Princess 1800ST
Leyland never really considered a performance version of the Princess a necessity in the range, but Leyland’s Special Tuning division decided that it would be an interesting diversion for the B-Series 1800 Princess. Taking the standard Princess 1800, Leyland ST added a pair of SU twin carburettors, a modified tubular exhaust manifold and a redesigned air cleaner box. The parts were available as a complete kit costing £147.42 including VAT and could be fitted by the owner or dealer.
Performance was significantly increased over the standard 1800 and the 2200 six:
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In fact the 1800ST was actually faster to 90mph than the similarly tuned MGB.
The Princess 1800ST was completely standard inside and out and no effort was made to make this version stand out; there were no special graphics or badges to denote the fact this was a sports Princess. Not even a rev counter was added to add an air of sportiness.
No figures are available to show how many of these versions were specified, but you can bet that there are absolutely none left at all now; a standard 1800 Princess is now rare in itself so the chances of finding an 1800ST are slim indeed.
