Vanden Plas Princess

Last updated

The Princess is a version of the Austin A99 Westminster produced by BMC from 1959 to 1968, latterly under the Vanden Plas marque.

Contents

The model was launched in October 1959 under the name Princess 3-litre. [1] From July 1960, these vehicles bore the name Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre, Vanden Plas having become a badge-engineered brand in its own right instead of being known as a coachbuilder for cars of other manufacturers. The 3-litre was superseded by the Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R in 1964.

The Princess was a great deal smaller and less than 44 per cent of the price of the older Princess IV Saloon, which was also to continue until 1968.

Princess 3-litre

Princess 3-litre (1959–1960)
Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre (1960–1964)
Vanden Plas 3-litre first registered February 1961 2912cc.JPG
1961 Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre
Overview
Manufacturer BMC
Also calledAustin Princess 3-litre (Australia) [2]
Production1959–1964
Designer Pininfarina
Body and chassis
Class Full-size car
Body style 4-door saloon
Layout FR layout
Related Austin Westminster
Wolseley 6/99
Powertrain
Engine 2.9 L C-Series I6 (1959-1964)
Dimensions
Wheelbase 84 in (2,134 mm) [3] 1959–1961
86 in (2,184 mm) [4] 1961–1964
Length187.75 in (4,769 mm) [3]
Width68.5 in (1,740 mm) [3]
Height59 in (1,499 mm) [3]
Chronology
Predecessor Austin A105 Vanden Plas
SuccessorVanden Plas Princess 4-litre R

The 3-litre was largely identical to the Pininfarina-designed Austin A99 Westminster and Wolseley 6/99 which used the same chassis and body. The Princess was given its own identity with a special Vanden Plas grille (fairly square, with a thick surround and vertical slats), round headlamps, and horn grilles on the front. The interior was lavish in typical Vanden Plas style, featuring burr walnut wood trim, leather seats and panels, and high-quality carpeting. A division between the driver and the rear compartment was an optional extra. Initially, it was powered by BMC's 3-litre C-Series engine, developing 108 hp (81 kW).

A Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre with automatic transmission was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1961 and had a top speed of 99.3 mph (159.8 km/h). It could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 16.1 seconds while fuel consumption of 21.1 miles per imperial gallon (13.4 L/100 km; 17.6 mpgUS) was recorded. The test car cost £1,467 including taxes. [3]

This model was replaced in 1961 by the Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre Mark II. Styling was similar but the wheelbase was two inches (5 cm) longer and anti-roll bars were added to the suspension at both ends of the car. The engine was uprated to 120 hp (89 kW). Better brakes were fitted, and interior improvements included built-in drop-down "picnic tables" for the rear seat passengers. Options now included "Smith's air-conditioning".

Engine specifications

Engine [5] [6]
YearsEngineModelPowerTorqueTop Speed0-60
mph
TransmissionEconomy
1959–19612,912 cc OHV I6 BMC C-series 103 hp (77 kW) at 4750 rpm157 lb⋅ft (213 N⋅m) at 2300 rpm97 mph (156 km/h)17.9 s3-speed manual, overdrive on top 2 gears
3-speed automatic
17.0 mpgimp (16.6 L/100 km)
1961–1964120 hp (89 kW) at 4750 rpm163 lb⋅ft (221 N⋅m) at 2750 rpm105 mph (169 km/h)16.9 s18.0 mpgimp (15.7 L/100 km)

This model was discontinued in 1964 and replaced by a new Rolls-Royce powered model.

Vanden Plas Princess R

Vanden Plas Princess R (1964-1968)
Vanden-Plas Princess 4-litre R front.jpg
1967 Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R
Overview
Manufacturer BMC
Production1964–1968
AssemblyKingsbury, United Kingdom [7]
South Africa [7]
Designer Pininfarina
Body and chassis
Class Full-size car
Body style 4-door saloon
Layout FR layout
Related Austin Westminster
Wolseley 6/110
Powertrain
Engine 3.9 L Rolls-Royce IOE I6
Dimensions
Wheelbase 86 in (2,184 mm) [4]
Length187.75 in (4,769 mm) [3]
Width68.5 in (1,740 mm) [3]
Height59 in (1,499 mm) [3]
Chronology
PredecessorVanden Plas Princess 3-litre
SuccessorNone

The Vanden Plas Princess R with its Rolls-Royce all-aluminium 175 bhp engine was announced in August 1964. With an unusually high power to weight ratio the car gave easy cruising at 90+ mph and was capable of 112 mph.

