~1990
1976 was peak automotive malaise. California emissions requirements plus British Leyland’s commitment to quality plus a Solex downdraft carburetor equals an adventure in human patience.
I drove it from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back. It overheated at the Grapevine, which is the hill on the I-5 between the Central Valley and Los Angeles and apparently the natural enemy of British roadsters. I waited at the top for it to cool down. The downhill speed was 55mph. The uphill speed was aspirational.
By comparison, a cracked-block 1962 Land Rover pickup later drove from San Diego to Los Cabos and back without incident. This is a meaningful data point about which engineering culture understood desert climates.