THE MOST UNLIKELY CHERISHED CLASSIC CAR: TIME-WARP MORRIS ITAL WITH 4,550 MILES ON THE CLOCK HEADS TO AUCTION - AND COULD SELL FOR £10K...

It's not uncommon for car owners to keep a particular vehicle for decades and cherish it for as long as possible, often in the hope that its value will soar in the future.

However, it seems unlikely that someone would do this with the often maligned Morris Ital, a motor notoriously considered one of the worst ever produced by British Leyland.

But that's exactly the case here with a 1981 Ital 1.3 HL four-door saloon, which had one owner for 36 years before it was sold to a neighbour who has been the custodian ever since.

With just 4,550 miles on the clock - an average of just 108 miles per year since it was built - it is likely the least-used Ital left on the road. It will soon be heading to auction and is expected to sell for between £7,000 and £10,000.

Ask petrol heads who remember being behind the wheel in the 1970s and 1980s, and they will tell you that Morris's Marina and Ital were among the worst vehicles produced in that period by any car maker - let alone the troubled British Leyland brand.

That's because the Marina was designed both in a hurry and on a slender budget, built in haste to provide something to compete with the market-leading Ford Escort and Cortina.

The biggest corner-cutting of all was the torsion bar front suspension from the Morris Minor – the car it was meant to replace – which made it understeer and bounce around on rough roads. 

This was soon fixed with some tweaks and the Marina's biggest flaw then simply became its overall mediocrity.

In an effort to invigorate sales, Morris launched its replacement in 1981 with a fashionable new name.

'Ital' was used to reflect the saloon's connection with famous and flashy Italian engineering firm Italdesign, which reportedly came up with the styling. In truth, it was the work of British Leyland's chief stylist Harris Mann. 

And the reality was the Ital was almost no different to the lacklustre Marina.

The only major update was to the exterior design with bigger headlights, while the bland engines, ropey mechanicals and yawn-inducing interior were unchanged.

Unsurprisingly, it was deemed outdated when it hit showrooms. 

Most Itals were manufactured in the UK - at both Cowley in Oxfordshire and Longbridge in Birmingham - although some were produced in Portugal.

Build quality problems were commonly reported - mainly rapid cases of rust - earning the Ital a distinctly poor reputation, as per many British Leyland products of the era.

It didn't last long on the market, disappearing from sale just four years after it arrived.

The Ital was the last production car to sport the Morris badge (its successor was the Austin Montego) - and it's become a largely forgotten model since.

Yet despite its uninspiring history, one owner believed it was worth keeping hold of this Ital for as long as possible.

The pristine 1300 HL four-door is finished in Vermillion orange with a Charcoal half-vinyl and half-cloth interior and was delivered to the first keeper back in 1981.

He retained it until 2017. It was then that he bequeathed the dry-stored motor to his neighbour who has kept it ever since.

According to HowManyLeft.co.uk, just 55 Itals remain on the road today. And this is almost certain to be the best surviving example - and the least driven.

The odometer displays just 4,548 miles from new which, according to auction house Classic Car Auctions (CCA), is absolutely correct.

Under the bonnet is the tried and tested 1,275cc 'A-Series' four-cylinder petrol engine - and the bay looks absolutely spotless, just like the rest of this British classic's exterior and cabin. 

Although the logbook states three keepers, in essence it is just the first gentleman and then the vendor. 

It comes with some original documentation and shows a sticker in the rear window for Ziebart - a US firm that produces rust-proofing products - which has clearly helped to preserve this time-warp Ital.

In the boot is the original spare wheel, foot pump, jack and a Haynes Ital manual. 

It will be offered to the highest bidder without reserve on Saturday, December 9, at CCA's Christmas Sale at the Warwickshire Event Centre.

Simon Langsdale, of CCA, said: 'This is an interesting car given it’s history in that one man and then his wife had it for years before it was bequeathed to their neighbour. 

'It really is a time-warp example, much like the lovely Beetle we sold in our recent sale, and so we are excited to see what this cracking car might achieve.

'It's almost certainly the very best and most original one to exist today, anywhere in the world, so we will be keeping a keen eye on its result on the day.

'It certainly has the potential to be the most valuable Ital ever sold. 

'A very modest estimate would be £7,000 to £10,000. But as we many classic car collectors know, if enough people want it, any price is possible at auction!'

The original sale price for a 1.3-litre Ital was £4,000 when new in 1981 (the bigger-engined 1.7 Ital was £5,533), which British Leyland made clear in advertising by saying it 'cost less to buy than an equivalent Ford Escort saloon'.

Using the This is Money inflation calculator, £4,000 in 1981 is £20,432 in today's money... 

As the age-old saying goes: One man's trash is another man's treasure. 

2023-11-08T12:10:15Z dg43tfdfdgfd