This Cambridge offered a clutch-free 'manumatic' semi-automatic gearbox years ahead of its time — 1950s buyers just didn't want it.
Lead trim: 1.5 B-Series (50 bhp)
Austin Cambridge1954–1957
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- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Austin Cambridge yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis Cambridge offered a clutch-free 'manumatic' semi-automatic gearbox years ahead of its time — 1950s buyers just didn't want it.
Also introduced in September 1954, and with a body identical to that of the A40 Cambridge, the A50 Cambridge used a new 1.5-litre (1,489 cc) B-Series four-cylinder engine with a single Zenith carburettor, good for 50 hp. It sold better than the A40 and remained in production through to 1957, with 114,867 A50s produced, and it was also built in Japan as the Nissan-Austin A50 Cambridge until 1959. The deluxe version had a heater, leather seat facings, carpets replacing the standard rubber matting, armrests on the doors, twin-tone horns and a passenger sun visor.
Collectors Spotted in the Austin Cambridge Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Austin Cambridge yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 B-Series (50 bhp) | 1954–1957 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | 50 hp | 74 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Australia was driving the next-generation Cambridge two years before Britain even saw it — the bigger engine and the 'A60' name launched there first, badged as the Austin A60 while the UK still sold this A55 Mark II.
Austin lowered the A55 Cambridge just by fitting smaller 13-inch wheels — then quietly changed the rear axle ratio so the gearing never actually changed.
The original A40 Cambridge was meant to come as a sportier two-door as well as the familiar four-door — the two-door version never actually reached production.
This Cambridge offered a clutch-free 'manumatic' semi-automatic gearbox years ahead of its time — 1950s buyers just didn't want it.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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