1939 Austin Eight
owned by Matt –
Matt lives in Huntington Beach, California. And is interested in hearing from other Austin eight owners and is seeking information on Austin Eight’s
Austin
Austin A 40
Herman’s Austin A 40 –
Herman told me he bought the Austin in England and That “only an engine revision was needed”. It seems this little Austin was consuming 1 litre of oil for every 100 Kilometres. Herman says the car is fine now and drives well.
(note . . Oil consumption) Some say the A40 came with an ‘umbrella’ in the tool kit for mechanics when working under a hoist)
1949 Austin A40 Devon
1949 Austin A40 Devon owned by Keith Parsloe –
In the late Eighties Keith decided to shop around for an older car suitable for restoring. His first choice was a 1959 6 cylinder Chrysler Royal (those were the days) But after a fruitless search settled for an A40 Chassis and related bits A few people told him it would never become a vehicle and be registered and on the road. Well that was all Keith needed and set out to prove them wrong. One mistake he did make though. It was not until he was well into the rebuilding process before he started taking photos Because he wanted to be able to work on the car, and also to be able to move the car to one side when other jobs came along, Keith scrounged up materials and knocked up a frame on some old coaster wheels, and included a pivot point so the body could be spun and locked in a suitable working position. This worked well and he reckons it saved him from getting a sore back!.
In the early nineties the Austin while not totally finished was ready to be registered. Since then the work on the Austin stopped and Keith is getting too much enjoyment out of driving it to do the final “pretty up”
But you only have to look at the photo above (taken on a recent rally) to appreciate that Keith’s idea of a ” Final pretty up” is probably buffing the windscreen wipers
1954 Austin A40 Somerset
1954 Austin A40 Somerset owned by Rob and Sylvia Charles –
Rob and Sylvia Charles 1954 Austin A40Somerset
This Somerset began its life in Australia by being off-loaded from a ship in Sydney in October 1954.
Thirty seven of them were “Shanghaied” while on the way to New Zealand. Somehow it ended up in a showroom for G&D Motors in Toowoomba where it was sold to Thomas Young of Amby for the sum of Eight hundred and sixty five pounds on the 5th of November 1954. It stayed on and around the farm at Amby for close to forty years until it was traded in on a Chevrolet after Thomas Young passed away. Rob Charles swapped a $ wheel drive Japanese Jeep for it.
Rob repaired the front end, replaced a couple of valves, replaced a little upholstery, and slapped on a coat of paint. A totally original car apart from a new radio and the above mentioned.
( Recent work includes (from memory ) a new head Gasket…….Tubby)
1949 Austin A40
1949 Austin A40 owned by John and Jenny Hinde’s –
When John, Natalie, Timothy and Cassie, all jump into the Austin and Jenny throws in the picnic basket, and the folding table there is not a lot of space. But with the Essex ( see photo below) with a top speed of “Plod” it is not surprising that they use the Austin for out of town rallies
The Austin and the Hinde’s have rallied to Bundaberg several times, Biloela, Monto and over Easter the Austin rally in Rockhampton. In the Austin’s over Australia Rally in Toowoomba.
John says the Austin is pretty much original and “Exactly what would expect of a British car of that era” (whatever that means..)
Before John got the Austin in 1993 it had spent most of its life in Baralba near Moura, it had spent some 20 years in a shed.
This car was built in 1949. After September 1949 the A40 Devon’s were fitted with quarter vent windows in the front doors The previous A40s had a B shaped bumper with one piece front side windows
An extensive restoration to the Devon was completed in May 1994. This was a good thing because somewhere hidden away at the end of the Hindes shed is a sad and incomplete Austin A40 Tourer, the Devon was bought as a source of spare parts. Looking at the Devon now one would be inclined to think it would have been a sin to have dismantle it
In the meantime the A40 Tourer awaits its turn.
1961 Austin Healy Sprite
1961 Austin Healy Sprite Owned by Ian Sanderson and Jill Mcleod. Gladstone. –
The Mark II Sprite replaced the Frogeye Sprite but continued with the same 948 cc power plant but updated with a larger ltwin 1 1/4 inch SU carburetors – upgrading the power a bit. I think you need to British to understand and appreciate the increase power to 46.5 bhp. It included a close ratio gearbox.
The Old Frogeye styling was dumped. And the headlights moved to where they work better. The Land Rover had similar centered headlight . . This styling was to be a basis for the new MGB. Nether the less 948 cc proved to be ample power for British country roads, and this was a great fun car, affordable for many young couples with a flair for picnics in the country site in good weather.
