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QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER Autumn - September 2011 - Issue 3 For all those with an interest in the history, products &
Featuring the BMC-BL Rally and Spares Day Ferry Meadows Peterborough
Left to Right: Austin A40 Farina Mk II, MG1100/1300, A60 Cambridge estate, 1
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The Allegro is the Austin model associated in many minds with new BL management at The Allegro changed the landscape of Longbridge - the transporter bridge over the
Long wheelbase and Hydragas suspension in a wedge-shape so trendy it soon became dated the ADO70 provided Citroen-like abilities at lower cost and complication and with the choice of 4 or 6 cylinder power.
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Nearest car is the “basic” Maestro as revealed by the sturdy steel bumpers. The A range of engines from the A-plus petrol and plain diesel on the cheapest models to 2
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BL decided to take on all rivals and have a range of both front-drive and rear-drive cars. The latter designed for the fleet market where simplicity of design and easy servicing was desired. Unfortunately this decision spread both the engineering and capital resources too thinly across too many disparate designs. Underneath the Marina has been described as a beefed-up Minor with longitudinal Body styles were 2 and 4 door saloons. The “coupe” look of the 2 door compromised by the need to use the same front doors to keep costs down. Engine options were the A and B series, the latter available with twin carbs in the TC. Estate car and commercial versions - van and pickup - followed. The Ital was an attempt to refresh the model with a new look. Engines were the A-plus From September 1982 until UK production ceased in 1984 the Ital was made at
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“Zulus Sir, thousands of them!” Sorry, wrong movie. The Mini is the only model that stretches across BMC, BL, BAe and BMW. The last of
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The Maxi is an historic car in many respects. The last Issigonis design. The first Austin with a 5-speed gearbox. The first BMC model designed as a “hatchback“. The first launched under BL management. The early cars can be licensed free as historic vehicles - before the 25 year rule fell victim to the moral compass of a new Chancellor. Spacious and versatile - there is nothing quite like a Maxi - possibly the only car in
Row here of Westminster A105 and 110 - although the inclusion of a Vanden Plas Allegro implies 8
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Synergy = Merlin engine plus P51 Mustang. A similar combination of the Austin A-series engine in the Morris Minor was one of the best things to come out of BMC transforming a floundering jelly mould into a fun-to-drive car. Rack and pinion steering gave confidence at all speeds - even flat out with the speedometer needle waggling over “Empty” on the fuel gauge. Duck egg green as a standard colour for Minor 1000s meant aspiring Arthur Daleys only had to wind the clock and respray the doors when selling Pandas.
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Rally Report by John Baker. 10.
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Cars in the Park - Lichfield Rotary Club Organised by Lichfield Rotary Club as part of a nationwide series of events the Lichfield Cars In The Park was held in Beacon Park, near to the centre of the historic city. All proceeds from the show are donated to worthwhile Rotary Charities.
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Austin Cambridge - 75 Years Young This year it is 75 years - three-quarters of a century - since the launch of the
The most popular size car in the 1930s was the 10hp tax class. The Austin Ten The Cambridge represented a step-change in the design. A new chassis and The Cambridge helped Austin achieve record sales in 1937 and was their best 14
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After the war new cars were mostly exported and were not readily available on Nearly 30 years after its introduction the Cambridge was finally pushed down into the “old-banger” category in the early 1960s by a reduction in purchase tax on new cars, introduction of visibly date related registrations and the 10-year MOT test, the flood of modern designs, and the construction of motorways As an “old-banger” the Cambridge became an affordable first car for many a Now for those who want an old car that looks venerable but does not cost a Text and pictures by “Anne O’Rourke” 15
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Commemorating Lord Austin’s Passing 70 Years Ago David Kear, Vice President of the Austin Ten Drivers Club, realised that this year was the 70th anniversary of the death of Herbert Austin, 1st Baron of Longbridge, and decided that the event should be remembered. A daytime air raid on the factory on 13th November 1940 resulted in the death of nine employees, including Adrain Vickary and Alfred Draper who were, we Lord Austin attended the funerals in poor weather and caught double pneumonia from which he never recovered. This contributed to a fatal heart attack on 23rd May 1941. He passed away at his home, Lickey Grange. On 27th May he was buried at Holy trinity Church, Rose Hill. Sunday 22nd May 2011 was the nearest Sunday to the 70th anniversary of Lord Austin’s death. David arranged with the Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, the Reverend Margaret Brighton, for a short service to be held round the grave after the church’s Sunday service. Over a dozen Austin Ten Drivers Club Members and Austin Ex-Apprentices gathered on a blustery day at the Churchyard. The rain held off and on occasion the sun even made an appearance. Some had arrived in cars manufactured during Lord Austin’s lifetime. 17
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During the service Margaret told of fond memories of being driven about in her Tony Osborne - Austin Ex-Apprentices Association Pictures and text by Tony Osborne.
