For over fifty years, the Austin FX4 London taxi was the most famous and recognised of the capital's 'black cabs'. And yet the intention was to build it for just ten years, and replace it with something new. However, thanks to the industrial unrest of the 1970s the FX4's makers and sponsors were obliged to soldier on with it until, in 1997 they were at last able to introduce its replacement, the TX1. In the meantime, both Londoners and visitors to the capital came to love its familiar shape and its practicality, and to associate its timelessness and robust characteristics with the professional approach of its equally famous drivers. This richly-illustrated, full colour book tells the story of the FX4 over those five decades and also features many of the special versions ordered by the rich and famous, details of many versions sold abroad, other bodies built on its chassis and technical specifications of every major model.