Austin Freeway and Wolseley 24/80. 60th anniversary of tomorrow’s car, today.

1962: A Pivotal Year. Part 2

Where were you in 1962?

This is the second in a series which showcases this pivotal year in Australia’s automotive history. It was a time of change and expanding choice.

In quick succession between January and August 1962, Chrysler, BMCA, Holden and Ford released new, locally constructed vehicles of similar dimensions, engine capacity, number of cylinders and price. All were aimed at the affordable family car market. Australia’s car buyers never had it so good.

In two short years the public watched their choice expand from the under-performing FB Holden to the trim, taut and terrific XL Falcon with its smart “Thunderbird” roof line, the upmarket Zephyr Mark III, the powerful and well-equipped R and S Valiant, the EJ Holden—looking like a smaller version of the 1961 Chevrolet—and BMC Australia’s (BMCA) Austin Freeway— advertised as “tomorrow’s car, today”—and the luxury Wolseley 24/80.

At this point it is worth mentioning the pricing of the sedans to provide a comparison. At a Holden dealership, the Special retailed for £1110. The Falcon Deluxe and Freeway were listed at £1130. The Valiant cost £1255. The EJ Premier, the only one with automatic as standard, was £1420. The Zephyr and Futura were £1374 and £1252, respectively. The Wolseley 24/80 was £1225. An automatic added approximately £120 to the price of each model.

A publicity photo of the Freeway. The horizontal lines of the grille were an attempt to visually widen the car.

Make Way For The Freeway

If you had been in the offices of BMCA’s senior executives in January 1962, when they learned about the launch of the R series Valiant, you might have seen a few concerned faces.

The cause of the frowns had its source in BMCA’s plans for the imminent launch of their new six-cylinder Austin Freeway and 24/80 Wolseley, into the same market segment that Chrysler had just entered. They’d now be perceived as the fourth entrant. Adding to the pressure was the sell-out of the R series, and the hurried introduction of the S model. This would establish a minimum benchmark that would be an ideal measure to rate BMCA’s success by the media.

This photo of the Wolseley 24/80 was taken at Sydney’s Rushcutters Bay. Check out the crank handle location hole in the front bumper bar which was covered by the number plate.

The new cars were a big bet by BMCA. In 1950 the company luxuriated in a 30% market share, higher than Holden’s. Trouble was, by the time the family sized, Pinninfarina styled Austin A60 Cambridge, Morris Oxford and Wolseley 15/60 appeared in early 1959, with the B-series four-cylinder engine, BMCA’s share had sunk to just 11%. BMCA managers knew their underpowered “big car” trio was not competitive in a market that worshipped at the Church of Saint Six. They had long held aspirations of winning a slice of the lucrative six-cylinder market, if only their UK bosses would listen to them.

This brochure photo was taken on an internal roadway at BMCA’s factory in Zetland, Sydney, located on the corners of South Dowling Street, O’Dea Street and Todman Avenue.

To gain the inside story on the development of the Freeway and Wolseley, I spoke with BMCA historian and author Nairn Hindhaugh. Nairn worked in BMCA’s PR department in the 1960s and owns a Freeway, an Austin 1800 Mk II and a Morris Major Elite.

“They had a tough time convincing their UK bosses of the need for a six. They could not understand why Australia was any different to the UK. The Australians did eventually prevail, but so much valuable time and effort was wasted getting to that point. The 98 cubic inch/1.6 litre B-series engine was expanded into a 146 cubic inch/2.4 litre six. A running prototype was tested in early 1960. It produced 80bhp/60kw. BMCA tagged it the “Blue Streak”, naming it after a British missile and rocket project.”

At the start of the project, BMCA only had Holden in their sights. Grabbing just 10-15% of Holden’s reported 1959 sales of 112,000 units would be enough to ensure a welcome boost in volume and profits.

The local design team made as many changes to the Austin Cambridge as their small budget and under resourced facilities allowed, to transform it into the Freeway.

When the XK Falcon arrived in 1960 those assumptions had to change. Two rivals meant more competition, increased buyer choice and a reduced slice of the overall market. Now, in early 1962, came the realisation that the market had changed again. The Valiant’s appearance meant sales would be split four ways.

Chrysler’s marketing campaign for the Valiant did BMCA no favours either. “Finest of the 3” proclaimed the print advertisements and brochures. The clear message was that the other two were Holden and Ford. Car buyers were being subtlety told that BMCA was not a contender, even before it had launched its new cars!

BMCA was keen to ensure that buyers understood the Freeway was not a mildly re-styled four-cylinder Austin A60 Cambridge. It was now made by and for Australians and boasted a SIX-cylinder engine named after the “blue streak” ICBM rocket. So, make way!

