Austin

The Austin A120 Princess was introduced in October 1947 as the flagship of the Austin range, sharing its chassis with the Austin Sheerline but featuring a more exclusive Vanden Plas-built body. Large and imposing in appearance, it was offered either as a limousine, complete with sliding glass partition, or as a more conventional saloon. Powered by Austin’s 3,460 cc straight-six engine, the A120 combined traditional British luxury with comparatively modern styling, including separate front wings and a tall, upright grille. Interiors were lavishly appointed in leather, wool cloth and burr walnut, while remaining more affordable than comparable Rolls-Royce or Bentley models.

The A135 Princess succeeded the A120 in 1950 and represented the longer-lived and more developed version of the Princess line. While visually similar to its predecessor, the A135 featured a lengthened wheelbase for limousine versions and, from 1952, a long-wheelbase seven-seat configuration. The engine capacity was increased to 3,991 cc, retaining the smooth straight-six layout and offering single- or triple-carburettor configurations. Mechanical changes over the years were modest, with emphasis placed on refinement rather than redesign. In 1957 the Austin name was dropped, and the car was marketed simply as “Princess,” before being rebranded from 1960 as the Vanden Plas Princess, reflecting the prominence of the coachbuilder within the BMC structure. Production continued until 1968, making the A135-based Princess one of the last traditionally styled British luxury saloons with separate wings and an upright grille.