3 Litre Vanden Plas Princess mkii: our goal
The Vanden Plas version of the big six cylinder farinas is often called an "Austin Princess" by people, but the word Austin does not appear on the car. It was badged as the Princess 3-Litre. This car was built alongside the Wolseleys at Cowley, but were not finished when delivered to Kingsbury, the Vanden Plas works company.
Mechanically, these cars were identical to the Wolseley 6/99 and 6/110 variants. The high finish of these cars distinguished them from their cousins and resulted in their higher price tags. The distinctive Vanden Plas grill and spotlamps were placed on the front of the grill. Walnut dashboards, picnic tables and doorcappings were standard in all cars. A lot of extra sound deadening material was used to make the ride very quite.
Due to the clientele these cars attracted, automatic transmissions, normal air conditionning and power steering were more common. These cars also had extra map lights and optional seat warmers in the reclining seats and variable ride selectaride shocks in the rear.
O'Hara's 1963 3 Litre Princess mkii: our current project
The only noticeable difference of the mkii from the mki aside from the mechanics of the A110 was the position of large bumper guards in line with the rear fenders. This car was discontinued in late 1964 in favour of the new 4 Litre Princess which had the Rolls Royce motor.
Among the remaining six cylinder farinas, these cars seem to be the rarest. Our Princess has been off the road since 1973 and needs complete restoration. We purchased it in March, 1998 and have mangaged to restart the motor after much trouble. In the future, when we have the time and space we will most likely undertake the project.
Incidentally, one of these cars was used in the opening scene of the "AVENGERS" movie this past summer.