• Austin A70 Hereford

The A70 was dall’Austin car produced from 1948 to 1954 in 85 682 copies.

It was sold in two series, distinguished by different names: Austin A70 Austin A70 Hampshire and Hereford. Both were equipped with a separate chassis and had a line that reminded a lot, respectively, the smallest A40 and A40 Devon Somerset. Both the Hampshire Hereford were equipped with a front-mounted engine four-cylinder in-line 2,199cc displacement. For both series was rear traction.

Most of the Austin A70 Hampshire were four-door sedans, although they were also produced versions family and pick-up.

The four-cylinder in-line engine capacity of 2,199cc and overhead valve, paid the same power, 67hp, 16hp to the one installed on Austin. The new model, however, was lighter and had a lower drag coefficient, and therefore the data reported top speed and acceleration were correspondingly brighter than the 16hp. In fact, the vehicle reached a top speed of 134.1km/h, and could accelerate from 0 to 80km/h in 14.5 seconds.

The production of the Austin A70 Hampshire ended in 1950 after 35 261 copies manufactured. In the last year of production, the price was 648 pounds, including the heating system.

Rear view of an Austin A70 Hampshire

The A70 Hereford replaced the A70 Hampshire in 1950. The new model was wider, slightly longer and has a wheelbase slightly larger (76 mm) than the previous model. Was added to the range offer a new body style, two-door convertible, which was manufactured by Carbodies.

Another change was the use of hydraulic brakes. The smaller A40 Somerset had a similar design to the model, and I also shared the door panels. The sales were not good, with 50 421 copies manufactured until the end of production (1954), when the model was replaced by the A90 Westminster.

It was also marketed a rare variant with body pickup. It shared the same floor of the family, but possessed a fairing on the rear of the body. The interior of this means of work were the same as the sedan, with a roomy bench seat and a full instrumentation that was installed at the center of the dashboard to facilitate the design and reduce the cost, since the model were intended to be exemplary drive right that the driver is on the left.

A Hereford A70 was tested by The Motor magazine in 1951. During the test was recorded a top speed of 129.6km/h and acceleration from 0 to 97km/h in 21.4 seconds. It was reported a fuel consumption of 12.9 L/100km. The model used in the test cost £ 911 including taxes.

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