Hi Bill;
A Princess 3-litre Countryman was produced in 1963 in response to a
commission from HM Queen Elizabeth. Two years previously, Vanden Plas had
converted a Princess 3 litre saloon to shooting brake specification as a
demonstrator for the Queen, keen to tempt her out of her Vauxhall estate cars.
This evidently worked, as in 1966 a further order was received for a similarly
converted replacement, this time based on the 4 litre R; this car remained in
service until 1969. It is believed that a further five Vanden Plas Countrymans
were produced, one of which was used by BMC Chairman George Harriman.
Incidentally, once it had served its purpose, the 1961 demonstrator (registered
3030 MX) was despatched to Longbridge and was later used by Austin Chairman
Leonard Lord, it has survived, and is today in the hands of an enthusiast.
Check out the following web site for more details about the Princess estate /
shooting brake / countryman / station wagon version of this BMC / BL product.
http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?vdp3litref.htm
--Scott Morris [ '62 BT7 MkII-driver' '60 BN7 MkI-project ]
Simcoe, Ontario, Canada
insptwo@msn.com wrote: << Now for the question of the day! In todays antique
cars for sale is listed a 1966 Austin Princess. According to the ad, it is a
pickup. Canadian Rolls Royce conversion, extremely rare and unique. Right
hand drive. Has anyone ever seen one of these or any knowledge of them? Bill
BJ7 >>
J. Scott Morris - Keep Smiling, Murphy Lives
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