As the end of the Second World War approached the designers at Taylorcraft decided to develop a tourer version of the robust and reliable Model J AOP.

An Auster 5, registered G-AGOH, was modified to take a 100 hp (75 kW) Blackburn Cirrus II engine for trials.

de Havilland Gipsy Major engine which had been modified by the fitment of double scavenge pumps to match the cooling system.

The majority of aircraft were exported engineless to Kingsford Smith Aviation Services in Sydney where they were completed and tested before delivery.

Gipsy Major engine, to enable more flexible operations in the hotter climate of Australia and New Zealand, where most examples were sold.

[9] The company recognised a need for a four-seat touring aircraft to complement the three-seat J/1 Autocrat, developing the J/5 Autocar featuring wing-root fuel tanks and an enlarged cabin.

The prototype Autocar G-AJYK, a model J/5B, first flew in August 1949 and was exhibited at the 1949 Farnborough Air Show in September.

Using the basic Autocrat fuselage, it was strengthened and had dorsal fin fillets added, low-pressure tyres and a 180 hp (134 kW) Lycoming O-360-A engine.

[13] Of traditional high-wing layout, it carries 90 gallons of spray fluid in a tank beside the pilot, an extra seat being provided for a passenger.

propeller giving it ample power; with slotted ailerons, balanced tail controls and oversize tyres providing good handling during operations in restricted spaces and rough surfaces.

[14] The Auster Avis featured a redesigned fuselage incorporating four doors and a circular cross-section towards the tail, new undercarriage, and new wing flaps.

[16] The Autocar has been primarily operated by private pilot owners but some were used by small charter firms in the UK and elsewhere as taxi and photographic aircraft.

[5]The agricultural task required operation at very low heights in conditions of extreme heat and inevitably resulted in the loss of many Aiglets in accidents.

After withdrawal from crop-spraying use during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the survivors were purchased by aerial photo contractors, aero clubs and private owners.

[17] Many of these aircraft were fitted with an extra fuel tank beneath the fuselage, as shown in the adjacent photograph.