Austin Princess
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- For the 1970s car produced by British Leyland and referred to on certain markets as the "Austin Princess", see Princess (car).
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| Manufacturer | Austin/BMC |
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| Production | 1947-1968 |
| Predecessor | Austin Sheerline |
| Successor | within BL, the Daimler DS420 |
| Body style(s) | 2-door panel van 4-door saloon 4-door limousine |
The Austin Princess was a series of luxury cars made by the Austin company from the 1940s to the 1960s.
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[edit] Princess naming
The original A125 Austin Sheerline introduced in 1947 was assembled by Austin at their Longbridge factory. In addition to this, Vanden Plas in their North London works bodied a model based on the Sheerline which was sold as the Austin Princess. However, from August 1957 the "Austin" part of the badging was dropped, so although Austin was producing a Princess, it was no longer the Austin Princess by name. From May 1960 the Vanden Plas marque was applied in front of "Princess". Later, the Vanden Plas Princess was revived as a single model of the Leyland Princess range, built by British Leyland (BL) in the 1970s and initially sold through Austin and other dealerships; this car was never actually badged Austin Princess in the UK (though it was in some export markets) and is commonly referred to as simply the Princess.
[edit] Austin A135 - Sheerline-based Austin Princess
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| Manufacturer | Austin/BMC |
|---|---|
| Production | 1947-1956 1910 made |
| Engine(s) | 3995 cc 6 cylinder overhead-valve |
| Wheelbase | 132 in (3,353 mm)(long wheel base)[1] |
| Length | 215 in (5,461 mm)(long wheel base)[1] |
| Width | 74 in (1,880 mm)[1] |
| Height | 70 in (1,778 mm)[1] |
The first Austin Princess was launched in 1947 as the most expensive flagship model in the Austin range. Based on the Austin Sheerline, the Princess (model code A135) featured a body by the coachbuilder Vanden Plas and was a fairly large saloon or limousine. Not a popular model with the general public, most Princesses (and Sheerlines, for that matter) were bought for civic ceremonial duties or by hire companies as limousines for hire.
The Princess model was updated over the years through Mark I, Mark II and Mark III versions, the variations being fairly minor: the bodywork didn't change much, nor did the 4-litre straight-6 engine. The radiator was fairly upright in old-fashioned style and the car had separate front wings.
During the life of this model (in 1952), Austin became part of the British Motor Corporation (BMC).
A long wheelbase version tested by The Motor magazine in 1953 had a top speed of 79 mph (127 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 23.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of 15.1 miles per imperial gallon (18.7 L/100 km; 12.6 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £2480 including taxes. [1]
 Austin A135 |
 Princess conversion |
[edit] Princess IV — no longer badged as an Austin
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| Production | 1956-1968 200 made |
|---|---|
| Engine(s) | 3995 cc 6 cylinder overhead-valve |
| Wheelbase | 132 in (3,353 mm)(long wheel base)[2] |
| Length | 215 in (5,461 mm)(long wheel base)[2] |
| Width | 73 in (1,854 mm)[2] |
| Height | 70 in (1,778 mm)[2] |
1956 saw a new Princess Mk IV. This more modern styled car had more "integrated" front wings in the modern style, but was little changed under the skin. This model lasted until 1959; though subsequently the large, specialised limousine version continued to be built by hand in limited numbers as the Vanden Plas 4-Litre Princess Limousine, surviving until 1968. After this time, with many British marques by then being part of British Leyland, the Jaguar-based Daimler DS420 was the sole limousine offered as part of the new, slightly rationalised range. This had been foreseen in 1966 when British Motor Holdings (BMH) had brought BMC and Jaguar together, and stopped development at Vanden Plas of the potential successor car. The limousine was luxuriously appointed with lots of polished wood, optional Mohair rugs and radio with controls in the armrest. Among the long list of available extras were monograms and a flagstaff. The driving compartment was separated from the rear of the car by a division with an optional telephone for the passengers to communicate with the driver. The driving seat was finished in leather but the rear seats were trimmed in cloth, the usual arrangement on many luxury cars of the time. To increase seating capacity two occasional seats could be folded out of the floor.
The car had independent coil suspension at the front with semi elliptic leaf springs and anti roll bar at the rear. The cam and peg type steering gear had optional power assistance.
