EARLY HATCHBACKS

AUSTIN A40 COUNTRYMAN (1959-1967)

enerally considered the first British hatchback, and a possible contender for the world’s first car with a tailgate that wasn’t aimed at commercial buyers, the A40 Countryman was launched a year after the saloon version. Using the Countryman tag applied to Austin estate cars of the era, the A40 had the same distinctive two-box shape with a slightly altered rear profile, a horizontal split tailgate with separate upper and lower portions to provide a fully opening rear and folding rear seats