While there were some significant exterior alterations, the big change was under the bonnet where there was a result of more than two years technical collaboration between BMC and Rolls-Royce. The aluminium Rolls-Royce FB60 engine was a short-stroke version of the B series engine: 4, 6 and 8 cylinder units of which more than 30,000 had already been produced. [8] The 6-cylinder engine weighed only 450 lb (204 kg). [9] Its cubic capacity was 3.909 litres (239 cu in). Over-square: bore was 95.25 mm (3.8 in), stroke 91.44 mm (3.6 in); with a 7.8:1 compression ratio its output was 175 bhp (130 kW; 177 PS) @4,800 rpm. Twin SU carburettors were fitted. Both block and head were aluminium, tappets were hydraulic self-adjusting operating on overhead inlet and side exhaust valves. The counterbalanced crankshaft ran in seven bearings. [10]

The 4-litre R was replete with polished walnut fascia padded top and bottom, hide upholstered seats with fully reclinable backs and polished picnic tables for the rear passengers. A new automatic transmission was provided, Borg-Warner model 8, its first use in a British car and Hydrosteer variable ratio power steering accompanied wider tyres. Externally the fog lamps were moved up by the grille, the hindquarters tidied extended and adjusted to look more substantial and the tailfins replaced by small corner-ridges. [8]

Engine specifications

Engine [11]
YearsManufacturerModelEnginePowerTorqueTop Speed0-60
mph
Economy
1964–1968 Rolls-Royce IOE 3.9 Automatic 3,909 cc - L6 - NA 177 PS (130 kW)296 N⋅m (218 lb⋅ft)112 mph (180 km/h)12.7 s15.0 mpgimp (18.8 L/100 km)

Pricing

The background to the pricing was that from April 1961 tax relief on company cars was allowed only up to £2,000. [9]

The new car was priced on a par with the curvaceous Jaguar Mark X (albeit only the manual transmission model of the Jaguar[ citation needed ]) and 50 per cent more than its apparent predecessor the 3-litre car. It was a major change of market positioning aimed at the growing prestige and executive market in Europe and the United States. However, its close appearance to its predecessor and its pricing (near to that of the Jaguar, which was bigger with a far more advanced chassis design and more prestigious, though itself without a useful market in the United States), doomed it to failure[ citation needed ].

Production

Joint production capacity of 12,000 cars a year was provided, (although actual production was never more than a fraction of this) and final assembly and hand finishing was at the Vanden Plas works in Kingsbury London.

The Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R remained in production until 1968, just ahead of BMC's merge into British Leyland. 6,687 vehicles were produced at Kingsbury and an additional 312 C.K.D. kits were exported to South Africa bringing total production to 6,999 units. [7] It was the only mass-produced civilian vehicle from another manufacturer ever to use a Rolls-Royce engine. [4]

The late Queen Elizabeth ll owned an estate model of the Vanden Plas Princess, of which it was estimated between 4 and 7 were built.

Rolls-Royce Java

This car was a result of a joint BMC / Rolls-Royce project for a smaller Bentley code-named Java. Prototypes were made using the Austin-engineered central portion of the Vanden Plas, with restyled Rolls-Royce and Bentley panels front and rear. Neither of these models made it into production. Rolls-Royce withdrew from the venture. They had been covering the possibility that the survival of their motor car division might depend on providing a relatively compact mass-produced Rolls-Royce. However 1965's introduction of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was a success. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daimler Company</span> British motor vehicle manufacturer

