Austin Atlantic
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- See also Austin Westminster, also sold as the A90
| Austin Atlantic<tr><td colspan=2>Image:Austin Atlantic convertible.jpg</tr> | |
| Manufacturer: | BMC<tr><th>Production:<td>1948-1952 7981 made</tr><tr><th>Body style:<td>FR 2-door saloon 2-door convertible</tr><tr><th>Wheelbase:<td>96 inches (2.44 m)</tr><tr><th>Length:<td>177 inches (4.49 m)</tr><tr><th>Width:<td>70 inches (1.77 m)</tr> |
|---|---|
The A90 Atlantic produced by the Austin Motor Company was a sporting four seat roadster (1948 to 1950) or two door coupé (1949 to 1952). It was the first post-war car engineered from scratch by Austin, and one of the first on the market in the UK.
The Atlantic was designed to appeal to American tastes with art deco styling, chrome accents, and a "flying A" emblem at the front of both front wings and a centrally mounted single spotlight just above the grille. Despite this, only about 300 of the 7981 produced were sold in the United States. For its time, performance was reasonable, with a top speed of 92 mph and a 0-50 mph time of 11.2 seconds but the handling was not good. Typical fuel consumption was 21 mpg (imperial). Brakes were initially a mix of hydraulic (front) and mechanical (rear) replaced by a fully hydraulic set up from 1951.
The voluminous styling of the car formed mud-traps which in turn led to the same rapid corrosion as beset many rushed post-war British designs, sadly very few of these cars have survived. One remarkable example seen on Edinburgh streets well into the 1970's was an estate used by a local convent; built in the style of the Morris Traveller this car had external wood framing and stylish Perspex panoramic windows in the style of the Land-Rover Discovery.
The A90 provided the 2660 cc straight-4 overhead valve engine and drivetrain for the Austin-Healey 100.
