The Austin Sixteen was introduced in August 1945, the new model having been announced in the motoring press in late September 1944.

Sharing its body and chassis with the Twelve, it was the first new British car to go into production after the end of the war. It was also the first Austin car to use an overhead-valve engine, using a 2.2 litre unit derived from a six-cylinder commercial vehicle engine developed during the war.

This versatile and robust engine went on to power the Austin A70 (Hampshire and Hereford) range, and numerous other commercial vehicles, including the Austin Gypsy, the K8 3-way van, and the FX3 Taxi and FL1 hire car, both of which used the Sixteen chassis and running gear, plus the Austin/Morris LD & 1.5 ton-series/’301′ 30-cwt Truck series’ (the LD was a Van series).
A bored-out version of the engine, at 2,660cc, powered the Austin A90 Atlantic and the Austin-Healey 100/4.

A total of 500 Austin Sixteen ‘Woody’ versions were produced between 1947 & 1949. This was the first Austin vehicle to be described as a ‘Countryman’ in company literature,etc.

Production ceased in 1949, by which time the Sixteen’s successor, the A70 Hampshire, was in production.