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Austin A40 Farina - Rally success at the start of the series

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Created on May 14, 2021

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bonhams

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Courtesy Bonhams

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Archiv

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Bonhams

22

Courtesy Bonhams

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Archiv

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - ready again for the next rally

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - at full speed

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - hardly distinguishable from a "normal" example from the outside

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - with the small trunk lid

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - two-tone

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - 366 cm short

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - compact and with large windows

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - only 151 cm wide

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - rally-style cockpit

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - View into the cockpit

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - this year's seats may no longer correspond to the original design

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - Standard speedometer

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - Rally movement

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - Track counter

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - View of the engine compartment with the longitudinally mounted four-cylinder engine

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - more light than the series

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - with additional headlights for the night

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - Austin-A on the hood

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - Monte Carlo sticker from 1964

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - faded sticker

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - eye-catching sticker

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - luggage compartment with spare wheel

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - Patt Moss and Anne Wisdom at the prize-giving ceremony at the 1959 Monte Carlo Rally

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - Patt Moss and Anne Wisdom with their A40 at the 1959 Monte Carlo Rally

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - how the car was recovered around 1977

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - during the restoration by Terry Bramhall

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - in the jump at the Coronation Rally 1985

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Austin A40 Farina (1958) - Paul Rosenthal and Paul Skilleter after the 1985 Coronation Rally

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Austin A35 (1950) - with its pre-war predecessor

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Austin A35 (1956) - as a two-door model

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Austin A40 (1961) - short and practical

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Austin A40 (1958) - at the test days

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Austin A40 (1958) - rear view

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Austin A40 (1959) - a test car ready for a test drive

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Austin A40 (1959) - View inside

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Austin A40 (1959) - Dashboard of the right-hand drive version

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Austin A40 (1959) - Dashboard of a test car

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Austin A40 (1959) - View into the engine compartment

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Austin A40 (1959) - View into the engine compartment of the English car

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Austin A40 (1959) - Driver's seat and rear seats

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Austin A40 (1958) - A look inside the compact saloon

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Austin A40 (1961) - conventional technology

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Austin A40 (1959) - finds favor with women

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Austin A40 (1959) - equipped to carry more load and weight

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Austin A40 (1959) - the line was designed by Pininfarina

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Austin A40 (1959) - as a Countryman with a practical tailgate

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Austin A40 (1959) - compact sedan

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Austin A 40 (1962) at the Geneva Motor Show - fold-down seats on the small Austin model designed by Pininfarina, here as a station wagon

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Austin A 40 (1963) - equipped with a 1.1-liter BMC engine with 50 SAE hp

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Austin A40 (1964) - practical, but not the most beautiful

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Austin A40 (1961) - with small trunk lid

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Austin A40 (1961) - as a Countryman with double trunk lid

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Summary

The Austin A40 was a surprise in many respects. The bodywork by Pininfarina was a far cry from the tradition of the British manufacturer, the naming took no account of British sensitivities and the compact two-door even excelled in motor racing with a success at the 1959 Monte Carlo Rally. Perhaps the most famous A40 has survived and is the subject of this report, which is illustrated with current and historical images and a selection of sales literature.

This article contains the following chapters

Presentation at the end of 1958
Modern shell ...
... and proven technology
Many advantages
Success at the 1959 Monte Carlo Rally
Practical addition
Extension to the Mark II
Built until 1967
Steeped in history

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The new Austin A40 Farina enjoyed a special success at its debut in 1959, when a women's team finished 10th overall in the Ralye Monte Carlo and won the women's prize with a car that had just 948 cc and around 35 hp. But this alone is not the reason why the car plays a special role in Austin's brand history. The renewed Austin A40 was shown to the general public at the Earls Court Motor Show at the end of October 1958. The press had already been informed a few weeks earlier. In the Earls Court report, the Automobil Revue wrote: "The A40 line hit like a bomb. Even when this car came out, the experts were unanimous about the value of the new creation. What was uncertain, however, was how the buying public and, above all, the British public itself would take to this creation. In the meantime, however, it has become clear that a veritable flood of orders is coming in. A total of 15,000 cars are on the waiting list. The A 40 can already be seen on London's roads, but as production still needs to be ramped up, they are still rare. The rather angular shape obviously meets with undivided sympathy; as numerous surveys have shown, many people cannot easily get to grips with the station wagon-like appearance. Reason speaks for it, but man is a creature of habit and loves the traditional. How often have we experienced with cars that we have to get used to a shape before we find it beautiful? However, the A 40 is obviously well on the way to paving the way for a new body line. The buzzword is spaciousness. Why - many are now asking themselves - should they huddle together in a small space when they could just as easily have a car with ample interior space? "

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