to the newer Gipsy, so i suppose it was easier to kill off the Gipsy, however they maybe should of retained some of the ideas......but then the british car industry was starting to go into its death throes, so it will always be another "What if".

 

Having driven Series 1, 2, 2A, 3 90s, 110s plus the later defender 90s & 110s give me my GIPSY anyday, mine has flexitor on the front, a far better ride than any Series Landie, a far better chassis, far better engine and transmission, although the Army merely trialled a few, hundreds of Gipsys were purchased by the Home Office for the AFS, CD and Police Mobile columns. My Gipsy will happily cruise at 50 fully laden towing a 10cwt trailer pump.

[Tony B]

Also much prettier, that was part of the problem. the curves in the body work made manufactuer and repair that bit more difficult and expensive than flat sides.

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

Well said ted,we speed evented a petrol having done some work on the cyl head,it was great and surprised a lot of people,The flexitor wasnt up to it though.My brother inlaw wrote off a hard top on the garage doors at eustace watkins in chelsea,it wasnt high enough up,he roared up the ramp and remembered to late.it was one belonging to the BBC for there safari trips.Later on it got its own back while working on the rear axle something slipped and knocked two of his teeth out.

[Adam Elsdon]

I think a mish mash of the two would of ended up looking like an arsefart,its the new word down here for anything thats a bit,well you know,like an arsefart,:rofl:

 

Mmm, a Gipsy with Swedish designed Hydrofoils, used during the war and perfected by the russians to use ground effect:idea:

 

If you are reading this and dont understand what im on about.........dont worry about it, it will only make your head hurt..:cool2: