Austin 3-Litre
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The Austin 3-Litre is a British
saloon car A sedan or saloon (British English) is a passenger car in a three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo. The first recorded use of the word "sedan" in reference to an automobile body occurred in 19 ...
that was introduced 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 ...
at the
London Motor Show London Motor Show, formerly the London Motorfair, is a motor show in England. It was held biannually at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, from 1977 to 1999. When the event won the support of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and P&O Ev ...
in 1967. Codenamed ADO61, the car was intended to be BMC's offering in the 3-litre
executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dire ...
class and was originally designed in the early 1960s, before the British Leyland era. Unlike the visually similar (but smaller)
front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longit ...
Morris 1800 Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...
range, the 125 bhp 3-litre engine (a 7- bearing modification of the BMC C-Series with twin SU carburettors) drove the rear wheels through a conventional 4-speed gearbox. The car used
Hydrolastic Hydrolastic is a type of space-efficient automotive suspension system used in many cars produced by British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successor companies. Invented by British rubber engineer Alex Moulton, and first used on the 1962 BMC p ...
suspension with self-levelling hydraulic rams at the rear and was praised for its excellent ride and handling.
Alec Issigonis Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis (18 November 1906 – 2 October 1988) was a British-Greek automotive designer. He designed the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation in 1959, and voted the second Car of the Century, most i ...
, who designed the front-wheel drive cars, had no part in the 3-Litre, which he was reportedly keen to point out. To cater for its intended market, the interior was luxurious, featuring wood veneers and cloth headlining (but leather upholstery was not available, being replaced with a good-quality vinyl) and the boot was longer than that of the 1800, contributing to an overall length of (the 1800 was long). Luxurious Wolseley and
Vanden Plas 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, ...
3-litre versions both reached prototype stage, but went no further. A small number of estate models were built however, converted by
Crayford Crayford is a town and electoral ward in South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies east of Bexleyheath and north west of Dartford. Crayford was in the historic county of Kent until 1965. The settlement deve ...
. It became apparent that BMC were initially not geared up to producing the car: few or none seem to have been sold in 1967, but by July 1968, it was reported that the cars had begun to leave the factory. By that time, the square headlights seen at the 1967 motor show had been replaced by conventional round twin headlamp units, and by the time of the October 1968 show the car had also acquired front quarter lights. In July 1968, with cars beginning to emerge from the plant, the manufacturers were asked to detail improvements reportedly implemented since the car's "launch" the previous October. Mention was made of orifice modifications to hydraulic valves in the rear suspension, and it was stated that there was a "new" final drive ratio of 3.9:1, though this was actually the same final drive ratio included in the launch information the previous October. In the early days of British Leyland, proposals for a
Rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US * ...
-branded version were considered to replace the Rover P5 3-Litre but these did not progress beyond the drawing board. A number were converted to hearses; the Woodhall Nicholson conversion was voted Hearse of the year in 1968. Sales were very poor. The standard version had been withdrawn by 1969, while the de-luxe version soldiered on until the model was discontinued completely in May 1971, after fewer than 10,000 had been produced. It suffered from a perception that it was merely an enlarged Morris "Landcrab" (indeed, it gained the nickname "Land-lobster"), with which it shared its central section and doors – a perception that was exacerbated further when the smaller
Austin Maxi The Austin Maxi is a medium-sized, 5-door hatchback family car that was produced by Austin and later British Leyland between 1969 and 1981. It was the first British five-door hatchback. British Leyland built and sold the Maxi alongside the 1971 ...
also used the same bodywork, although the 3-Litre was in fact a quite different car. BMC also failed to take into account the changing tastes in the 'executive' sector of the car market. Cars such as the
Rover P6 The Rover P6 series (named as the 2000, 2200, or 3500, depending on engine displacement) was a saloon car produced by Rover and subsequently British Leyland from 1963 to 1977 in Solihull, Warwickshire, England, UK. The P6 was the first winner o ...
and the
Triumph 2000 The Triumph 2000 is a mid-sized, rear wheel drive automobile which was produced in Coventry by the Triumph Motor Company between 1963 and 1977. It was introduced on 15 October 1963. It was styled by Giovanni Michelotti. It competed with the c ...
had set new standards for handling in the class and had smaller but more efficient engines as well as more fashionable and modern styling. The 3-Litre was very much in the spirit of its
Austin Westminster 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 th ...
predecessor – a large car with an understressed large-capacity engine that put an emphasis on luxury and ride comfort over handling and economy, although both these last two factors were becoming more important in the sector. The 3-Litre also arrived on the market just as BMC had taken over
Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
and had merged with
Leyland Motors Leyland Motors Limited (later known as the Leyland Motor Corporation) was a British vehicle manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company diversified into car manufacturing with its acquisitions of Triumph and Rover in 1960 and 1 ...
to create
British Leyland British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...
(BL). Within the new conglomerate, the 3-Litre was now being sold alongside similarly sized rivals from Jaguar,
Rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US * ...
and
Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
– all perceived as genuine performance/luxury brands compared to Austin, which was seen as a downmarket mainstream brand. For this reason the 3-Litre was not directly replaced, and ultimately Rover and Jaguar models fulfilled the 3-Litre's role in BL's portfolio. 1970 Austin 3 litre automatic front.jpg, Austin 3 Litre front view 1970 Austin 3 litre automatic.jpg, Austin 3 Litre rear view


References


External links


Austin Memories
{{British Motor Holdings and British Leyland cars, 1966-1986 3 Executive cars 1970s cars Cars introduced in 1967 Rear-wheel-drive vehicles