FORCE FIELD

NAMED for a savage summer storm, the Force 7V was to be Leyland’s Monaro. Although a hardtop coupe in profile, the car featured a large rear hatchback, fold-down rear seats and completely bespoke external panels; visually, it shared nothing with the P76 sedan.

Initially conceived in three luxury specs – the six-banger Force 7, midrange manual V8 Force 7V and top-spec luxury automatic Tour de Force – budget constraints meant only the mid-spec model was greenlit for production. In the end though, only a handful were manufactured before the entire project was canned.

Although the press at the time was exuberant about the chances of the Force 7V turning around Leyland’s fortunes, it was never going to save the P76. The aggressive front end was markedly more attractive than that of the sedan, but the moulded plastic nosecone caused significant production issues. Supplier Elmarco took several months to perfect the manufacturing process, as the nosecone distorted as it cured. When viewed from the side, the large glasshouse and low hipline were thoroughly modern, but looked awkward compared to the wide, low coupes with letterbox-slot windows that Aussie buyers were used to.

Gossip abounds regarding the initial amount of built-up Force 7V coupes; official numbers cite nine complete vehicles, 56 near-complete vehicles and a further 47 in various states of assembly. Those within Leyland have since divulged that the number of near-complete cars may have been upwards of 120, hiding offsite in a disused woolshed.

Regardless of the numbers, the survivors are well-documented. A mere 10 cars were saved from the crusher, with one retained by Leyland Australia and another back in England. The remaining eight were sold at auction in September 1975; at the time of publication, all survive.