The
Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 an merged in 1952 into the
British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque
Austin was used until 1987. The trademark is currently owned by Nanjing Automotive.
History
1905 - 1918: Formation and development
Herbert
Austin (1866–1941), former manager of the Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company, and later to be made first Baron
Austin of Longbridge, founded The
Austin Motor Company in 1905, at Longbridge, which was then in Worcestershire. (Longbridge became part of Birmingham in 1911 when its boundaries were expanded.) The first car was a conventional 5-litre four-cylinder model with chain drive, of which about 200 were made in the first five years. In World War I
Austin grew enormously in fulfilling government contracts for everything from artillery to aircraft, and the workforce expanded from around 2,500 to 22,000.
1919 - 1939: Interwar success
After the war Herbert
Austin decided on a one-model policy based on the 3620-cc 20-hp engine. Versions included cars, commercials and even a tractor, but sales volumes were never enough to fill the vast factory built during wartime. The company went into receivership in 1921 but rose again after financial restructuring.
Critical to the recovery was the appointment in 1922 of a new finance director, Ernest Payton with the backing of the Midland Bank, and a new works director in charge of car production, Carl Engelbach, at the insistence of the creditors' committee. This triumvirate of
Austin, Payton and Engelbach steered the company's fortunes through the inter-war years.
In a quest to expand market share, smaller cars were introduced, the 1661 cc Twelve in 1922 and, later the same year, the Seven, an inexpensive, simple small car and one of the earliest to be directed at a mass market. At one point, the "Baby
Austin" was built under licence by the fledgling BMW of Germany (as the Dixi); by the Japanese manufacturer Datsun; as the Bantam in the United States; and as the Rosengart in France. (the American
Austin Car Company operated as a largely independent subsidiary from 1929 to 1934, and was revived under the name "American Bantam" from 1937 to 1941).
With the help of the Seven,
Austin weathered the worst of the depression and remained profitable through the 1930s, producing a wider range of cars which was steadily updated by the introduction of all-steel bodies, Girling brakes, and synchromesh gearboxes. However, all the engines retained the same side valve conformation. Deputy chairman Ernest Payton became chairman in 1941 on the death of Lord Herbert
Austin. In 1938 Leonard Lord joined the company board and became chairman in 1946 on the death of Ernest Payton.
1939 - 1958: The war years and afterwards
During the Second World War
Austin continued building cars but also made trucks and aircraft, including the construction of the Lancaster bombers of 617 squadron, better known as the Dambusters.
The postwar car range was announced in 1944 and production of it started in 1945 The immediate postwar range was mainly similar to that of the late 1930s but did include the 16 hp significant for having the company's first overhead valve engine.
In 1952
Austin merged with the
Nuffield Organisation (parent company of Morris) to form the
British Motor Corporation with Leonard Lord in charge.
Austin was the dominant partner and its engines were adopted for most of the cars; various models amongst the marques would soon be badge-engineered versions of each other.
Also in 1952,
Austin did a deal with Donald Healey, the renowned automotive engineer. It led to a new marque,
Austin Healey, and a range of sports cars.
Legal agreement with Nissan
In 1952
Austin entered into a legal agreement with the Nissan Motor Company of Japan, for that company to assemble 2000 imported
Austins from partially assembled sets and to sell them in Japan under the
Austin trademark. The agreement called for Nissan to make all
Austin parts locally within three years, a goal Nissan met. Nissan produced and marketed
Austins for seven years. The agreement also gave Nissan rights to use
Austin patents, which Nissan used in developing its own engines for its Datsun line of cars. In 1953 British-built
Austins were assembled and sold, but by 1955, the
Austin A50 – completely built by Nissan and featuring a slightly larger body with 1489 cc engine – was on the market in Japan. Nissan produced 20,855
Austins from 1953-59.
1959 - 1969: An era of revolution
With the threat to fuel supplies resulting from the 1956 Suez Crisis Lord asked
Alec Issigonis to design a small car and the result was the revolutionary Mini, launched in 1959. The
Austin version was called the
Austin Seven at first. But Morris' Mini Minor name caught the public imagination and the Morris version outsold its
Austin twin, so the
Austin's name was changed to Mini to follow suit. In 1970,
British Leyland dropped the separate
Austin and Morris branding of the Mini. From then, it was simply "Mini", under the
Austin Morris division of
BLMC.
The principle of a transverse engine with gearbox in the sump and driving the front wheels was carried on to larger cars with the 1100 of 1963, (although the Morris-badged version was launched 13 months earlier than the
Austin, in August 1962), the 1800 of 1964 and the Maxi of 1969. This meant that
BMC had spent 10 years developing a new range of front-drive, transverse-engined models, while most competitors had only just started to make such changes.
The big exception to this was the
Austin 3-litre. Launched in 1968, it was a rear-wheel drive large car, but it shared the central section of the 1800. It was a sales disaster, with fewer than 10,000 examples being made.
