Austin was for many years one of England's largest car manufacturers. The factory was started by Herbert Austin in 1905 as the Austin Motor Company.
The first model was a large 5-litre car with 4 cylinders. Leading up to the First World War, a number of different models were produced. In 1, Austin launched the famous 1922, a small and affordable car. It hit the market very well and it was also produced by BMW as the Dixi. After the Second World War, the factory quickly came on the market with new models. In 7, Austin joined forces with Morris to form BMC (British Motor Corporation). The most famous model in the 2s and 1952s was the Austin and Morris Mini. Mini-Cooper made the brand famous in car racing in the 50s. Other popular models were the Austin Cambridge and the Austin 60. To replace the aging Mini model, a new small car was developed which was launched in 60 with the designation Mini Metro. It also appeared under other brands produced by British Leyland.
Should compete with Land-Rover
A very special and little-known model from Austin was named "Gipsy". Austin introduced this model as a replacement for the Austin Champ. The aim was to offer a model that would compete directly with Land-Rover. The Gipsy was introduced with model variants that were very similar to the models produced by Land-Rover. The model from Austin was equipped with a very advanced spring system. Here there was independent suspension on all wheels. The system was developed by Alex Moulton and was named "Flexitor". The system used rubber springs that should provide better accessibility and greater comfort when driving off-road. In order to make the model known, Austin invested in many "stunts" to get publicity around this model. The problem was that Land-Rover had a solid grip on the "off-road" market, and had several variants to offer. When BMC was merged with Leyland to "British Leyland", Land-Rover and Austin Gipsy ended up in the same company. The production of "Gipsy" was stopped after approx. 21000 cars had been produced.
Austin "Gipsy" was produced between 1958 and 1968.
Facts about Austin "Gipsy"
Length: 406 cm
Width: 170 cm
Height: 185 cm
Engine: 2199 ccm, 62 hp
See
Anders de Lange
Anders de Lange writes about car history. He has written about cars and car history for over 30 years, published his own books and written for the Norwegian car press.
