Herridge BMC Farina Cars In Detail

In the late 1950s, BMC commissioned Italian styling house Pinin Farina to unify the look of its expanding car range. The result was a family of neatly styled saloons that would define British roads for more than a decade. Sold under six different marques – Austin, Morris, MG, Riley, Wolseley and Vanden Plas – the BMC Farina models shared styling cues and many mechanical components, but were carefully differentiated for different markets. From the compact Austin A40 Farina to the roomy Vanden Plas Princess, these were cars for every occasion – fleet, family, and formal. Today, they are appreciated both for their understated elegance and their significance in postwar British motoring. Surprisingly, despite their popularity and visibility at the time, these cars have never been fully documented in a single volume – until now. In this richly illustrated book, renowned historian Anders Ditlev Clausager tells the full story of the Farina cars, from design and development to production and marketing. Drawing on factory records and period sources, he provides the first comprehensive account of these once-ubiquitous vehicles, including all models, variants and evolutions across the full production run. BMC Farina Cars in Detail is the essential reference for owners, restorers, and enthusiasts of these distinctive and once-familiar British classics. Key features: – Covers all Farina-styled BMC models from 1958 to 1974 – Includes Austin, Morris, MG, Riley, Wolseley and Vanden Plas variants – Detailed development history, production changes and specifications – Over 360 images – First in-depth book ever published on the full Farina range – A landmark work by one of Britain’s leading motoring historians