FORTY years after it first rolled off the Oxford production lines, an iconic car had an almost royal welcome at its homecoming.

The Austin Princess 1800-2200 – or “Wedge” as it affectionately became known – had its official Oxford birthday celebrations at the Mini plant in Cowley yesterday.

Drivers motored along to the Cowley plant with their classic Princesses, Minis, Rovers and other vintage cars for the celebration, which also coincided with Drive It Day, a national celebration of classic cars.

They drank tea, chatted and wandered appreciatively around a good-sized fleet of classic motors.

Lee Boswell, 47, from Chipping Norton, brought along his Austin 1800 – later named Austin Princess – which was one of the very first batch of Oxford-produced cars registered in March 1975. The father-of-four, who also owns classic Morris Itals, said: “It’s a great event because it’s got a dual purpose. It’s Drive It Day and the 40th anniversary of the Princess.

“It’s an ideal location at the Mini plant, and it’s great to bring my car out and chat to people about it.”

He added: “I first owned a Princess when I was 17 and had just passed my test.

“It was very unfashionable then in the mid-1980s but I just liked the style of them and the design."

“It reminds me of a better, simpler time when there were a lot of them on the road.”

Fred Ellis, who worked at the Mini plant from 1954 until he retired 20 yeas ago, said: “The trouble with the cars back then was they had a lot of teething troubles and they used to rust a lot.

“But they were all quite a unique design whereas the modern cars just come off the computer.”

Paul Greetham, of Didcot, brought his Morris Minor Pickup.

He said: “I used to work here back in the 70s. This car is quite rare. It was built in 1953 and exported to Australia where it worked on a vineyard until coming back to this country last year. It’s the first time the car has been back to Cowley since leaving for Australia.”

Headington resident Tanya Field, 43, who organised the celebration with her husband Jason, 43, who still works at Mini Plant Oxford, said: “It’s been really well attended, I’ve been really pleased. There have been a lot of former Mini employees and a lot of local people here.

“It’s amazing when you get people like that who actually built the cars."

The cars first rolled off the production lines at the Oxford plant on March 26, 1975, and the model was 40 years old last month.

Austin Princesses were first built in 1947 at the Longbridge plant near Birmingham, but it was not until 1975 that Leyland began mass producing a family version of the car in the 1800-2200 series at Oxford.

It was nicknamed the “Wedge” because of its angular style and slanting panels. The car gained a reputation for unreliability, although later models improved significantly.

Production of the Princess ended in November 1981.

Drive It Day is run by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs and aims to get people driving classic cars for one day each year to celebrate British motoring heritage.