Austin
A55 MkI
It was early in
1957 that a replacement for the A40/50 Cambridge to be called the
A55 MkI was announced. I think that this was probable the best
looking of the mid-range cars produced at Longbridge that had the
name Cambridge. In mechanical term it was unchanged from the A50.
The body design at the front was only slightly changed by giving
the headlamps a new chrome bezel that gave it a more pleasing look,
also it received a larger radiator grill.
At the rear the changes were more marked with a totally new boot
that sloped down, this feature increased the boot capacity. The
rear wings were modified to follow the curve of the boot, and with
new rear light clusters, gave a very clean line. To improve
visibility the rear screen was increased and wraped round the side.
Along the body side ran a chrome trim that gave a natural break to
the duo-tone paint option.
The Manumatic option was carried over from the A50 Cambridge along
with the overdrive.
Interior
View (LHD)
Under
Bonnet Layout
'B'
series Engine and Gearbox
A55
Cambridge MkI
Date
when launched Feb 1957 Discontinued in 1959
Total produced 185,000 approx. (Longbridge
Built)
Engine
1489cc
51 bhp at 4,250 rpm Max torque 81lbs/ft at 2,000
rpm
Length 13ft10.9ins Width 5ft 1.5ins Height 5ft 0ins
Wheel Base 8ft 3.3ins Track front 4ft 0.5ins rear 4ft 1ins
Price ex Works February 1957
Standard £772 De-luxe £820
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Austin
A55 MkII Farina (ADO 9)
All
the other body designs for the mid-range cars had been the work of
the Austin's chief stylist Dick Burzi, With the MKII version under
the ADO9 lable, started out as a Dick Burzi shape, but Leonard Lord
decided after a remark by the Duke of Edinburgh when shown round
the styling studio, that he thought they could be improved. So
Pininfaria was invited to Longbridge and given a £84,000 contract
to come up with a design,
Pininfaria
Farina's design gave a very clean line at the rear and was only
changed slightly for production. The front end just did not have
the Austin look and gave a rather bulbous
appearance. This
was where Dick Burzi working with Farina's design came up with the
next picture, the only changes for production was the Austin badge
moved down onto the grill and the bonnet motif was a much slimmer
version of the flying 'A'.
On the engine
and transmission side, the engine now had the SU carburation which
increased the power and torque slightly. The standard gear-change
was now floor mounted although the column change could be
specified. The Manumatic
and overdrive option of the MKI was dropped.
In
early 1960 a estate version (Countryman) was announced which had a
good loading capacity. The rear tailgate was split which allowed
long items to be supported, and the rear window could still be
closed.
Austin
A55 MKII Countryman
Date
when launched Jan 1959 Discontinued in Sept 1961
Total produced 174,000 approx. (Longbridge Built)
Engine petrol
1489cc 52 bhp at 4,350 rpm Max torque 82lbs/ft at 2,100 rpm
Length 14ft 10ins Width 5ft 3.5ins Height 4ft 11.9ins
Wheel Base 8ft 3.3ins Track front 4ft 0.9ins rear 4ft 1.9ins
_______________________________
A60
Cambridge (ADO 38)
The
facelift to the A55 MKII Cambridge was released in October 1961 and
called the A60. The front body styling gave a much more pleasing
look with its much larger one piece grille. At the rear the fins
now followed the boot line, then blending into a new light cluster.
A new twin moulding on the side allowed a duo-tone paint option,
which became standard in 1962.
The interior had a new facia with a simulated wood grain finish,
and better seats and trim.
With the new 1622cc version of the 'B' series engine now fitted,
which produced increased power and torque. Because of this they
were able to higher the overall gearing which reduced the general
noise level when cruising. Also an automatic transmission was now
available for the first time in the form of the Borg-Warner Type 35
box.
They also introduced a new diesel engine, which was based on the
1489cc petrol engine. This was an export option only, but in
November 1962 became
available on the home market. To cut down on the increased engine
noise, additional sound insulation was fitted round the bulkhead.
In the UK it did not find favour with the general public, but was
popular with Taxi operators.
1498cc
Diesel Engine
Although
changes to the suspension were slight the longer wheelbase and
wider track improved the ride and handling. The model continued in
production until 1969, with only minor changes.
To increase the life of the model a prototype was built which had
the new 1,798cc version of the 'B' series engine. The interior trim
was completely different, having a more Vanden Plas look. In the
end this specification was never put into production.
Because of the introduction of the 1800 (ADO 17) production at
Longbridge in 1964, it was decided to move the A60 production to
Cowley in 1965, so that Longbridge could increase production of the
ADO 17. It continued at Cowley along side the Morris, Riley,
Wolseley and MG versions. In 1968 the MG was dropped, and in 1969
the A60 along with the Riley version was discontinued, but the
Morris and Wolseley models continued till 1971.
Date
when launched Oct 1961 Discontinued in 1969
Total produced 276,674 approx.
Longbridge Built 175,674 (1961-65)
Cowley Built 101,000 approx (1965-69)
Engine Petrol
1622cc 61 bhp at 4,500 rpm Max torque 90lbs/ft at 2,100 rpm
Engine Diesel
4,489cc 40bhp at 4,000 rpm Max torque 64lbs/ft at 1,900 rpm
Length 14ft 6.5ins Width 5ft 3.5ins Height 4ft 11.9ins
Wheel Base 8ft 4.4ins Track front 4ft 2.6ins rear 4ft 3.4ins
Austin
A60 Countryman
Although
the saloon had a new front and rear face lift, it was not the case
with the estate version. Because of the high cost of tooling and
the small numbers of estates sold, it was decided not change the
rear body lines. So although it had an A60 front end along with the
mechanical's and interior trim, the back was the same as the A55
MKII. The side body
moulding trim was also the same as the A55, because of this
the duo-tone
paint option was to have a different roof colour.