Austin and Morris feature at The British Motor Museum... They tell us: (All words and images from The British Motor Museum). Almost three years since the office of Herbert Austin was painstakingly packaged up from inside the Longbridge plant, the British Motor Museum is delighted to announce that a new exhibit – the offices of Herbert Austin & William Morris side by side – will open on … [Read more...]
For Your Bookshelf – Herbert Austin’s Heavy Twelve-Four – ‘A very dependable motorcar’
Reviewed by Kim Henson Author: Jim Stringer Published by: Herridge and Sons Ltd. 128 pages (hardback), with colour and black and white photographs (over 300 illustrations) UK List Price: Offer price for signed copies, £32.50 (£7.50 off the normal price of £40.00) ISBN: 978-1-914929-00-7 Available from: Herridge and Sons Ltd; www.herridgeandsons.com At the outset I should declare … [Read more...]
Lord Austin’s office preserved and moved to the British Motor Museum
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 – 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...]
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...]
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...]