Austin A95 & A105 Westminster
Longbridge · 1956–1959 · 28,065 and 6,770 built
The long-tail Westminster — and the twin-carburettor A105, tuned exactly like the Austin-Healey 100-Six.
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About the Austin A95 & A105 Westminster
The A95 arrived in the autumn of 1956. The wheelbase was stretched two inches over the A90 by redesigning the rear springs and moving the axle, and with it came a lengthened tail, a wrap-around rear window, a lower boot sill and a new grille, plus the Countryman four-door estate with its horizontally split rear door and a new Borg-Warner automatic option. 28,065 were built. The A105 actually came first, in May 1956, as the performance version: twin SU carburettors, 102bhp at 4,600rpm and 141lb ft at 2,600 — the same tune as the Austin-Healey 100-Six — with Borg-Warner overdrive standard and the car sitting an inch lower than the A95. Only 6,770 were made, which makes it the rarest of the pre-Farina Westminsters.
The A105 has two distinct bodies, and that is the thing to establish before ordering. Cars built between May and October 1956 use the original short-boot A90 shell and are very rare indeed; from October 1956 the A105 uses the longer A95 body. From the spring of 1958 both cars could be had with a centre floor gearchange. “Westminster” was quietly dropped from A95 sales literature. A Vanden Plas A105 with a special interior and Princess badging followed a request in 1957. In Australia the A95 was sold as the Morris Marshal — 1,341 sedans, 54 Traveller wagons and 30 panel vans.
Austin A95 & A105 Westminster — specification & changes within the model
- A95
- Autumn 1956 – 1959, 28,065 built. 2,639cc C-series six, around 92bhp. Saloon and Countryman estate.
- A105
- May 1956 – 1959, 6,770 built. Same 2,639cc C-series with twin SU carburettors, 102bhp @ 4600rpm, 141lb ft @ 2600rpm — the Austin-Healey 100-Six tune.
- Two A105 bodies
- May to October 1956 cars use the original short-boot A90 shell and are very rare. From October 1956 the A105 uses the longer A95 body and sits an inch lower.
- A90 vs A95
- Wheelbase 8ft 7¾in → 8ft 9¾in, achieved by redesigning the rear springs and moving the axle. Lengthened tail, wrap-around rear window, lower boot sill, new grille.
- Gearbox
- Four-speed, column change. Borg-Warner overdrive optional on the A95 and standard on the A105. Borg-Warner automatic newly available from autumn 1956. Centre floor change optional from spring 1958.
- Brakes
- Girling hydraulic, 11in drums, two leading shoes at the front.
- Bodies
- Four-door saloon. Countryman four-door estate from the A95, with a horizontally split rear door.
- Vanden Plas
- An A105 with a special interior and Princess badging followed a 1957 request.
- Australia
- The A95 was sold there as the Morris Marshal, 1957–1960, built at Victoria Park NSW and Brisbane — 1,341 sedans, 54 Traveller wagons, 30 panel vans.