We all know the London taxis. The taxi market in England has always been large and fairly monopolistic. And the hijackers on the coast? They were stranded on the retention of British taxi drivers.
This is one of the reasons why the Winchester was not a success either. Partly for that reason.
The Perkins 4 / 99 diesel engine was too weak for the 1500 kilo based on 'Cellobond' made Winchester. And that Cellobond of the body made from one piece was a fiberglass-reinforced polyester. The factory claimed that collision damage could be resolved within 4 hours. The factory also claimed that the car was the result of an in-depth analysis of the wishes of the 'Cabbies'.
The illuminated threshold for the passenger on the boarding side was tricky. The light box on the roof that not only reported 'TAXI', but 'Taxi for hire' was also brilliant. The later update with Ford Cortina petrol engines only resulted in the Winchesters becoming quite popular with filmmakers. The diesels of that time produced a strange sound effect in the films at the time with their sound equipment at the time.
In the almost 10 year that production staggered, sales - even after the cosmetic update in 1968 - barely exceeded a copy every two weeks. Because the London city taxi drivers remained loyal to the Austin FX4.
Made from 1963-1972
Engine 1628 cc diesel or 1499 cc gasoline
Number of produced approx. 250 pcs.