Austin Sixteen

The 'new' Austin Sixteen - also written as Austin 16 - was after the 2^e World War the first 'new' car from the then independent automobile manufacturer Austin. The introduction took place at the end of 1945, production started in 1946 and that is now 70 years ago.

The attentive reader knows that an Austin Sixteen already existed before the war, but this 'new' Sixteen had nothing in common with it. Except for the name and type indication. A completely new 2.199 ccm under the hood. four-cylinder 'head valve' mounted in the pre-war chassis of the Austin Twelve, which by the way was still in production. A powerful engine that was good for 3.800 hp at 67 revolutions per minute and could propel the 'castle' to a top speed of 121 kilometers per hour. That was a nice course for then.

It was also noteworthy that in the case of a flat tire it was not necessary to start with a crick, because a hydraulic system had been mounted with which a pump could be operated under the hood - by hand - to control the wheels of the floor made ... It was clear that other car manufacturers appeared after the war with a new design on the scene. The 'loose' headlights had been replaced by headlights in the mudguards. Not with the Austin Sixteen which made the car still look old-fashioned ...

It seems that the designers were inspired by the Buick from 1938. To prove that this new Austin was something very special, the factory sent three copies on a journey. In the bitter cold of the winter of 1947, three teams led by Alan Hess ('nice' name just after the war) started the adventure. The assignment was to visit seven cities in Northern Europe in seven days. Despite extreme weather conditions, heavy snowfall and storms, bitter cold, they succeeded without major problems. The travelogue can be read in Hess' book Gullible's Travels. In 1949 the last copy rolled out of the factory gate and Austin came up with something new.