Intended by Austin boss Leonard Lord to rival the contemporary Bentley, the luxurious Sheerline and Princess models arrived in 1947 boasting coachwork in the then fashionable ‘razor-edge’ style complemented by luxurious wood and leather trimmed interiors.

A new Bentley-inspired mascot in the form of a flying ‘A’ was introduced, and in the Sheerline’s case the traditional radiator grille was flanked by a pair of magnificent Lucas P100 headlamps.

Unlike Longbridge’s up-market models of pre-war days, the newcomers were aimed at the owner-driver rather than the carriage trade, though the coachbuilt (by Austin’s newly acquired subsidiary, Vanden Plas) Princess was available as a Touring Limousine with division.

A conventional separate-chassis design incorporating independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes, the newcomers were powered by Austin’s new 3.5-litre overhead-valve six.

This was soon enlarged to 4.0 litres, and in triple-SU carburettor form as installed in the early A135 ...