Harris Mann's masterpiece was launched without the hatchback it so obviously needed, in order to avoid taking sales from the Maxi. This situation was only remedied with the arrival of the Ambassador, some seven years later.
The development story
The story behind the conception, design and life of the Princess – "Not the car for Mister Average" – from its origins as Project Diablo, through its launch as the triple-marque 18-22 Series, its relaunch as the Princess and its final incarnation as the Austin Ambassador. |
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Drawings & prototypes
Take a look at the various stages in the development of the 18-22 series and Princess. |
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Princess buyer's guide
KEITH ADAMS briefly leads you through some of the pitfalls of buying a classic Princess... |
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Princess 2200: the rivals
You were in the market for a Princess 2200 - here were your alternatives. |
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Princess Countryman
Leyland considered producing an esate version of the Princess, which in the Austin tradtion may have been called a 'Countryman', had it ever left the drawing board... |
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Triplex 10-20 Glassback
Another – rather stylish – take on the Princess estate theme. This car was produced by Ogle Design as a showpiece for Triplex glass. |
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Hatchback conversions
Princess designer Harris Mann originally envisioned the car as a hatchback. Specialist companies Crayford and Torcars showed what the Princess could – and should – have been. |
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Woodall Nicholson Kirklees
Coachbuilders Woodhall Nicholson produced limousine and hearse conversions based on the Princess... perhaps not the easiest candidate for conversion, but they somehow managed to pull it off – just. |
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Community pages
Here we bring together pages from the site's Community section which feature the Princess... |
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Picture gallery
A selection of 18-22 series, Princess and Ambassador images culled from brochures, press photos and magazines. |
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Silver jubilee: The Ambassador's 25th
A celebration of the Ambassador as it hits an important landmark... |
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Princess/Ambassador TV adverts
A collection of downloadable TV adverts for the Princess and Austin Ambassador. |
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Publicity material
Here you'll find a useful listing of Princess/Ambassador-related brochures and press photos, featuring items from both the UK and overseas markets. All of the press photos listed can be viewed online; some of the brochures can also be viewed in full, while for most of the others, the covers can either be viewed or previewed. New items will be added from time to time, as they become available. |
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