Austin 16 hp
Encyclopedia
The Austin 16HP was the first 'new' car to be produced by the Austin Motor Company
following the Second World War
. Apart from the name, it shared nothing with the pre war Austin 16
.
Whilst it used a brand new 4 cylinder 2199 cc, overhead-valve engine - the first to be used in an Austin car, it in fact used the pre-war body from the Austin 12, which continued to be produced, alongside the other pre-war saloons the 8 hp and the 10 hp. The 'hp' (short for horsepower) was not a true reflection of the power of the vehicle, instead it was the result of a calculation to determine the excise duty (road tax
) payable for the vehicle. The engine in fact produced 67 bhp at 3800 rpm. The car shared a number of features in common with the famed London Taxi, one of which was the built-in hydraulic jacking system operated from a pump located under the bonnet.
The 16 hp had a healthy turn of speed for its day with a maximum quoted speed of 75 mph (121 km/h). In the bitterly cold winter of 1947 Alan Hess and a team of drivers with 3 Austin 16 hp vehicles undertook a publicity run on behalf of the Austin Motor Company to visit seven Northern European Capitals in seven days. Despite extraordinary travel difficulties caused by heavy snow, the vehicles completed the adventure successfully, and the story is related in Alan Hess's book, Gullible's Travels.
Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
following the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Apart from the name, it shared nothing with the pre war Austin 16
Austin 16
The Austin 16 was a British car made by the Austin Motor Company between 1927 and 1936. The "16" name was re-used in the post war Austin 16 hp....
.
Whilst it used a brand new 4 cylinder 2199 cc, overhead-valve engine - the first to be used in an Austin car, it in fact used the pre-war body from the Austin 12, which continued to be produced, alongside the other pre-war saloons the 8 hp and the 10 hp. The 'hp' (short for horsepower) was not a true reflection of the power of the vehicle, instead it was the result of a calculation to determine the excise duty (road tax
Road tax
Road tax, known by various names around the world, is a tax which has to be paid on a motor vehicle before using it on a public road.-Australia:...
) payable for the vehicle. The engine in fact produced 67 bhp at 3800 rpm. The car shared a number of features in common with the famed London Taxi, one of which was the built-in hydraulic jacking system operated from a pump located under the bonnet.
The 16 hp had a healthy turn of speed for its day with a maximum quoted speed of 75 mph (121 km/h). In the bitterly cold winter of 1947 Alan Hess and a team of drivers with 3 Austin 16 hp vehicles undertook a publicity run on behalf of the Austin Motor Company to visit seven Northern European Capitals in seven days. Despite extraordinary travel difficulties caused by heavy snow, the vehicles completed the adventure successfully, and the story is related in Alan Hess's book, Gullible's Travels.