Every car is an argument about what matters, and the Austin 12 makes its case with 1660 or 1861 cc Straight-4 and 20 bhp @2,000 rpm. British Motor Corporation built from 1921 to 1939 — the vintage years, when coachbuilders still shaped most of what was sold.
The story
The Austin Twelve is a motor car introduced by Austin in 1921. It was the second of Herbert Austin's post World War I models and was in many ways a scaled-down version of his Austin Twenty, introduced in 1919. The slower-than-expected sales of the Twenty brought about this divergence from his intended one-model policy.
The Twelve was announced at the beginning of November 1921 after Austin's company had been in receivership for six months. The number twelve refers to its fiscal horse power (12.8) rather than its brake horsepower (bhp) which was initially 20 bhp (1660 cc engine), and later 27 bhp (1861 cc engine). The long-stroke engines encouraged by the tax regime, 72 × 102 mm later 72 × 114.5 mm, had much greater low-speed torque than the bhp rating suggests.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 1660 or 1861 cc Straight-4; it is rated at 20 bhp @2,000 rpm. Kerb weight is Chassis 16¼ cwt, 1820 lb. The gearbox is a single-plate clutch, 4-speed centrally controlled gearbox, linked by disc coupling to the open propeller shaft, by metal universal joint to a helical bevel-driven live rear axle. T. The wheelbase is 9' 4", 112 in / Track 4' 4", 52 in / 4' 8", 56 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in British Motor Corporation's history is not in doubt: the Austin Ten-Twelve came before it; the Austin 12/4 followed it; it was built at Longbridge Plant. Nearby in the British Motor Corporation catalogue sit the Austin 10 and the Austin 12/4.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Austin 12 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.