But there was no turning back for BMCA. An extravagant media and dealership reveal was held at Sydney’s famed Trocadero function centre in March. BMCA’s advertising agency even wrote a song for the occasion, asking everyone to “Make Way For The Freeway”.

“Make way for the Austin Freeway, powered by the Blue Streak Six,

Made completely by and for Australians, a sure-fire beauty that will kick at the flick of a starter,

Such amazing fuel economy, alive with safety features and so many extras,

And unsurpassed value as you’re ever going to see, dependability is really guaranteed,

Built within the smallest part, and durability is also guaranteed,

A three-speed gearbox, and brand-new door locks,

Make way for the Austin Freeway, tomorrow’s car today.”

You can hear the song by clicking on the link at the end of this story.

The Freeway advertising jingle was recorded on a 45rpm record by radio station 2GB and given to dealers to play in their showrooms.

Truly Australian

The Freeway and Wolseley arrived in dealerships during April and the battle for market share began in earnest. BMCA’s dealers could not rely on winning sales through new styling. A lack of money and the UK parent company’s indifference to the Australian market meant BMCA was stuck with the tall and narrow shape of the Farina cars.

Lacking a proper styling studio and with few staff, the company’s chief designer, John Holt, reworked the Freeway’s grille to visually widen the car and rummaged through the UK parts bin and applied the rear fenders of the Riley 4/68 and MG Magnette models. The Wolseley’s styling was unchanged.

The Wolseley dashboard embodied restrained wood panelled elegance. An automatic 24/80 was priced at £1,338. No other car at its price provided its level of luxury inclusions. By comparison, the automatic EJ Holden Premier was £1,420.

The engine gave the dealers a little more to boast about. Nairn picks up the story.

“The Australian-only 146 cubic inch/2.4 litre six-cylinder engine produced 80bhp/60kw. In the horsepower stakes it was midway between the EK Holden and the XK Falcon’s base engine. Against the Valiant there was no comparison, because it was 80% more powerful. And when Ford introduced the optional 170 cubic inch/2.8 litre engine with 101bhp/75kw, in May 1962, in the XK, BMCA fell to second last in the rankings, just above Holden’s old grey motor.”

A print advertisement declares the marketing proposition for the Wolseley, but the Valiant was way ahead of power and cubic capacity.

It was on the inside where the duo excelled. Both were exceptionally well equipped compared to their rivals. Let’s hear from Nairn again.

“The Freeway, which also came as a wagon, offered inclusions that Holden and Ford made you pay for. Standard was a heater/demister, oil and temperature gauges, locking petrol cap, padded dashboard, full width parcel tray and seat belt anchor points. The Wolseley provided the Freeway’s equipment plus carpet, burled wood dashboard, clock, leather upholstery and centre rear seat armrest. It also undercut the EJ Premier’s price. Both could be had with a Borg Warner automatic. The brakes had a larger swept area than the rivals.”

The Freeway wagon was a slow seller.

To prove the Freeway was a robust “all Aussie” car, BMCA’s PR manager, Evan Green, and Modern Motor publisher, Jules Feldman, drove one around Australia in a record nine days and six hours. Much of the route took them on outback dirt roads. The message was clear: the Freeway was robust and was hailed as “truly Australian”. This slogan used frequently in advertising after the round Australia “test”.

Modern Motor founder, Jules Feldman, and BMCA PR manager, Evan Green, “raced” around Australia to demonstrate the speed and durability of the “all Australian” Freeway. It resulted in great publicity for BMCA and must-read stories and photos for Modern Motor. To appease the usual gang of wowsers and do-gooders, it was publicly called a “trial”.

But no matter how hard they tried, BMCA could not entice many buyers to part with their money. It is generally agreed that when production of the Freeway and Wolseley ended in 1965 only 27,000 had been sold. That’s a monthly average of only 660 cars. By comparison the XL Falcon had reached 4,000 sales a month and the EJ Holden was way ahead with 11,900.

After the round Australia “trial” the Freeway was paraded in cities and towns as being “Truly Australian” and “True Blue”.

Why did car buyers shun the Freeway and Wolseley? Nairn shares his views.

“The cars were three years too late to the market.They looked very much like the previous four-cylinder BMCA cars, which had not been able to make an impact on Holden’s sales. Had BMCA released them as six-cylinder cars in 1959, to compete with the FB Holden and Ford Zephyr, they would have established a foothold. But up against the “big 3” of 1962, their narrow stance and tall body put them at a disadvantage. They were up to five inches higher and six inches narrower than the competition. Buyers noticed those differences.”

The UK built Freeway prototype, still with its Morris Oxford grille, is compared with the XK Falcon and FB Holden. This photo demonstrates just how anchored the Freeway’s and Holden’s styling was in the 1950s, with high placed headlights accentuating their narrow bodies.

Intriguingly, there was an attempt to widen the car. Nairn explains what happened.