But
BMC was the first British manufacturer to move into front-wheel drive so comprehensively. Ford did not launch its first front-drive model until 1976, while Vauxhall's first front-drive model was launched in 1979 and Chrysler UK's first such car was launched in 1975. Front-wheel drive was popular elsewhere in Europe, however, with Renault, Citroen and Simca all using the system at the same time or before
BMC.
In 1966,
BMC and Pressed Steel merged with Jaguar and became British Motor Holdings. In 1968,
BMH merged with
Leyland Motors and
Austin became a part of the big
British Leyland Motor Corporation (
BLMC) combine.
1970 - 1979: An era of turbulence
By 1970,
Austin was part of the
British Leyland combine which produced some of the most maligned cars ever to roll off British production lines.
Austin's most notorious model of this era was the 1973 Allegro, successor to the 1100/1300 ranges, which was criticised for its bulbous styling, doubtful build quality, indifferent reliability and rust-proneness. It was still a strong seller in Britain, though not quite as successful as its predecessor.
The wedge-shaped 18/22 series was launched as an
Austin, a Morris and a more upmarket Wolseley in 1975. But within six months, it was rechristened the Princess and wore none of the previous marque badges, becoming a kind of brand in its own right, under the
Austin Morris division of
British Leyland which had been virtually nationalised in 1975.
The Princess wasn't quite as notorious as the Allegro, and in fact earned some praise thanks to its practical wedge shape, spacious interior and decent ride and handling, but build quality was suspect and the curious lack of a hatchback (which would have ideally suited its body shape) cost it valuable sales. It was upgraded at the end of 1981 to become the Ambassador (and gaining a hatchback) but by this time there was little that could be done to disguise the age of the design, and it was too late to make much of an impact on sales.
By the end of the 1970s, the future of
Austin and the rest of
British Leyland (now known as
BL) was looking bleak.
1980 - 1989: The Austin Rover era
The
Austin Metro - launched in October 1980 - was heralded as the saviour of
Austin Motor Company and the whole BL combine. 21 years after the launch of the Mini, it gave BL a much-needed modern supermini to compete with the recently-launched likes of the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Chevette and Renault 5. It was an instant hit with buyers and was one of the most popular British cars of the 1980s. It was intended as a replacement for the
Austin Mini but, in fact, the Mini outlived the Metro by two years.
In 1982, most of the car division of the by now somewhat shrunken
British Leyland (
BL) company was rebranded as the
Austin Rover Group, with
Austin acting as the "budget" and mainstream brand to Rover's more luxurious models. The MG badge was revived for sporty versions of the
Austin models, with the MG Metro 1300 being the first of these.
Austin revitalised its entry into the small family car market in March 1983 on the launch of its all-new Maestro, a spacious five-door hatchback which replaced both the elderly Allegro and Maxi and was popular in the early years of its production life, though sales had started to dip dramatically by the end of the decade.
April 1984 saw the introduction of the Maestro-derived Montego saloon, successor to the Morris Ital. The new car received praise for its interior space and comfort, but early build quality problems took time to overcome. The spacious estate version - launched in early 1985 - was one of the most popular load carriers of its era.
In 1986
Austin Rover's holding company
BL plc became Rover Group plc and was privatised by selling it to British Aerospace (BAe).
Plans to replace the Metro with a radical new model, based on the ECV3 research vehicle and aiming for 100mpg, led to the
Austin AR6 of 1984-1986, with several prototypes tested. The desire to lose the
Austin name and take Rover 'upmarket' led to this project's demise in early 1987.
In 1987, the
Austin badge was discontinued and
Austin Rover became simply the Rover Group. The
Austin cars continued to be manufactured, although they ceased to be
Austins. They became "marque-less" in their home market with bonnet badges the same shape as the Rover longship badge but without "Rover" written on them. Instead any badging just showed the model of the car- a Montego of this era, for instance, would have a grille badge simply saying 'Montego', whilst the rear badges just said 'Montego' and the engine size/trim level. The Metro was facelifted in 1990 and got the new K-series engine. It then became the "Rover Metro", while the Maestro and Montego continued in production until 1994 and never wore a Rover badge on their bonnets in Britain. They were, however, sometimes referred to as "Rovers" in the press and elsewhere.
Possible revival
The rights to the
Austin name passed to British Aerospace and then to BMW when each bought the Rover Group. The rights were subsequently sold to MG Rover, created when BMW sold the business. Following MG Rover's collapse and sale, Nanjing Automobile Group owns the
Austin name and
Austin's historic assembly plant in Longbridge. At the Nanjing International Exhibition in May 2006, Nanjing announced it might use the
Austin name on some of the revived MG Rover models, at least in the Chinese market. However, Nanjing is for the moment concentrating on reviving the MG brand. The MG brand is traditionally used for sports cars and Nanjing has no rights to the Rover name, so a revival of the
Austin name would seem a logical brand for selling more standard cars. It might also be argued that a British name would be more respected in the European market than a Chinese name.
