Austin A40 Sports by Jensen 1952
2019 Antwerp Classic Salon - Antwerpen (B)

The A40 Sports was the first model to introduce modern pontoon-style bodywork in the Austin line-up. In many ways its design was a smaller version of the original 1950s Jensen Interceptor; both were designed by Eric Neale and both were based on Austin components. Where the larger Jensen had a 4 Litre 6-cylinder engine and a modified A70 chassis the more affordable (at less then a third of the price of the Jensen) Austin Sports used the 1.2 Litre 4-cylinder engine and a reinforced chassis of the A40 model.
Striking is the difference in production numbers: the A40 Sports was built 4,011 times during its 1950-1953 production period where the Jensen reportedly remained a very rare sight at only 88 cars produced between 1950-1957.