The Leyland P76 Targa Florio

By Stuart Livesey on Sep 23, 2011 in Vintage and Veteran

For most people the Leyland P76 was one very forgettable car and even though it somehow managed to win the Wheels Car of the Year award in 1973 it was not much of a car really.

Sure the design fitted right in during the early 1970s and it was built here in Australia to compete with the Kingswoods, Valiants and Falcons of the time but for most people it was a dog that really suffered from poor quality control.

Despite all of its problems there were still people who thought that the Leyland P76 was the greatest thing since sliced bread and one of my mates at the time thought that it was the most wonderful car he had ever purchased … but then he always was a little crazy.

Another guy I know takes great delight in pointing out that the P76 was the only sedan that you could fit a 44 gallon drums in the boot and still close the lid.

Yes it was a strange car that attracted strange people and its one moment of fame came during the 1974 Word Cup Rally when Evan Green drove a Rover V8 powered P76 to a win in the Targa Florio stage in Sicily.

It was only one stage but that was enough for Leyland and to celebrate they produced the limited edition P76 Targa Florio sedan. Each Targa Florio came with a 4.4-litre all alloy V8 complete with automatic transmission, power steering and a limited slip diff and it seems that’s enough to qualify it as a muscle car.

900 of the P76 Targa Florio were built but very few of them remain today and one of those that have survived just happens to be coming up for auction in Sydney at Shannons Spring Auction on October 10.

This particular Targa Florio has been owned since new by just one person … it’s always been garaged … it’s done around 71,450km since new … and if you have somewhere between $8,000 and $12,000 it could be yours.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Leyland P76 then follow this link … they even have a photo of a very rare P76 station wagon.

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Comments (2)

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James Mentiplaysays:

October 11, 2011 at 1:30 am

Hi Stuart, I would have thought a website called Aussie Motoring would have at least known it’s facts before writing an article like this.

Please share with me why the P76 was “not much of a car”? Being a better vehicle than it’s competitors (a view shared by the motoring press at the time) would have made it a bit more than “not much of a car”. Unless of course Holden, Ford and Chrysler were building cars that were nothing at all.
You make mention that the P76 winning one stage of the World Cup Rally in 1974 was enough for Leyland to make a special model, however the P76 won more than one stage in that particular rally. In fact it was leading the rally for well over half the event until errors in the pace notes leading into the Sahara scuttled it’s chances of winning. Maybe you could read the book “A Boot of Right Arms” written by Evan Green who drove the car in the event. I am sure you would have heard of Evan, he like you was a motoring journalist and was a massive fan of the P76. The only difference though between you and Evan was that he researched his material.
Speaking of research, and your complete lack of it, 480 Targa Florio’s were built in total by Leyland – not the 900 you or Shannons claim. A simple search on the internet (oops, that means research) would have provided the facts. One last question, you claim “very few remain today” of the Targa Florio, where do get this fact from?
Just a guess, but I think you made it up. I very seriously doubt you reseached (there is that word again) the actual figures for how many Targa’s survive. However, I will do you your job for you and provide that actual figure. Of the 480 that were built, 360 still survive, and over 70% of that 360 are still on the road. I guess your quip about “very
few remain today” was a bit wide of the mark, just like the rest of this little article.
Do your readership a favour Stuart, when writing one of your poorly reaseached articles, please steer clear of great cars like the P76.
Cheers, James Mentiplay

Stuart Liveseysays:

October 11, 2011 at 5:05 am

Hello James

Thanks for your comments … it’s always good to hear from someone who is enthusiastic about the vehicle in question and from your email address it is clear that you’re a fan of the P76.

You’re also comment reminded me that I needed to add the link at the end of the piece to a site that has more information about the P76.

While my comment that the P76 “wasn’t much of a car” obviously upset you I don’t make any apologies for it. That comment was based on chats I had with P76 owners back when the vehicle was new … and my own observations at the time (yes I am that old).

Sure those people I talked with loved the car but they didn’t like the fact that body panels fitted poorly … dash trim began to peel early in the car’s life … and the car leaked in numerous places.

To be fair the P76 could have been a much better car if Leyland had kept it in production and sorted out those problems … but they didn’t and we’re left with a car that is what it is. To an enthusiast like they’re a great car … to less enthusiastic people like me they’re no more than an interesting footnote in automotive history.

Stuart