Editing Austin Princess (section)

==Austin Princess I, II and III==
{{Infobox automobile
| name         = Austin A120-135 Princess I, II and III
| image        = Austin A135 Princess MkII DS3 front.jpg
| caption      = Austin A135 Princess II (DS3)
| manufacturer = [[Austin Motor Company|Austin]] ([[British Motor Corporation|BMC]])
| production   = {{Plainlist|
*'''Princess 1''': 1947–1950<ref name=austinsheerlineprincess>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20180820234827/http://www.austinsheerlineprincess.org/models.html Sheerline and Princess models, www.austinsheerlineprincess.org]}} Retrieved on 11 March 2013</ref>
*DM2 (SWB limousine): 57 
*DS2 (SWB Saloon): 743

*'''Princess II''': 1950–1953<ref name=austinsheerlineprincess /> 
*DM3 (SWB limo): Unknown
*DS3 (SWB Saloon): Unknown

*'''Princess III''': 1953–1956<ref name=austinsheerlineprincess /> 
*DM5 (SWB limousine): 51
*DS5 (SWB Saloon): 299
}}
| engine       = [[Austin D-Series engine|Austin D-Series 3460cc and 3991cc 6-cylinder]]
| height       = {{convert|70|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1953 />
| width        = {{convert|74|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1953 />
| length       = {{convert|215|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}(long-wheelbase)<ref name=Motor1953 />
| wheelbase    = {{convert|132|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}(long-wheelbase)<ref name=Motor1953 />
}}
In 1947, Austin produced two virtually identical chassis, one for the A110 (later A125 Sheerline, built entirely by Austin at their [[Longbridge plant|Longbridge factory]]) and the A120 (later A135) chassis used by Vanden Plas to produce the Princess at their [[Kingsbury, London|Kingsbury]] works (North London). Although Vanden Plas was by now wholly owned by Austin and much of the running gear and instrumentation was the same in the two cars, the Princess was the Austin flagship, with a higher specification leather, wool and [[Juglans|burr walnut]] interior.

The original Princess was powered by a 3.5-litre straight-six engine. This was enlarged to a 4.0-litre unit without further modifications. The Princess was often built to order. Customers could specify the colour required and a range of different setups were available. These included triple or single carburettors and twin or single exhaust systems. Whilst the sportier multiple carb version performed better, it achieved only 12 to 14 mpg. The single carburettor version gave slightly better fuel consumption. Performance was good for a car of its size, with a top speed of {{convert|90|mph|abbr=on}} and acceleration from 0 to 60&nbsp;mph in 20 seconds. In 1950, the Limousine version was introduced. The chassis length and passenger area were enlarged to enable a pair of drop down seats to be mounted on the rear of the front seats and a glass division was standard.

These early cars are now extremely rare, especially the saloon versions. Many of the saloons were converted for use as taxis in the late 1950s, fitted with [[Perkins Engines|Perkins]] diesel engines for better economy. The 3993cc 6-cylinder engine was also fitted, as a petrol option seldom taken up, to the Austin and Morris normal-control (i.e. "bonneted") WEK and WFK commercial vehicles.

During the life of this model (in 1952), Austin became part of the [[British Motor Corporation]] (BMC).<gallery widths="220" heights="140">
File:Austin Princess DS3 (1951) - 53212842866.jpg|Austin A135 Princess II (DS3)
File:Austin Princess DS3 (1951) - 53211958867.jpg|Austin A135 Princess II (DS3) interior
</gallery>{{clear}}