BMC Farina Cars in detail

In the late 1950s, BMC commissioned Italian styling house Pinin Farina to unify the look of its expanding car range. The result was a family of neatly styled saloons that defined British roads for more than a decade. Sold under six different marques – Austin, Morris, MG, Riley, Wolseley and Vanden Plas – the BMC Farina models shared many mechanical components, but were carefully differentiated for their target markets.

From the compact Austin A40 Farina (one of Britain’s first hatchbacks) to the stately Vanden Plas Princess, these were cars for every occasion – fleet, family and formal. Today, they are prized for both their understated elegance and their importance in postwar British motoring.

Despite their popularity at the time, these cars have never before been fully documented in a single volume – until now. In this richly illustrated work, renowned historian Anders Ditlev Clausager tells the complete story of the Farina cars, from design and development to production, marketing and competition. Drawing on factory records and period sources, he provides the first truly comprehensive account of these once-ubiquitous vehicles, including every model, variant and evolution across the full production run.

BMC Farina Cars In Detail is the essential reference for owners, restorers and enthusiasts of these distinctive British classics.