It’s safe money to wager that practically every Barn Finds reader has at one point in time or another had to deal with their itchy trigger finger when it comes to bidding on cars for sale online. I’ve been bitten by mine once or twice (or three or four times). Luckily for me, I occasionally let cooler heads prevail and let someone else do the bidding and the shipping, and that occurred in late December when this exact car showed up on Bring a Trailer. The high bid fell short of the reserve, but I maintained as dignified a posture as I could by reminding myself that I didn’t need another car with SU carburetors at that precise moment. Now, those temptations have come rushing back, because first-class Barn Finder Curvette has sent in this 1964 Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R, which is now for sale on craigslist in Portland, Oregon, with an asking price of $14,500. It’s so odd and so cool that I’m doing my best to resist; rather, I hope to live vicariously through some lucky reader who shares my passion for quirkiness.
If you’re not well-versed in the intricacies of the British Motor Corporation, you may not know what a Vanden Plas is, or even how it’s pronounced (nobody seems to agree on that anyway). It’s simply a nameplate that sold well-trimmed versions of other BMC products (including some limousines). The Princess shown here is based on the Austin A110, but its lines have been somewhat softened, including a new roof and shorn fins. The big news was under the hood, where you’ll find a Rolls-Royce-designed 3909cc inline six called the “FB60.” With 175 horsepower and 218 lb.-ft. of torque, the smooth six could power the Princess to sixty in 12.7 seconds, through the quarter-mile in 18.9, and up to a top speed of 106 miles per hour.
The interior was clearly more luxurious than a standard Austin’s, with “polished walnut veneer accents, rear tray tables, and reclining front seats with separate center armrests.” The leather seats are well-worn, but the warm, inviting look of a not-quite-Rolls is darn near irresistible. Notice the gear selector quadrant: The 4-Litre R had a standard three-speed Borg-Warner automatic, but the pattern is reversed from what you’d expect on an American car. Strangely, no radio was installed in this example; some people prefer to be alone with their thoughts, I guess.
The seller says that this is a 53,000-mile car that has two issues: a power-steering leak and low brake pressure (?). Aside from that, it looks like a solid car that obviously needs a little TLC. Anyone know what parts availability is like for an uncommon-in-America brand with an engine built by Rolls-Royce?
Unfortunately, the Princess 4-Litre R was a failed experiment, with sales never living up to expectations over its 1964-68 production run (only 6,555 were built, and production had tailed off to 200 cars per year by 1967). A commenter on Bring a Trailer related his experiences with 4-Litre R ownership, mentioning that a lot of these cars were scrapped because they had a propensity to quickly blow head gaskets when overheated, but the repair was as simple as having the head milled and installing a new head gasket. It’s unlikely that someone who’s interested in a Vanden Plas, however, is not ready to take a hands-on approach to ownership. If you are at all of my mind, please let us know if you pick this one up. I’m getting a little itchy just talking about it.
These are cool cars – mini limos.
I’m disapointed that there’s no picture of the
back of the interior.
Click on the craigslist link. Go to 15th and 16th images for interior rear.
Also plenty more pics posted at the prior BaT auction linked in the article here.
The front looks like a ‘73 Volvo 164e
And the back end reminds one of a ‘67 Benz 230S! All in all though it’s a classy little sedan.
That’s exactly what I thought at first glance.
Owned the UK version and a 65 Riley 4/68 when living in the UK, reliable and very comfortable effortless driving – would like to buy it but need A/C in Texas and don’t believe a kit is made for this Princess
I’ve owned 3 of these cars in the USA, my white version was sold new with Smith’s Air Conditioning, it was a unit mounted to the underside of the rear window package shelf area, with short clear plastic air vents to send the cool [not cold!] air forward.
As for head gasket issues, the overheating comments are correct. Using the wrong anti-freeze [or none at all] can also result in head gasket leaks.
In the early 1980s I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the brothers [Roland Fox], who was a director of Venden Plas Coachbuilders. The basic history of the 4 Liter “R” production was quickly summed up by him:
When Rolls-Royce was developing the new Silver Shadow model in the late 1950s, the company decided not to offer a Bentley version, instead opting to contract with BMC to build a smaller version of the Bentley, but still use the new V8 drive train. The upscale interiors and additional trim would be carried out by Vanden Plas at their Kingsbury works outside London.
As plans progressed, Rolls-Royce execs came to their senses and decided it was not going to have an outside manufacturer build the Bentley automobile. Problem was, BMC had done extensive work and planning for the new smaller Bentley and threatened legal action if Rolls-Royce failed to go forward with the plan.
They came up with a compromise: Rolls-Royce would provide a version of their 6-cylinder commercial engine used in British military vehicles [not the same motor as used in Rolls-Royce & Bentley cars] and the posh Vanden Plas 4 Liter “R” was the result. The engine is an all-aluminum block & head design with overhead intake valves and side exhaust valves. {“F head”}
Nice find! I would like to “educated” about the connections, or lack there of, between Daimler, Jaguar, Mercedes, Princess and Rolls Royce. I’ll apologize in advance if I’m mixing model names with manufacturers.
