S
ome cars, such as the Austin A40
‘Farina’, the Ford Anglia 105E and
the Triumph Herald, become so
familiar that their initial impact
is forgotten. Their predecessors –
the A35, 100E and Standard 8, 10
and Pennant – were honourable
cars all, but by the close of the ’50s they smacked
of a past era of smog, demob suits and ration
books. The latest models from Longbridge,
Canley and Dagenham promised a sense of free-
dom: for a reasonable monthly payment, you
too could be enjoying the open road.
By the 1970s the Austin A40 was “just another
old car”, as the owner of ‘our’ 1959 example
Liz Smith observes. It took its time to become
a classic, but it was a truly deserved status – not
least because of the immaculate timing of its
debut in September 1958, when Italian design
was becoming synonymous with the Affluent
Society. The original Teds were either mutating
into Ton-Up Boys or retreating to the provinces;
tailors were offering three-button suits; and
‘Modernists’ donned their shades for a trip to
the grocer. An A40 Farina buyer may have
preferred a nice cup of tea to an espresso in the
Heaven and Hell Coffee Lounge, but they
weren’t entirely hidebound by tradition.
The British Motor Corporation commenced
work on the ADO8 in 1955, and it was to be its
first product styled by Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina’s
concern. When the new A40 took a bow, BMC
made the far from outlandish claim that it
presented ‘a glimpse into the future of small car
styling’. More than 60 years later, the Austin’s160 Classic & Sports Car September 2019From top: despite its
shape, the A40 was not
a hatchback (though
Countryman versions had
a Range Rover-style split
tailgate); spartan interior
despite De Luxe trim;
willing 948cc A-series.
Far right: Austin’s shape
has aged most gracefully