The Austin 40 hp is one of the British Motor Corporation entries the open record knows by name, and by little else. That is not nothing: a name in the catalogue is where a car's story starts to be recoverable.
The background
The Austin 40 hp is a 4-cylinder motor car launched at the Olympia Motor Show in November 1907. Manufactured by Austin at Longbridge, Northfield, Birmingham, it was the first variant from Austin's initial plans for a two model range of a 15 hp (RAC 27 hp)—which they had dropped—and a 25 hp (RAC 33 hp) car. Tax rating was still new and manufacturers preferred their own output estimates.
Where it sits
Its British Motor Corporation stablemates include the Austin 10 and the Austin 12.