1984 Austin Taxi Cab FX4R Saloon

Description

The classic black London Taxi Cab as we know it today, the Austin FX4, was introduced in 1958 and carried over from the design of the FX3 model that first entered service in 1948. The FX4 was developed by BMC in collaboration with coachbuilder Carbodies and featured a separate chassis with divided cabin, providing maximum passenger space in the rear compartment, and a tight turning circle for negotiating London's narrow streets. In fact, the Public Carriage Office mandated a number of criteria for London's taxi cabs, including the width of the doors, seating capacity, height of the car and again, the turning circle. A private hire variant, known as the FL2, was also sold and some went to private owners, including the Duke of Edinburgh. The first FX3s featured Austin's rugged 2.2-litre diesel engines and automatic transmissions but in 1971 the petrol motors were enlarged to 2.5-litres, along with minor changes to the bumpers and trim. However, the FX4/FL2 remained substantially the same from the first to the last car completed in 1997 and the spirit lives on in the current TX1. An iconic London Cab is as much a part of the face of London as the double-decker buses, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and must rank as one of the most recognisable cars ever made, featuring in countless movies and television series.