Driven by Edgar Wren as a promotional car to secure new orders of the 20hp model
The first prototype Austin Twenty began to take shape in the chassis-erecting shop at Longbridge during 1917 and an abridged specification was published in that September’s issue of The Austin Advocate magazine.

Like the Hudson Super Six, the newcomer featured a substantial ladder frame chassis equipped with all-round semi-elliptic leaf-sprung suspension, rear wheel brakes, an engine of monobloc construction with in-unit, centre-change gearbox and a sheet metal radiator cowl.

Displacing 3610cc, its unstressed sidevalve four-cylinder engine developed 40bhp @ 2,000rpm (an output sufficient for Austin to later warrant that the chassis could reach 70mph).

Eminently tuneable, privateer Felix Scriven’s `Sergeant Murphy’ and the Works’ `Black Maria’ both proved that an Austin Twenty could beat a Bentley 3 Litre or Vauxhall 30/98 in competition (Scriven’s mount reaching 104mph at Brooklands).


Two prototype A...