Lot Ended
Description
Sympathetically restored and repainted about five years ago
and only 1,800 miles since; floor-change manual overdrive gearbox;
inertia reel seatbelts; advisory-free MOT; driven 70 miles to the sale; a super
example of this exceedingly rare luxury saloon
Although it was
basically a badge-engineered variant of the Austin A99 Westminster, the Princess
3-Litre was elevated to a whole new level by the full Vanden Plas treatment
which transformed a standard saloon into a ‘baby Bentley’ for the professional
classes.
The front end gained a more imposing
radiator grille with a Coronet badge on top, flanked by chromed horn grilles and
an additional pair of driving lamps. But what truly set the Princess apart was
the coachbuilt interior: the cabin was a sanctuary of burr walnut, plush
Connolly leather, thick Wilton carpets and a West of England cloth headlining
that rivalled cars twice its price.
Under the
bonnet was BMC’s 2,912cc twin-carb straight-six C-Series engine producing
108bhp. Mated to a column-change three-speed manual overdrive gearbox, it had a
top speed of 100mph, ideal for the new motorway age. In total 4,715 were made
before it was replaced by the MkII version in October 1961.
First registered in February 1961, this Princess was acquired by our
vendor in October 2019 at which point it was in good running order with an
advisory-free MOT. A retired motor engineer, he decided to embark on a thorough
restoration to keep himself busy when the COVID lockdown hit the
UK.
The bodywork was restored as required with
all corroded metal cut out and new fabricated steel seam welded in. It was then
repainted using 2k Max Meyer black over Carlton Grey and the interior was
professionally retrimmed in good quality red vinyl.
The engine is a fully rebuilt replacement unit from a later car,
mated to a floor-change three-speed overdrive gearbox (a big improvement on the
standard column-change) with a new clutch kit fitted. The rear axle was rebuilt
with new bearings and seals, and the brakes and suspension were also overhauled
with various new parts fitted.
To make the car
more suited to modern road conditions, inertia reel seatbelts were fitted along
with a third brake light on the rear parcel shelf. The dynamo was replaced by a
more effective alternator and a battery cut-off switch installed under the
bonnet.
Since the restoration was completed the
car has covered some 1,800 miles so it is nicely run-in and it was driven over
70 miles to the sale without drama. Although it no longer needs one, it has an
MOT until February 2027 with no advisories recorded.
As you can see in the photos, this freshly rejuvenated Princess looks
very nice indeed and has been starting promptly and driving sweetly as we have
moved it around on site, with healthy 50psi oil pressure.
It is thought that no more than around 15 of these aristocratic
saloons still survive in the UK today so it could be a long time before you see
another for sale, let alone as smart as this one.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com