Austin A40 Farina

1958–1967 · 342,162 built · assembled at Petone

Pinin Farina’s two-box shape — and an estate that got close to the hatchback a decade early.

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About the Austin A40 Farina

Drawn in Pinin Farina’s Turin studio and launched in October 1958, the A40 Farina was described at the time as a capacious, thoroughly modern small car with a brand new distinctive two-box shape and real headroom in the back. The Countryman estate followed in October 1959. 169,612 Mk1s and 172,550 Mk2s were built. In New Zealand it was assembled from English CKD kits by the Austin Distributors Federation at their Petone factory, Associated Motor Industries, with the glass, wiring loom, trim, tyres, battery and radiator all sourced locally — so a New Zealand car will not always match a British parts book. Innocenti built it in Milan too, 67,706 of them.

Mk1 to Mk2 in 1961 is the split that matters. The wheelbase went up 3.5in for rear legroom, the grille and dashboard were redesigned, a front anti-roll bar was added and the carburettor changed from Zenith to SU — but the important one for anyone under the car is the brakes. The Mk1 inherited the A35’s hybrid arrangement, hydraulic at the front and cable-operated at the rear; the Mk2 is fully hydraulic. The 948cc engine gave way to the 1098 in the autumn of 1962, and the fascia gained imitation wood veneer in 1964. One myth worth settling: the British Countryman has a split tailgate, top-hinged above and bottom-hinged below, not a single lifting hatch. The genuine one-piece tailgate was Innocenti’s Combinata, built in Italy and never offered here.

Austin A40 Farina — specification & changes within the model

Built: October 1958 – 1967. Mk1 1958–61, 169,612 built · Mk2 1961–67, 172,550 built. 342,162 in all, plus 67,706 Innocenti cars in Italy.
Engine: 948cc A-series (62.9 × 76.2mm), 34bhp, rising to 37bhp for the Mk2’s 948 phase. 1098cc (64.6 × 83.7mm), 48bhp, from autumn 1962. Same units as the Morris Minor.
Brakes: Lockheed drums, 8in front and 7in rear. Mk1 is hydraulic front, cable rear, inherited from the A35. Mk2 is fully hydraulic.
Gearbox: Four-speed, no synchromesh on first, floor lever with the handbrake between the seats. Improved box came with the 1098.
Suspension: Independent coil front; live axle on semi-elliptic leaves at the rear. Cam-and-peg steering. Front anti-roll bar from the Mk2.
Mk1 vs Mk2: Wheelbase 83.5in → 87in, redesigned grille and dashboard, anti-roll bar, Zenith carburettor → SU, and fully hydraulic brakes. Fascia gained imitation wood veneer in 1964.
Bodies: Two-door saloon from October 1958; Countryman estate from October 1959, with a horizontally split tailgate — top-hinged upper, bottom-hinged lower.
The hatchback question: An early volume two-box car, and the Countryman’s layout anticipates the hatchback — but the one-piece tailgate was Innocenti’s Combinata in Italy, not a British car.
Built here: CKD kits assembled by the Austin Distributors Federation at Associated Motor Industries, Petone. Locally sourced: glass, wiring loom, trim, tyres, battery, radiator.
Also built at: Longbridge · Sydney, for BMC Australia 1959–62 · Lambrate, Milan, by Innocenti · Cape Town · Mexico · the Netherlands.