- For the 1970s car produced by British Leyland and referred to on certain markets as the "Austin Princess", see Princess (car). For Austin Princess and Vanden Plas Princess automobiles produced from the 1940s to the 1960s see Austin Princess The Princess is a Family
| Austin Princess (all series) | |
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| Manufacturer | Austin/BMC |
| Production | 1947-1968 |
| Predecessor | Austin Sheerline |
| Successor | within BL, the Daimler DS420 |
| Body style(s) | 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. The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design development manufacture marketing and sale of Motor vehicles In 2007 more than 73 million motor vehicles The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles that rose to be a major motorcar brand the dominant partner after merger with Morris in 1952 The British Motor Corporation (BMC was a UK vehicle company formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation (parent British Leyland was a vehicle manufacturing company formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC Origins The Daimler DS420, popularly known as the Daimler Limousine, began production in 1968 replacing the DR450 which had been based on the Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. Some are still in production while others are of historical interest only A limousine (or limo) is a longer than normal Luxury car. The chassis may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coach builder traditionally The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles that rose to be a major motorcar brand the dominant partner after merger with Morris in 1952
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Princess naming
The original Austin Sheerline-based car of 1947 was an actual Austin Princess. However, from August 1957 the "Austin" part of the badging was dropped, so although Austin was producing a Princess, it was not the Austin Princess by name. From May 1960 the Vanden Plas marque was applied in front of "Princess". Vanden Plas is the name of a company of Coachbuilders for specialist and up-market automobile manufacturers A marque ( French for "brand" ˈmɑrk is a Brand name especially in the Automobile industry 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. For Austin Princess and Vanden Plas Princess automobiles produced from the 1940s to the 1960s see Austin Princess The Princess is a Family British Leyland was a vehicle manufacturing company formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC
Austin A135 - Sheerline-based Austin Princess
| Austin A135 Princess Mark I, II & III | |
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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. The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design development manufacture marketing and sale of Motor vehicles In 2007 more than 73 million motor vehicles The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles that rose to be a major motorcar brand the dominant partner after merger with Morris in 1952 The British Motor Corporation (BMC was a UK vehicle company formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation (parent In both road and rail Vehicles the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels 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. Vanden Plas is the name of a company of Coachbuilders for specialist and up-market automobile manufacturers A limousine (or limo) is a longer than normal Luxury car. The chassis may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coach builder traditionally 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 straight-6 or inline-6 engine (often abbreviated I6 or L6) is a six cylinder Internal combustion engine with all six cylinders 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). The British Motor Corporation (BMC was a UK vehicle company formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation (parent
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. The Motor or Motor - not to be confused with an Australian magazine also with the same name - was an English car magazine that was absorbed by its rival Autocar 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 |
Princess IV — no longer badged as an Austin
| Princess Mark IV | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1956-1959 200 made |
| Engine(s) | 3995 cc 6 cylinder overhead-valve |
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. Origins The Daimler DS420, popularly known as the Daimler Limousine, began production in 1968 replacing the DR450 which had been based on the 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. British Motor Holdings Ltd (BMH was a British motor company created in an attempt to halt the decline in Britain's manufacturing base in the 1960s )
Pininfarina-designed Vanden Plas Princesses
| Vanden Plas Princess | |
|---|---|
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| Production | 1957-1968 3344 made |
| Body style(s) | 4 door saloon 4 door limousine Landaulette |
| Engine(s) | 2. Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. Some are still in production while others are of historical interest only A limousine (or limo) is a longer than normal Luxury car. The chassis may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coach builder traditionally Landau, when used in referencing an Automobile, generally means a simulated Convertible. 9 L C-Series I6 |
In 1959 a new Austin A99 Westminster-based Princess was launched. The BMC C-Series was a Straight-6 Automobile engine produced from 1956 to 1971 The straight-6 or inline-6 engine (often abbreviated I6 or L6) is a six cylinder Internal combustion engine with all six cylinders The Westminster series were large saloon and estate cars sold by the British Austin Motor Company from 1954 replacing the A70 Hereford. 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). Vanden Plas is the name of a company of Coachbuilders for specialist and up-market automobile manufacturers For a list of vehicles that have been badge engineered see List of badge engineered vehicles. 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. See also Battista Farina, founder of the company his son Sergio Pininfarina and grandson Andrea Pininfarina. 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. Power was a 3-litre unit developing 108 hp (81 kW).
This model was replaced in 1961 by the Vanden Plas Princess Mark II. Styling was similar but the wheelbase was longer. 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. This model lasted until 1964.
 Vanden-Plas Princess 3-litre |
 Rear view showing finned tail |
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Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R
| Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R | |
|---|---|
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| Production | 1964-1968 6555 made |
| Engine(s) | 3909 cc 6 cylinder overhead inlet side exhaust valve |
1964 the Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R was introduced. 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. For the present day company see Rolls-Royce plc. For other uses see Rolls-Royce (disambiguation. It was launched at the London Motor Show. The British International Motor Show is an Automobile show held biennially in the United Kingdom. Externally, the styling was more rounded and the tailfins were lost. 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. Bentley Motors Limited is an English manufacturer of luxury Automobiles and Grand Tourers Bentley Motors was founded in England
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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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. ADO16 is the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation (BMC and later ADO16 is the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation (BMC and later
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. For Austin Princess and Vanden Plas Princess automobiles produced from the 1940s to the 1960s see Austin Princess The Princess is a Family For Austin Princess and Vanden Plas Princess automobiles produced from the 1940s to the 1960s see Austin Princess The Princess is a Family 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. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Morris Commercial Cars The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company 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. The Austin Ambassador was a medium-to-large Hatchback Automobile introduced by British Leyland (BL in 1982 Rover SD1 is the code name given to a series of large Executive cars made by British Leyland and its successor Austin Rover from 1976 until 1986
References
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