Austin Princess - Austin Princess Mk IV

Austin Princess Mk IV

(branded after August 1957 as the Princess Mk IV, and after July 1960 as the Vanden Plas Princess Mk IV)

1956 saw a new Austin Princess Mk IV. This thoroughly re-designed very handsome big modern styled car, the saloon replacement for the former Sheerline and A135 only stayed in the catalogue until 1959 finding very few buyers. It is believed only pre-production examples were built, each car handsomer than the previous one. There is an external link below to its sales brochures and a link to a photograph of the final dark blue pre-production example.

The last A135 Mark 3 had been priced at 5 times the price of an Austin A30. The new Mk IV had to be priced at 6.5 times the price of an Austin A30. At this price there was almost no demand for the Mk IV. The name was shortened in August 1957 when the car lost its "Austin" designation, now being branded simply as the Princess Mark 4. The Princess Mark 4 was shelved in 1959 and replaced in the Austin catalogue by a much smaller model, an upgraded Austin Westminster (Pininfarina-designed Vanden Plas Princess see below) which retailed at little more than 40% of the Mark IV's price.

The old-style long wheelbase Austin Princess saloon and limousine version scarcely changed at all. It had more "integrated" front wings in the modern style, but was little changed under the skin.

The Vanden Plas name was added to Princess from July 1960.

Austin Princess
Princess
Vanden Plas Princess
Long Wheelbase Limousine (or Saloon)
Production 1956-1968
200 made
Engine 3995 cc 6-cylinder overhead-valve
Wheelbase 132 in (3,353 mm)(long-wheelbase)
Length 215 in (5,461 mm)(long-wheelbase)
Width 73 in (1,854 mm)
Height 70 in (1,778 mm)

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