Description
It’s time for my Amazon to go to a new home where it will be used more. If you want a classic that you can use regularly, source parts easily and don’t mind lots of attention then this could be the ideal car. It’s an 1800, single carb model and although I’ve driven it on 250 mile trips a few times without any breakdowns, being realistic it’s more suited to shorter journeys as it’s quite noisy being a four speed manual. There's virtually nothing in the way of sound deadening. That being said, compared to my Trabant it’s a luxury cruiser! Keeping in mind that it’s nearly 60 years old it’s amazing how easy it is to live with. It can keep up with traffic, be used daily and always makes you smile when you walk back to it in a carpark. It looks amazing and has great presence.
It is by no stretch of the imagination perfect though and at some point in its past been changed from black to red. The pictures are all how it actually looks now, not from years ago so this is exactly what you can expect if you come to see it. The bonnet and wings are especially good. It really does smile for the camera so I’ve taken pictures of the scabby bits to so you get the full picture. I can take more pictures of anything if needed. The red paint really sets it off and is still holding up well with a great shine. The roof and boot need to be kept on top of though as they like to go a bit pink if not kept waxed. The chrome looks really good from a distance but needs to be kept clean and polished as there are lots of small rust spots that really spoil the look of it if when it’s off the road in winter
It has lowering springs fitted as they are really high from the factory but the ride isn’t harsh. It also has a volt meter. This is a must in any old car I think for peace of mind. Most of the bushes on the front have been swapped for polyurethane ones for longevity. Other than that it’s standard. It was serviced in May this year. In my ownership (nearly five years and approx. 3500 miles) it’s had headlamps, clutch and master cylinder, fuel pump, carburettor, refurbished dynamo, new old stock regulator, new battery, new servo, rebuilt master cylinder, front calipers, discs and pads, shoes at rear, shock absorbers at rear, engine mounts, tie rods and tyres. Basically general running improvements. It’s a really easy car to work on with pretty much all parts available through Brookhouse. Most receipts for the parts are with the car
Mileage reading is 06085 which I assume to be 106085 but with these cars could potentially even be 206085, it’s definitely done more than 6000 miles.
There is no service history. The seller I bought it from had picked it up after it had been stored for eight years, I think following the death of its previous keeper. The family were going to pass on any history they unearthed but nothing ever appeared.
I’ve had it on show at Mallory Park and taken it to a couple of local meets but it’s really just something I’ve enjoyed owning and driving, it always gets plenty of attention. It was an impulse buy during Covid that I had planned to eventually transplant a modern engine and running gear into but it’s far too good and I have a different project for that plan. I think this deserves to be appreciated for what it is and is testament to just how well designed and built these cars were for their time.
There are a few spare parts in a box in the boot, a side mirror, some rubber seals, a new boot seal and anything else I can find. It’s tax and MOT exempt and really cheap to insure on a classic policy.
Offers welcomed after viewing.