Mercedes-Benz has no connection (that I know of) with any of them; British Daimler (pronounced “Dame-ler”) bought the rights to use the German Daimler (pronounced “Dime-ler”) name very early on, as that was a popular nameplate in early automotive history. BSA bought it in 1910 and sold it to Jaguar in 1960, who used the name on some Jaguar-bodied models in the 1960s.
Rolls-Royce and the Princess have almost no connection other than the engine in this particular car.
Vanden Plas, however, got mixed up in the British Leyland buyup, and the name was used on Jaguar-bodied cars for decades after that.
It (VdP name) was also used on posh Allegro and 1300 models.
Vanden Plas was originally just a coachbuilder, which ultimately wound up making bodies for the postwar Austin Princess and then, after being absorbed into BMC and then British Leyland, its successor the Daimler DS420 limo, the last Daimler-exclusive body produced from 1968 through 1992.
Otherwise, Vanden Plas (and Princess, for that matter) under BMC/BL became somewhat muddled in application, variously used as a trim, submodel, model, or even marque name designating luxurious high-spec versions of other BMC/BL models. This Princess R, while still derived from an Austin model, was the most serious attempt to make an exclusive model for Vanden Plas as a marque.
Daimler continued as a separate marque for high-spec retrimmed Jaguars up through 2007. However, the Daimler name couldn’t be used in the US due to trademark conflicts, so Daimler-spec cars (including their signature fluted grilles and license-plate surrounds) were sold here as Jaguars under the Vanden Plas trim/submodel name (e.g. Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas). Curiously, they couldn’t use Vanden Plas in the UK after 1984, as Rover Group retained the Vanden Plas trademark there after Jaguar split off.
In 1893, Frederick Simms bought the British rights to Gottlieb Daimler’s engine designs, forming the Daimler Motor Syndicate. The engines produced were originally used in boats. H.J. Lawson later bought these rights and established the Daimler Motor Company in 1896, with production beginning in 1897. Thus it is the oldest British car company. The “fluted grills” mentioned were originally used to increase the surface area of Daimler radiator top tanks to increase cooling and then became a styling cue on later models.
And Vanden Plas was pronounced Vanden Plar by most Brits. As for Aaron’s statement that “some people prefer to be alone with their thoughts, I guess” I am one of those people as I have enough going on in my head already without having some idiot mouthing off about nothing, weather forecasts etc. every five minutes. I prefer ” Silence is Golden”.
But Ken, how will you listen to “Silence Is Golden” by the Tremeloes without a radio? :)
Without going into my shed and searching for written evidence, I will rely on memory (a bit dicey)! That body is the last iteration of the Farina design used by BMC. This car is a development of the 3 litre Austin engined predecessor; which was a similar car to the big Austin (A110/Westminster). The motor had been used in military applications and was intended to be used in an abandoned Austin Healey 4000 model. Daimler, Jaguar, Austin, Morris, Triumph, BSA, Guy trucks +++ were all lumped into BLMC/ British Leyland after their tragic marriage. At one stage they were the second largest vehicle manufacturer in the world. English ingenuity ended all that!
I’ve only seen a handful of these cars as a kid in NYC at consulates and the UN. All had RHD.
I really hope it survives – VERY popular on demolition derbys here (still) in the UK so few left still being ‘nibbled at’….along with Wosleys and Austin varients
I had a 64 close to 20 years ago. When I got it a PO had swapped in a Chevy 250 straight 6 and a power glide trans. Even painted it green and put an Austin decal on the valve cover. At first glance nothing seemed out of place till you realized just what it was and what was supposed to be there. The HEI distributor was the quick give-a-way. With a little digging, I found that the engine/trans most likely came out of a 78 Nova. Fun little car and even with the Chevy 6 it could scoot. Well…till the house fire got it. I’ve still got the trunk lid out in the garden as a part of a “display” (actually its used as a serving table…)
Great write up on this rare-in-the-US car. I owned the Wolseley 6/110 variant which had the Austin Healey 3-liter C-series engine. It was a good highway car. The Vanden Plas car was more powerful and had a more luxurious trim level. These cars were killed by the BL merger and never replaced by an equivalent model. Production of 6,555 was a decent number by British standards, given that the model came at the end of the Farina offerings when the basic design was already 5 years old.
That’s easy Aaron, I NEVER listen to the radio, I don’t even have one in my house, never have. Way back when the company that I worked for offered me a new company car (a Chev, dammit, I wanted a Ford!) and as an extra I could have either a radio or cruise control fitted. Well, traveling through many towns and cities in South Africa I really enjoyed my cruise control when out on the open road.