September 2019 Classic & Sports Car 161success in simultaneously maintaining a respect-
able image while appearing up-to-the-minute is
clear. The engine, suspension and rear brakes
were sourced from the A35, but in terms of both
looks and ethos the Farina was a car that, as the
adverts proclaimed, ‘Moves in dress circles.’
Where would late-’50s British sales copy be
without recourse to naked snobbery?
As with the Ford and the Triumph, one of the
first elements you notice about the Austin is the
extensive glass area providing a ‘cyclorama view’.
The A40 was a far cry from so many vehicles of
the early part of the decade, in which passengers
felt as if they were looking through a porthole.
A further difference was that two-box styling.
In case of complaints from traditionalists that
the Austin was devoid of a luggage compart-
ment, the dealer could display the virtues of the
folding rear seat: ‘The Austin A40 is not just
a luggage boot tacked onto a car.’
In 1959 BMC introduced the Countryman
with its split tailgate, then two years later the
Farina was facelifted for the MkII. The 1098cc
A-series engine was slotted in for 1962, and in
’63 industry observers were surprised that the
Austin-badged ADO16 didn’t replace the A40.
Production soldiered on until late ’67, by which
time the once mildly radical Austin was seen
as the epitome of suburban respectability.
Smith acquired her A40 in 2015, but has
owned five Farinas over the past 40 years. The
De Luxe list of fixtures and fittings includes
opening rear windows and a second sunvisor, yet
the A40 remains the most Spartan of our trio.
The counterbalanced panes in the front doors
are a notable cost-cutting touch, and the ‘orange
segment’ speedometer is derived from the A35’s.
“It’s very entertaining to drive thanks to the rela-
tively big wheel, responsive steering and great
visibility,” she says. “It’s an active experience –
as with any older car, you have to plan ahead. It is
so lovely to actually have to drive a car.”
Nearly seven months after the launch of the
Austin, various dealers and scribes were invited
by Standard-Triumph to a very special revue at
the Royal Albert Hall. The footage can be seen
on YouTube and, although the entertainment
resembled Sunday Night at the London Palladium
reinterpreted by Hammer Film Productions,
a stellar moment was the building of a Herald
Coupé on stage in less than five minutes. This
was to emphasise the virtues of its separate chas-
sis, a masterstroke on the part of chief engineer
Harry Webster. ‘Project Zobo’ was initially
intended to employ monocoque construction,
but this was rendered impractical by BMC’s
ownership of body builder Fisher and Ludlow
so a chassis was more economically viable. S-T
claimed the set-up offered strength and safety,
and it would also facilitate CKD (completely
knocked down) assembly overseas.
This ‘new experience in motoring’ was the
first Triumph with Giovanni Michelotti coach-
work, and his crisp-cut lines cloaked a blend of
the old and the new. The Standard 10’s 948cc
powerplant and gearbox were eminently famil-
iar, but rack-and-pinion steering was a talking
point, as was the all-independent suspension –
a first for a compact, mass-produced British car.
The saloon arrived a few weeks after the Coupé,
and this handsome Signal Red model dates from- “I began Triumphing at university when
AUSTIN A40 DE LUXE
Sold/number built 1958-’67/342,162
Construction steel unitary
Engine all-iron, ohv 948cc ‘four’, single
SU carburettor Max power 34bhp @ 4750rpm
Max torque 50lb ft @ 2000rpm
Transmission four-speed manual, RWD
Suspension: front independent by wishbones,
coil springs, lever-arm dampers, anti-roll bar
rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs,
telescopic dampers
Steering cam and peg Brakes drums
Length 12ft^1 / 4 in (3658mm) Width 4ft 11^1 / 2 in
(1499mm) Height 4ft 8^3 / 4 in (1435mm)
Wheelbase 6ft 11^1 / 2 in (2121mm)
Weight 1764lb (800kg) 0-60mph 35.6 secs
Top speed 72mph Mpg 38
Price new £689 2s Now £2-7000FORD ANGLIA 105E DELUXE
Sold/number built 1959-’67/1,004,737
Construction steel unitary
Engine all-iron, ohv 997cc ‘four’, single Solex/
Ford carb Max power 41bhp @ 5000rpm
Max torque 52.5lb ft @ 2700rpm
Transmission four-speed manual, RWD
Suspension: front independent by
MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar rear live axle,
semi-elliptic leaf springs, lever-arm dampers
Steering recirculating ball Brakes drums
Length 12ft 9^1 / 2 in (3899mm) Width 4ft 9^1 / 2 in
(1460mm) Height 4ft 10in (1473mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 6^1 / 4 in (2292mm)
Weight 1624lb (737kg) 0-60mph 29.4 secs
Top speed 77mph Mpg 36.1
Price new £610 5s 11d Now £4-9000TRIUMPH HERALD 948
Sold/number built 1959-’64/100,275
Construction steel chassis, steel body
Engine all-iron, ohv 948cc ‘four’, single Solex
carburettor Max power 34.5bhp @ 4500rpm
Max torque 51lb ft @ 2750rpm
Transmission four-speed manual, RWD
Suspension independent, at front by
wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear
swing axles, radius arms, transverse leaf
spring; telescopic dampers f/r
Steering rack and pinion Brakes drums
Length 12ft 9in (3988mm) Width 5ft
(1524mm) Height 4ft 4in (1321mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 7^1 / 2 in (2324mm)
Weight 1808lb (820kg) 0-60mph 31.1 secs
Top speed 71mph Mpg 31
Price new £702 2s 6d Now £3-7000‘The ads proclaimed the
Farina as a car that “moves
in dress circles” – where
would ’50s sales copy be
without naked snobbery?’