great british car austin 1930

[Music] once upon a time before badge engineering the British Motor Industry made cars with a pan ash and confidence which led the world dozens of makes and a range of models which made customers dizzy with choice cars that some would say really looks like cars there was a golden age of motoring between 1920 and the outbreak of war in 1939 its momentum carried the British motor industry through till around 1960 we made sports cars we made tourists we made saloons we make who pays we made limousines Lander lets and sedan car de villes the craft of the coachbuilder thrived and the automobile as art arrived good old days maybe simpler certainly no worries about pollution about letting petrol congestion parking meters traffic wardens or wheel clamps no motorway madness no miles long tail backs looking back from the restrictions for concerns and the frustrations of 1990 motoring the cars that survived from that golden age lovingly restored by an ever-increasing band of enthusiasts have added charisma because they are symbols of what motoring used to be motoring used to be about freedom freedom of the road cruising on almost empty winding a rose at a steady 40 to 45 waving and smiling when you met another driver with the good sense to drive the same make of car as new it was acknowledging the salute of the AAA or RAC patrolman on his motorcycle combination as his keen eyes noticed the solid metal badge on your badge bar it was when a stretch of dual carriageway was an event when you could open her after 60 and boast about 65 to your pals motoring was opened torah summers flat hats and scarves picnics and tea rooms and edge rows and signposts pointing motoring was Brooklyn's and Darlington the shelves Lee Walsh Hill Climb the world land speed record superchargers and streamlining when Britain was great and we had great British cars [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the thirties belongs to Austin more than any other car of its time the dependable Austin was a reflection of the English social life of the period the Austin was a car for the middle classes a car as the cover of this catalog suggests for business for pleasure and for sport leisure not yet having entered the vocabulary the Austin advertising also appealed to middle-class values with the famous slogan you buy a car but you invest in an Austin the names of the cars are stutely reflective a snobbish nature of the intended market the posh five seater 20 Whitehall saloon was particularly attractive to the motorists who likes a high powered saloon affording every comfort and possessing everything to be desired in acceleration and speed the 16 barclays saloon deluxe was a smooth big family car with lots of ventilation via the sunshine roof and six opening windows the 16 Westminster saloon was rather more sporty in appearance but for the fresh air fiend the Austin 16 range featured the harrowed su seater and the open road four seater Taurus all the six-cylinder 16 models were also available as four-cylinder 12s for rear seat passengers who appreciated that extra touch of luxury the saloons boasted fold down picnic tables and pulldown foot rests sixteen meant 16 RAC style horsepower and 12 meant 12 horsepower actually 15.9 for the 16 and 12.8 for the 12 horsepower rating was important because at the time road tax was levied at 1 pound per horsepower per annum in 1934 the 16 was available with an 18 horsepower engine for those who wanted even more performance this was so popular but Austin dropped the 16 for the 1937 season working out your RAC horsepower rating was easy you simply square the bore multiply the result by the number of cylinders and divide that by 2.5 in the thirties any schoolboy could do it the 20s and 16s were usually chauffeur-driven for more exclusivity you could choose from a range of special coachbuilt bodies by the Gordon company these could be built on most of the austin chassis this is a swish xx limousine this a 16 sportsman saloon and this a rather smart like 12 the owner driver who generally did a good deal of his own maintenance could take his choice from a wide range of lighter cars the light 12:6 Harley saloon the light 12 6 two-seater the light 12:6 saloon and the light 12-6 open road Torah as before these models were also available with four-cylinder engines how about this for cutting a - special six-cylinder engines and a distinctive radiator cow marked out the rakish austin Sportsters this is the Newbery open sports tourer and this the Kempton sports saloon for days at the races presumably the four cars featured in this program represent the popular cars of the Austin range in the thirties in chronological order we have the 1935 Lite 12-6 eaton two-seater ture with Dicky the 1937 Cambridge deluxe 10 horsepower saloon and the 1938 Goodwood deluxe 14 horsepower saloon which as you've been listening carefully you'll know is 15.9 horsepower and the very last production version of the famous Austin 10 introduced in 1939 used as a force's workhorse during World War two and relaunched in 1946 we are featuring the rare 10 open tora produced for just a few months before the outbreak of war so what were they like to drive these cars from the Golden Age of motoring let's find out with Roy Jackson law as our guy first the Eton to seek torah with deke all grumble see if you're an american the austin 12:6 was introduced in 1931 and this particular car is a 1935 model purchased in London on October the 10th 1935 by a Miss Mary Lambert the color is dark grey with strong Coachlines black wire wheels were standard we're now in Top Gear accelerating through 30 miles an hour up through 35 and now 40 the car has a top speed of 65 miles an hour and can be driven in Top Gear from 10 miles an hour this top gear flexibility maybe even a very popular car with the ladies on that right hand bend we steer into the corner and we steer out of the corner because there's very little caster action or self centering on the steering this is the same on all the Austin's will be driving the suspension is quite firm a little body roll most of the weight being below the waistline the