The main claim to fame of the Austin A40/50 sedan is that it is the first Austin with a unitary chassis. The car was presented in 1954 and two versions became immediately available, one with the old, but modernised 1200 cc engine from the Devon (A40) and the other (A50) with a new 1500 cc engine, fitted with a double barrel Zenith carburetor. Power output was still rather low, with 42 and 50 BHP respectively, and even the A50 could not reach 120 kph.
The A 40 stayed in production for only 2 years, and 30,666 left the factory. The more popular A50 lasted one year longer, until replaced by the A55 Cambridge. Almost 115,000 A50 were made, one of which here is shown at an early morning at the Concours d’Elegance at the Loo in 2004.
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