The Princess is a version of the Austin A99 Westminster produced by BMC from 1959 to 1968, latterly under the Vanden Plas marque.

The model was launched in October 1959 under the name Princess 3-litre.^[1] 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. The 3-litre was superseded by the Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R in 1964.

The Princess was a great deal smaller and less than 44 per cent of the price of the older Princess IV Saloon, which was also to continue until 1968.

Princess 3-litre

Princess 3-litre (1959–1960) Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre (1960–1964)
1961 Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre
Overview
Manufacturer	BMC
Also called	Austin Princess 3-litre (Australia) [2]
Production	1959–1964
Designer	Pininfarina
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size car
Body style	4-door saloon
Layout	FR layout
Related	Austin Westminster Wolseley 6/99
Powertrain
Engine	2.9 L C-Series I6 (1959-1964)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	84 in (2,134 mm)[3] 1959–1961 86 in (2,184 mm)[4] 1961–1964
Length	187.75 in (4,769 mm)[3]
Width	68.5 in (1,740 mm)[3]
Height	59 in (1,499 mm)[3]
Chronology
Predecessor	Austin A105 Vanden Plas
Successor	Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R

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 given its own identity with a special Vanden Plas grille (fairly square, with a thick surround and vertical slats), round headlamps, and horn grilles on the front. The interior was lavish in typical Vanden Plas style, featuring burr walnut wood trim, leather seats and panels, and high-quality carpeting. A division between the driver and the rear compartment was an optional extra. Initially, it was powered by BMC's 3-litre C-Series engine, developing 108 hp (81 kW).

A Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre with automatic transmission was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1961 and had a top speed of 99.3 mph (159.8 km/h). It could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 16.1 seconds while fuel consumption of 21.1 miles per imperial gallon (13.4 L/100 km; 17.6 mpg_‑US) was recorded. The test car cost £1,467 including taxes.^[3]

This model was replaced in 1961 by the Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre Mark II. Styling was similar but the wheelbase was two inches (5 cm) longer and anti-roll bars were added to the suspension at both ends of the car. The engine was uprated to 120 hp (89 kW). Better brakes were fitted, and interior improvements included built-in drop-down "picnic tables" for the rear seat passengers. Options now included "Smith's air-conditioning".

Vanden Plas Princess R

Vanden Plas Princess R (1964-1968)
1967 Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R
Overview
Manufacturer	BMC
Production	1964–1968
Assembly	Kingsbury, United Kingdom [7] South Africa [7]
Designer	Pininfarina
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size car
Body style	4-door saloon
Layout	FR layout
Related	Austin Westminster Wolseley 6/110
Powertrain
Engine	3.9 L Rolls-Royce IOE I6
Dimensions
Wheelbase	86 in (2,184 mm)[4]
Length	187.75 in (4,769 mm)[3]
Width	68.5 in (1,740 mm)[3]
Height	59 in (1,499 mm)[3]
Chronology
Predecessor	Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre
Successor	None

The Vanden Plas Princess R with its Rolls-Royce all-aluminium 175 bhp engine was announced in August 1964. With an unusually high power to weight ratio the car gave easy cruising at 90+ mph and was capable of 112 mph.

While there were some significant exterior alterations, the big change was under the bonnet where there was a result of more than two years technical collaboration between BMC and Rolls-Royce. The aluminium Rolls-Royce FB60 engine was a short-stroke version of the B series engine: 4, 6 and 8 cylinder units of which more than 30,000 had already been produced.^[8] The 6-cylinder engine weighed only 450 lb (204 kg).^[9] Its cubic capacity was 3.909 litres (239 cu in). Over-square: bore was 95.25 mm (3.8 in), stroke 91.44 mm (3.6 in); with a 7.8:1 compression ratio its output was 175 bhp (130 kW; 177 PS) @4,800 rpm. Twin SU carburettors were fitted. Both block and head were aluminium, tappets were hydraulic self-adjusting operating on overhead inlet and side exhaust valves. The counterbalanced crankshaft ran in seven bearings.^[10]

The 4-litre R was replete with polished walnut fascia padded top and bottom, hide upholstered seats with fully reclinable backs and polished picnic tables for the rear passengers. A new automatic transmission was provided, Borg-Warner model 8, its first use in a British car and Hydrosteer variable ratio power steering accompanied wider tyres. Externally the fog lamps were moved up by the grille, the hindquarters tidied extended and adjusted to look more substantial and the tailfins replaced by small corner-ridges.^[8]

Rolls-Royce Java

This car was a result of a joint BMC / Rolls-Royce project for a smaller Bentley code-named Java. Prototypes were made using the Austin-engineered central portion of the Vanden Plas, with restyled Rolls-Royce and Bentley panels front and rear. Neither of these models made it into production. Rolls-Royce withdrew from the venture. They had been covering the possibility that the survival of their motor car division might depend on providing a relatively compact mass-produced Rolls-Royce. However 1965's introduction of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was a success.^[12]

References