Austin 3-liter

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Austin
Austin 3-liter (1967–1971)
Austin 3-liter (1967–1971)
3-liter (ADO61)
Sales designation: 3 liter
Production period: 1967-1971
Class : upper middle class
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Otto engine :
2.9 liters (92 kW)
Length: 4718 mm
Width: 1695 mm
Height: 1440 mm
Wheelbase : 2908 mm
Empty weight : 1524 kg
Previous model Austin A110 Westminster
successor Austin 2200

The Austin 3-liter (internally named ADO61 ) was an upper-mid-range four-door sedan produced by Austin Motor Cie. offered from 1967 as the successor to the Austin A110 .

Model history

It was equipped with the six-cylinder in-line engine of its predecessor with 2912 cm³ displacement, which developed 114 bhp (85 kW) at 4500 / min and 157 lbf (213 Nm) at 2500 / min with a compression of 9: 1. The engine was installed lengthways and drove the rear wheels, which were suspended on trailing arms, via a fully synchronized four-speed gearbox and a cardan shaft, so that the interior was somewhat restricted because of the center tunnel. The front wheels were individually suspended from two triangular wishbones of unequal length and were steered with a pinion and rack. The vehicle had the " Hydrolastic " rubber suspension with hydraulic level compensation. Parts of the body came from the mid-range BMC ADO17 (e.g. Austin 1800). The passenger cell including the doors and the glazing was taken over; but the floor pan was different and the 3-liter was extended at the bow and stern, so that there were larger overhangs. The car had twin headlights and narrow taillights. It reached a top speed of 161 km / h.

Special versions

The Crayford Engineering bodywork implemented a station wagon version based on the 3 liter, of which 15 were produced.

Scope of production

The Austin 3-liter wasn't a successful car. In 1972, production of the model was discontinued after only 9992 copies without a successor. The Austin 2200 replaced the 3-liter, but had a significantly weaker engine.

Analysis of the failure

"Plebejan roots" (engine): The middle class ADO17 model supplied the passenger cell for the 3-liter.
Front section of the 3-liter

The reasons for the failure of the Austin 3-liter were many:

  • Design and construction defects are often cited as reasons. The body shape was already out of date when the car was introduced; According to Motor magazine, this fit more into the late 1950s than the late 1960s. The existing resemblance to smaller, inexpensive models in the ADO17 series also proved to be a hindrance for such an expensive car.
  • The 3-liter was not convincingly integrated into the model range of the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). The Group's model range already included numerous vehicles with six and eight-cylinder engines that were more attractively designed and at least as well constructed. These included the Rover P5 and the Triumph 2500 TC . Critics later came to the conclusion that BLMC had constructed a superfluous car with the 3-liter and tried to serve a market niche that did not even exist.

Trivia

While the already quite large Austin 1800 was nicknamed Landcrab , the even larger 3-liter Land-Lobster was called.

Web links

Commons : Austin 3-Liter  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

swell

  • Culshaw, David & Horrobin, Peter: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975 . Veloce Publishing PLC, Dorchester 1997, ISBN 1874105936 .
  • Space with Dignity : Motor Magazine Road Test , 1/1969.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Automobile Engineer March 1968, p. 83
  2. ↑ Oldtimer Markt, special issue Prototypes, p. 156
  3. ↑ engine ; Road Test No. 1/1969.
  4. ↑ engine ; Road Test No. 1/1969.
  5. ↑ Overview of the model and development history on the website www.aronline.co.uk ( Memento from June 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive )