1974 Leyland P76 Targa Florio auction

The original owner of the car purchased a Leyland P76 Targa Florio in October 1974.

…at the Shannons Sydney Spring Classic auction on October 10th. It is one of 900 limited edition P76s produced in 1974 to commemorate the victory on a stage of a near standard P76 in the 1974 World Cup Rally.

Driven by Australian Evan Green, the V8-powered Australian Rover P76 surprised many with its speed at the Targa Florio round in Sicily, Italy. History shows that the P76 was the right car at the wrong time.

Built by Leyland Australia to compete with the large family cars of the Ford Falcon, Holden Kingswood and Chrysler Valiant of that era, it won the coveted Wheel Car of the Year award in 1973 before a global fuel crisis forced the big cars of the type out of favor with buyers.

Today, however, the P76 is as much a symbol of 1970s style as big collars, flared trousers and platform shoes, and is gaining recognition as an automotive icon of the muscle car era.

Each Targa Florio model was equipped with a 4.4-liter V8 alloy engine, automatic transmission, power steering and limited slip differential. But only 100 were painted in Aspen Green, like the original Shannon is putting up for auction.

The original owner of the car had been with BMC-Leyland for over 30 years and purchased his Leyland P76 Targa Florio in October 1974. It is still in excellent original condition, the car has been garaged all its life and is believed to have only driven 71,450 km since purchase.

It is sold with many original papers including a detailed repair and maintenance manual. The P76 Targa Florio is expected to sell for between $8000 and $12,000.