Austin

In March 1975 the 18-22 series was introduced. The number designation 18–22 referred to the engine sizes available carried forward from the 1,798 cc and 2,227 cc ADO17 engines. Styled by Harris Mann, the car’s sharp, wedge-shaped design was bold and distinctive, closely following his original concept. It was offered in three badge-engineered versions under the Austin, Morris and Wolseley marques. Each had its own identity: the Austin featured a simple grille and trapezoidal headlights, while the Morris and Wolseley versions had a raised bonnet with a larger grille and four round headlamps. 

After only a few months, the model range was rationalised. By September 1975, the process of unifying Austin and Morris dealerships was advanced sufficiently, while the Wolseley marque was to be abandoned. Thus the policy of selling seven 18-22 series models under three different marques was changed and the range was reduced to four models all sold under the Princess name. All cars now used the Austin versions flat bonnet and horizontally vaned grille. Build quality of the Princess was affected by poor quality control and constant industrial disputes; it gained a reputation for unreliability it could never shake off, even though quality improved in later years.

1975

In July 1978, the Princess was given a revamp and renamed the Princess 2. The main change was the replacement of the engines. They were now offered in 1,695 cc and 1,993 cc variants. It did not improve sales though; the styling, praised upon introduction, was labelled "ugly". Production of the Princess ceased in November 1981. The car was later revamped as the Austin Ambassador, a hatchback, which was produced from 1981 until 1984 and only available in Britain and Ireland.