:''See Austin A40 for other A40 models and Austin A40 Sports for the sports car version of the Devon.'' The A40 Devon (and similar 2-door A40 Dorset) are

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

s that were marketed by

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

from 1947 to 1952 – the first post-

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

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, also known as ladder frame construction, is a common motor vehicle construction method, whereby a separate body or coach is mounted on a strong and relatively rigid vehicle frame or chassis that carries the powertrain (the engin ...

designs with modern bodies and a 1.2 L

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

OHV engine An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located be ...

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 w ...

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 up until 1956. A van and

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

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. Th ...

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 ''Car'' is a British automotive enthusiast magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. International editions are published by Bauer Automotive in Republi ...

'' 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 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 body and sports car body making busi ...

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, ...

, 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 and was the youngest child in his family ...

, 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 SU carburettors were a British manufacturer of constant-depression carburettors. Their designs were in mass production during most of the twentieth century. The S.U. Carburetter Company Limited also manufactured dual-choke updraught carburetto ...

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 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