These cars were range-toppers for Austin from 1947 to 1954 (Sheerline) and on into the ’60s for the Princess, which by that time had become a car for the carriage trade only, whereas the Sheerline was, to some extent, pitched at the comfortably-off owner-driver. Driving appeal was not high on the list of virtues, but easy driving with lots of power to spare, sturdy build, conservative but imposing styling, posh interior and loads of room were all big selling points. It’s interesting to look at some contemporary adverts to check out Austin’s marketing angles.

It is seldom that NZCC writers get the chance to experience British cars of this type — all leather and luxury — that the Brits did rather well just after World War Two. At one time there were still a fair number on our roads — Sheerlines, Armstrong-Siddeleys, big Humbers, Daimlers and others. But these days there are few, as soaring petrol prices in the ’70s meant curtains for many of them.

We were delighted to read of Damian Lee-Johnson’s fine 1952 Sheerline and its life up in Northland in Reader’s Writes (NZCC, June 2006) and took up his invitation to try out his restored Sheerline. We’ll have more on its restoration and how it drives in next month’s issue, but let’s now look back at the Sheerline as it hit the roads in 1947.

Sheerline — big six cylinder engine

The Sheerline was in all probability a pre—World War Two car in conception, though its design began to take shape during the war in about 1942 and was finalised after the war in 1946—7. Austin had always had big cars in their range, to sell to wealthy private owners or official bodies, but before the war those big cars had begun to look quite dated against their opposition. Clearly, new design ideas had to be incorporated, starting with the engine. So, Austin supplanted their old side—valve motor with a slightly changed version of the ohv truck engine introduced just before the war. This had apparently been designed after more than a sidelong glance at GM’s Bedford truck engine and started life in the Sheerline at 3.5-litres, though it was tuned up to give 110bhp — rather more than in the trucks.

However, even 110bhp in the first A110 Sheerlines  — weighty cars at around two tons — proved to be only just up to the job and the D—series engine was quickly bored and stroked out to 3993cc, with a power increase to 125bhp.

Lubrication was well catered for, with a generous oil supply of 17 pints (9.6litres) and full pressure feed to the four main bearing crankshaft. The engine was renowned for long—term durability, as befits a truck engine, and remained in use in BMC car products until 1968, with a 1956 redesign for the DS7 series Princess along the way. It was also used with great success in several Jensen products, including the well—regarded 541 series GT cars.

Cooling was also well organised. Austin were aware that some cars would be used by official bodies for slow processional work, which is notoriously hard on vehicle cooling systems, and also in warm overseas climates. A large—capacity water pump was used, and no less than 28 pints or 15.6 litres of coolant circulated round the engine and through the big radiator.

Transmission

Austin used a four—speed gearbox on the Sheerline, with synchromesh on the top three gears.

First gear ratio was low, but in practice might not have been used all that much, as the big car had torque enough to handle second gear starts with ease. A column gear change was used, with first and second in the plane nearest the driver, and third and fourth away from the driver.

Many four-speed column changes are not good examples of their kind, but Austin’s was one of the better—engineered ones and fairly positive in use.

The rear axle departed from normal Austin practice of the period by using a hypoid bevel final drive instead of their usual spiral bevel units. One may surmise the change was both to lower the drive line slightly, and probably more importantly, to obtain a larger area of tooth contact to transmit the torque of the big six cylinder engine while working hard to move the Sheerline’s near two—ton weight.

Chassis design

A distinctly post—war development was the incorporation of an independent front suspension system to improve the ride and road-holding of Austin’s new big car. It followed the same design style as the system used on the A40 Devon, with a lower semi—trailing wishbone, coil spring, and a triangulated upper link working on a hydraulic lever—arm shock absorber. Everything was on a large scale to carry the front—end weight, as the D—series engine was both long and heavy. The system proved durable in service, though those lever—arm dampers took quite a punishment.

Steering with a 43-foot turning circle and geared at 20 to 1, was by cam and lever, and a big 18-inch steering wheel provided enough leverage to manoeuvre the car, which was generously tyred with 6.50—16 tyres.

Road-holding was not the Sheerline’s strong point; it was always going to understeer, with that heavy engine wanting to take the car straight on, but after some taxing times in the road development stages, Austin finally got the ride/road-holding compromise to work well enough for production.

Rear suspension was by long, semi—elliptic springs, with zinc interleaves and mounted on Silentbloc rubber bushes. Hydraulic dampers at the rear were connected by an anti—roll bar.

Getting adequate braking was also quite an issue while developing the Sheerline for the road. A switch from Girling to Lockheed equipment eventually took care of that problem, and there was little criticism from the press, beyond noting that prolonged heavy use could make the brakes fade — unsurprising with 184 square inches of braking area stopping two tons! They were fine for normal road use.

