The Austin A30’s contribution to motoring history is pretty significant, as when it debuted it brought with it the A-Series engine – a powerplant that went on to have a 50 year life as one of the stalwarts of the British motor industry.
The A30 was revealed at the 1951 Early Court Motor Show, styled by Argentinian designer Dick Burzi and clearly influenced by the curvaceous American designs of the era.
Its body structure was designed by T.K. Garrett, who had been an aeronautical engineer before joining Austin. It was of fully stressed monocoque construction, which made it lighter and stiffer than most contemporary vehicles, and also the first Austin to be made in this way.
Inside there were individual seats at the front and a bench at the rear covered in PVC with an option of leather facings on the seats. Evidence of economy was seen in only having a single windscreen wiper, central combined stop/tail/number plate lamp and a sun visor in front of the driver only. A passenger-side wiper and sun visor, and a heater were available as optional extras.
It was a strong seller for Austin, achieving over 220,000 sales before production ceased in 1956, when it was replaced by the similar A35. Together the A30 and A35 achieved half a million sales and were one of the great success stories for Austin and BMC.
This example was fully restored in 2015 and had a full engine rebuild last year.
While there’s nothing really know about the A30’s early life, since 2014 it has been enthusiast-owned and was subject to a full bare metal restoration, carried out to an exceptional standard.
It belonged to an enthusiast in Stockport, Cheshire, who had the car fully restored – it was stripped back to bare metal, treated, primed and resprayed in a fetching Renault red, then retrimmed.
In 2020 it was given a full engine rebuild and has since lived with its current owner in London, wo has thoroughly enjoyed it and is now looking for a different toy.
A lever-arch file full of papers shows the extent of the Austin’s restoration, with photographs of the rebuild all the way through and receipts for pretty much every component used in its rebuild.
It shows thousands of pounds worth of expenditure and evidence of a very thorough and professional rebuild.
It has a UK V5C and is both tax and MOT exempt, though it does display a 1955 tax disc in the window. It also comes with a selection of books and workshop manuals, along with a miniature Matchbox model in the same colour scheme.
This is a terrific high quality restoration and it looks fabulous from every angle. The red paint is actually a Renault colour according to the receipt in the history file, but it really suits little Austin and is set off beautifully by the white roof.
It’s as good underneath as it is on top, and has been thoroughly and professionally restored.
When he acquired the car last year, the current owner had every single panel wax-injected to protect it from future corrosion, so it has been thoroughly protected inside and out.
There are no dents or marks on the paint, and the badges and trim are in excellent condition. There’s some slight ageing to the door handles but it’s otherwise superb.
The owner has also fitted a boot lock – originally the A30 didn’t have one, but this is a sensible and easily reversible security upgrade.
It also has brand new wheel trims and nearly new Firestone radial tyres all round.
The cabin is as smart as the exterior, with the seats retrimmed in black leather with red piping. The door cards are covered in black leatherette, while the floor is covered with a brand new red carpet.
A replacement odometer was fitted at the time of its restoration and currently registers below 250 miles.
Originally, the A30 would have had the 803cc version of the A-Series, which was the engine’s first iteration.
The engine, a 948cc which has been bored out to 998cc, was completely rebuilt at the time of the car’s restoration and it fired up straight away with very little choke, before settling to a smooth and steady idle.
The car has electronic ignition, an unleaded cylinder head. The brakes have been upgraded to later Austin A40 8 inch drum brakes. All brake drum pads front and rear are brand new. The gearbox is an original A30 unit but upgraded with A35 internals. New headlining. Car is now negative earth and has an auxiliary charging point
The vendor reports that the car drives very well indeed, with upgraded brakes to cope with the rigours of modern traffic.
Thanks to their universal appeal when new, the A30 and A35 models have survived well – but you’ll have to look very long and very hard to find one as charming or as good as this. It’s a real sweetheart of a car, brimming with character and in truly show-worthy condition.
The upgrades it has had during its restoration are sensible improvements that make it far more usable every day than a standard A30, but it’s probably much too good a car to subject to the daily grind. Instead, it deserves to be cherished, loved and preserved in the same wonderful condition as it is presented.
You’ll struggle to find a better one.
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1955 Austin A30
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