Austin

Presented as a saloon at the London Motor Show in October 1958, the A40 Farina replaced the Austin A35, from which it inherited much of its running gear. The A40 Farina was the first of a series of designs for BMC by the famous Italian automobile designer Pininfarina. Unusually for BMC at the time, the A40 Farina was sold only as an Austin and was not rebadged for sale under any other BMC brand. The A40 Countryman was introduced in October 1959 and stands out by its layout as a small estate car with an upward (and downward) opening tailgate, and is therefore viewed as one of the earliest examples of a volume production hatchback.

In 1961 the Mk II was introduced. It had a longer wheelbase to increase the space for passengers in the back seats and the front grille and dashboard were redesigned. The 948cc engine was replaced in the autumn of 1962 by a larger 1,098cc version; an improved gearbox was fitted at the same time. In 1964 a new dashboard with imitation wood veneer covering was fitted. The introduction at the end of 1962 of the similarly sized Morris 1100, followed by an Austin-badged counterpart a year later, left the A40 looking cramped on the inside and outclassed in terms of road holding and ride. It was therefore discontinued in 1967.