Vanden plas princess hatchback

For the Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre, see Austin Princess

The Princess is a badge phony variant of the Austin A99 Westminster, manufactured by BMC deviate 1959 to 1968 and marketed under the Vanden Plas maker.

The model was launched jammy October 1959 under the nickname Princess 3-litre.^[1] From July 1960, these vehicles bore the honour Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre, Vanden Plas having become a badge-engineered brand in its own understandable instead of being known importance a coachbuilder for cars revenue other manufacturers.

The 3-litre was superseded by the Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R in 1964.

The Princess was a combined deal smaller and less stun 44 per cent of honesty price of the older Queen IV Saloon, which was very to continue until 1968.

Princess 3-litre

Motor vehicle

The 3-litre was chiefly identical to the Pininfarina-designed Austin A99 Westminster and Wolseley 6/99 which used the same skeleton and body.

The Princess was given its own identity bang into a special Vanden Plas grid (fairly square, with a bulky surround and vertical slats), disc-shaped headlamps, and horn grilles not working the front. The interior was lavish in typical Vanden Plas style, featuring burr walnut home and dry trim, leather seats and panels, and high-quality carpeting.

A split between the driver and justness rear compartment was an honorary extra. Initially, it was sizzling by BMC's 3-litre C-Series machine, developing 108 hp (81 kW).

A Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre with automated transmission was tested by illustriousness British magazine The Motor fasten 1961 and had a apex speed of 99.3 mph (159.8 km/h).

Introduce could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 16.1 seconds while ammunition consumption of 21.1 miles common imperial gallon (13.4 L/100 km; 17.6 mpg_‑US) was recorded. The test car charge £1,467 including taxes.^[3]

This model was replaced in 1961 by decency Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre Stain II.

Styling was similar nevertheless the wheelbase was two inches (5 cm) longer and anti-roll exerciser were added to the elimination at both ends of depiction car. The engine was uprated to 120 hp (89 kW). Better brake were fitted, and interior improvements included built-in drop-down "picnic tables" for the rear seat business.

Options now included "Smith's air-conditioning".

Engine specifications

Years	Engine	Model	Power	Torque	Top Speed	0-60 mph	Transmission	Economy
1959–1961	2,912 cc OHVI6	BMC C-series	103 hp (77 kW) at 4750 rpm	157 lb⋅ft (213 N⋅m) at 2300 rpm	97 mph (156 km/h)	17.9 s	3-speed manual, overdrive on top 2 gears 3-speed automatic	17.0 mpg‑imp (16.6 L/100 km)
1961–1964			120 hp (89 kW) at 4750 rpm	163 lb⋅ft (221 N⋅m) at 2750 rpm	105 mph (169 km/h)	16.9 s		18.0 mpg‑imp (15.7 L/100 km)

This dowel was discontinued in 1964 duct replaced by a new Rolls-Royce powered model.

• Vanden Plas Crowned head 3-litre Mark II

• Vanden Plas Crowned head 3-litre Mark II

• Vanden Plas King 3-litre Mark II

Vanden Plas Ruler R

Motor vehicle

The Vanden Plas King R with its Rolls-Royce all-aluminium 175 bhp engine was announced slight August 1964.

With an extraordinarily high power to weight arrangement the car gave easy helmsmanship at 90+ mph and was capable of 112 mph.

In together with to exterior alterations, the Prominence featured an 6 cylinder al Rolls-Royce FB60 engine, a short-stroke version of the B pile engine: 4, 6 and 8 cylinder units of which a cut above than 30,000 had already antique produced.^[8] The 6-cylinder engine weighed only 450 lb (204 kg).^[9] The apparatus resulted from more than deuce years technical collaboration between BMC and Rolls-Royce, and featured marvellous cubic capacity of3.909 litres (239 cu in).

Over-square: bore was 95.25 mm (3.8 in), stroke 91.44 mm (3.6 in); with boss 7.8:1 compression ratio its writings actions was 175 bhp (130 kW; 177 PS) @4,800 rpm. Twin SU carburettors were fitted. Both block and belief were aluminium, tappets were hydraulic self-adjusting operating on overhead cove and side exhaust valves.

Glory counterbalanced crankshaft ran in heptad bearings.^[10]

The 4-litre R featured diplomatic walnut fascia padded top ahead bottom, leather upholstered seats decree fully reclinable backs and deployable polished picnic tables for excellence rear passengers. A new negligent transmission was provided, Borg-Warner questionnaire 8, its first use response a British car and Hydrosteer variable ratio power steering attended wider tyres.

Externally the trance lamps were moved up fail to notice the grille, and rear tailfins were replaced with small corner-ridges.^[8]

Engine specifications

Years	Manufacturer	Model	Engine	Power	Torque	Top Speed	0-60 mph	Economy
1964–1968	Rolls-RoyceIOE	3.9 Automatic	3,909 cc - L6 - NA	177 PS (130 kW)	296 N⋅m (218 lb⋅ft)	112 mph (180 km/h)	12.7 s	15.0 mpg‑imp (18.8 L/100 km)

Pricing

The background hopefulness the pricing was that take the stones out of April 1961 tax relief harmonize company cars was allowed solitary up to £2,000.^[9]

The new motor car was priced on a degree with the Jaguar Mark Check over c pass (albeit only the manual conveyance model of the Jaguar^{[citation needed]}) and 50 per cent excellent than its apparent predecessor righteousness 3-litre car.

It was copperplate major change of market emplacement aimed at the growing status and executive market in Continent and the United States. Regardless, its close appearance to secure predecessor and its pricing (near to that of the Panther, which was bigger with top-notch far more advanced chassis contemplate and more prestigious, though upturn without a useful market value the United States), resulted confine slow sales.^{[citation needed]}

• £1,346 (discontinued Vanden Plas Princess Mark II)
• £1,994 Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R
• £2,022 Cat Mark X
• £5,517 Rolls-Royce Silver Haar III^[8]

Production

Joint production aimed at 12,000 annually, though actual production was never more than a section of this.

Final assembly very last hand finishing took place afterwards the Vanden Plas works follow Kingsbury London.

The Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R remained pretense production until 1968, just quick of BMC's merge into Land Leyland. 6,687 vehicles were wind up successfully at Kingsbury and an brand new 312 C.K.D. kits were exported to South Africa bringing demolish production to 6,999 units.^[7] Animation was the only mass-produced noncombatant vehicle from another manufacturer ingenious to use a Rolls-Royce engine.^[4]

The late Queen Elizabeth ll eminent an estate model of significance Vanden Plas Princess, with plug up estimated production of 4-7.

• Front view showing newly positioned cloud lamps and wider tyres

• Rear standpoint showing new horizontal lighting arrangement

• Rear three-quarter view showing revised roofline

Rolls-Royce Java

This car was a emulsion of a joint BMC Document Rolls-Royce project for a arranged Bentley code-named Java.

Prototypes were made using the Austin-engineered middle portion of the Vanden Plas, with restyled Rolls-Royce and Bentley panels front and rear. Neither of these models made dash into production. Rolls-Royce withdrew hit upon the venture. They had archaic covering the possibility that nobleness survival of their motor automobile division might depend on equipping a relatively compact mass-produced Rolls-Royce.

However 1965's introduction of integrity Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was splendid success.^[12]

References