The Austin A40 Somerset was the successor to the A40 Devon, and was produced from 1952 to 1954. It used the same 40 BHP 1200cc engine as the A40 Devon, and a body style similar to the A70 Hereford (launched in 1950) and the ‘New’ Seven (later to become the A30/A35), launched in 1951.

It is by far the most numerous survivor of the Club’s vehicles, and is regarded by many as the last ‘real’ Austin, arriving as it did shortly before the Austin/Nuffield merger, and being the last new car announced by Austin to have a separate chassis.