Austin A99/A110 Westminster
How to keep your Sixties BMC range-topper running smoothly
Model evolution
The Austin A99 Westminster, Wolseley 6/99 and Princess 3-Litre took their places at the top of the British Motor Corporation saloon line in 1959. The all-new unitary body was styled by Pininfarina and each model was identifiable by various trim differences and a unique grille. The updated A110, 6/110 and Vanden Plas Princess 3-Litre arrived in 1961, with more power, new trim, a longer wheelbase, a revised exhaust, a transverse damper to control rear axle movement and a floor-mounted rather than a column gearchange for manual versions.
The Princess was discontinued in 1964, when ‘Mark II’ versions of the Austin and Wolseley arrived. These had smaller diameter but wider wheels, telescopic rear dampers instead of lever-arms, revised brakes and four- rather than three-speed manual gearboxes. They were replaced by the Austin 3-Litre in 1968.
Options included power steering, overdrive, air conditioning and, for the Vanden Plas Princess 3-Litre only, ‘Selectaride’ adjustable rear dampers.
What’s it like to work on?
The mechanical design is essentially simple – and so is servicing. The big pushrod C-series straight-six fills much of the available under-bonnet space, but it’s easy to look after. Accessing the distributor is the only servicing challenge, as it’s located low on the right-hand side of the engine. If your car has power steering, the pump inhibits access further. It’s arguably easier and certainly less awkward to remove the distributor and service it on a bench.
Parts and support
Servicing components are still quite easy to come by and they’re generally inexpensive. They’re available from a wide range of sources, many being interchangeable with other BMC vehicles. Longbridge Motor Spares Ltd (longbridgemotorspares.co.uk) carries perhaps the largest stock of Westminster-specific parts. The cars fall under the umbrellas of numerous clubs, including the Cambridge-oxford Owners’ Club (co-oc.org) and the Austin Cambridge Westminster Car Club (acwcc.org).
Thanks to Alastair Oliver and Tom Ward, owners of the handsome 6/110 featured in our photographs; John Copleston of Phoenix Classic Cars (phoenix-classics.co.uk) for assistance beyond the call of duty.