The Austin A40 Devon – A Celebration

Today, the A40 Devon is a car often seen in the sort of black & white films where characters utter such lines as "Dash it all, Inspector! Yes, I was at the manor house at the time of the murder!". It is also one of the most important cars to wear the Austin badge, and we are delighted to showcase the A40 on our display at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show. In addition, we are equally thrilled that its pedal-powered smaller sibling will accompany it.

The A40 Devon and its two-door Dorset stablemate debuted in 1947 as the first new post-war Longbridge product. Many owners of their Ten predecessor remarked on the lack of running boards and exposed headlamps and were equally impressed by the front coil spring and double wishbone independent suspension – a 'first' for the marque. The Devon's launch in 1947 also meant Austin had stolen a march over their Nuffield Group rivals, as they would not launch the Morris Oxford MO until 1948.

Power for the A40 was from a new 1.2-litre OHV engine that promised to be easy to service at home. Equally importantly, a top speed of 70 mph and 0-60 in 37 seconds meant you could cut a dash on the Kingston Bypass. The A40 was also capable of 32 mpg - a major sales factor given that petrol rationing remained in place until 1950 – and the equipment list included a sliding roof.

“The new Austin ‘Devon’ has been designed to give maximum comfort and service, so only the best is good enough” claimed one advertisement, while Motor Sport was highly impressed:

The needs of the present and the immediate future call for ears capable of a good fuel consumption. If this economy can be allied to comfort, stylish appearance and, withal, a performance, both from the stopwatch and handling aspects, which renders the car not too tedious even when distances of upwards of 300 miles have to be covered between breakfast and dinner, then the maker has reason to be proud. The Austin A40 has all these attributes.

Of course, for many Britons of 1947, owning a Devon was a remote prospect. Of the first 30,000 to leave the factory, just 1,000 were for the home market. The domestic waiting list ran for years, and profiteering was rife. In 1948 The Daily Mirror reported that one proto-Arthur Daley Warren Street trader was charging £900 for a new A40 – almost double the official price of £463 6s. 2d. Even if you were lucky enough to obtain an Austin, there remained the issue of the 'Covenant'. At that time, owners of a new car had to sign an agreement that they would not sell it within twelve months.

By the time the A40 Somerset replaced the A40 Devon, post-war austerity was fading, and the earlier model had occupied countless driveways across the UK. And in many homes, the younger family members piloted its counterpart in the form of the remarkable Austin J40.