Austin A110 Westminster (Mk2).
Once again my thanks to Ian for sending this period shot of a classic Police car over, in this instance of a 1965 Austin A110 Westminster Police car, with the Northumberland force. He recalls that only four examples of the 3 Litre Mk2 Westminster were taken on, ETY 820C being one of them. There are no signs of this Austin on the DVLA system, so sadly all that remains of this car is the photograph shown below - unless anyone knows differently. The vast majority of these classic Farina-designed cars were scrapped through terminal rust issues during the 1970s and 1980s which, combined with b*nger racing which continues to this day, allied to the passage of time, means that few of these comfy old cruisers survived into respectable retirement.
|
| (Please click the thumbnail to view full-size image.) |
|
|
|
The A110 was an evolution of the previous A99 Westminster (1959-1961), launched in 1961 and revised in 1964 with the introduction of the Mk2 A110, as featured on this page. The engine was a straight six of 2912cc, known in BMC circles as the C-Series and more commonly found under the bonnet of the Austin-Healey 3000, and also the MGC. In the Westminster, it produced a healthy 120bhp. Production of the A110 (and sister Wolseley 6/110) continued until 1968, the angular Westminster being replaced in the Austin showrooms by the all-new - and arguably less successful - Austin 3 Litre.
|
|
The Mk2 A110 was available to the public in basic and Super De Luxe specification at its introduction. Under the skin there were many changes, especially to the rear suspension, along with an increase in wheelbase and slight lowering of the ride height, all designed to improve the Westminster's handling. Mk1s had a twin-pipe exhaust system, while the Mk2s had a single-pipe system with three silencers. Thirteen-inch road wheels replaced the previous car's fourteen-inch rims, saving 10lbs in weight per wheel apparently, even after the slightly taller tyres had been fitted.
|
|
Inside, the base-model Westminster Mk2 had PVC trim, minus armrests, no clock and no bumper overriders, enabling the purchase price to just sneak under the 1000 GBP barrier at 997 GBP. |
|
Buyers of the more luxurious Super De Luxe specification cars would get leather upholstery, walnut veneer dashboard, door cappings and rear picnic tables, along with padded door armrests, justifying the asking price of 1112 GBP.
|
|
Just to muddy the waters slightly, in 1965 an intermediary-level Westminster was put on sale, plusher than the base car but without the walnut trimmings and picnic tables of the Super De Luxe. The De Luxe model only lasted for a year or so, the line-up then reverting back to the original two variants - basic and Super De Luxe - for the remainder of its production.
|
|
Return to Page 14 in the classic & vintage vehicle photo gallery, or this page to view the parts classifieds page for the A110.
|
|
A period photo of an Austin Westminster also appears on an edition of BMC's in-house Worldwide magazine.
|