The Daimler Company Limited, before 1910 known as the Daimler Motor Company Limited, was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H. J. Lawson in 1896, which set up its manufacturing base in Coventry. The company bought the right to the use of the Daimler name simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft of Cannstatt, Germany. After early financial difficulty and a reorganisation of the company in 1904, the Daimler Motor Company was purchased by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) in 1910, which also made cars under its own name before the Second World War. In 1933, BSA bought the Lanchester Motor Company and made it a subsidiary of the Daimler Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Motor Corporation</span> Automobile manufacturer

The British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) was a UK-based vehicle manufacturer, formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the Morris and Austin businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Princess</span> Motor vehicle

The Austin Princess is a series of large luxury cars that were made by Austin and its subsidiary Vanden Plas from 1947 to 1968. The cars were also marketed under the Princess and Vanden Plas marque names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanden Plas</span> Coachbuilder

Vanden Plas is the name of coachbuilders who produced bodies for specialist and up-market automobile manufacturers. Latterly the name became a top-end luxury model designation for cars from subsidiaries of British Leyland and the Rover Group, it was last used in 2009 to denote the top-luxury version of the Jaguar XJ (X350).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguar S-Type (1999)</span> Motor vehicle

The Jaguar S-Type is an executive car that debuted at the 1998 Birmingham Motor Show and was marketed by Jaguar for model years 1999–2007, reviving the nameplate of the company's 1963–68 S-Type as a four-door notchback saloon. The S-Type received a mild facelift for model year 2002 and again in 2004. The S-Type was discontinued in late 2007 and replaced by the XF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguar XJ</span> Series of British luxury cars (1968–2019)

The Jaguar XJ is a series of full-size luxury cars produced by British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars from 1968 to 2019. It was produced across five basic platform generations with various updated derivatives of each. From 1970, it was Jaguar's flagship four-door model. The original model was the last Jaguar saloon to have had the input of Sir William Lyons, the company's founder, and the model has been featured in countless media and high-profile appearances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin-Healey 3000</span> British sports car built from 1959 until 1967

The Austin-Healey 3000 is a British sports car built from 1959 until 1967. It is the best known of the "big Healey" models. The car's bodywork was made by Jensen Motors and the vehicles were assembled at BMC's MG Works in Abingdon, alongside the corporation's MG models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguar Mark X</span> Motor vehicle

The Jaguar Mark X, later renamed the Jaguar 420G, was British manufacturer Jaguar's top-of-the-range saloon car for a decade, from 1961 to 1970. The large, luxurious Mark X not only succeeded the Mark IX as the company's top saloon model, but radically broke with both its predecessor's styling and technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BMC ADO16</span> Motor vehicle

The BMC ADO16 is a range of small family cars built by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and, later, British Leyland. Launched in 1962, it was Britain's best-selling car from 1963 to 1966 and from 1968 to 1971. The ADO16 was marketed under various make and model names; however, the Austin 1100 and Morris 1100 were the most prolific of all the ADO16 variants. The car's ubiquity at the height of its popularity led to it simply being known as the 1100 (eleven-hundred) in its home market. Also made with a 1300cc engine, it was then typically called 1300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolseley 6/99</span> Motor vehicle

The Wolseley 6/99 and 6/110 were the final large Wolseley cars. Styled by Pininfarina with additions by BMC staff stylists, the basic vehicle was also sold under two of BMC's other marques as the Austin A99 Westminster and Vanden Plas Princess 3-Litre. Production began in 1959 and the cars were updated and renamed for 1961. The Wolseley remained in production as the Wolseley 6/110 through to 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Westminster</span> Motor vehicle

The Austin Westminster series are large saloon and estate cars that were sold by the British manufacturer Austin from 1954, replacing the A70 Hereford. The Westminster line was produced as the A90, A95, A99, A105, and A110 until 1968 when the new Austin 3-Litre took its place. Essentially badge-engineered versions of the Farina Westminsters were also produced using the premium Wolseley and Vanden Plas marques. 101,634 Westminsters were built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humber Super Snipe</span> Motor vehicle

The Humber Super Snipe is a car which was produced from 1938 to 1967 by British-based Humber Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguar Mark 2</span> Motor vehicle

