Period photograph showing an Austin A40 Mk1.
By the late 50s the cuddly A35 saloon was getting quite long in the tooth (ie old), and BMC were keen to get a replacement to market. Despite the Mini being readied for production, Austin decided that a replacement for the A35 was still required. Rather than employing in-house stylists to draw up this new car, they knocked on Pininfarina's door and engaged him to design their next small car. The result, after BMC had fettled the design somewhat, was the A40 Farina, first seen on Britain's roads in 1958. The styling was pin-sharp and modern. Beneath the snazzy new exterior beat the heart of the A35 though, as the older car's inline 948cc engine was pressed into service, along with the rest of the running gear including the A35's the hydra-mechanical braking setup. So no great shakes beneath the skin then, but at least the A40 looked ready to take the fight to Ford's rakish 105E. The A35 was soon pensioned off, apart from the light commercial version which soldiered on into the late 60s.
Early A40s were available as a saloon only, and all A40 Farinas were available in 2dr form only. A couple of years into production and Austin introduced the Mk1 Countryman, which from the side looked identical, but at the rear now sported a lift up rear window, giving much better accessibility to the A40's roomy interior (aided by the fold down rear seat back which featured from the start). All Mk1s were powered by the 948cc engine, fed by a Zenith carburettor. A four speed gearbox took the drive to the rear wheels, with lever arm dampers employed all round.
In 1962 the Mk2 variant was introduced. A revised front grille arrangement was employed, and the interior revamped somewhat. Power in early Mk2s was still courtesy of 948 cubic centimetres. A closer look at the side of a Mk2 A40 will show a marked difference when compared to the outgoing Mk1 - despite the overall bodyshell being the same length, the rear axle line was moved rearward to improve rear passenger space. These tweaks to the shell mean that some bodypanels (wings primarily) found on the Mk1 won't fit a Mk2, and vice-versa. A few months into production and the Mk2 would benefit from the increased oomph of the 1098cc A Series engine, as found in the Minor of the day. Again a Countryman version was offered.
No commercial versions of the A40 Farina were sold to UK buyers although a small number of panel vans are believed to have been sold overseas. A40s were also assembled overseas, by companies such as Innocenti of Italy. The A40 Farina was known as the Future in both Norway and Sweden.
Return to Old Photographs of Cars - Page 4. A buyers guide for the A40 can also be found here.
|
