Alongside their trademark convertibles, Crayford were beginning to produce "estate car" conversions in the 1960s, the more apposite term "hatchback" not really having been coined at this stage.
The Crayford 1800 Estate offered up to 100 cu ft of load space, and could be ordered as a full conversion (seen here) for £180, or without the rear hatch for half that cost. In 1975, Crayford gave the same treatment to the 1800's replacement, the new wedge-shaped 18-22 series (see the Princess gallery).
The text and photos below are taken from Crayford's own promotional material for the car.
BMC (Crayford) 1800 Estate
The BMC 1800, when converted to estate car form, offers a set of specifications believed to be unmatched by any other British-built estate car either in its price range or outside it.
In such matters as payload platform level (ie: the distance from the road to the base of any weight carried) which are critical where stability and high-speed touring are concerned, we have been unable to trace any other estate car built in any country which carries its load so low, in such an ideal and safe position. This is not the result of the conversion, but the by-product of the thoroughly advanced original engineering design of this particular car.
There are numerous other exceptional features: it has the longest rear floor of any British estate car, and also the largest loading aperture, and is the only one with instantly removable rear seats. The specially designed roof rack is exceptionally strong, and is quickly detachable – it also does not rely on resting on the rain gutters.
As the 1800 already offers first-class space/value for money, the finished product as an estate car becomes a vehicle of exceptional versatility and load carrying capacity, at a price far below anything with which one could begin to compare it.
BMC 1800 Crayford Estate Car conversion pirce list
| Austin 1800 MkII | £ s d | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic car | 998 | 15 | 0 |
| Automatic transmission | 98 | 7 | 10 |
| Power Assisted Steering | 41 | 4 | 2 |
| Complete Crayford conversion | 180 | 0 | 0 |
| Interior conversion only | 95 | 0 | 0 |
| Wolseley 18/85 | £ s d | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic car (PAS standard) | 1081 | 16 | 1 |
| Automatic transmission | 98 | 7 | 10 |
| Complete Crayford conversion | 187 | 0 | 0 |
| Interior conversion only | 95 | 0 | 0 |
| Optional extras | £ s d | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof rack | 9 | 15 | 0 |
| Floor extensions | 5 | 15 | 0 |
| Airflow extractors (standard on complete conversion) | 9 | 0 | 0 |
(All prices include Purchase Tax)
Click here to see an original dealer advert for the Crayford 1800 Estate.
