Austin A40 Farina


Austin A40 Farina
Manufacturer BMC
Production 1958-1967
342,162
Predecessor Austin A35
Successor Austin 1100
Body style(s) 2-door saloon
3-door hatchback
Layout FR layout
See Austin A40 for other (previous) Austin A40 models.

The Austin A40 Farina was a compact car introduced by the British Motor Corporation in 1958. It was designed by Pininfarina of Italy. The A40 designation had been used on previous Austins, but the "Farina" suffix was new with this car; it was latter applied to larger Austins which were also styled by Pininfarina.

At a time when Turin auto-design studios were, for the most part, consulted only by builders of expensive "exotic" cars, the manufacturers made much of the car's Italian styling, with both "Pinin" Farina and his son Sergio being present at the car's UK launch[1].

The Farina name was not used in Sweden, where the car received the name "Futura" because a mix-up with a common type of brown sugar with a similar name was believed to be unavoidable.[citation needed]

The car was a popular choice, in modified form, for competition work and was entered in the 1961 Monte Carlo Rally. Several examples are still to be seen taking part in historic salon racing.

Contents

Mark I

Mark I
Austin A40 Mark I
Production 1958-1961
169,612
Engine(s) 948 cc A-Series I4
Wheelbase 83.5 in (2121 mm)[2]
Length 144.25 in (3664 mm)
Width 59.5 in (1511 mm)
Height 56.5 in (1,440 mm)[3]
Kerb weight 1,764 lb (800 kg) approx
Fuel capacity 6 imp gal (27 L; 7 US gal)
Designer Pininfarina

Presented at the London Motor Show in October 1958,[4] the A40 Farina replaced the Austin A35, and was then a relatively modern car, with an unusual almost notchback-like shape. The standard car was a saloon. The Countryman, which appeared exactly a year later in October 1959,[4] shared the same side profile as the saloon, but was a small estate version with a horizontally split rear opening, i.e. with top-hinged upper door and bottom-hinged lower door. This might today be considered more like a small hatchback. October 1959 also saw the standardisation on both cars of self-cancelling indicators, and in the early Summer of 1960 a flat lid was added over the spare wheel in the rear luggage compartment.[4]

At launch the car shared the 948 cc A-Series straight-4 used in other Austins including its A35 predecessor. The suspension was independent at the front using coil springs with a live axle and semi elliptic leaf springs at the rear. The drum brakes were a hybrid (hydromech) arrangement, hydraulically operated at the front but cable actuated at the rear.The front drums at 8 in (200 mm) were slightly larger than the 7 in (180 mm) rears. Cam and peg steering was fitted.

Individual seats were fitted at the front with a bench at the rear that could fold down to increase luggage capacity. The trim material was a vinyl treated fabric. Options included a heater, radio, windscreen washers and white wall tyres. The gearchange lever was floor mounted and the handbrake between the seats. The door windows were not opened by conventional winders but used finger grips to pull them up and down, with a window lock position on the door handle.

A de-luxe version tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1958 had a top speed of 66.8 mph (107.5 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 19.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of 38 miles per imperial gallon (7.4 L/100 km; 32 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £689 including taxes of £230. [3]

Austin A40 Farina Mark I

Front view

rear of Austin A40 Mark I

Mark II

Mark II
Austin A40 Mark II
Production 1961-1967
172,550
Engine(s) 948 cc A-Series I4
(1961 - 1962)
1098 cc A-Series I4
(1962 - 1967)
Transmission(s) 4 speed manual: synchromesh on top 3 ratios[5]
Wheelbase 87 in (2210 mm)[2]
Length 145 in (3683 mm)[6]
Width 59.5 in (1511 mm)[6]
Height 56.5 in (1435 mm)[6]
Kerb weight 1,764 lb (800 kg) approx
Fuel capacity 7 imp gal (32 L; 8 US gal)
Designer Pininfarina

An A40 Farina Mark II was introduced in 1961. It had a 4 in (102 mm) longer wheelbase to increase the space for passengers in the back seats, and the front grill and dashboard were redesigned. The Mark II had more power (37 hp/28 kW)[6] and an SU replaced the previous Zenith carburettor but was otherwise similar mechanically. An anti-roll bar was fitted at the front. The 948 cc engine was replaced in the autumn of 1962 by a larger 1098 cc version with an output of 48 bhp. The car now shared its engine with the recently introduced Morris 1100,[4] although in the A40 it retained the 'conventional' north-south orientation of the earlier unit. An improved gearbox was fitted at the same time.

Further changes were minimal. However, in 1964 a new facia with imitation wood veneer covering was fitted.[4] This version of the model remained in production through to 1967. The brakes also became fully hydraulic, replacing the semi cable operated rear system that the Mark I had inherited from the A35[1]. Nevertheless, the introduction at the end of 1962 of the similarly sized Morris 1100, followed by an Austin badged counterpart a year later, left the A40 looking cramped on the inside and outclassed in terms of road holding and ride: sales of the A40 Mark II progressed at a slower rate than had been achieved by the Mark I[1].

A Mark II was tested by the The Motor in 1962. The updated version had a higher top speed of 75.2 mph (121.0 km/h) and faster acceleration from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) of 17.4 seconds. The fuel consumption at 36.5 miles per imperial gallon (7.74 L/100 km; 30.4 mpg-US) was slightly higher. The car cost £693 including taxes of £218. [6]

Austin A40 Farina Mark II

Countryman Austin A40 Mark II

Austin A40 Mark II Countryman

Engines

  • 1958–1961 - 948 cc A-Series I4, 34 hp (25 kW) at 4750 rpm and 50 ft·lbf (68 Nm) at 2000 rpm
  • 1961–1962 - 948 cc A-Series I4, 37 hp (28 kW) at 5000 rpm and 50 ft·lbf (68 Nm) at 2500 rpm
  • 1962–1967 - 1098 cc A-Series I4, 48 hp (36 kW) at 5100 rpm and 60 ft·lbf (81 Nm) at 2500 rpm

Innocenti

Innocenti also produced A40s under licence from BMC. They began producing knock-down kit versions of the A40 in 1960 but soon progressed to produce the entire car in Italy. Innocenti's A40 Berlina and Combinata corresponded to the saloon and Countryman versions of the Austin A40 Farina.

The cars began using the larger 1098 cc engine in 1962, being renamed A40S at that time. Innocenti also designed a new single-piece rear door for the Combinata. This top-hinged door used struts to hold it up over a wide cargo opening and was a true hatchback — a model never developed in the home (United Kingdom) market. 67,706 Innocenti A40 and A40S cars were produced.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Time Machines: Hatched in Italy: Austin A40 1958 - 1967". Drive (Magazine of the British Automobile Association) vol 117: pages 56 - 57. date April 1985. 
  2. ^ a b Culshaw; Horrobin (1974). Complete Catalogue of British Cars. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-16689-2. 
  3. ^ a b "The Austin A40". The Motor. November 5 1958. 
  4. ^ a b c d e "Used Cars on tes: 1964 Austin A40 Countryman De Luxe". Autocar 125 (nbr 3696): pages 1292 - 1293. date 16 December 1966. 
  5. ^ "Car-by-car guide: Austin A40 Mk II". Motor: pages 4. date 22 October 1966. 
  6. ^ a b c d e "The Austin A40 MkII de-luxe". The Motor. March 7 1962. 

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