The Atlantic was one more glaring example, as was the convertible variation- based on their somewhat staid A70 Hereford.

The management team at Austin decided it was time to think out of the box.
They made tentative approaches to the Jensen brothers with whom they had a close working association through using the Jensens using Austin engines in their sports cars.
In response, the design team at Jensen quickly whipped up an eye-pleasing aluminium sports body, which bore a strong resemblance to the first Jensen Interceptor, albeit quite a bit smaller.
With its large scale folding hood, the Jensen design was basically a four-seater, far away from being a real sports car but an attractive machine nevertheless.
After a series of styling revamps, the Austin A40 Sport was finally ready to be unveiled to the public at the 1950 Motor Show.
Despite the hype, the Austin A40 sports soon appeared to be less than glamorous to the discerning public as it was based on an unmodified A40 Devon chassis, with the only concession to any form of sports car performance being the twin carburettors fitted to the humble four-cylinder engine.

After the launch and for the three years that it was in production, Austin held back on commissioning much-needed changes into improving the car’s handling and power, which eventually led to the A40 Sports sales to slump to next to nothing, making for another embarrassing flop for Austin.
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A guide to acquiring, restoring and maintaining UK or European Classic Cars of the Fifties and Sixties- as well as a recollection of the iconic cars of the era and the visionaries that produced them
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