Austin A55 Cambridge MKII

By April 1959, the Farina range was established with the Austin as the starting point of the fivecar line-up. The Morris Oxford Series V was slightly more expensive, the 15/60 was for the progressively minded bank manager, while the twin-carb MG Magnette MKIII and Riley 4/68 featured slightly less exuberant fins.

Although it was not the first BMC product to make use of its various marque identities, the Farina established the template for an elaborate hierarchy of badges. The thinking at Longbridge was that an Austin customer would display such brand loyalty that they wouldn’t dream of buying an Oxford from the local Morris dealer.

The A55 Cambridge MKI was an agreeable-looking machine, but the MKII was far more flamboyant without falling into the social abyss of being considered ‘spivvy.’ When the Austinbadged Farina was launched, many buyers considered it to be less transatlantic in appeal than the Ford Consul, the Hillman Minx and the Vauxhall Victor F-type. A potential Austin customer might have also considered an Ensign, but although the Standard made its debut just 18 months before the Cambridge, it still conveyed a sense of ration-book utilitarianism.

Roy Presdee’s splendid 1961 MKII looks radiant in its Tartan Red over Farina Grey. It is a vivid reminder of the impact made by the A55 MKII nearly six decades ago, offering quasimunicipal values in a smart new suit – which is just what buyers at the time demanded.