The Austin Apache is a

small family car The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States. In 2011, the C- ...

that was produced by

Leykor British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor ...

between November 1971 and 1978. The Apache was the last

BMC ADO16 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 var ...

car to be produced. The Spanish manufacturer

Authi The Authi car company of Pamplona, Spain, was founded in 1965 as a result of a collaboration between BMC (the British Motor Corporation) and NMQ ( Nueva Montaña Quijano). BMC needed a way to sell their cars in Spain, which at the time had str ...

also built a version of the car, called the Austin Victoria, at its

Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...

plant between 1972 and 1975.

History

The car was styled by Michelotti, and based on the chassis and various other components of the Austin/Morris 1100.

executives saw Michelotti's prototype in England and chose it for production in South Africa, where ADO16 sales had been dropping. While the car's centre structure was that of the Austin/Morris 1100, its front and rear styling was all-new, styled (particularly at the rear, where the boot was a notchback) to resemble a scaled-down Triumph 2000/2500. The tail lights, and outer sections of the rear bumper were the same as those used by the Triumph 2000/2500. See also the more comparably sized

Triumph Dolomite The Triumph Dolomite small saloon car was produced by the Triumph Motor Company division of the British Leyland Corporation in Canley, Coventry between October 1972 and August 1980. Background The Dolomite was the final addition to Triumph's ...

and Triumph Toledo. In 1973 the Apache received a minor facelift, introducing proper

CV joints Constant-velocity joints (also known as homokinetic or CV joints) are mechanical joints which allow a drive shaft to transmit power through a variable angle, at constant rotational speed, without an appreciable increase in friction or play. They ...

, round Smiths gauges and a rod linkage for the gear shift. Originally, the ADO16 used rubber drive joints, a strip speedometer, and a remote extension gear lever. Also in 1973, the sporty TC model was added to the lineup. Power was up to at 5,800 rpm, compared to at 5,250 rpm for the 'cooking' versions. The TC also received Rostyle rims, vinyl roof, a rev counter, and a sporty steering wheel. All versions of the Apache and Victoria used the 1,275 cc version of BMC's venerable A-series four-cylinder, with a variety of outputs.

Production

References and links

* http://www.authi.net Website of Authi enthusiasts (in Spanish)
Austin Victoria page at AR on-line

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

Front-wheel-drive vehicles Mid-size cars Cars introduced in 1971 {{Classicpow-auto-stub