A 1971 Morris Marina 1.3 Deluxe which has been owned by the same couple since they purchased it in 1973 has been donated to the British Motor Museum at Gaydon.

The Marina, which had been the everyday transport of Mr and Mrs Gooding from Essex for more than 40 years, shows 130,000 miles on the odometer. It has been meticulously maintained during that period and Mr Gooding, who is now in his 80s, wanted his cherished transport car to be looked after and cared for by the British Motor Museum.

The Marina was manufactured by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1971 until 1980. Despite being closely based on the venerable Morris Minor that had preceded it, the Marina was a popular car in Britain throughout its production life, narrowly pipping the Ford Escort to second place in the UK car sales table in 1973 and regularly taking third or fourth place in other years.

Do not be fooled by the badging – the 1.3 Deluxe was base model and would have cost £921 including purchase tax when it was new in 1971.

The workshop at the British Motor Museum has spent the past two weeks preparing and polishing the vehicle before it goes on display, but that was all the the work that was required.