The Austin Sheerline is a large luxury car produced by Austin in the United Kingdom from 1947 until 1954. The new Sheerline, with razor-edge styling, first appeared at the Geneva Motor Show on 13 March 1947.
Austin Sheerline at a glance
| Produced | 1947–1954 |
|---|---|
| Shown | Geneva Motor Show, 13 March 1947 |
| Design began | 1942, during the war, on the decision of Austin chairman Sir Leonard Lord |
| Stylist | Ricardo (Dick) Burzi, from Lord’s sketches |
| Price | about two-thirds that of an equivalent Rolls-Royce, still the price of five or six small Austins |
| Limousine | from 1949, on a stretched 11 ft chassis (12½ inches added) with a sliding glass partition |
| Built at | Austin’s Longbridge plant |
| Mascot | the first Austin with the “Flying A” and “Austin of England” script |
This page is based on English Wikipedia only (a trusted source), so the facts were not cross-checked against a second source.
History of the Austin Sheerline
Design began in 1942, during the Second World War, when Austin chairman Sir Leonard Lord decided that Austin needed a large, traditionally styled car to compete in the luxury market. The Argentine-Italian stylist Ricardo Burzi designed the Sheerline from Lord’s sketches. On the day Italy entered the war Burzi was interned on the Isle of Man as an “Italian resident alien”, and was released only after Lord pulled strings and vouched for his character; he was allowed to work on condition that he worked in an isolated area and reported daily to the police. He designed the Sheerline alongside the A40 in a 30 ft long office, with a full-size layout board and three desks. A Plasticine model came first, then a full-size wooden mock-up completed by 1946.
The Sheerline was a luxurious car in the style of the contemporary Rolls-Royce or Bentley, but at a much lower price, around two-thirds that of the Rolls-Royce.
The Flying A
The Sheerline was the first Austin with a “Flying A” bonnet mascot and “Austin of England” script. Sir Leonard Lord owned a Bentley during the war and, the story goes, took the “Flying B” mascot from his own car and gave it to Burzi to create something similar. In one day Burzi altered the slope of the B into a stylised A, attached a skeletal wing to the trailing edge and wrapped it in foil. The mascot became Austin’s logo and featured on all models until the 1960s.
Production
Volume production did not begin until 1947 because of Austin’s commitment to war production. In 1949 a limousine model was produced on a stretched 11 ft chassis, with 12½ inches added to the wheelbase, a sliding glass partition behind the driver and folding occasional seats. Both models were built at Longbridge.
Design and features
- Concept: a traditionally styled luxury car with razor-edge lines.
- Mascot: the Flying A.
- Limousine: a stretched chassis with a glass partition and occasional seats.
Austin Sheerline versions
- Sheerline saloon (1947–1954): the main car.
- Sheerline limousine (1949): a stretched 11 ft chassis.
- Princess: the Vanden Plas-bodied companion on the same chassis.
More Austin cars are in our Austin collection, for example the Twenty that began the line, the Westminster and the Princess.
Austin Sheerline questions and answers
When was the Austin Sheerline built?
From 1947 to 1954.
Who designed it?
Ricardo Burzi, working from sketches by Sir Leonard Lord.
How much did it cost compared with a Rolls-Royce?
About two-thirds as much.
What is the Flying A?
The bonnet mascot Burzi created from a Bentley “Flying B”, used on Austins until the 1960s.
Was there a limousine?
Yes, from 1949 on a stretched 11 ft chassis.
Video: 53 Austin start and drive
Video by campbell5149 on YouTube.
Sources
- Austin Sheerline, English Wikipedia: history and production
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