When Sir Herbert Austin came to America in 1929 , the well - known English producer had many people excited over his plan to build up cars in the USA . After a term of enlistment of the country , he declare that the American Austin would be built in Butler , Pennsylvania .
Detroit shook its corporate head , but Butler was n’t such a strange choice . It had access to industrial services and an eager work force , and it was close-fitting enough to East Coast ports to make importing components from England quite feasible . The basic construct of the gondola itself seemed promising , too , and as product started in May 1930 , the troupe claimed it had closely to 200,000 gild for its new ultralight , ultraeconomical machine .
The American Austin was ramp up through 1934 , and the same engine was used throughout the production discharge . It was an L - head four that displaced 46 cubic inches , had only two master bearing , and developed 13 - 14 brake horsepower at 3200 rpm . A roadster and coupe were initially offer . In 1931 , a line of work coupe , Deluxe coupe , and 2/4 passenger cabriolet were tot up . Once yield fired up , some of the original prices were snub , and the figures were reduced again in 1933 in an movement to boost sales .
For a while , prospects for the American Austin see upright – but only for a while . The 1930 output of 8558 units would never be exceeded . Two factors were largely responsible for for the lackluster reception . One was the general business decline brought on by the Depression .
The other was the fact that , even in bad times , Americans did n’t take to midget railcar . To be certain , the American Austin was a dwarf . Its 75 - inch wheelbase was amply 16 inches less than that of the succeeding VW Beetle . Also , the Austin count only 1100 - 1200 British pound , and Americans were notoriously leery about light railway car in those years , as many still are . It was an attractive piddling automobile , designed in part by Alexis de Sakhnoffsky , but that did n’t seem to matter , and production ground to a freeze in 1935 .
Austins provided a welcome touch of amusement in a drab full stop for America . And , for a few people , they became a form of inverse status symbolization , much like the Beetle would be in the 1950s . Al Jolson , who get it on cars and usually beat back Packards or Lincolns , bought the first Austin coupe pitch to a private buyer .
He was follow by legion other Hollywood stars : Buster Keaton , Slim Summerville , and the " Our pack " kiddies . Austins even starred in a movie . They were used as " steeds " for a knightly battle in Will Rogers ' A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur ’s Court . It made for a great movie setting , but it did n’t help to trade capital of Texas .
