The A70 Hampshire and later A70 Hereford were large automobiles sold by the Austin Motor Company from 1948 until 1954. They were conventional body-on-frame cars with similar styling to the smaller A40 Devon. Performance of the two models was very similar with a top speed of 80 mph and an economy of 22 mpg.
[] A70 Hampshire
Most Hampshires were 4-door saloons, though some estate and pickup truck versions were also built. A 2.2 L (2199 cc) straight-4 pushrod engine was used for power. Production of the A70 Hampshire model ended in 1950 with just over 35,000 built. In 1950 the UK price was £648 which included the heater.
[] A70 Hereford
The A70 Hereford replaced the Hampshire in 1950 and was slightly longer with an extra 3 inches in the wheelbase. A new addition to the saloon and estate models was a 2-door convertible with coachwork by Carbodies of Coventry. A notable mechanical change was the use of hydraulic brakes. The smaller Austin A40 Somerset had similar styling and even shared the same door panels. Sales were slow, with just over 50,000 produced when the A90 Westminster replaced it in 1954. A rare varant was the Hereford pick-up. This shared the same platform as the estate, but with fully-faired bodywork aft of the driving cab. The interior of this rather plush workhorse was fitted out the same as the saloon, with a large split-bench seat, full instrumentation set in the middle for easy completion in left or right-hand drive configuration.
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