Austin A40 Farina - A Brief History

The Austin A40 Farina was the first Austin to have its body designed by the Italian stylist Pininfarina. This car was launched in 1958 as a 2 door saloon or 3 door countryman. The running gear and drive train basically came straight from the earlier Austin A35. The Countryman was one of the first British hatchbacks, as the boot lid hinged down, and the rear window up giving unhindered access to the load area which was quite capacious - especially in the mark 2 cars which came in 1961, as the rear seat folded flat into the rear footwell. Other improvements that came with the mark 2 Austin A40 were a longer wheelbase which gave more legroom to rear passengers, and a larger engine. This was to be the last rear wheel drive car that Austin produced. The A40 Farina was discontinued in November 1967.

A40 Mk 1

A40 Mk 2

1958 - 1961

1961 - 1967

2 door saloon or 3 door Countryman

12ft 0 in

12ft 1in

4ft 11in

4ft 11in

1680lb

1792lb

948cc 4 cylinder inline

1098cc 4 cylinder inline

34 bhp @ 4750 rpm

48 bhp @ 5100 rpm

50lb ft @ 2000 rpm

60lb ft @ 2500 rpm

4 speed manual

4 speed manual

Rear

Rear

Hydro-mechanically operated drum

Hydraulically operated drum

Coil & Wishbone

Coil & wishbone

Leaf spring, live axle

Leaf spring, live axle

A40 Mk 1

A40 Mk 2

73 mph

82 mph

35.6 seconds

23.9 seconds

38 mpg

31 mpg

 Outwardly similar - Austin A40 Mk 1 (on left)  & Mk 2 (right)

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