Lord Austin's office is on the move... The British Motor Museum and MG Motor UK have entered into an agreement which will ensure the long-term future of Lord Austin’s Office. Known by the workforce as ‘The Old Man’s Office’ it was the place where many of Austin’s important decisions were made. The Office had been preserved after Austin’s death, although not in its original position on the … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf: Accessible Classics No. 1 – Austin A30/A35 – ‘Enjoying Your Austin’
Are you interested in the Austin A30/A35 models of the 1950s/60s? If the answer is 'yes' you might enjoy this book too... The Austin A30 (initially called the A30 'Seven' to deliberately make connections with the highly succcessful pre-War Austin Sevens) was introduced in October 1951 and was the first all-new compact post-War Austin saloon, featuring a unitary construction body shell (the first … [Read more...]
Metro-spective – 40 years since the launch of the Austin miniMetro
40 years on – a Metro-spective. Dave Moss reflects on the life and times of BL's biggest selling car... It’s 40 years this Autumn since the most important new car to appear during the British Leyland years first broke cover at the press presentation ahead of its official launch on October 8th 1980 (exactly 40 years ago to the day) – a date carefully chosen to avoid being "one of a crowd" at the … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf – Austin Cars 1948 to 1990
Book Review – Austin Cars 1948 to 1990 – A Pictorial History. Reviewed by Kim Henson. Title: Austin Cars 1948 to 1990 – A Pictorial History Author: David Rowe Published by: Veloce Publishing www.veloce.co.uk 112 pages; softback Price: £12.99 ISBN: 978-1-787112-19-3 There is a huge amount of detail in this compact but informative volume. From writing motoring books myself I … [Read more...]
Classic Clubs Series – No. 2 – The Austin Counties Car Club
Are you interested in, or do you own… any of the Austin models built between 1939 and 1954 (and some commercial versions were produced until 1957)? If the answer is yes, it would be a good move to contact and join this club… With regard to this series of articles, Kim Henson says… “Over time Wheels-Alive will be looking at the many enthusiastic organisations that exist to help their members to … [Read more...]
Motoring For Fun – A dawdle in south Devon in an Austin A35
‘Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon (in Summertime)’… Kim Henson describes a relaxing meander on a hot day through a west country landscape where time has (almost) stood still. (Kim adds: Of course I realise that as I write this (April 2020), sadly for the time being ‘motoring for fun’ in the real world is not possible. INDEED THE ADVICE TO "STAY AT HOME AND SAVE LIVES AND HELP THE N.H.S." IS VITAL. … [Read more...]
Keep Your Wheels Alive – We Visit Austin Morris Services at Freshwater, on the Isle of Wight
Kim Henson makes the Wight move and heads to Freshwater to see how Frank Phillips helps the owners of BMC/BL classics (plus other makes and models) to keep their prized vehicles on the road and looking good… (Words and photographs all by Kim, except the Escort Harrier shots – courtesy Frank Phillips). In the course of my work I visit a multitude of vehicle workshops, and it is always cheering … [Read more...]
Mini Happy Returns – 60 Years since BMC’s baby was introduced
Small Wonder... Britain's favourite small car of the 1960s and 70s, celebrated by Dave Moss. It was exactly 60 years ago this week, on 26th August 1959, that the Mini was introduced to the world. In this first instalment of a series about the BMC/British Leyland/Rover Minis, Dave describes the background to, and development of, this small but revolutionary car, dubbed 'Wizardry on Wheels' in … [Read more...]
Book review – An Austin Anthology II
Book Review – An Austin Anthology II. Reviewed by Kim Henson. Title: An Austin Anthology II Author: James ‘Jim’ Stringer Published by: Veloce Publishing Ltd; www.veloce.co.uk 112 pages; hardback Price: £15.99 UK; $25 USA. ISBN: 978-1-787114-26-5 Regular readers may remember that some time ago on this website I reviewed James (Jim) Stringer’s fascinating book entitled ‘An Austin … [Read more...]
Post-War ‘Baby’ Austin A30/A35s galore to visit Dorset…
The ‘Jurassic Rally’ in Wareham is the destination for A30/A35 enthusiasts from around Britain and Europe (and beyond) to get together in May… Kim Henson reports. Each year the Austin A30/A35 Owners’ Club holds its annual International Rally in a different part of the UK. This coming May, over the late Bank Holiday weekend (Friday 24th to Sunday 26th, with the main rally day being the Sunday), … [Read more...]
Austin A30/A35 book – available via Kim at Wheels-Alive…
Austin A30/A35 – Read all about these small but big-hearted classics... Kim tells more... It is more than 50 years since the very last Austin A35 (a van version) came off the production line, but in fact the story of these cars dates back to the late 1940s, when the Austin Motor Company was instrumental in earning vital Dollars for Britain (following the financially crippling War effort), and … [Read more...]
Why Austin’s Smallest Car Hails from the Welsh Valleys
Some 66 years on, Dave Moss remembers the disabled Welsh miners who produced 30,000 cars... Pengam, on the outskirts of Bargoed in south Wales, is a pretty unlikely place for a car factory - but its product was a pretty unusual car. Deep in the Rhymney Valley, landlocked by hills, eighteen tortuous miles north of Cardiff and almost as far from Ebbw Vale and Merthyr Tydfil, for years the … [Read more...]
Mini – Collectors’ Gold
Early BMC Minis, including unrestored examples, commercial versions, Coopers and special editions are all of particular interest to enthusiasts in the 21st Century says Dave Moss. Despite a high profile career spanning over 40 years, it’s perhaps rather surprising that almost all of today's most valuable and collectable Minis were sold in the 1960s. Though the next three decades produced … [Read more...]
MG Midget (and Austin Healey Sprite), 1961 to 1979
Affordable, fun to drive and easy-to-own classic sports cars, the Midget and Sprite still live up to their original design brief. Kim Henson tells all… Adorned by the famous MG badge, Midgets (together with equivalent Austin Healey Sprite models) are budget-priced classic sports cars offering much more hood-down fun per mile than their size and performance potential might suggest. Even today … [Read more...]
Austin Cambridge A55 Mark II/A60, Morris Oxford Series V/VI (‘Family’ Farina Models)
As British in character as a Sunday roast, but with a hint of Italian styling flair, the Cambridge models from Austin, and equivalent Oxfords from Morris, were respected in their time, and make effective ‘family’ classics today. Kim Henson investigates… As the 1960s beckoned, angular styling and pointed rear fins were all the rage. Echoing this trend, the popular ‘mainstream’ Austin and … [Read more...]
Austin A30/A35
The ‘baby’ Austin Seven helped to keep the Austin Motor Company in business through the 1920s, and the stature of this diminutive icon grew throughout the 1930s. During the 1950s the original Seven’s successors, the A30s and A35s, built further on the success of their pre-War counterparts. Kim Henson tells the story… In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Austin Motor Company introduced … [Read more...]
