History 1958 Austin Princess
History 1958 Austin Princess
Austin Princess was a name given to luxury cars made by the Austin company during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The name Princess was revived in the 1970s for a car built by British Leyland 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 better referred to as Leyland Princess.
The first Austin Princess was launched in 1947 as the most expensive flagship model for 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.
1956 saw a new Princess Mk IV. This more modern styled car had more ‘integrated’ looking front wings in the modern style, but was little changed under the skin. This model lasted until 1959; subsequent limousine-only handbuilt cars were made in limited numbers as the Vanden Plas 4-Litre Princess Limousine until 1968. This formed the basis for the eventual Daimler Limousine.
In that year, new Princess models were launched. Initially badged as Austin, these vehicles were soon changed to bear the Vanden Plas name which became a marque in its own right. The car was smaller than the previous Princesses and was largely identical to the Austin A99 and other models using the same Pinin Farina designed bodyshell. The car featured a Vanden Plas grille (a fairly square grille 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, leather, and quality carpeting. Power was a 3 litre unit developing 108 hp.
The final version of the Austin powered Vanden Plas limousines appeared in 1957, the Princess 4 Litre. As before these impressive cars were built by Vanden Plas on separate Austin chassis, powered by the old D-Series 3993cc six cylinder engine. These large, almost truck-like engines developed 120bhp, however due to the cars enormous bulk and weight the cars top speed was around 75mph.
The Princess 4 Litre normally came as either a saloon or limousine, however some landaulette versions were also built. Due to the traditional and formal design these gigantic cars tended to be bought for wedding hire or as a collectors model.
This model was replaced in 1962 by the Vanden Plas Princess Mk II. Styling was similar but the wheelbase was longer. The engine was uprated to 120 hp. Better brakes were fitted, and interior improvements included built-in drop-down tables for the rear seat passengers. This model lasted until 1964.
In 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 (hence the R) was fitted. It was launched at the London Motor show in the same year, as the first for the new Vanden Plas car manufacturer. Externally, the styling was more rounded and the stubby tailfins were lost. This car is the only mass-produced vehicle ever to use a Rolls-Royce engine.