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Around The Clubs - The Wolseley Register The Wolseley Register was founded in 1964 and originally catered for vehicles to the end of the vintage era only. This time limit was subsequently extended several times, and the Register now caters for all vehicles of the Wolseley marque, including Wolseley-Siddleys, certain Siddleys and Stellites, until the end of production of Wolseley cars in 1975. Over the years, the Register has seen many changes. Eventually our organisation grew to a size where it became necessary to elect a proper committee and, in 1979, out constitution was formerly adopted by the membership. Another important event was the appearance of the first issue of our club magazine Wolseley World which in 1979, replaced the original newsletter. Today the Register has members all over the world and a strong membership
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Forthcoming Events - 2011
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Rover In The News In a Twitter message West Midlands Police Sergeant Blakeman wrote:- “Have just informed the owner of a car stolen in 2008 that it has been found in Belarus, thanked me but said he would not be collecting it.“ The car was a 1994 Rover stolen in Wolverhampton in 2008 and found 1056 miles away in Belarus, once part of the USSR. The former owner’s reaction is rational because the car would cost more to recover than it is worth and in any case if he received payment from his insurance company he no longer owns it - the insurance company does. West Midlands police explained that low-level criminals were being used by crime bosses to steal high-performance and vintage cars to order. The Daily Telegraph reported “The recovered Rover, however, is not thought to have been stolen in this way.” 20
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Longbridge Redevelopment Update Bourneville College This £66m building opens for business in September when 15,000 students will attend every week. This will have a major impact on the area, so contractors working on the major road scheme are trying hard to finish before the college opens. Although the primary function of the College is for courses, it will also have
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This is the view from South Works, in the foreground is the Austin Park through which the River Rea will flow. This part of the development will be done when work starts on the Town Centre later in the year. My-Place
As one building project comes to an end, another has already started with the building of a new Youth Centre to be called My Place. This is located on Devon Way by the Austin Social Club.
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At a cost of £5m, funded by a grant under the Government myplace programme, and from the Big Lottery Fund scheme to invest in facilities for young people across the UK
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Isle of Wight Austins It used to be said that the Isle of Wight - or “The Island” as it is known locally - was permanently half a century behind the times. Certainly when I first visited it had that feel - steam trains, steam paddle-ships, petrol railcars along Ryde Pier, Guy utility buses, and only one set of traffic lights on the whole island. What has not changed is the fantastic welcome that islanders give to their 24
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We also had a guided tour of a local company that makes stoves for export 25
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UK Car Production SMMT figures show that car production increased by 4.1% in the first 6 months of this year and in July were 1.3% higher than in July 2010. Production was up 3.7% in the year as a whole. Production of engines was up 4% but commercial vehicles down by -5%. Total production was 760,946 cars in 2011 (to end July) of which 83% were exported. But sales in the domestic market were down -36% with exports up 19%. The spin put on these figures needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. The car scrappage scheme had brought sales forward and its ending in March 2010 meant that for April-July 2010 production and domestic sales were low. Had there been no increase this year on last that would have been serious. Looking ahead, slowdowns in the economies of Europe, USA and China, the export markets on which UK vehicle production relies, do not bode well. Home sales are dire. Here my local Mazda dealer is selling preregistered 11 cars at 20% off list price in order to shift stock before the 66 Reg. Down the road another dealer is offering similar cuts in prices on nearly-new cars. It is likely that production for the rest of this year will reduce. Expect long Christmas breaks. Next year may not take off either. “The Olympics” as an excuse for reduced car sales next July? Your read it here first.
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About Us - The Federation of Austin Clubs, Registers and Associations Aims and Objectives The aims are to:- Newsletter The quarterly electronic newsletter is distributed to all member clubs, organisations and associations, to Copyright Contact Copy date for December edition - 15 November 2011. Please send your material to -
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