Wedding Car Hire Lancashire

Wedding car hire in Blackpool., Preston & Lancaster

History of 'Vanden Plas Princess'

In 1947 Sir Herbert Austin purchased Vanden Plas in order to build a luxury car and the Princess Saloon was born.

The first 2 Princesses went to the Queen (then Princess) Elizabeth in 1952. The Queen subsequently purchased 2 more Princess saloons because she liked them so much.

In 1954 the Limousine version was created and continued to be made until 1968, badged 'Vanden Plas Princess' under the Austin company. The Limousine was longer, bigger and wider  which allowed for extra fold-out rear seats accommodating 7 passengers. The actual size of these cars can only be appreciated when viewed in person.

The Princess Limousine is indeed a collector's dream. Only 1500 were ever built. Each one took 4 months to hand-build by a small team dedicated to that one car.

These cars are truly the ultimate                         "Traditonal Vintage Wedding Car".

HISTORY OF THE AUSTIN PRINCESS used for wedding cars in Blackpool, Preston and Lancashire:

AI20/135 Princess 1947-56
A 135 Princess had faired-in headlamps and smoother styling than the Sheerline.
AusVtianndenbouPglahst cuopachthbeuilLdoinngdonb-ubsainseedss
in 1946, allowing them to press ahead
with projects like the new Princess,
which was effectively the Sheerline in a
more tasteful, better-equipped and
prettier party frock.
The Princess used the same rolling
chassis and running gear as the
Sheerline, though with the engines in a slightly higher state of tune. Everything about the running gear, the box-section chassis, the big truck-derived engines, the floppy coil spring independent front suspension, and the elephantine
handling, were as also found in the Sheerline. There were, in fact, just 32 of
the original A120 120bhp 3.5-litre cars, which were then supplanted by the A135 135bhp 4-litre model. The bodies, by Vanden Plas, were built by traditional methods, and by hand, with ash frames reinforced in certain areas by alloy castings (VDP had learnt a lot during the war, when fabricating aircraft pieces), while the aluminium skin panels were mainly pressed by Austin at Longbridge. Lots of wood and leather, along with square instruments, AUSTIN
Princess 4-litre limousine 1952-57. The Princess' dash is a period piece. Princess cost £2102 compared with £1277 for a Sheerline. This, no doubt, explains why only 1913 Princesses were
built up to 1956 - only 200 cars a year. Because of their solid separate chassis and light alloy body panels a surprising number have survived. They are still in demand as wedding cars. adorned the intetior. The style, though similar in its basic proportions to the Sheerline, was at once more elegant, more finely detailed, and more costly to produce. Faired headlamps and sparred rear wheels were
a feature, as was the higher selling price. Princess II took over in 1950, with restyled rear door window shapes (there was also a long-wheelbase limousine version from that moment), while
Princess HI arrived in 1953, with a more tasteful front grille and revised front-end lines. This was a very slow-selling but quite prestigious model. In 1947/48 an early authority would buy these machines instead of investing in a Daimler or a Rolls-Royce, for they had all the presence
while being much cheaper.

Vanden Plas subsidiary produced its very first unique-style six-light limousine in
1952. Though the limousine would never be a fast seller, it ran and ran, the last of all
being produced in 1968. Not without change, mind you - the Austin became a
Princess in 1957, and a Vanden Plas in 1960. Original cars used the longer-wheelbase
version of the A135 Princess chassis, but GM/Rolls-Royce-type Hydramatic transmission
became optional in 1956, along with optional power-assisted steering. Complete with its division, and its hand-crafted wooden-framed coachwork, the 215in-long body was well proportioned,
and elegant for its purpose. Many a business, funeral director or local authority would buy these machines instead of investing in a Daimler or a Rolls-Royce, for they had all the presence
while being much cheaper. Because of their solid separate chassis and light alloy body panels a surprising number have survived. They are still in demand as wedding cars.

To summarise, here was a vast car with a 132in wheelbase, a coachbuilt body
shell comprising a wooden skeleton with steel and aluminium reinforcement, and
steel skin panels. The limousine division was a permanent fixture, and because
fold-away seats were provided in the rear compartment, the car could easily carry
six people, some in more comfort than others. Because it was much cheaper
than similar Daimlers or Rolls-Royces it was an ideal vehicle for the weddings and
funerals market, or for mayors of councils who would not pay up for
more expensive official cars. Hearse conversions were often made.
Technically this remained a 1950s car, for it had drum brakes to the very end,
and the engine was closely related to those used in BMC trucks (and in Jensen
541 cars). GM Hydramatic automatic transmission was optional, and power
assisted steering helped the poor chauffeur stave off heart attacks. During
the 1960s the only real technical advances came in late 1962, when
Selectaride rear dampers and servoassisted brakes were added.
Like the Austin-badged types, these limousines were often used for decades
after production ended, but as body parts are no longer available, not many
have survived.