This is the story of how the Vanden Plas Princess 1100 came to be produced; for completeness, I've also included some background to the 1100 range itself.

When it was first shown at the 1963 Earl's Court Motor Show, the Princess 1100 was without rival. Though just over 12ft in length (that's about the same size as a modern-day supermini, such as the Ford Ka), its interior appointments were more in keeping with those of a luxury saloon; the seats were upholstered with Connolly hide, while burr walnut veneer was used for the dashboard, door cappings and rear picnic tables, which folded down from the backs of the front seats. Other standard fittings unusual at the time included front foglights and a rear reversing light. Never before had a production model of this size been so highly appointed.

The idea for the 1963 show car had been sparked by a private commission undertaken the previous year for Fred Connolly (head of the famous curriers whose hides had traditionally graced the interiors of Rolls-Royces, Ferraris and just about every other exclusive marque). He had approached Vanden Plas after spotting the potential of the newly-launched 1100 range, whose compliant ride-quality and spacious interior provided a good basis for this type of car. The decision to put the car into production was taken in response to the level of interest expressed at and after the show.

The Princess 1100 was based on the MG 1100 (launched in October 1962), having that model's 55bhp engine and 4-door body-shell. Following a run of 17 pre-production prototypes, the first cars were delivered to customers in the spring of 1964. (My Princess was built in July 1964). The majority of these cars were assembled at Austin's Longbridge plant (although production was later moved to the Morris factory at Cowley), and then transported to the Vanden Plas premises in Kingsbury, north London, where they were painted (including the hand-drawn coachlines) and fitted with their interior trim and chromework. However, in order to meet the high demand for the model, most of the cars produced between October 1964 and April 1967 were built and finished entirely at Longbridge.

The cars were issued with Vanden Plas commission numbers in the range V16S 101 to 39670 (although not all of the numbers in between were actually issued). According to the Vanden Plas production records, they completed 28367 of these cars. Allowing for gaps in the issue of commission numbers, it can be assumed that up to 10,000 further models were produced entirely at Longbridge or Cowley, putting the total production at somewhat less than 40,000.

Production of the Vanden Plas Princess range mirrored that of the main 1100/1300, which was also produced in Austin, Morris, MG, Riley and Wolseley versions (see my car naming page for further information on this topic). Thus, the Princess 1100 was produced from 1963-1967 in mkI form, and from 1967-1968 in mkII form (with different rear wing profiles and lights, and modified upholstery). The 1300 model was intially produced as the Princess 1275 from 1967-1968, having a 58bhp engine and mkII style bodywork. The definitive Princess 1300 was launched in 1968, with a 65bhp version of the same engine, and remained in production until 1974.

The Morris 1100 and its variants

As a logical progression form the Mini, the British Motor Corporation (BMC) began work on project ADO16: the engineering work was undertaken by Alec Issigonis, whose previous projects had included the Morris Minor 1000 and the Mini; the Hydrolastic suspension system, as originally used on the Mini, was designed by Alex Moulton; and the body styling was entrusted to the Italian coachbuilders, Pininfarina.

The car that resulted first saw the light of day in August 1962 as the Morris 1100. From the start, it was hailed as a revelation by the motoring press, particularly for its suspension, interior space and body styling. Within two months, an MG version had been introduced, with a twin-carburettor engine producing 55bhp (as opposed to the standard engine's 48bhp) and modified front-end styling. Next, in 1963, came the Austin 1100 and Vanden Plas Princess 1100, with the range of models being completed by the addition of the Wolseley 1100 and Riley Kestrel in 1965. This order of events is not always accurately reported; I often read that the Austin and Morris models came first, and that the Vanden Plas model was last to appear.

Shortly after purchaisng my Vanden Plas Princess, I began to research the many 1100 variants produced, and came up with a chart showing all the details. I believe it to be complete and correct, but please let me know if you spot any errors or omissions.