Highlights Concerning The New B.M.C Babies

Highlights Concerning the New B.M.C. Babies

Quite the brightest highlight is the low price. Inclusive of purchase tax you can buy one of these Austins or Morrises for under £500. They are £41 cheaper than an A35, cost £93 less than a Morris Minor, undercut the Fiat 600 by £116, the Renault Dauphine and de luxe VW by £219. They are priced at £78 more than the side-valve three-speed “cart-sprung” Ford Popular . . .

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If there was no purchase tax you’d get one for £350 . . .

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The dimensions are diminutive, in spite of accommodation for four. The wheelbase is an inch shorter than that of the later, pre-war Austin Sevens.

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The 10 in. diameter tyres are two inches smaller than those of the Fiat 500 and 600 and N.S.U. Prinz, three inches smaller than those on an A35 and the small Fords, four inches under Morris Minor size, five inches fewer in diameter than those of the Renault Dauphine. In fact, the new B.M.C. babies have the same size tyres as true mini-cars such as the Friskysprint and B.M.W. 600. This spells the lowest possible unsprung weight but less grip on slippery surfaces, where greater contact area and slower rotational rate score.

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On overall dimensions the ADO.15 compares with other baby and mini-cars as follows :—

See table.

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Front-seat width is 20 in. each, rear seat width 49 in. This compares with 20/41 for the A35, 18½/47 for the Fiat 600, 19/48 for the Dauphine, 20/52 for the VW.

Engine and transmission are lubricated normally with S.A.E. 30 oil. The cooling system holds 5¼ pints of water. There are ten points on the chassis requiring greasing every 1,000 miles (the grease-gun is an extra costing £2  9s. 6d.). Tyre pressures are 24 lb. front, 22 lb. rear.

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The new B.M.C. project has cost over £10-million. The assembly lines and stores occupy one side of the ¼-mile-long  “E” block at Cowley, but the Mini-Minor assembly line is only 465 ft. in length, yet can produce a car every three minutes. The car’s style and small dimensions assist in easy assembly, which is aided by the two-tiered body storage system where the rust-proofed Fisher & Ludlow shells are received and from which double-duty overhead conveyors absorb any rate changes between the various stages of production.

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Prolonged testing has, claim the B.M.C., failed to reveal any method by which the rubber suspension or universal joints of the new babies can be destroyed.

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Visibility is excellent, with large bowed screen and a very large rear window.

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Performance claimed embraces a maximum speed of 70 m.p.h. and over 50 m.p.g. at 50 m.p.h. (1d. a mile).

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A special “hospital” at Cowley, costing £12,000 and only 46 ft. long, has been provided for touching-up any Mini-Minor scratched during construction. But, with the new cars moving past at the rate of 20 an hour, the hospital has so far remained idle, due to improved techniques of handling and fitting.

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B.M.C. Services Ltd. aim to achieve 100 per cent. service backing for the Austin and Morris babies, 250,000 spare parts were available, centrally controlled, when the new cars were announced, to meet any demand made from any part of the world. Already ADO.15s have been shipped from Longbridge and Cowley to showrooms in 100 different countries, and the latest Austin Se7en and Mini-Minor are now in volume production and had been for several weeks before they were unveiled to the public.

What have these new small cars to do with enthusiasts? Ask the firms that are even now modifying and tuning them for high speed!