Austin Westminster

The A90 Six Westminster was introduced at the 1954 London Motor Show at the same time as the small A40/A50 Cambridge saloon range. It used the new BMC C-Series straight-6 engine with single Zenith carburettor which, at 2.6 L (2639 cc), produced 85 hp (63 kW). The A90 designation had previously been carried by the 1948–52 Austin Atlantic. 25,532 A90 Six Westminsters were built. File:Austin_A90_Westminster_front.jpg|A90 Westminster File:A90_Westminster_rear.JPG| File:A90_Westminster_side.JPG| File:Austin_A90_Westminster_tail.jpg|'cow hips' tail ==A95/A105==

In May 1956, for a brief period only, a derivative of the A90 Six Westminster was announced which was a short boot version of the A105 and had the twin SU carburettor/102 hp version of the 2.6-litre C series engine with overdrive as standard. In October 1956 the A105 received the longer wheelbase with overdrive as standard and automatic transmission as an option. Twin fog lights, heater and wheel trims were standard although a radio was still an option. Two tone paint and white wall tyres were introduced for visual effect. Very few short boot versions of the A105 were produced and they are now quite rare. The A90 was updated for autumn 1956 as the A95. Along with more power, the A95 was longer and now offered an estate model. Overdrive and an automatic transmission were new as well, something of a novelty in British cars of the time. Both the A95 and A105 were produced together until 1959. 28,065 A95s and 6,770 A105s were built. An A105 saloon with overdrive tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1956 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 15.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £1109 including taxes. In popular culture, the Austin A95 has a degree of infamy for being the vehicle that Thich Quang Duc rode in to the site in Saigon where he proceeded to immolate himself in protest of the religious persecution of the Ngo Dinh Diem administration in South Vietnam. The blue A95 sedan which he was transported in is clearly visible in the background of the famous photograph of the burning monk, and the car itself remains on display at the Thien Mu pagoda in Huế. Later, the debut studio album of Rage Against the Machine featured the image on its cover artwork, once again cementing the A95's inextricable link to one of the most important photographs ever captured in the entire history of photojournalism. File:Austin_A105_Westminster_1956_front.jpg|A105 first model File:Austin_A105_Westminster_1956_rear.jpg|A105 'cow hips' model File:Austin_A95_Westminster_front.jpg|Austin A95 File:Austin_A95_Westminster_rear.jpg|Long boot for A95 File:Austin_A105_Westminster_front_1957.jpg|A105 revised File:Austin_A105_Westminster_rear_1957.jpg|Long boot A105 File:Austin_A105_Six_side_1957.jpg|Austin A105. Longer body from 1956 ==Austin A105 Vanden-Plas==

The A105 was the first mass-produced Austin family car to be specially upgraded by coachbuilder Vanden Plas, following the success of the large A135 Austin Princess limousine. This was done after a personal request from Leonard Lord in 1957. Changes included significant new interior fittings, and a grey stripe bearing the "Princess" crown on the side of the body; most bodies were in sombre colours such as black or maroon. File:Austin with Vanden Plas detailing.JPG|A105 Vanden Plas File:Austin_A105_Vanden-Plas_front.jpg|A105 Vanden Plas front File:Austin_A105_Vanden-Plas_badge.jpg|A105 Vanden Plas boot badging File:Austin_A105_Vanden-Plas_rear.jpg|A105 Vanden Plas looks like any A105 ==A99==

The A99 Westminster appeared in 1959 with new Pinin Farina-designed bodywork. Pininfarina had also re-styled Austin's compact A40 and mid-sized A55 Cambridge ranges the year before. A very similarly styled bodyshell was also used for the Peugeot 404. It appears that this design, which firstly influenced the Austin and then the Peugeot, was based on the Lancia Flaminia, also designed by Battista Farina earlier. Under the bonnet was the 2.9 L (2912 cc) C-Series straight-6 engine with twin SU carburettors from the Austin-Healey 3000. This engine produced 103 hp (77 kW) in Westminster tune. A three-speed all-synchromesh manual gearbox with a Borg-Warner overdrive unit was fitted as standard, or a Borg-Warner automatic transmission as an option. Power-assisted Lockheed brakes with discs on the front wheels were also new. An A99 saloon with automatic transmission was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1960 and they recorded a top speed of , acceleration from 0– in 17.9 seconds and a fuel consumption of . The test car cost £1219 including taxes. The manual car cost £1148. A specially trimmed A99 was sold as the Princess 3-Litre, (note, not an "Austin" Princess – Austin was removed from Princess badging in August 1957 on the larger Princess IV) and later under the Vanden Plas marque as the Vanden Plas Princess. A Wolseley version, the 6/99, was also produced. Production ended in 1961 with the introduction of the larger A110. 15,162 A99s were built. ==A110==

The final major update arrived in 1961 with the A110 Westminster. This version had an extended (by 2 in/51 mm) wheelbase, which allowed more space in the rear compartment as well as improving the roadholding, a floor-mounted gear lever. 13 in wheels were substituted in 1964's Mark II models. Wolseley produced a 6/110 version, and there was a Vanden Plas Princess Mark II with the C-Series engine, now uprated to . The same basic body was also used for a Rolls-Royce-engined Vanden Plas Princess, and the body even formed part of a prototype Bentley. The Westminster range was finally replaced by the Austin 3-Litre in 1968. 26,105 A110s were built. File:Austin_A110_Westminster_MkII_head.jpg|Austin A110 Westminster Mark II – the biggest "Farina" Austin File:Austin_A110_Westminster_MkII_tail.jpg| File:Austin_A110_Westminster_MkII_rear.jpg| ==Scale models and die-cast==

• Meccano Dinky Toys; No. 176 (production 1958–1963), Austin A105 Westminster, approximately O scale (1:44). ==See also==