Austin Princess 2000. King's daughter to Quiryn

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Purchasing classics there

Gone are the days when the most beautiful (or less beautiful) cars ended up in sheds or old garages? No, because if you keep your eyes open, you can come across a lot more special. As in the case of Quiryn Spannenburg, who found an Austin Princess 2000.

By: Dirk de Jong

In 2018, Quiryn Spannenburg received information about the sale of more than a hundred cars in Grootebroek, where a dealer company had previously gone bankrupt. He was short of eyes when confronted with so many steel children.

A second life for the 'oldies'

As a restorer, his interest was in classic cars. And so he soon came face to face with a beautiful DAF 46 and an Austin Princess 2000 - which had been stationary for 28 years. For both cars, the regular car trade shrugged its shoulders in disdain. But for Quiryn it was exciting. He immediately saw the resurrection of a supposedly dead Austin Princess 2000 and of course the 'reanimation' of our national pride, the DAF 46.

Youth sentiment

The Austin was childhood sentiment to him. His uncle used to drive a white one. Quiryn immediately had the feeling that he later wanted to drive this special model. This Austin creation, the new line, the wedge shape did not appeal to everyone when it hit the market. The attraction for Quiryn was maximum. He remembers that he always looked a little longer when his uncle drove past. Nostalgia is not his only motive for choosing the Austin Princess 2000, but the technology and driving qualities also play an important role in him. Despite the emotional value for Quiryn, the car remains of course just a classic that you can enjoy a lot. This shows again: People with a classic are at least as interesting as the classic itself. So much passion is put into the car and that is great. The car is no longer for sale. Quiryn is thinking of returning it to new condition and then experiencing the thrilling feeling of driving a separate model. 

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2 comments

  1. What a beautiful car it was and so comfortable with its hydramatic suspension and missing wind noise due to the perfect fairing.

    It was just hopelessly badly put together. At the time I had a colleague with a Princess who called every week or twice a week saying he would be "a little later". Not because of the normal things, such as a flat tire or empty battery or bad distributor cap, no, these were things that were simply unheard of in other cars. “The doors won't open anymore” and “He won't release the handbrake” and “Suddenly he doesn't switch anymore” and “Smoke is coming out of the stove” and “all the lights remain dark” and “there is a whole puddle underneath and I don't know where that comes from ”and“ the wipers have stopped ”.

    Nevertheless, he remained loyal to the car for a long time, more loyal than the other way around. He praised the Princess for its design, space and comfort. Very, very special.

    What was actually going on: The Princess came from a country that had slipped into an anarchist third world culture. Not the government and not the management, but the union was in charge. Production per employee was sixteen times lower than in West Germany. The production facilities had not been modernized since the 1929 crisis. The tax burden had driven the best people out of the country. The merger between Leyland Motors and British Motor Corportation was amateurish, so the company lacked leadership and vision.

  2. The Princess! A friend of mine got it from his father at the time because he couldn't trade her anywhere. What a beautiful car, which by the way honored all prejudices about English cars. You had to have a noble wallet to drive her.

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