On a good day, a top speed of a bit over eighty mile an hour could be reached. In 1961 with the handing of cars of that era, one did need to be a fairly competent driver to risk it. One of the great British Fun cars..
1924 Austin 12
1924 Austin 12Owned by Geoffrey and Mariae Doherty x
When Geoffrey purchased this car in 1969 it was in ‘basically complete’ condition, It’s a nice term. But it really means that the new owner will find most of the parts he will need to recondition all in the one spot.
The car had spent a few years at Curtis Island before Geoffrey bought it. And one of the items missing was the clock, it seems the original owner had removed it in 1956. Before it was sold to the Curtis Island owner. In 1988 the clock found its way back where it belonged when Geoffrey managed to negotiate its return to the original owner.
1940 Austin 10 Sedan
1940 Austin 10 Sedan Entry number 50 Driver Reg Harris Navigator Pam Harris
Restored By owner Completed 1984 Owners: Reg and Pam Harris
This Austin 10 was originally purchased by Mr. Thomas Royal of Marlborough from Fuchsia Garage in Marlborough on the 24th April 1941. Thomas Boyle handed it on to his niece, Miss Lydia Hill in 1936, the mileage at this time was around 23,000 The Austin was repainted at this time. In 1970 It was sold to a cousin Mr. D Hills of Ipswich who gave it to his daughter Leanne Hills. Reg Harris (present owner) paid Leanne Smith $325 in July of 1975 To become the New owner when the Mileage was around 39,800 . Reg says he “tidied it up for the Peregian National Rally (Mid 1976) In 1983 the Austin was repainted in the original colours and re-upholstered by Reg and by this time the mileage had reached 52,000. The car still retains the original Registration Plates Q338 344
1949 Austin Sheerline
Owned by Alan and Leanne Dawes
The Austin Sheerline was a luxury car produced by the Austin Motor company after the end of World War II. Its production period extended from 1947 to 1954 and its primary commercial goal was to allow the car lovers, to experience the luxury in the style of the contemporary Rolls-Royce or Bentley but at a much lower price.
The Unique technical features of the Austin Sheerline includes:
Austin Sheerline model A110 had 3460 cc straight 6 overhead valve engine
Model A125 boasted of a 3995 cc engine capable of delivering 125 bhp.
The chassis varied from 9 feet 11 1/4 inch wheelbase for the saloon to 11 ft for the limousine version (started in 1950).
The 1949 model weighed in at around 1850 kg and to maintain performance of this heavy car a low final drive ratio of 4.55:1 with 16 inch tyres was fitted.
Austin Sheerline’s suspension was by coil springs at the front and half elliptic leaf springs at the rear.
The 1949 Austin Sheerline was capable of a top speed of 82 mph
In 1954 production ceased with the Austin luxury category passing to the similar A135 Princess Mk II which had also been in production since 1947 and would continue until 1956. Still the Austin Sheerline is heralded as one of the most luxurious classic cars of all time. During its production period, around 8000 cars were sold, but now a days Austin Sheerline is becoming quite rare and resultantly a vintage collector’s item.
1929 Austin Seven –
owned by Trevor and Bev McCulloch
The Austin 7 was one of the most popular cars ever produced and was licensed and copied by companies all over the world. Its production period extended from 1922 to 1939, which was a significant mark of its popular demand. Over 290,000 cars of this make were sold all over the world. The Austin 7 technical specifications are characterized by a Wheelbase of 6 ft 3 inches and a light weight of 794 pounds. The engine required for adequate performance was of 747 cc side valve which was quite capable of a modest 10 hp output. Four cylinders 747cc, 56 mm bore by 76 mm stroke, side valve engine which was composed of an aluminium crankcase, cast iron cylinder block and cast iron cylinder head with Pressure lubricated crankshaft running in two bearings. Back axle was of spiral bevel type with ratios between 4.4:1 and 5.6:1 . The chassis looked like an “A” with the engine mounted between the stroke channel divisions at the narrow front end.
Austin 7 boasted of a rear suspension which cantilevered from the rear of the chassis via by quarter elliptic springs while at the front the beam axle it had a centrally mounted half elliptic transverse spring.
A significant sign of the Austin 7’s commercial capabilities was that the first BMW models were produced and sold as licensed Austin 7s, as were the original “American Austins”. In France, they were made and sold as Rosengarts while in Japan Nissan also used the vintage Austin 7 design as the basis for their original cars.
As a vintage car, the Austin 7’s popular attraction is still quite stunning and has a widespread devoted backing from people of all communities.