In this entertaining old film from the British Motor Corporation, the company’s best cars for 1956 are put to the test on the German Autobahn.

This wonderful old film from British Pathé and the British Motor Corporation comes to us without a production date, and we’re not experts on British makes and models by any means, but from the clues liberally sprinkled throughout the narration we surmised that it was produced in 1956. The title is Tests Such as These, and the premise is simple. A small fleet of BMC models, including the Austin A35 and A50, Morris Minor, and Morris Oxford, are sent to the Autobahn in Germany for extended testing at highway speeds.

As the announcer notes, public roadways that were suitable for this type of testing didn’t really exist in Britain at the time. So off they went to the Autobahn to run 600 to 800 miles per day at speeds of 60 mph and more, six days a week, until they achieved 20,000 miles. And at that point, according the film, the cars were running so well they decided to tack on an additional 5,000 miles. Engines were the special focus in this test, as the BMC A-series four used by Austin and Morris had just been enlarged from 803cc to 947cc and the compression ratio was bumped up to 8.3:1. Naturally, the factory wanted to be sure the uprated powerplants could hold together.

American viewers may find all this interesting, as one of the knocks against British cars in those days was that they couldn’t handle the USA’s high speeds and long distances, allegedly. But here (with the benefit of factory mechanics and support at least) the cars pulled it off without a hitch. It’s a fun testing exercise to contemplate, and we sorta wish we were there. To its credit, the movie also provides a close look at the German highway system of the 1950s and some great scenery too. Enjoy the video.