Austin A70
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Austin A70 Hampshire/Hereford |
|
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Austin/BMC |
| Production | 1948-1954 85,682 |
| Predecessor | Austin 16 hp |
| Successor | A90 Westminster |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Engine(s) | 2199 cc Straight-4 |
The A70 Hampshire and later A70 Hereford were large automobiles sold by the British Austin Motor Company from 1948 until 1954. They were conventional body-on-frame cars with similar styling to the smaller A40 Devon.
[edit] A70 Hampshire
| Hampshire | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Production | 1948-1950 35,261[1] |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon 2-door estate |
| Wheelbase | 96 in (2438 mm) |
| Length | 163 in (4140 mm)[1] |
Most Hampshires were 4-door saloons, though some estate and pickup truck versions were also built. The 2.2 L (2199 cc) straight-4 pushrod engine provided the same power output, at 67 bhp (50 kW), as it had when installed in the earlier Austin 16 hp. The new car was nevertheless lighter, and probably also benefited from reduced wind resistance: published acceleration and top speed figures were correspondingly brisker. Accelerating from 0 - 80 km/h (50 mph) took 14.5 seconds and the maximum speed was 83.3 mph (134.1 km/h).
Production of the A70 Hampshire model ended in 1950 with just over 35,000 built. In 1950 the UK price was £648 which included the heater.
 Austin A70 Hampshire 1948-50 |
[edit] A70 Hereford
| Hereford | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1950-1954 50,421[1] |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon 2-door estate 2-door convertible |
| Wheelbase | 99 in (2515 mm)[2] |
| Length | 167.5 in (4255 mm)[2] |
| Width | 69.5 in (1765 mm)[2] |
| Height | 65.5 in (1,660 mm) [2] |
The A70 Hereford replaced the Hampshire in 1950 and was wider and slightly longer with an extra 3 inches (76 mm) in the wheelbase. A new addition to the saloon and estate models was a 2-door convertible with coachwork by Carbodies of Coventry. A notable mechanical change was the use of hydraulic brakes. The smaller A40 Somerset had similar styling and even shared the same door panels. Sales were slow, with just over 50,000 produced when the A90 Westminster replaced it in 1954. A rare variant was the Hereford pick-up. This shared the same platform as the estate, but with fully-faired bodywork aft of the driving cab. The interior of this rather plush workhorse was fitted out the same as the saloon, with a large split-bench seat, full instrumentation set in the middle for easy completion in left or right-hand drive configuration.
A car tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1951 had a top speed of 80.5 mph (129.6 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 21.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of 21.9 miles per imperial gallon (12.9 L/100 km/18.2 mpg US) was recorded. The test car cost £911 including taxes. [2]
