Austin
3 Litre Saloon (ADO61)
The
car was developed at Longbridge although all production was at
Cowley. The above picture is the version that was shown to the
press in 1967. It uses the centre section of the 1800 (ADO 17) and
had a inline six cylinder 3 litre engine and rear wheel drive. The
engine of 2912cc was brand new with a complete new cylinder block
and head, it was also shorter and lighter than the old 'C' series
which it replaced, the new engine was also installed in the
MGC
The
Austin 3 litre early version
As
you can see from the above picture it had rectangle headlamps. When
the car was available to the buying public they had been replaced
by twin headlamps. Independent suspension using Hydrolastic
interconnected front to rear gave a good ride, but the self
leveling did not work particularly well. The interior had a
pleasant air with comfortable seats and the extensive use of wood,
but was let down by a very ordinary looking dashboard. So it really
did not have a good reception with the press or buying
public.
De-Luxe
version
Married
to the new engine was a all-synchromesh four-speed manual gearbox
with an optional Laycock overdrive. As shown above your could order
a Borg-Warner Type 35 automatic transmission.
In October 1968 it had its first and only face lift, and now
available only as a de-luxe version. The improvements included a
revised facia and more comfortable seats along with better
sound-deadening which made it a very quiet car to drive. Even after
these modification it struggled to find friends and even with
dealer discounts in the last six months of production had little
impact on sales so in early 1971 it was axed.
Production
Version
Date
when launched 1968
Discontinued in 1971
Total
produced 9,992
Engine
2912cc
124 bhp at 4,500 rpm Max torque 161lbs/ft at 3,000
rpm
Length
15ft 5.7ins Width 5ft 6.8ins Height 4ft 8.8ins
Wheel
Base 9ft 7.5ins Track front 4ft 1ins rear 4ft 8ins
The
Following Pictures are a 1970 Austin 3 litre SOF956H belonging to
Tom Ward
The first owners
of the car were the Department of Health in Birmingham, where it
was only driven by a chauffeur. It was registered in 1970 and was
black with red interior, with a 4 speed manual gearbox but no
overdrive.
