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The Marina was a model of car manufactured by the Morris division of British Leyland throughout the 1970s, a period of great turbulence and difficulty for the British car industry. The model has been widely identified as symptomatic of the problems facing the industry at that time, with poor build quality and outdated design, especially in its Ital incarnation, which over-extended the lifetime of the design.

The Marina was originally developed under the ADO 28 codename. It was in production from 1971 to 1983. In Australia, it was known as the Leyland Marina, in New Zealand as the Morris 1700 (for 1979– 81), and in South Africa as the Austin Marina. It was also, briefly and unsuccessfully, sold in North America, as the Austin Marina in Canada and Austin America in the United States.

The Marina was unadventurous, being based on tried and trusted BMC componentry taken straight from the Morris MinorThe Morris Minor was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show on 20 September 1948, and attracted immediate attention as a completely new model with a revolutionary design. It was the work of a team led by Alec Issigonis, who later designed the Mini. Sir Al and MGBThe word MGB has several different meanings: MGB (USSR) was a predecessor of the KGB (secret police). MGB is also is a model of MG car.. It was designed by Roy Haynes , the same man who did the Ford CortinaThe Ford Cortina was a car sold by Ford of Britain. The Cortina was produced in five generations (Mark I through Mark V—though officially the last one was the Cortina 1980) from 1962 until 1982, when it was replaced by the Ford Sierra. From 1970 it was al Mk II, with which it shares some stylistic similarities. The engines were the venerable B-Series units in 1.3 and 1.8 capacities, with rear wheels being driven through a live axleSolid axle and Panhard rod on a 2002 Mazda MPV A live-axle (also called solid-axle beam or dead-axle suspension is an automobile suspension that uses a single-piece axle to connect the front or rear wheels, side-to-side. This contrasts with an independent. It featured torsion bar suspension at the front and leaf-spring suspension at the rear, and three body styles, saloon (sedan), estate (station wagon), and coupéBuick Riviera coupe A coupe (or coup is a two or four-seater car with a fixed roof and two doors. The style is generally used for sportier models in a manufacturer's range. In the 19th century, a coupe was a carriage with two doors enclosing seating for t. The TC versions were equipped with twin carburettors for extra performance.

The car was popular with families and undemanding car buyers, and was available in the typical BL colours of the day—brown, beige, dark green and a funky metallic ’70s purple. It was intended to be a competitor to the generally similar Ford CortinaThe Ford Cortina was a car sold by Ford of Britain. The Cortina was produced in five generations (Mark I through Mark V—though officially the last one was the Cortina 1980) from 1962 until 1982, when it was replaced by the Ford Sierra. From 1970 it was al, Vauxhall VivaThe Viva was a model of car produced by Vauxhall Motors in a variety of models from 1963 to 1979. The models were known as the HA, the HB and the HC series. HA Viva The Viva HA ( 1963- 1966) was a small, rather boxy car with a 1057cc engine. The 4 cylinde and Hillman HunterThe Hillman Hunter was a sedan automobile produced by the Rootes Group (later Chrysler Europe) from 1966 to 1979. Known internally within Rootes as the "Arrow" range, it was intended to be the Coventry-based company's entry in the mid-sized family segment.

BL was beset with problems stemming from industrial action throughout the period, and the Marina was one of a number of models that suffered accordingly. While the BL workers gradually eroded their own employment, manufacturers in Europe and Japan introduced new and innovative designs (such as the VW Golf) that the Marina and its like were never likely to compete with.

There were changes however, albeit small ones. A small facelift in 1976 gave the Marina new radiator grilles and dashboard, and the overhead camshaft O-series engine (from the Leyland Princess) appeared in 1.7 litre form in 1978.

Under severe financial strain, BL was bailed out by the government in the late ’70s, and Sir Michael Edwardes was brought in to oversee the company. Under his leadership, BL made an attempt to update the Marina, by enlisting the help of Giorgetto Giugiaro's ItalDesign . ItalDesign, however, did not design the car, which was an in-house product—it merely productionized it. The result of this exercise, the 1980 Morris Ital features large rear lamp clusters and a new front end, but the 1971 vintage of the design was woefully obvious. The Ital was short-lived and was replaced by the Austin Montego in early 1984.