That 'very nice little BMC four banger' they came with didn't have a good reputation here!
It was the Austin A40 engine, about 1250cc I think. Number 3 big end bearing was very suss, and the stinking things always jumped out of third gear (they were a 4-speed) when they weren't too bad, jumped out of first and second as well if they got tired.
If I was going to smarten one up, I'd go for a Nissan/Datsun L16 or similar engine with the accompanying 5-speed.
