There have been several London taxis featured here on Barn Finds recently and here’s yet another, a fiberglass taxi. Wait, what, why fiberglass? London Taxis are very tightly regulated. They must be approved by the Public Carriage Office which requires certain things like a limousine configuration and certain body dimensions including a high roof, a 25 foot turning radius and a 10 year service life. So, why fiberglass? In 1960 there were only about 6,000 Taxis in London, so only about 600 new Taxis were needed a year, the market was very limited. Besides the rust issue, building in fiberglass makes it possible to build cars without the expensive investment in tooling, perfect for such a small market. The Austin FX4 was the most popular cab in 1960 but it was unreliable, had rust issues and was difficult to repair. The Owners Drivers Society, a group of taxi drivers wanted something better. They had James Whitson and company build them. This one is for sale on eBay in San Diego, California. The opening bid is $2,500. It runs but needs brake work.

Inside is just what you’d expect to see in a London Taxi. This one appears to have served it’s mandatory 10 years and has been sitting ever since.

Here’s the little Ford V4 engine. It is said to run great. While not terribly powerful, these are great little engines.

There are many words that could be used to describe the styling of this Taxi, but very few would be complimentary. Style was obviously never considered in requirements for London Taxis. The Winchester Taxi was a failure for several reasons. They were uncomfortable to drive and they were not well made. By the time Winchester released an improved model, the Austin FX4 had been updated and was a much better Taxi. I have no idea, this once, what one could do with this. It would make an hysterical gasser! Can you imagine this thing with a tube front axle, tubed with big slicks, wheelie bar, and a big engine stuffed somewhere? OK, right, I have a strange sense of humor! Otherwise, what can you do with a car that’s not know to be particularly fun to drive, needs extensive restoration and isn’t worth much?