The Austin 28hp Ranelagh.
Another photo kindly sent in by Jim, this one shows a rare Austin Ranelagh limousine, one of many vehicles run by the family firm. Built in 1939, Jim believes only 12 of these luxurious Austins were built before war halted production for good. He adds: "The Austin Ranelagh was similar in shape to the Austin 18 of the same period, but much larger. I was fortunate enough to drive it fairly frequently. For some unknown reason the steering had a bit of a 'wander', but its hill climbing capacity on the Derbyshire hills was phenomenal. I don't remember the engine capacity, but it was externally about the same as the Austin 20 side valve engine. The driver on that occasion was a Dick Mott of Chesterfield, sadly now passed away and I believe the location was Ringwood Road (A619), Brimington, Chesterfield. The Chapel on the left is now gone, and the land is part of Robinson's Caravans".
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FLN 122 was first registered in the London area, immediately prior to WW2. The Austin 28 "Ranelagh" was based on the contemporary Austin 20/6, and first appeared in the late 1920s, as the top-end luxury model in Austin's inter-war line-up. A photo of a 1927 Austin Ranelagh, parked alongside a Ruby, can be seen on this page. In 1939 this car cost 700 GBP (compared to the cheapest Austin of the time which cost just 108 GBP). The engine was a 27.75hp six cylinder unit, featuring an aluminium cylinder head and developed a respectable 90bhp from its 4 litre capacity. As befits a limousine, it came fitted with a glass partition, folding occasional seats and an electric telephone as standard. The factory-issued photograph below shows the car's scale, the wheelbase measured 11ft 4in. Austin pronounced the car as "A Magnificent Car with Outstanding Performance".
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Return to Old Vehicle Photos Page 8.
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