1956 Austin A30

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Fairly recent restoration
  • Lots of new parts
  • Disc brake conversion
  • Lovely condition throughout

THE APPEAL

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.

It was revealed at the 1951 Earls 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. 

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 is a very late A30 from the final year of production and was restored fairly recently.

It’s in terrific order and ready to go.

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THE HISTORY AND PAPERWORK

  • Lots of recent bills and receipts
  • Electrical circuit and lubrication charts
  • Original handbook
  • Tax and MOT exempt
  • Odometer changed at 55,105 miles

The owner is a collector of Austins but is only selling due to lack of space
It’s a lovely example that was restored by the previous owner, with a file of paperwork showing a number of parts that were bought during its recommissioning between 2016 and 2020.

It also comes with some owners’ club magazines, an original handbook, some lubrication charts and a UK V5C.

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THE INTERIOR

  • Red trim
  • Excellent seats and door cards
  • New carpets

The interior is really good, with excellent red leatherette seats, new carpets and a simple black-painted dash with central instrument binnacle.

This was replaced during its rebuild and the odometer currently reads just 97 miles, with the original displaying 55,105. Everything works including the original trafficators, and it’s in very good order.

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THE EXTERIOR 

  • Solid black
  • Quality respray
  • Solid and smartly presented

The paint quality on the A30 is excellent – indeed, the respray it has had is probably better than the paint finish with which it left the factory. 

It’s in great order with no notable blemishes. The trim is all in good condition with no notable damage and the wheels have been refurbished.

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THE MECHANICS 

  • 803cc A-Series
  • Disc brake conversion
  • Runs and drives well

The A-Series fires into life instantly with barely any choke and soon settles to a steady idle. It runs sweetly, and engages all gears as it should. 

It has had a welcome disc brake upgrade – a very common and valued improvement for A30s that transforms the way it handles itself in modern traffic. 

The vendor describes it as in good working order throughout, with no known issues.

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SUMMARY

This one is a charming and beautifully presented example of one of the archetypal British classics.

It’s very clean and well-presented, and has been painted and refurbished to a high standard ready for its next owner to thoroughly enjoy. It’s show ready and in lovely overall order, as well as being small enough to tuck away in the garage without having to oust the lawnmower…


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Vehicle specification
  • Year 1956
  • Make Austin
  • Model A30
  • Colour Black
  • Odometer 55,202 Miles
  • Engine size 803
Auction Details
  • Seller Type Private
  • Location Norfolk
  • Country United Kingdom
Bidding history
22 bids
  • Cl•••• £5,000 05/06/22
  • yo•••• £4,900 05/06/22
  • Cl•••• £4,600 05/06/22
  • yo•••• £4,500 05/06/22
  • Cl•••• £4,150 05/06/22
  • yo•••• £4,050 05/06/22
  • Cl•••• £3,950 05/06/22
  • Dr•••• £3,850 05/06/22
  • Me•••• £3,600 04/06/22
  • to•••• £3,500 04/06/22
Message C&C Auction Team

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