I wonder how much this car will go for at an auction?
Any takers?
http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5410721
Ancient Austin for auction after 50 years in garage
It may have been built during the dark days of the 1929 Wall Street Crash but back then the British knew how to make cars that lasted.
The tatty Austin 12/4 had been languishing in a garage for almost five decades when Roger Bulled decided to take a look at the old family jalopy - there was a thought of throwing it in a rubbish skip.
He thought that the rare, fabric-bodied car his dad had driven when it was all shiny and new would have seized - how wrong he was.
The 81-year-old Austin with just one very careful owner had not moved an inch under its own steam since his father Leslie parked her up for the last time but, in an incredible tribute to 1920's British engineering, the Austin's engine turned over with the starter crank despite the car having been off the road since 1961The 81-year-old Austin had been parked in a garage for a half-century.
Now it will go to auction.
Bulled, 63, retired and living in Lincolnshire in eastern England, said he couldn't believe it when he discovered the old car - which had been locked away in his father Leslie's garage since 1973 - was still probably in working order.
"I pumped up the tyres and they stayed up," Bulled said. "The rubber is cracked but the inner tubes are obviously still intact, which is remarkable really, and the engine turned over when we tried it with the starter handle. I didn't try to fire her up in case I did any damage but I'm sure it would go.
"I've never seen another fabric-bodied saloon, even in a museum'I pumped up the tyres and they stayed up - and the engine turned over'."
The car, built at the Austin's Longbridge factory in Birmingham, is complete with an Austin 12 handbook, the licence belonging to its only driver, and a black-and-white photograph showing the car in its prime.
Bulled explained: "My grandparents bought it in 1929 for my father to drive them around. We lived in north London and used to go on holiday to Cornwall or Devon. We'd set off very early in the morning so I used to sleep on the floor in the back - there was no transmission tube so it was flat - and my sister lay on the back seat.
"It had none of the safety features you get today, no seat belts, and it wasn't a high-performance car. It was taken off the road in 1961 and that's the last time it was taxed. It's never had an MOT."
Roger's father died in 2008 aged 95 but was driving until 2007.
'WE'D LOVE TO SEE IT RESTORED'
The Austin 12/4 was introduced in 1921 - the second of Herbert Austin's post-First World War models. It was built right up until 1940 - the last unit off the production line was sent to the War Department - but fabric bodies were phased out in 1931.
Bulled added: "My dad retired when he was 62 and kept saying he was going to do it up but he never got around to it. I used to build kit cars but I was never into vintage. My son was never interested either, even though he's a mechanic, but it's something we would love to see restored.
"I'm going to the sale because I would be interested to know who buys it - I hope it will be somebody who will cherish it."
The car is expected to attract nationwide interest when it goes under the hammer at Unique Auctions in Lincoln on April 5.
HEADED FOR A SKIP
Auctioneer Terry Woodcock said he was amazed when he saw the car for the first time. "I can't believe it is complete and standing square," he added. "The suspension hasn't even sagged!
"I'm told that six months ago they were considering putting it in a skip but the wheels alone are worth £100 each. It's incredible!
"It will cost a fortune to restore but for someone it will be a labour of love." - London Daily Mail
Any takers?
http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5410721
Ancient Austin for auction after 50 years in garage
It may have been built during the dark days of the 1929 Wall Street Crash but back then the British knew how to make cars that lasted.
The tatty Austin 12/4 had been languishing in a garage for almost five decades when Roger Bulled decided to take a look at the old family jalopy - there was a thought of throwing it in a rubbish skip.
He thought that the rare, fabric-bodied car his dad had driven when it was all shiny and new would have seized - how wrong he was.
The 81-year-old Austin with just one very careful owner had not moved an inch under its own steam since his father Leslie parked her up for the last time but, in an incredible tribute to 1920's British engineering, the Austin's engine turned over with the starter crank despite the car having been off the road since 1961The 81-year-old Austin had been parked in a garage for a half-century.
Now it will go to auction.
Bulled, 63, retired and living in Lincolnshire in eastern England, said he couldn't believe it when he discovered the old car - which had been locked away in his father Leslie's garage since 1973 - was still probably in working order.
"I pumped up the tyres and they stayed up," Bulled said. "The rubber is cracked but the inner tubes are obviously still intact, which is remarkable really, and the engine turned over when we tried it with the starter handle. I didn't try to fire her up in case I did any damage but I'm sure it would go.
"I've never seen another fabric-bodied saloon, even in a museum'I pumped up the tyres and they stayed up - and the engine turned over'."
The car, built at the Austin's Longbridge factory in Birmingham, is complete with an Austin 12 handbook, the licence belonging to its only driver, and a black-and-white photograph showing the car in its prime.
Bulled explained: "My grandparents bought it in 1929 for my father to drive them around. We lived in north London and used to go on holiday to Cornwall or Devon. We'd set off very early in the morning so I used to sleep on the floor in the back - there was no transmission tube so it was flat - and my sister lay on the back seat.
"It had none of the safety features you get today, no seat belts, and it wasn't a high-performance car. It was taken off the road in 1961 and that's the last time it was taxed. It's never had an MOT."
Roger's father died in 2008 aged 95 but was driving until 2007.
'WE'D LOVE TO SEE IT RESTORED'
The Austin 12/4 was introduced in 1921 - the second of Herbert Austin's post-First World War models. It was built right up until 1940 - the last unit off the production line was sent to the War Department - but fabric bodies were phased out in 1931.
Bulled added: "My dad retired when he was 62 and kept saying he was going to do it up but he never got around to it. I used to build kit cars but I was never into vintage. My son was never interested either, even though he's a mechanic, but it's something we would love to see restored.
"I'm going to the sale because I would be interested to know who buys it - I hope it will be somebody who will cherish it."
The car is expected to attract nationwide interest when it goes under the hammer at Unique Auctions in Lincoln on April 5.
HEADED FOR A SKIP
Auctioneer Terry Woodcock said he was amazed when he saw the car for the first time. "I can't believe it is complete and standing square," he added. "The suspension hasn't even sagged!
"I'm told that six months ago they were considering putting it in a skip but the wheels alone are worth £100 each. It's incredible!
"It will cost a fortune to restore but for someone it will be a labour of love." - London Daily Mail
