First of all, the hydraulic suspensions were connected longitudinally,
otherwise if you went around a turn the suspension would work as a
'roll enahancement device' rather than keeping the car level. It also
worked to help keep the car level going over bumps, the rear wheels
would be pushed as far down as the front ones were pushed up.
They did have a problem with developing leaks. Mine leaked, and what
with the local BMC dealer having the only equipment around to refill it,
and the refill costing ~$20 in 1978.
I actually rather liked the way
that it made the car handle though. The car did ride nice and level
through the turns.
I find it interesting that nobody has mentioned the automatic
transmission in them. Not only did it have a 'normal' automatic
transmission mode, (with 4 speeds), it could also be driven as
a 'normal' 4 speed without need of a clutch. A rather nifty concept,
though perhaps a bit ahead of it's time. I heard ads for a similar
system many years later. Mine was a manual, although I did have a
friend a couple of years earlier who had the automatic.
Another nifty thing about the tranny is the way that it shared the
oil with the engine. Of course if anything wore out in either unit it
left all sorts of bits of metal floating around to chew up the other.
Larry
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