a "considerable leg reach" was needed to use the "foot-operated dip switch" for the headlights. In the United States – initially targeted as its primary market – the A40 was priced at about $2,200 (equivalent to $25,250, 2021). It was listed at about £818 in the UK, at a time when a mainstream middle market six-cylinder saloon, the Vauxhall Velox, was offered for £550 and Austin's own A40 saloon was offered for slightly more than £500. Round the World in 1951 As a publicity stunt to promote the A40 Sports, Leonard Lord bet Alan Hess of Austin's publicity department that he could not drive round the world in 30 days in the car. In 1951 an A40 Sports driven by Hess achieved the round-the-world feat in 21 days rather than the planned 30 – with the assistance of a KLM cargo plane – covering about 10,000 land miles, averaging 475 miles per day and consuming 29 mpg. References External links Austin A40 Sports Round the World in Three Weeks Austin Counties Car Club — Owners club website See Photos: Austin A40 Sports Engine Bay, Boot A40 Sports Cars introduced in 1950 Convertibles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles