1964 Austin A40 Farina
The Austin A40 Farina launched in 1964, brought together a new modern
body-shell to produce an attractive small car. It sold extremely well
in the late 1950's and early 1960's. But the minute the Austin Mini
was launched in 1959, the Austin A40 took second place behind the
Mini. The Austin A40 couldn't match the Mini's charisma and great
handling responses but it did offer reliability compared to the Mini.
The Mini was actually known to be quite troublesome.
Corrosion was the Austin A40's greatest problem. There aren't many
A40's left due to corrosion killing them off.
The A40 has rather comfortable seats and a stylish dashboard. There
is good use of space at the front with wide doors and deep
foot-wells, allowing easy access.
The A40 may have been an economy car but even in original 948cc form,
it never felt underpowered. The 1098cc engine, together with the
stronger gearbox, felt even better.
Old cars that have done very few miles should actually feel like new
but rarely do. If an old car has been put into storage for a long
time, the bushes start to deteriorate. The Austin A40 is a rare
example of an old car that drives like a brand new car.
Austin A40 is an excellent alternative to the Volkswagen Beetle and
Ford Anglia.
Specification of
1964 Austin A40:
Engine-1098cc/4-cyl/OHV
Power-49bhp @ 5100rpm
Torque-60lbft @ 2600rpm
Top Speed-76mph
0-60mph-23.5 seconds
Fuel Consumption-35mpg
Gearbox-4-speed manual
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