Inspired by a bespoke Morris 1100 that Fred Connolly had commissioned from coachbuilder-turned-manufacturer Vanden Plas, BMC tasked its Kingsbury-based subsidiary with replicating Mr.

Connolly’s car to gauge public reaction at the October 1963 Earls Court Motor Show.

Sporting a revised radiator grille, two-tone Green paint, and sumptuous Champagne Beige leather and walnut veneer interior, the resultant machine attracted a deluge of enquiries.

Entering production in April 1964, the Vanden Plas Princess 1100 boasted a twin-carburettor 1100cc engine, four-speed manual gearbox, front disc brakes, and Hydrolastic interconnected suspension.

Priced at £896 (£195 more than the MG 1100 with which it shared a powerplant), the newcomer also featured a West of England cloth headlining, Wilton carpets, reading lights, rear picnic tables and individual folding front seat armrests.

In an age of coachbuilt Minis by Wood & Pickett and Radford etc, the Vanden Plas, with its ‘shrunken Rolls-Royce’ c...