Beschreibung
1948 Austin 16 BS1 Saloon.
This is a very sound example of the big post war Austin.
Austin had developed the new 2. 2 litre overhead valve petrol engine during the war, and in order to restart post war production quickly they used the pre war Austin 12 body and chassis and fitted the new engine, this produced a large comfortable car with a decent power output that cruised at reasonable speeds and could climb hills rather better than the pre war cars.
They were fitted with such luxuries as full leather interior with front seat arm rests, a steel sunroof and a heater!
The car was restored during the nineties (looking at the restoration photos), by a family, it looks like they were all involved, there is a lovely picture of the ladies of the family cleaning up the grille and headlights on a blanket in the living room!
The body was taken off the chassis, engine rebuilt, bare metal repaint etc.
The car was running and driving when I collected it, but needed a few jobs doing, I have put new bearings in the water pump, removed the fuel tank, cleaned it out, freed off the tank sender and replaced the filter, it had already been fitted with an electric fuel pump and a new old stock carburettor. It now starts easily and runs sweetly with good oil pressure hot or cold.
The car drives well, it wafts along, quiet and comfortable for a car of the period. The brakes are effective, there is a bit of a whine from the non syncro first gear, other than that the gearbox is smooth and quiet, and works as it should, the clutch is smooth and bites in the middle of its travel.
The tyres are all Avon Tourists with very good tread, The chromework looks reasonable polished up, but there are some spots on the bumpers and over riders and the mazak parts (front grill, door handles etc are a bit rough).
The paintwork is 30 odd years old and shows it close up, most panels have some faults, the worst being the rear wings which have quite a lot of small rust blisters (not the sort that lead to a hole, the base metal is solid.). There are odd scabs here and there, but as you can see in the pictures it still polishes up well and looks smart. It is perfectly useable and "honest" as is but if you want to win concours shows there will be work to do! The actual metal work is sound along the sills, doors, wing edges, boot floor etc.
The interior to my mind is lovely, mostly original, it has a lovely, proper old car smell of leather, yes, there is some wear here and there, but pretty good for a 75 year old! The headlining and carpets have been replaces and still look fresh.
The car has been fitted with a complete new wiring loom, presumably when restored, it looks very good and is much safer than the original old rubber and fabric coated wiring. The trafficators work fine and have been fitted with brighter, flashing LED bulbs so they can be seen by others on the road.
I think just about everything on the car works as it should apart from the "Jackall" built in jacking system which is all in place, but has no fluid in it. The rod brakes work well and the great thing is with them that no matter how long you leave the car stored for, they still work, there are no cylinders to seize up or hoses to perish, just greased rods and levers!
The folder with the car contains two factory workshop manuals, two original dealer brochures, hand books, lots of restoration pictures, notes, etc as well as the up to date V5C,
The car will be fully serviced and have a new MOT included at the full price. (Obviously it is mot and tax exempt, but for peace of mind it will be mot'ed).
There it is, please call, email or message if you have questions or even better, want to come and look at the car and have a test drive.
If you are on whatsapp, send me a message with your phone number and I can send lots more pictures of underneath and the scabby bits etc.
I can deliver the car for £1. 50/ mile (so if you are 100 miles away it will cost you £150.) you can check the distance on google maps, my postcode is TR20 9QE. If you are more than 300 miles away please message me to check I can go that far. The car and delivery charge must be paid in full before I leave my premises.
Payment via BACS or cash only.
