:''See

Austin A40 A number of different motor vehicles were marketed under the Austin A40 name by Austin between 1947 and 1967. Austin's naming scheme at that time derived from the approximate engine output, in horsepower. To distinguish between the different mo ...

for other A40 models and

Austin A40 Sports The Austin A40 Sports was introduced at the 1949 London Motor Show at Earls Court as a four-passenger, aluminium-bodied convertible variant of the Austin A40 – carrying an ''Austin of England'' nameplate, bearing Austin's ''Flying A'' bonnet m ...

for the sports car version of the Devon.'' The A40 Devon (and similar 2-door A40 Dorset) are

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

s that were marketed by

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

from 1947 to 1952 – the first post-

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

saloons to be produced by Austin – featuring a mix of old and new technologies. They were previewed by the UK press at the Paris Motor Show on 22 October 1947, who expressed immediate disappointment at the car's conservative appearance. More than 450,000 were built before the model's replacement in 1952 by the

Austin A40 Somerset :''See Austin A40 for other A40 models.'' The Austin A40 Somerset is a automobile, motor car which was produced by the Austin Motor Company from 1952 until 1954. The Somerset replaced the Austin A40 Devon and, as a body-on-frame car, it was com ...

Mechanicals and bodystyles

Both the Devon and Dorset were

body-on-frame Body-on-frame is a traditional motor vehicle construction method whereby a separate coachwork, body or coach is mounted on a strong and relatively rigid vehicle frame or chassis that carries the powertrain (the engine and drivetrain) and to wh ...

designs with modern bodies and a 1.2 L

straight-4 A straight-four engine (also referred to as an inline-four engine) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout ( ...

OHV engine producing at 4200 rpm. They featured front coil sprung

independent suspension Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in ...

but retained a rigid axle and semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear. The Girling brakes with drums were operated hydraulically at the front and mechanically at the rear. Later cars had column operated gear change and full hydraulic braking. A sliding sunroof and heater were extra cost options on the UK market. The Devon was the 4-door version and was more successful than the 2-door Dorset, which was dropped in 1949 after only 15,939 were made. The "Countryman" estate was produced through 1956. Equipped as a six-seater, its folding rear seat enabled it to be converted into a two-seater able to carry a half-ton load.Austin Works - A40 Countryman
Retrieved on 5 June 2011 A van and

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...

were also produced. The Devon was the first post-war-designed Austin to be assembled in New Zealand. It was produced from CKD kits at the Austin Distributors Federation assembly plant in Petone. Some examples are still on the road. (there is an A40 Devon operating and registered in Hamilton as of 2019). A prototype A40 Dorset

Tourer Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. The ...

was built at Longbridge in 1948. Although it was never put into production in England, various versions of the A40 Tourer were made in Australia beginning in September 1948.A40 Tourer Register
Retrieved from www.austinworks.com on 14 December 2008 File:Austin A40 Dorset (1947-49) (30363407003).jpg, Austin A40 Dorset File:MHV Austin A40 Devon 1952 01.jpg, Austin A40 Devon Saloon File:Austin A40 Tourer.JPG, Austin A40 Tourer File:Austin A40 Countryman.jpg, Austin A40 Countryman File:Austin A40 Van.jpg, Austin A40 Van File:Austin A40 Ute (15695235028).jpg, Austin A40 Pick-up

Performance and driving impressions

A car tested by ''

The Motor ''The Motor'' (later, just ''Motor'') was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903 and published by Temple Press. It was initially launched as ''Motorcycling and Motoring'' in 1902 before the title was shortened. From the 14 ...

'' magazine in 1948 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 37.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car, which had the optional sliding roof, cost £505 including taxes. Commentators also commended the "excellent (floor lever controlled four speed) gear change" (on the early models) with smooth clutch action. The brakes, however, needed "fairly firm pedal pressure ... for maximum results".

Commercial

The car sold well, boosting Austin's standing in the sales charts in the process. Its success was attributed to the fact that it offered a lot of car for the money.

Austin A40 Sports

As one in a series of collaborations between Austin and

Jensen Motors Jensen Motors Limited was a England, British manufacturer of sports cars and commercial vehicles in West Bromwich, England. Brothers Alan and Richard Jensen gave the new name, Jensen Motors Limited, to the commercial- and sports car body-making ...

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...

, the A40 Sports originated when Austin's chairman

Leonard Lord Leonard Percy Lord, 1st Baron Lambury KBE (15 November 1896 – 13 September 1967) was a captain of the British motor industry. Background and education Leonard Percy Lord was born on 16 November 1896 in Coventry and was the youngest child ...

, upon seeing the

Jensen Interceptor The Jensen Interceptor is a grand touring car which was hand-built at the Kelvin Way Factory in West Bromwich, near Birmingham in England, by Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1976. The Interceptor name had been used previously by Jensen for the ...

, requested that Jensen develop a body that could use the Austin A40 Devon mechanicals. The centre section of the chassis was boxed to provide rigidity for the open body, and the A40 Sports also employed a twin- SU carburettor version of the 1.2 L engine producing , rather than . During production, A40 Sports bodies were built by Jensen and transported to Austin's

Longbridge plant The Longbridge plant is an industrial complex in Longbridge, Birmingham, England, currently leased by SAIC Motor, SAIC as a research and development facility for its MG Motor subsidiary. Vehicle assembly ended in 2016. Opened in 1905, by the lat ...

for final assembly, with approximately 4,011 examples manufactured.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Austin A40 Devon
Austin Counties Car Club

Austin Memories, History of Austin and Longbridge

Video of 1948 Austin Devon dragster
A40 Devon 1950s cars Cars introduced in 1947 Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Sedans Station wagons Convertibles sv:Austin A40