Austin History
A Major Company with its
own Export Corporation for the Vigorous
Development of Overseas
Trade
[This article appeared
in a 1950/51 British Motor Industry publication.]
Chief Executives
Mr. L.P. LORD, Chairman
and Managing Director
Colonel A.C.R. WAITE, Deputy
Chairman, Austin Motor Export Corporation
Mr. J.F. BRAMLEY, Managing
Director, Austin Motor Export Corporation
Mr. G.W. HARRIMAN, Production
Director
Mr. J.R. EDWARDS,
Production Manager
Mr. H.J. GRAVES,
Supply and Production Equipment Manager
Mr. C.S. BUCKLEY, Sales
Manager (Home)
Mr. A. WINKLES, Secretary
The Austin Motor Company
was founded by the late Lord Austin (then Mr Herbert Austin) in 1905 with
a capital of £15,000. Austin was not new to motor manufacture for he had
previously been with the Wolseley Company and had designed his first car
- a 3 wheeler - in 1895.
From that small beginning
- the first factory occupied 2.5 acres and produced 120 cars a year. The
company has expanded until today it is one of the biggest in Europe, producing
vehicles at the rate of over 3,000 a week. The payroll has grown from
270 to 18,000 people. In the intervening years it has produced some famous
motor cars, notably the Austin Seven, which introduced a new standard
of small car motoring for the family man.
Today the company is controlled
by one of the most dynamic figures in British industry, Mr
L.P. Lord.
Austins have not spread
their increased production over various makes of cars by acquiring other
car producing firms. They have, however, obtained coachbuilding facilities
for the luxury models by acquiring the old established firm of Vanden
Plas. In addition, the company own a half share in Austin Crompton Parkinson
Electric Vehicles Ltd., producers of battery-electric vehicles.
After the war, when exports
became a first priority in the policies of British motor firms, Austins
courageously tackled the North American market and, in spite of tremendous
obstacles, they have succeeded in getting a foothold in what is surely
the most difficult motor car export market in the world.
Plant and Location
The Austin plant now occupies
120 acres of the original site at Longbridge, 7 miles from Birmingham.
In their centralised plant Austins claim that more of the complete process
of car manufacture is undertaken than in any other British factory. Since
the war, Longbridge has been the scene of a drastic reorganisation, which
has as its aim, the re-housing and re-equipment of many departments. A
new engine factory has already been completed, also a new tool factory,
a new designs department and a new development section. The next big step
- the building of a new chassis-erecting, body-mounting and finishing
shop is now being carried out. The reorganisation programme will be continued
until the whole plant has been reconstructed in a series of self-contained
factory units. During the 12 months ending on 31 July, Austin produced
157,628 vehicles of all kinds, one quarter more than the total output
in the preceding 12 months.
The centralisation of Austin's
production facilities is obviously a considerable advantage because it
reduces transport and handling charges of materials, components and parts
to the minimum. Low-cost production is also assisted by a considerable
rationalisation of design in the models made.
An unusual sideline is
the production of toy Austin cars in a South Wales factory which is sponsored
by the company. The workers here are disabled miners and the project has
humanitarian considerations as its primary object.
(see pic of the plant below)
Export Sales Organisation
No company in the British
motor industry has thrown itself into the national export drive more wholeheartedly
than Austins, and few have been as successful, particularly in the difficult
hard-currency markets. This success has not been achieved accidentally;
it has been the calculated result of bold vision and driving force at
the top, coupled with thorough organisation in every detail.
In 1946 the Austin Company
started a separate concern, the Austin Motor Export Corporation Ltd, to
handle and develop overseas trade. Furthermore, subsidiary companies were
also formed in the most promising export markets - the United States,
Canada, Australia and South Africa. CKD cars are assembled in Australia,
New Zealand and South Africa, and cars are also sent packed to distributors
in all overseas markets. Austin's export programme has been waged with
consistent vigour and it has been the aim of the company to provide adequate
spare parts and maintenance facilities simultaneously with the development
of new markets. This has meant an enormous outlay, notably in the United
States and Canada.
Products of the Company
Austins do not at present
make a "baby car", although Mr Lord has publicly stated that the company
has such a car in mind and that, if and when it is produced, it will be
an Austin Seven. Meanwhile, the smallest model is the A40 with a 1200cc
engine. This car has been an outstanding success since its introduction
in 1948 and the reasons for its popularity are not hard to see. It carries
a roomy 4-5-seater body and is exceptionally lively and fast for a car
of this type. The A40 will reach a genuine 70 mph and, in a record run
on an American airfield track, it broke many American stockcar records
at over 60 mph. More recently a perfectly standard model covered 10,000
miles in as many minutes at the Montlhery track near Paris, breaking several
International class records for 1500cc cars in doing so. The A40 saloon
can be obtained with either 2 or 4 doors and is also sold at a lower price
without certain accessories.
The next Austin model,
the A70, has also earned for itself an enviable reputation although not
on such a wide scale. This 2.2 litre, 4 cylinder car, fitted with a roomy
saloon body, is a good representative of the new type of medium sized
cars which British manufacturers have developed with much success since
the war. Like the A40, it is unusually fast, being capable of exceeding
a timed speed of 80 mph and providing a rate of acceleration in top gear
previously associated only with 6 or 8 cylinder cars of much greater power.
It is also outstanding for its riding comfort. The high qualities of the
A70 were demonstrated to the world when a standard model was driven by
two Englishmen from London to Capetown in the record time of 24 days 2
hours. Only those who have travelled over this route can appreciate fully
what this performance entailed. The roughest desert tracks had to be taken
at merciless speed and the car received no respite from its continuous
pounding.
The A90 is a development
of the A70, having a slightly larger engine and a higher top gear ratio.
This model too has proved its worth in a public demonstration of speed
and reliability. An Atlantic convertible was driven day and night for
a week, round the Indianapolis Speedway in the U.S., breaking numerous
American stockcar records in the process. The average speed for 7 days
and nights, including all stops, was 70.54 mph. The same Atlantic convertible
broke the 5 mile record for 3 litre open stockcars at just under 90 mph.
The A90 is sold in two forms, a convertible and a sports saloon. The convertible
can be obtained with a power-operated head.
The largest Austins are
the A125 Sheerline and the A135 Princess. These cars have the same mechanical
specifications except with regard to the 4 litre, 6 cylinder engine, which
in the Princess, is tuned to give more power as is indicated in their
model numbers. The Sheerline is a handsome saloon with conservative lines,
including external headlamps. It is designed for the owner driver and
can be fitted with bucket or bench-type front seats. The bucket seats
are flush fitting and can be adjusted to form the equivalent of a bench
seat if desired.
The Princess has a graceful
coachbuilt saloon body made by Vanden Plas and has a partition between
the front and rear seats. Its performance is in keeping with its modern
lines and the car can reach 90 mph in good conditions. The large Austins
provide a very high standard of quiet and comfortable motoring and, in
a subtle way, combine the characteristic handling qualities of British
cars with trans-atlantic top gear flexibility and acceleration.
|
Austin Motor Works,
Longbridge Plant 1978
Photo courtesy Ken Green |
|
Visit Lord Austin's
Office.here
|