“In 1961 a group of engineers decided to build a wider Austin A60. They saw this as an effective and inexpensive way to create a six-seater. They did a cut and shut of five inches/130mm, similar to what Mitsubishi did with the first Magna, and showed it to Bill Abbott, BMCA’s manufacturing director. For some unknown reason, Abbott berated those who had done this work and ordered the car destroyed. No one to this day knows why Abbott reacted the way he did to such a great idea.”

The company’s financial situation and the success of the Mini and 1100 also had an impact, says Nairn.

“The American car companies had deep pockets to fund price cuts and support dealers with massive advertising campaigns. BMCA did not have that sort of financial capacity to support what was an interim model. With the success of the Mini and 1100 in Australia, all efforts were directed at those volume sellers rather than the Freeway and Wolseley.”

BMCA commissioned a number of renderings for Wolseley print advertisements and brochure. They show the car to advantage.

I asked Nairn what’s it like to own and drive a Freeway.

“My 1964 Freeway was rather down-at-heel when I bought it for $150 in 1983, but the interior and basic mechanicals were sound. I had driven new ones when I worked at BMC 20 years before and they rather endeared themselves to me. It has been a perfect club touring car; two of us took it from Brisbane to Perth and back, it’s been round Tasmania, the Barossa Valley and back, now with about 125,000 miles on the clock. An engine rebuild was undertaken before the WA trip, just to make sure there weren’t any problems.

Since acquiring his Freeway in 1983, Nairn Hindhaugh has given it a solid work out, driving through all states and territories except the Northern Territory.

“Once these cars get into their stride, they sit comfortably on the road and cruise effortlessly at posted speed limits, with plenty in reserve. Not the quickest away from the lights, but there is more than enough useful torque where it’s needed between 30 and 80 kmph. It keeps up with traffic, and it is also a great open road car. I’ve had a few minor problems with the car; one of the best things is the lack of rust – the Rotodip rust-proofing system really did work.

“Most of us would love the proverbial E-Type, but family cars, such as this one, are a nostalgic reminder of the way we were. I think it’s important to preserve our motoring heritage and these cars bring a lot of joy to the many of us who can remember when they were the latest on the road.”

Nairn’s Freeway pictured on the Nullarbor Plains. BMCA built robust cars, that’s for sure.

First Prototype Still Exists

The first prototype of the Freeway, built at BMC’s Longbridge factory in the UK in mid-1960 still exists. The car landed in Australia in December 1960. It is owned by Allan Foy, an ex-BMCA employee, who bought it in December 1962. The car was originally a Morris Oxford, fitted with the Australian six-cylinder engine. It underwent numerous reliability tests and exterior trim configurations. It is a rare automotive artifact.

Compare the white 1960 Freeway prototype with the production version. Differences include rear fender trim and a chrome strip on the C pillar to separate the two-tone paint schemes. The grille was developed in Australia by the small local design team working in a cramped, walled-off section of the engineering department.

Freeway Legacy

So, what is the legacy of the Freeway and Wolseley? For me, there are four.

The first recognises that it was BMCA’s first attempt to develop an “all-Australian” car that appealed to mainstream buyers.

The second is the largely forgotten pioneering of the affordable “luxury” version of the basic family sedan, in the form of the Wolseley 24/80. Interestingly, the Wolseley outsold the Freeway, which leads to the speculation that maybe BMCA would have been better off focusing on that end of the market.

The Austin’s and Wolseley’s production run ended in September and October 1965, respectively. The Freeway shared a crank handle location hole in the bumper bar with the Wolseley.

The third is that despite the lack of success with the Freeway and Wolseley, this did not deter the company’s top managers. They gave the family car segment another two tries with the X6 Tasman/Kimberley and P76.

The fourth legacy is that the lessons learned were seemingly ignored. Ford and Holden had extensive financial and people resources to push back against any new competitor, which they did with the Freeway/Wolseley, and again on the X6 Tasman/Kimberley and the P76.

Oh yes, 1962 was an important year.

BMCA provided dealers with a comprehensive sales book. The cover showed the blue streak rocket. Contents included decals, diagrams of how to dress up their showrooms and colour charts.

Part three of the series, in the next edition of Retroautos, reviews the EJ Holden and reveals previously secret GM documents which provide fascinating insights about why the EJ’s styling was completed in the USA, only months before its release, and the opportunities Holden lost by not involving the Americans earlier.

Retroautos is written and published by David Burrell with passion and with pride. A special thanks to Nairn Hindhaugh for his insights, photos and memorabilia. Retroautos’ stories and images are copyrighted. Reproducing them in any format is prohibited.

Links to additional content and articles mentioned in the story.

R/S Valiant

Freeway song:

The Freeway song was played at the launch of the Freeway, and was available for BMCA dealerships to use in promotions. Thanks to Nairn Hindhaugh for making it available on Shannons Club.