Plant
Austin's original plant was in Rotherham, however Herbert
Austin relocated to an abandoned paint works at Longbridge, Birmingham. Due to its strategic advantages over Morris' Cowley plant, Longbridge became
British Leyland's main factory. Following the
Austin marque's discontinuance in 1989, Rover and MG continued to use the plant. The collapse of MG Rover meant it was not used from 2005 until MG production restarted in 2008.
Models
CarsSmall carso 1910–11
Austin 7 hp
o 1922–39
Austin 7
o 1959-2000 Seven (Mini), as
BMCo 1980–90 Metro, as
Austin Rover
Small family carso 1911–15
Austin 10
o 1932–47
Austin 10 hp
o 1939–47
Austin 8 hp
o 1951–56 A30
o 1956–59 A35
o 1956–62 A35 Countryman
o 1954-61 Nash Metropolitan/
Austin Metropolitan
o 1958–61 A40 Farina Mk I
o 1961–67 A40 Farina Mk II
o 1963–74 1100
o 1967–74 1300
o 1973–83 Allegro
Large family carso 1906–07
Austin 25/30
o 1907–10
Austin 18/24
o 1908–11
Austin 40 hp
o 1908–10
Austin 60 hp
o 1913–14
Austin 15/20
o 1914–16
Austin 30 hp
o 1919–30
Austin Twenty
o 1922–40
Austin "Heavy" 12
o 1927–35 16/18 hp
o 1927–39
Austin 20/6
o 1931–36
Austin "Light" 12/6
o 1933–39
Austin "Light" 12/4
o 1937–39
Austin 14 hp
o 1938–39
Austin 18 hp
o 1939–47
Austin 12
o 1945–49
Austin 16 hp
o 1947–52 A40 Devon/Dorset
o 1948–50 A70 Hampshire
o 1950–54 A70 Hereford
o 1952–54 A40 Somerset
o 1954–58 A40/A50/A55 Cambridge
o 1954–59 A90/A95/A105 Westminster
o 1956–59 A95 Westminster Station wagon.
o 1956–59 A105 Westminster
o 1959–61 A55 Cambridge
o 1959–61 A99 Westminster
o 1961–69 A60 Cambridge
o 1961–68 A110 Westminster
o 1964–75 1800/2200
o 1967–71 3-Litre
o 1969–81 Maxi 1500
o 1975–84 18-22/Princess/Ambassador
o 1983–94 Maestro
o 1984–94 Montego
Limousineso 1939
Austin 28 hp
o 1947–54 A110/A125 Sheerline
o 1946–56 A120 Princess
o 1947–56 A135 Princess
o 1956–59 Princess IV
o 1958–59 A105 Westminster Vanden Plas
Sports carso 1920-23
Austin 20 Sports Tourer
o 1948–50 A90 Atlantic Convertible
o 1949–52 A90 Atlantic Saloon
o 1950–53 A40 Sports
o 1953–56
Austin-Healey 100
o 1958–70
Austin-Healey Sprite
o 1959–67
Austin-Healey 3000
o 1971
Austin Sprite
* Australian
Austin cars
o 1962-66
Austin Freeway
o 1970–73
Austin Kimberley
o 1958-62
Austin Lancer
o 1970–73
Austin Tasman
Military vehicles
* WWI
Austin Armoured Car
* WWII
Austin Ten Utility Truck
* WWII
Austin K2
* WWII
Austin K4
* 1958-67
Austin Gipsy
*
Austin Champ
* c. 1968
Austin Ant
Taxis
* 1929-34 High Lot
* 1934-39 Lowloader
* 1948-58 FX3
* 1958- FX4—London Taxi
Ambulances
* LD3
* WWII
Austin K2
Commercial vehicles
*
Austin also made commercial vehicles, one of which was the FG, previously the Morris FG. The FG was the workhorse that kept Britain running in the 1960s. These
Austin FGs and later the Leyland FGs all had petrol or diesel longstroke engines, producing good torque, but very little in the way of speed (40 mph was a good speed out of these vehicles). Leyland were to take over the FG, but before they did, in 1964, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) commissioned six rolling chassis FGs to be coach built by a Middlesex company, Palmer Coachbuilders. These six vehicles, registration 660 GYE to 666 GYE, were outdoor broadcast scenery vehicles.
Aircraft
During World War I
Austin built aircraft under licence, including the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a, but also produced a number of its own designs. None of these progressed past the prototype stage. They included:
*
Austin-Ball A.F.B.1 (fighter)
*
Austin A.F.T.3 (fighter)
*
Austin Greyhound (fighter)
*
Austin Kestrel (two-seat biplane)
*
Austin Osprey (fighter)
*
Austin Whippet (post-war civil aircraft)
6:24 AM
Goohara
