Descripción
For Sale 1950 Austin A90 Atlantic two-door coupe.
The Austin A90 Atlantic is a British car produced by the Austin Motor Company from 1949 until 1952. It was launched initially as a four-seat convertible, making its début at the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show in London, with production models built between early 1949 and late 1950. A two-door coupé, marketed as the A90 Atlantic sports saloon, followed a year later. It had been previewed at the 1949 Motor Show and was in production at Longbridge between 1950 and 1952.
The Atlantic was one of the first post-war cars engineered from scratch by Austin, and was said to be styled from a thumbnail sketch by Leonard Lord, chairman of Austin and later the British Motor Corporation (BMC) — though the styling was more likely the work of resident Argentine Austin stylist Dick Burzi.[citation needed] The car was almost certainly influenced by a 1946 Pininfarina-bodied Alfa Romeo cabriolet, which just happened to end up at the Longbridge factory in mid-1947, a few months before the light blue 16 hp sports prototype made its first appearance in the experimental department and on nearby roads around the factory. A rare edition was a coachbuilt estate car, regularly seen in the 1950s used by a convent in Leith, Scotland. The car had a lifting rear door, and sported unusual curved perspex roof panels.
The car featured up-to-the-minute detailing, with a wrap around windscreen, composed of a flat glass centre section with tiny curved end panels. A centrally mounted third, main beam, headlight was built into the letter-box style air intake grille, "flashing indicators" (blinkers) rather than trafficators, (for the United States market at least) and the option of EKCO or HMV Autocrat radios. The range-topping Austin was offered in a variety of "jewelescent" colours with names like "seafoam green" and "desert gold", but few of these new metallics were sold in the UK market. The fixed head, five window, sports saloon (hardtop), could be had with its roof painted or covered in fabric. This gave it the popular "drophead", or "cabriolet", look; all the style with no leaks. As its final trick, the centre section of the three piece, wrap-around, rear window could be lowered into the boot (trunk), for added ventilation by a remote winder above the front windscreen. Few people in the car's native Britain would have ever seen anything like the futuristically-styled Atlantic before, and certainly not from a conservative mainstream manufacturer like Austin.
LLH886, presented in dark blue with a navy blue fabric covered roof giving that convertible look. The abundance of chrome on the external coachwork clearly indicates the market the Atlantic was targeting. The paintwork is in presentable condition and certainly free from any major corrosion which is a rarity for a car of this period.
On the inside the leather seats are in original condition with signs of wear and patina. Finished in red leather and cream piping, the winged emblem in the front door trims, finished with wheat carpets that look to have been replaced in recent years.
On test drive the car performed very well, and everything apart from the rear wing mounted flashing indicators worked.
The engine is strong and responsive, the gearbox is quiet once you have passed through the straight cut first gear.
In summary, my opinion is that you can enjoy this piece of classic history without descending on a full restoration.
