version of the A40 tested by The Motor magazine in 1953 managed a top speed of and could accelerate from 0- in 28.6 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. These figures were all obtained on the contemporary low octane fuel. The test car cost £705 including taxes. The Austin A40 Somerset saloon's reputation for being somewhat slow and lumbering to drive is not wholly deserved. It had to endure poor-quality petrol supplies in 1952, and in consequence had retarded ignition settings to tolerate the low octane rating of the fuels available to avoid the engine knocking or 'pinking' condition that was well known in those times. In fact, British Motor Corporation later produced a kit to improve the performance and fuel consumption of these cars once premium fuel supplies resumed under the popular petrol brands. This kit comprised a replacement distributor and an optional cylinder head gasket that was thinner and therefore raised the compression slightly from the standard 7.2:1. An Autocar magazine road test published 18 April 1952 achieved a maximum of (mean) and (best), and a 0-60 mph acceleration of 36.6 seconds, whereas the example registered new in February 1954 and given a Used Car Test published in the Autocar series dated 8 April 1960 returned a 0-60 mph time of 27.9 seconds. The standing quarter mile was down from 24.4 secs to 23.2 secs, a marked improvement on the former result taken in 1952 and directly comparable with the Mini 850 launched in 1959, that was considered to be fairly brisk then. Production Over 173,000 Somersets were sold before it was replaced by the A40 Cambridge in 1954. 7,243 were convertibles. In December 1952 an agreement was signed with the Japanese automobile company Datsun to build Austin vehicles under licence using Complete Knock Down Kits (CKD) supplied from the UK. In April 1953 the first Japanese assembled Somersets rolled off the assembly line ready for sale on the local market to which it was restricted. Assembly ceased in November 1954 when the factory switched to the A50 Cambridge. References External links Austin Counties Car Club—Owners club website A40 Somerset Cars introduced in 1952 Sedans Convertibles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles sv:Austin A40