Give way to freeway

The problem with the Austin Highway was that by 1962 its uniform was obsolete.

This is a car, not a Texas highway, but its plush brother Wolseley 24/80. And before you ask, 24/80 means 2.4 liters and 80 hp. (that's 59 kW in today's currency).

The Freeway/Wolseley six-cylinder combination was developed because in 1962 the British Motor Company (BMC) was losing the sales battle against Holden, Falcon and Valiant with their 1.6-litre four-cylinder Austin A60, Morris Oxford and Wolseley 15 British-inspired and decidedly underpowered engines. . /60. This trio has hardly changed since their release in 1959.

With no money to develop a new engine, local BMC engineers simply added two cylinders to an existing four-cylinder engine, increasing power by 35%.

Marketers dubbed the 2.4-litre engine the "blue stripe" and the advertising slogan urged customers to "give way to the freeway."

What potential customers were actually doing was heading straight to a Holden, Ford, or Chrysler dealership, and BMC's dream of a prosperous sales didn't materialize. After selling only 27,000 units, production ended in 1965 in 154,000. By comparison, Holden sold 18 EJ models in just XNUMX months.

The problem with the freeway was that by 1962 its shape was obsolete. Italian style guru Batista Pininfarina developed the original design in the mid-1950s. He gave the BMC cars lightly wrapped windshields and modest tail fins. The problem was that by 1962 the freeway was too high, too narrow, and too 1959-like compared to its longer, shorter, wider, more stylish, and more powerful competitors.

Keep in mind that Pinnifarina took advantage of the BMC design. He used the same styling template for the Peugeot 404, the 1957 Lancia Flaminia and the Ferrari 250GT Pininfarina. If you don't believe me, take a look at the Peugeot 404 and Freeway. Both are taken from the same cookie cutter. Alternatively, you can use Google. There are websites dedicated to this topic!

Motorway enthusiasts call the cars "BMC Farinas" and you'll be amazed at the strength of their followers and legion of devotees. Go to any 'All-British' Automobile Club show and I guarantee you that the most prolific brand at the show, with the most enthusiastic supporters, will be Farina-style BMCs.

David Burrell, editor www.retroautos.com.au