Austin: A40 Farina
Note: This is a sub-section of Austin.
- A40 Farina Mk 1 1958–61 - 169,612 produced
- A40 Farina Mk 2 1961–67 - 172,550 produced
There were 366,064 made in total
The Austin A40 Farina was a compact car introduced by the British Motor Corporation in 1958 and designed by Pininfarina of Italy. The A40 designation had been used on previous Austins, but the "Farina" suffix was unique to this car.
The A40 Farina Mk 1 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 shared the same side profile as the saloon, was a small estate version which had a horizontally split rear opening, i.e. with top-hinged upper door and bottom-hinged lower door.
It 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 were slightly larger than the 7 in 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 gear-change 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 deluxe version tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1958 had a top speed of 66.8 mph (and could accelerate from 0-50 mph in 19.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of 38 miles per imperial gallon was recorded. The test car cost £689 including taxes of £230.
An A40 Farina Mark 2 was introduced in 1961. It had a 4 in 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) 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 1,098 cc version with an output of 48 bhp. An improved gearbox was fitted at the same time.
This version lasted in production through to 1967. The brakes also became fully hydraulic, replacing the semi cable operated rear system that the Mk I had inherited from the A35.
A Mk 2 was tested by the The Motor in 1962. The updated version had a higher top speed of 75.2 mph and faster acceleration from 0-50 mph of 17.4 seconds. The fuel consumption at 36.5 miles per imperial gallon was slightly higher. The car cost £693 including taxes of £218.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia