Vanden Plas

The Princess 3-litre was introduced in October 1959 as a hand-finished luxury saloon aimed at the upper end of the British market. From July 1960, these vehicles bore the name Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre, Vanden Plas having become a badge-engineered brand in its own right instead of being known as a coachbuilder for cars of other manufacturers. Although the 3-litre was largely identical to the Pininfarina-designed Austin A99 Westminster and Wolseley 6/99 which used the same chassis and body, the Princess was positioned far above them in terms of refinement and presentation. Power came from a 2,912 cc six-cylinder engine, paired exclusively with an automatic transmission, emphasizing smoothness over outright performance. Inside, Vanden Plas craftsmanship set the tone, with leather upholstery, polished wood veneers, and a level of finish intended to rival Rover and Daimler rather than mainstream family cars. Built in relatively small numbers, the Princess 3-Litre served executives, dignitaries, and official fleets throughout the 1960s.

The Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R was announced in August 1964. In addition to exterior alterations, the R featured a 3,909 cc 6 cylinder aluminium Rolls-Royce engine, resulting from more than two years of technical collaboration between BMC and  Rolls-Royce. The car featured polished walnut fascia padded top and bottom, leather upholstered seats with fully reclinable backs and deployable polished picnic tables for the rear passengers. A new automatic transmission was provided and power steering accompanied wider tyres. Externally the fog lamps were moved up by the grille, and rear tailfins were replaced with small corner-ridges. The 4-litre R was priced 50% higher than the 3-litre. However, its close appearance to its predecessor and its pricing near to that of the Jaguar Mark X, resulted in slow sales.