Lot details

Year: 1966
Make: Austin
Model: Princess 1100 Van den Plas
Registration: FKK 582D
Chassis No: VAS19361
Engine No: 86160RN74234
Mileage: 67000
•: Very original
•: Comes with orginal buff log book

Inspired by a bespoke Morris 1100 that Fred Connolly of the eponymous currier had commissioned from coachbuilder-turned-manufacturer Vanden Plas, BMC tasked its Kingsbury-based subsidiary with replicating Mr Connolly's car to gauge public reaction at the October 1963 Earls Court Motor Show. Sporting a revised radiator grille, two-tone green paint and sumptuous Champagne Beige leather and Walnut Veneer interior, the resultant machine attracted a deluge of enquiries. Entering production in April 1964, the Vanden Plas Princess 1100 boasted a twin-carburettor 1100cc engine, four-speed manual gearbox, front disc brakes and Hydrolastic interconnected suspension. Priced at £896 (£195 more than the MG 1100 with which it shared a powerplant), the newcomer also featured a West of England cloth headlining, Wilton carpets, reading lights, rear picnic tables and individual folding front seat armrests. In an age of coachbuilt Minis by Wood & Pickett and Radford etc, the Princess 1100 with its 'shrunken Rolls-Royce' cabin proved a strong seller.

This nice example is presented in blue with a grey leather interior, with wood dash and door cappings. There are folding tables fitted to the backs of the front seats for passengers to use which was a very smart touch back in the 1960s, normally associated with far more expensive luxury rivals. This very original Van den Plas shows much patina and comes with its original buff log book, original hardback handbook, manual and original dealer advert. The car is still on hydrolastic suspension and it is in good order with no leaks or deterioration. Also to add, there are receipts and MoTs going back to 1970s confirming original mileage of 67000 and 2 owners up until recently Practical, British and original which is quintessentially so evocative of family saloons of the era and can be still as much enjoyed today as it was indeed back then. Consigned by James Good