Morris Marina Overview: Specs, Generations and Which Version to Buy
Full morris marina specs guide: a rear-wheel-drive coupe built from 1971 to 1980 with 37–95 hp engines, covering its generation and the best versions to buy.
The Morris Marina is a rear-wheel-drive coupe produced from 1971 to 1980, with outputs ranging from 37 to 95 hp across five manual-gearbox modifications. If you are hunting for morris marina specs, the short version is: one generation, one body style, simple manual transmissions throughout — a straightforward classic for drivers who want an uncomplicated 1970s British coupe.
Morris Marina generations
1 generation (1971–1980)
The first and only generation of the Morris Marina ran from 1971 to 1980, offered exclusively as a coupe with rear-wheel drive and manual gearboxes. Power spans 37 to 95 hp across 5 modifications. The Morris Marina 1.7 MT (1 generation) was the mass-market version, delivering 72 hp from a 1698 cc engine and reaching 100 km/h in 12.0 seconds. At the top of the range, the Morris Marina 1.8 MT (1 generation) produces 95 hp from a 1798 cc engine with 11.0 seconds to 100 km/h. The entry point is the Morris Marina 1.5 MT (1 generation), a 37 hp diesel with a 1489 cc engine and a leisurely 30.0-second sprint.
Which Morris Marina to buy
- 1.8 MT (95 hp) (1 generation): the strongest engine in the lineup at 95 hp, and the quickest at 11.0 seconds to 100 km/h from its 1798 cc unit.
- 1.7 MT (1 generation): the mass-market choice with 72 hp and a balanced 12.0-second acceleration time — the version you are most likely to find on the used market.
- 1.5 MT (1 generation): the 37 hp diesel with a 1489 cc engine, the smallest displacement in the range for buyers prioritizing modest running character over pace.
Every Morris Marina left production by 1980, so any example today is a decades-old classic; the single generation and manual-only, rear-wheel-drive layout make the range easy to navigate, since every version shares the same basic mechanical formula.
Which Morris Marina to avoid
The Morris Marina 1.5 MT (1 generation) is the clear laggard on paper: 37 hp against 72 hp in the 1.7 MT, and 30.0 seconds to 100 km/h versus 12.0 — two and a half times slower than the mid-range version from the same years. Unless the diesel engine itself is the goal, the 1.7 MT dominates it in every listed performance figure.