History of the 1950 - 1954 Austin A70
Austin A70 Hampshire and Hereford
At the end of 1948, the Austin A70 Hampshire was introduced, looking like an enlarged Austin A40 with longer front wings. The car, with the 2,199cc straight-four engine, was designed to be a replacement for the Austin Sixteen, but the two models were sold alongside each other for a few months and the Hampshire only lasted two years.
The car has lively, over-80mph performance coupled with independent front suspension, steering column gearchange and separately-adjustable front seats that can form a bench but lacked the legroom of the Sixteen. It wasn't as popular, so in 1950, the larger A70 Hereford saloon replaced it using the same chassis, the Hampshire being officially discontinued in February 1951.
The Austin Hereford had larger doors with push-button door handles, a problem with the old Hamphire's external handles that tend to sag. The Hereford also had a strong boot lid which could be used as a luggage rack, and soon the 4-door saloon was accompanied by a drophead coupe and an estate. The Austin Hereford was discontinued in October 1954.
Today, Hereford Dropheads are the more collectable car, and all models are rare.