An automatic Limousine was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1962 and had a top speed of 86.2 mph (138.7 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 23.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of 15.8 miles per imperial gallon (17.9 L/100 km; 13.2 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £3473 including taxes. [2]
[edit] Pininfarina-designed Vanden Plas Princesses
 1965 Vanden Plas Princess. |
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| Production | 1959-1964 12,703 made |
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| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon |
| Engine(s) | 2.9 L C-Series I6 |
| Wheelbase | 84 in (2134 mm)[3]1959 - 1961 86 in (2184 mm)[4] 1961 - 1964 |
| Length | 187.75 in (4769 mm)[3] |
| Width | 68.5 in (1740 mm)[3] |
| Height | 59 in (1499 mm)[3] |
In 1959 a new Austin A99 Westminster-based Princess was launched. These vehicles were soon changed to bear the Vanden Plas name which became a badge-engineered marque in its own right (rather than being known as coachbuilder for the cars of other marques). The car was smaller than the previous Princess and was largely identical to the Austin A99 Westminster and other models using the same Pininfarina-designed bodyshell. It featured a Vanden Plas grille (fairly square, with a thick surround and vertical slats), round headlamps, and horn grilles on the front. The interior was lavish in typical Vanden Plas style, featuring burr walnut wood trim, leather seats and panels, and high-quality carpeting. A division between the driver and the rear compartment was an optional extra. Power was a 3-litre unit developing 108 hp (81 kW)[3].
A Princess with automatic transmission was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1961 and had a top speed of 99.3 mph (159.8 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 16.1 seconds. A fuel consumption of 21.1 miles per imperial gallon (13.4 L/100 km; 17.6 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1467 including taxes. [3]
This model was replaced in 1961 by the Vanden Plas Princess Mark II. Styling was similar but the wheelbase was two inches (5 cm) longer[4] and anti-roll bars were added to the suspension at both ends of the car[4]. The engine was uprated to 120 hp (89 kW). Better brakes were fitted, and interior improvements included built-in drop-down "picnic tables" for the rear seat passengers. Options now included "Smith's air-conditioning"[4].
This model lasted until 1964.
 Vanden-Plas Princess 3-litre |
 Rear view showing finned tail |
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[edit] Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R
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| Production | 1964-1968 6781 made |
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| Engine(s) | 3909 cc 6 cylinder overhead inlet side exhaust valve |
In August 1964[4] the Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R was announced. The biggest change was under the bonnet, where a new 4-litre Rolls-Royce straight-6 engine was fitted — hence the "R" in the name. The 3,909 cc over-square Rolls-Royce engine was a short-stroke version of a Rolls-Royce engine similar to that used for certain military vehicles, and boosted claimed power output to 175 bhp "gross" which provided a considerable performance increase, accompanied by wider tires, a much higher final drive ratio and the standard inclusion of the US built Borg-Warner Model 8 Automatic transmission[4].
The Princess R was presented at the London Motor Show in October 1964. Externally, the styling was more rounded and the tailfins replaced by small corner-ridges. This car was the only mass-produced civilian vehicle ever to use a Rolls-Royce engine. It grew from a project which had foreseen a need for a relatively compact, mass-produced Rolls Royce; prototypes were made using the Austin-engineered central portion of the Vanden Plas, with restyled Rolls Royce and Bentley panels front and rear; neither of these models made it into production, partly due to the introduction of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.
The Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R lasted for 4 years, killed off by BMC in 1968 (just ahead of the transition to British Leyland) after about 6,555 had been built.
 Vanden-Plas Princess 4-litre "R" |
 Rear view showing horizontal lighting arrangement |
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[edit] Later badge-engineering
Two smaller BMC cars were given a Vanden Plas treatment and named as Vanden Plas Princesses, including an uprated Austin 1100 and Austin 1300, and their Mark II successors.
The final use of the "Princess" name was for the Princess 1800 / 2200 of 1975–78 and the Princess 2 1700 / 2000 / 2200 of 1978–81. This was not badged as an Austin on the home market (although it was badged as such in New Zealand), but was sometimes confused with one because for the first year of its life it was marketed (variously) as the Austin, Morris, and Wolseley 18–22 Series. It was succeeded by the Austin Ambassador in 1982 and thus marked the end of the Princess, although Vanden Plas would continue as a model name in the Rover SD1 range.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "The Austin A135 Princess Long-wheelbase Limousine Road Test". The Motor. July 29 1953.
- ^ a b c d e "The Vanden Plas 4-Litre Princess Limousine". The Motor. April 11 1962.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Vanden Plas Three-litre Princess". The Motor. April 5, 1961.
- ^ a b c d e f "Used Car Test: 1964 Vanden Plas Princess R". Autocar vol 128 nbr 3761: pages 50 - 51. March 14, 1968.
[edit] External links
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