{"id":9396,"date":"2021-04-29T07:09:10","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T07:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/?p=9396"},"modified":"2024-09-12T10:17:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:17:53","slug":"1955-austin-a30-project-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/1955-austin-a30-project-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"1955 Austin A30 – Project Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK has produced a great many cars, plenty of which have gone on to become bona fide classics. There\u2019s the Mini, the MG B, the Austin Healey, pretty much every Rolls-Royce, Bentleys, Alvis, Singers, the list goes on and on. And that\u2019s a good thing. It\u2019s something to be hugely proud of, because as a nation we have built some truly incredible cars. And in amongst them, we can find the big hits, the instantly recognisable cars. Models that transcend the arena of the classic car enthusiasts and that have gone on to be celebrated by people with only a passing interest in cars. The Mini would be a case in point, as would the Morris Minor. And so to is the car we have here, the Austin A30<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"A30,<\/a><\/p>\n

Impressively adorable, impossibly small by today\u2019s standards, and all while being somewhat humble at the same time, the little A30 was the first car that many families would own.<\/span><\/p>\n

Launched at the 1951 Earls Court Motor Show, the A30 was marketed as being a small family car. It was cute, it was well-packaged and most importantly of all, it was affordable. And that, for a country still rebuilding, was crucial. The A30 was instrumental in getting Britain mobile again. Quite a big achievement for such a small car. <\/span><\/p>\n

What is it? <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

What we have here is a 1955 Austin A30<\/a>. A clever little car that, as we touched on earlier, was a popular choice for post-war Britain. It was a car that looked to the future, too. It was of a monocoque design, which was a very new idea for the mainstream market. It was small, and thus cheap to run and easy to drive. It was largely reliable, and despite its size, it could get a family of four where they needed to be. So long as nobody was over 5ft 9in. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"A30,<\/a><\/p>\n

The A30 was available first as a four-door, before being joined by a two-door and later a van – you may have seen Wallace and Gromit using one (no, really). Powered by an 803cc A Series engine, it was never going to win any land speed records, but it didn\u2019t need to. Instead, it needed to get people mobile – it did that very well indeed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Later replaced by the similar S35, the A30 was in production from 1952 through to 1956. For many, it\u2019s still seen a perfect starter classic, and as such there is a huge network of specialists, parts suppliers and owners clubs for you to get involved with should you buy one. And you should, because they\u2019re fun! <\/span><\/p>\n

Why is it a project?<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/h3>\n

It looks very much like a project that was started but never finished. It has been painted at some point, and while the car is thick with dust, the paint looks to have potential. There is no obvious rust to be seen, nor is there any damage. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"A30,<\/a><\/p>\n

The interior looks very good indeed, with new carpets, a nice dash, solid looking seats and so on. The door cards aren\u2019t fitted, and there is some cleaning to be done. Plus, there is some curious colour-coding that you\u2019d want to undo (a red steering wheel centre really doesn\u2019t work). The headlining seems to have been replaced with what looks to be quite a heavy vinyl, which has dropped over the years, so this will need sorting, too. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"A30,<\/a><\/p>\n

The engine, while not running, looks decent. As does the engine bay itself, which has lots of fresh paint in play, and no serious rust to be concerned by. And this carries on underneath according to the vendor, who states; \u201c<\/span>The car looks remarkably complete (albeit in a certain degree of dismantlement) and looks to have been fully painted at some stage in its long hibernation. The car also benefits from having been fully undersealed at some stage and it does look like a very solid project.<\/span><\/i>\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

It looks like something that could be brought back to life by the budding home mechanic rather than a specialist. It comes with boxes of parts, and the seller can even arrange delivery for you. It\u2019s obviously meant to be!<\/span><\/p>\n

Five things to look for:<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/h3>\n

1) Rust<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The little Austin seems to have been restored to a degree, and as such, rust doesn\u2019t look to be too evident. However, this is a monocoque car remember, so get underneath and make sure there are no horrors lurking in the floors, sills, inner aches and chassis rails.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A30,<\/a><\/p>\n

2) Parts<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Happily, this A30 seems to come with all manner of parts that have been boxed up to go with the sale. It would be worth having a sift through them to see what you have – fingers crossed, it\u2019s all the trim and missing bits. Maybe some spares, too. All the glass is there, the rubber looks decent, the chrome looks good and everything looks straight. The wheels and tyres are a bit past it, mind! <\/span><\/p>\n

3) Paint<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The car has been painted in the past, and is now white over blue as a result. Of course, this isn\u2019t a factory colour, as they were far more muted. Have a look and see how well the job was done. It might even be salvageable, which would be brilliant news. As long as you like blue.<\/span><\/p>\n

4) Electrics <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The electrical system is probably going to be a little bit tired, so have a good look at it from front to back before sticking a battery on it. You don\u2019t want to be starting any fires in your new project! And don\u2019t forget, this car is positive earth!<\/span><\/p>\n

5) Engine<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The little A series engine is as tough as old boots, and thanks to the Mini and others, parts availability is excellent. But still, it won\u2019t hurt to inspect what\u2019s there. Does it turn? How does the cooling system look? Are there any leaks from core plugs and the like? <\/span><\/p>\n

\"A30,<\/a><\/p>\n

What should you do with it?<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/h3>\n

The world is very much your oyster here. Parts are, relatively speaking, easy to find. Mechanicals are common thanks to being shared across other models, and you can even go a bit racy given that the A30<\/a> in two-door guise is a popular sight on the Goodwood circuit amongst others.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A30,<\/a><\/p>\n

You could go down the road of restoration, which would of course be the easiest way to go. And if the paint can indeed be saved, then that\u2019s a big job already done. Refurbish the oily bits, renew the wiring, sort the interior and just like that, you\u2019ll have a nice little classic to pootle about in. Or, and we\u2019re being a bit wild here, you could build a fast road version. Get some racy suspension, give that A Series engine a tune up, or even better, chuck in a 1,275cc unit. Disc brakes, bucket seats, white spot on the door for a racing number. It could be a proper little tearaway! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UK has produced a great many cars, plenty of which have gone on to become bona fide classics. There\u2019s the Mini, the MG B, the Austin Healey, pretty much…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":9401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[322],"tags":[2844,121,2845,892,15,110,357,963,13,14,325,592,108,16],"yoast_head":"\n1955 Austin A30 - Project Profile - Car & Classic Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Everyone loves the little Austin A30, so you should be champing at the bit to get one. 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