The Jaguar Mark 2 is a mid-sized luxury sports saloon built from late 1959 to 1967 by Jaguar in Coventry, England. The previous Jaguar 2.4 Litre and 3.4 Litre models made between 1955 and 1959 are identified as Mark 1 Jaguars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daimler DS420</span> Motor vehicle

The Daimler DS420, also known as the Daimler Limousine, is a limousine made by the Daimler Company between 1968 and 1992. The car was designed for official use and it was popular with chauffeur services, hoteliers and undertakers. It was used as an official state car in many countries. No other limousine model has been delivered to more reigning monarchs than the DS420, and the car is still used by the royal houses of the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, and Luxembourg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daimler DR450</span> Motor vehicle

The Daimler DR450 is a limousine variant of the Majestic Major DQ450 saloon. Produced from 1961 to 1968, it was the last complete car designed by The Daimler Company Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguar Mark 1</span> Motor vehicle

The Jaguar Mark 1 is a British saloon car produced by Jaguar between 1955 and 1959. It was referred to in contemporary company documentation as the Jaguar 2.4 Litre and Jaguar 3.4 Litre. Its designation as Mark 1 was retroactive, following its October 1959 replacement by Jaguar's 2.4-litre Mark 2. The 2.4 Litre was the company's first small saloon since the end of its 1½ and 2½ Litre cars in 1949, and was an immediate success, easily outselling the larger much more expensive Jaguar saloons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daimler Sovereign</span> Motor vehicle

Daimler Sovereign was a name applied by British manufacturer Jaguar Cars to a sequence of luxury automobiles built by it but carrying the Daimler badge between 1966 and 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguar XJ (X300)</span> Saloon car (1994–1997)

The Jaguar XJ (X300) is a full-size luxury saloon car manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1994 and 1997. It was the first Jaguar XJ produced entirely under Ford Motor Company ownership, and can be considered an evolution of the outgoing XJ40 generation. Like all previous XJ generations, it features the Jaguar independent rear suspension arrangement. The design of the X300 placed emphasis on improved build quality, improved reliability, and a return to traditional Jaguar styling elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguar XJ (X308)</span> Saloon car (1997–2003)

The Jaguar XJ (X308) is a full-size luxury saloon car manufactured and marketed by Jaguar Cars for years 1997–2003 across two generations and featuring the Jaguar AJ-V8 engine and Jaguar independent rear suspension. It was the third and final evolution of the Jaguar XJ40 platform that had been in production since 1986. It was preceded by the Jaguar XJ (X300).

References

  1. Vanden Plas 4 Litre R, www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au Retrieved on 6 February 2013
  2. 1961 Austin Princess 3-Litre Saloon BMC Aussie Original Magazine Advertisement, www.flickr.com Retrieved 8 October 2019
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The Vanden Plas Three-litre Princess". The Motor . 5 April 1961.
  4. 1 2 3 "Used Car Test: 1964 Vanden Plas Princess R". Autocar . Vol. 128 nbr 3761. 14 March 1968. pp. 50–51.
  5. "Vanden Plas Princess 3 Litre (1960 - 1961)". The Cambridge-Oxford Owners Club. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  6. "Vanden Plas Princess 3 Litre MkII (1961 - 1964)". The Cambridge-Oxford Owners Club. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 Vanden Plas Princess 4 Litre R, www.vpoc.info Retrieved 8 October 2019
  8. 1 2 3 Rolls-Royce Engine In New B.M.C. 112 mph Saloon. The Times , Wednesday, 19 August 1964; pg. 5; Issue 56094
  9. 1 2 Rolls-B.M.C. Marriage Proving A Happy One from Our Motoring Correspondent-Crewe, Feb. 28. The Times, Monday, Mar 01, 1965; pg. 7
  10. Display Advertising BMC. The Times, Wednesday, 19 August 1964; pg. 7; Issue 56094
  11. Specifications: 1964 Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R, www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au
  12. "When Rolls-Royce and Bentley worked with BMC on new luxury cars". AROnline. 4 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2020.