The Authi Victoria was the Austin-badged model built by Authi at Pamplona from 1972 to 1975, offered as the Austin Victoria and the Austin Victoria De Luxe. It belonged to the last years of the Spanish company founded by BMC and Nueva Montaña Quijano, which was sold to SEAT in 1976.
Authi Victoria at a glance
| Maker | Authi (Automóviles de Turismo Hispano Ingleses), Arazuri, Pamplona |
|---|---|
| Production | 1972–1975 |
| Model names | Austin Victoria and Austin Victoria De Luxe |
| Badge | Austin, built in Spain by Authi |
| Other model of the period | Austin de Luxe, 1974–1975 |
| Owner | BLMC, controlling 51% of NMQ from July 1967 |
| Capital in 1973 | raised to 2,400 million pesetas |
| President from 1973 | Manuel Diez Alegria |
| Company ended | 1976, plant sold to SEAT |
There is no Wikipedia article about the Authi Victoria, so this page is based on the English article about the Authi company. The source gives no technical data, body style or production figures for the model.
History of the Authi Victoria
The Austin name in Spain
Authi was founded in 1965 as a collaboration between BMC and the Santander metalworking firm Nueva Montaña Quijano, because BMC needed a way to sell its cars in a Spain that protected local manufacturers from imports and foreign takeover. The result was a company that built almost identical copies of a range of Austin and Morris cars. In the list of models produced by Authi the Austin appears late in the company’s short history: the Austin Victoria and the Austin Victoria De Luxe are given as built from 1972 to 1975, followed by the Austin de Luxe of 1974–1975.
The last years
The Victoria was made in the period when British Leyland tightened its grip on the Spanish business. A further Leyland capital injection in 1973 raised the share capital to 2,400 million pesetas and left the residual minority shareholders with very little influence, and in the same year the presidency of the company passed to Manuel Diez Alegria. The company highlighted its new spare parts centre at the time, equipped with a computer inventory control system that employed punch-cards. The model run ended in 1975; Authi survived only until 1976, when British Leyland ran out of money and the almost new plant was sold to SEAT after the failure of a bid for it from General Motors.
After Authi
SEAT went on to build the 124, 131, Panda and Lancia Beta at the former Authi factory, while General Motors, whose 1974 approach had collapsed, set about building its own Spanish plant at Zaragoza, opened in 1982. In 2010 all the rights to the Authi name were bought by Pedro J. Santos, the founder of Tauro. The Victoria is remembered through period advertising: the video on this page is a Spanish advert for the Austin Victoria.
Design and features
- Austin badge, Spanish assembly: one of the Austin models Authi built for the protected Spanish market.
- Two trim names: the car was sold as the Austin Victoria and the Austin Victoria De Luxe.
- Late in the range: the model dates from 1972–1975, the closing years of the company.
- Period advertising: a Spanish television advert for the Austin Victoria survives and is shown on this page.
Authi Victoria versions
- Austin Victoria (1972–1975): the standard version of the model.
- Austin Victoria De Luxe (1972–1975): the better-equipped version sold alongside it.
- Austin de Luxe (1974–1975): a separate Authi model of the same final years.
The Authi 1100 was the Morris-badged model of the company’s earlier years. More cars are in the Authi collection.
Video: Anuncio Austin Victoria (Authi)
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Authi, English Wikipedia: company history, production list with the Victoria, sale to SEAT