Body style

There can be no question that Austin was trying to copy the formal or coach-built style of the Bentley and Rolls—Royce market. They were able to have two bites at the cherry at this sort of styling, with in—house Austin stylists working on the Sheerline, while Austin’s coach-building subsidiary Vanden Plas (Austin bought this concern in 1946) worked on the slightly upmarket Princess on the same chassis.

Individual preference dictates peoples’ reactions to the two styles, but to me neither Austin nor VdP quite got it right in comparison to the Bentley MkVI of the same period. Both have something of the ‘razor edge’ style of the time and both had considerable road presence, so certainly the styling can be considered a success on that account. Interestingly, body colour makes quite a difference to the look of these cars, and well done two—tone paint schemes (alas, quite unoriginal, as they were never sold thus) also work well.

The front view is dominated by the imposing radiator and those massive Lucas P100 headlamps. Stage one tuning on these cars was to turn the lamps sideways and the reduced air resistance immediately added several miles-per-hour! From the side, the Sheerline looks good, with a sweeping front wing line. The only part that jars the eye — and not that badly — is the slight downward sweep of the rear side window, and maybe that rear pillar is just a little heavy. My personal take on the question of styling is that Vanden Plas had the top half of the Princess pretty well right, but Austin’s stylists got the bottom half of the Sheerline right, better than the VdP stylists. I must fiddle that up on a computer one day and see what it looks like!

Interior comforts

Inside, it is again mostly a success story. There is  lots of mahogany and contrasting burr walnut, a tidy dashboard, big comfortable seats in a pleasant light brown leather upholstery with matching pile carpets and a good supply of glove boxes, pockets and storage compartments both open and lidded.

There is very good headroom and lots of space for feet and seat! There are neatly fitted fold-away armrests both in the front seat and in the rear and a very impressive valve radio with front and rear speakers — not stereo, of course, in those days.

The rear compartment is discreetly lit from the sides and a Webasto sliding roof was a standard fitting. The steering wheel is a big 18-inch job, height adjustable, with a cellulose acetate covering.

The boot is big, but not gargantuan, with a separate spare wheel compartment stealing a fair amount of space. All external access points ­— bonnet, doors, boot and spare wheel compartment — are separately lockable and the bonnet is locked from inside the car.

Next month we’ll take a closer look at the restoration of a Sheerline. We’ll also look at how it drives on the road, in a world vastly different to the driving conditions for which it was designed.

Sheerline: in the marketplace

When the Sheerline was first introduced, Austin aimed it clearly at the owner-driver who wanted a roomy and well performing car with prestige and luxury; perhaps someone who hankered after a Bentley, but couldn’t afford it! However, its market seemed to subtly shift as the years passed. The Sheerline began to sell more to the carriage trade and companies as executive transport, or for hire. The Sheerline was in the same price league as some slightly smaller cars, with perhaps more driver appeal, from established marques such as AC, Armstrong Siddeley, Citroën Six, Daimler, Jaguar, Lea—Francis and Riley. It was also in direct opposition to Humber’s big Super Snipe, which actually undercut it in price, while offering similar levels of accommodation, luxury, prestige and performance.

The sales figures tell an interesting story. Austin sold between 8500—9000 Sheerlines and rather fewer Princess A135s from 1947 to 1955 (total chassis production was over 15,000 including limos, ambulances and hearses), but Humber managed to move 17,000 Super Snipes between 1948 and 1952, plus nearly 18,000 more Series IV Super Snipes from 1952 to 1957. Jaguar moved over 10,000 Mk Vs and more than 20,000 Mk VIIs, Riley over 13,000 RMB/RMF and Pathfinders, and Armstrong Siddeley nearly 12,500 of its 16 and 18hp sixes. Even Bentley (at well over twice the price) managed to sell 7500 Mk VI and R—type saloons.

Specs

Austin A125 Sheerline

Engine: six cylinder, ohv, 3993cc, bore 87.3mm x stroke 111.1mm

Fuel system: Stromberg d/d carb, 16gallon(72.8l) tank

Transmission: four-speed manual, synchro on two, three and four

Chassis: pressed steel box section

Body: four-door saloon or limousine

Suspension: ifs wishbone/coil with hydraulic lever arm dampers, rear semi—elliptic springs, lever—arm dampers

Steering: cam and lever, 43’ (13.1m) t/circle

Brakes: hydraulic drum

Tyres: 6.40×15 Dunlop RS5

Dimensions

Width: 73″ (1.854M)

Height: 66″ (1.676m)

Length: 192″ (4.887m

Wheelbase: 119.25″ (3.029m)

Weight: 4158lbs (1888kg)

performance

Max speed: 83mph (133.5km/h)

0-60mph: 20.6secs

Economy: c15mpg (18.8l/100km)

Production: 1947—54, estimates vary c8000—9000 built

Be Sociable, Share!

•