steering is quite light as long as the car is moving the tires are narrower by modern standards but provide adequate grip in most conditions we're coming up to a hill now about 1 in 10 we're slowing down so we engage 3rd speed we did that at about 30 miles an hour over the brow and back into Top Gear up to 40 miles an hour there's a long sweeping left hand been coming up and in dry weather that we can go as fast as we like on a wet road we'd experienced some oversteer so a little more caution would be advisable the cars maximum cruising speed tends to be governed by the road surface and by the suspension as a main road coming up so we'll slow down there are no hydraulic brakes just Austin mechanicals in an emergency these require a good hard push hydraulic brakes are introduced by Austin in their first war range of cars and we stop we engage second speed first was the steep hills and emergencies and drive smoothly away a comfortable cruising speed in this car is between 45 or 55 miles an hour the fuel consumption 25 to 28 miles to go and the car uses oil at 3 to 4 pints every thousand miles Ethan was supplied with leather upholstery and a full toolkit in 1935 it cost 215 pounds ex-works that's in every challenge to London about 30 bulb [Music] it's the look of these cars that fascinates the proportions seem so right the lines the voluptuous curves the long bonnet the headlamps making a statement with these Austin's the looks are not accidental an Italian was responsible for those curves Herbert Austin hired Ricardo busi from Lancia in 1929 and he was responsible for Austin design right up to the early sixties [Music] the Austin 10 Cambridge saloon is a classic 30 shape from the stylish Li Cowell radiator to the slightly raked opening flat windscreen the swept tail provided luggage space and how's the spare wheel the lid of the luggage compartment when lowered formed an additional flat platform for the carrying of larger loads [Music] styling also meant practicality these bonnet vents could be opened in hot weather to provide additional cooling for the engine compartment [Music] the running boards apart from being useful to the occasional Bobbie to follow that car also kept the mud off the bodywork they began to disappear as car bodies became wider [Music] this nearside stop on sale life was added to comply with today's traffic laws [Music] the lifespan of an Austin model was two to three years and an annual facelift was normal in 1938 the production genius Leonard Lord was appointed works director and his new range signaled the beginning of an American influence in styling seen particularly in the radiator shape of the tentura the larger Austin saloons were popular with the professional classes the good wood 14 was regarded as being one of the best Austin designs the longer bonnet suited Bruce's flowing lines particularly well and to drive Roy Jackson more the good world was developed from the 12:6 15.9 horsepower car the power was increased to the end of 1937 and this cars one of the first batch fitted with the new engine no less than 52 brake horsepower was available from 1.7 liters top speed went up to 70 miles an hour and acceleration was considered to be brisk the north 250 time taking just over 21 seconds e tu 166 was delivered on the 11th of April 1938 to Miss Jean and Burgess in Cheshire she kept the car for 28 years before passing it on to her chauffeur [Music] but cruising at 45 miles an hour in the cars very flexible top gear it's a very hot day and I've got the windscreen slightly open to increase the ventilation the good word is quiet and comfortable to traveling 200 miles a day not being at all and reasonable suspension is softer than even the leaf springs are considerably longer but there is a certain outer barrel on the smaller wheels are large and low-pressure tires contribute to the more comfortable ride this improves the road-holding which makes the good word a safe and predictable car the hill is coming up now say we change down to third speed foot down the talk about 30 miles into top up to 35 down the hill and ready for the left-hand bend at the bottom speed now about 45 which will maintain all the way around the steering is reasonably light with two and a half turns lock to lock rather heavy to park though there's no caster action but the car does tend to run straight the brakes are girly these are lighter and more progressive than the Eagles we're coming up to the main road now so let's use them we pull away in second speed we've got synchromesh on second third and top through the gears now up to cruising speed this is a very comfortable 50 in top with the engine turning over at just over 3,000 rpm the good word is a very comfortable four seater five if you fill the center armrest Oh seats a lever the car was available in eight Austin colors black Green three blues royal princess and Bluebird webelo Brown grey and maroon you get 25 miles to the gallon touring oil consumption two to three points per thousand miles just like the price in 1938 was 260 pounds for the deluxe saloon if you didn't want the sunshine roof you could save yourself ten pounds let's take a look at how the Austin's were equipped the good wood came complete with a fitted suitcase to maximize every available inch of luggage space notice the spare wheel hours beneath no pulling out the luggage if you had a puncture there are large doors to allow easy entry and they all close to the center pillar the interior is fully carpeted and the rear seat passengers have the luxury of a pulldown carpeted footrest both front seats are individually adjustable over a 7-inch range the very large sliding roof opens and closes quickly and easily to cope with the English summer and full air conditioning is provided just by turning a handle the ignition and lighting switches are combined and the steering column is fully adjustable for reach the turn signal switch is located in the center of the steering wheel and the indicators are of the semaphore variety with the ignition switch on the dependable Aston starts of the press of a button the dip switches foot-operated and the foot controls are conventional before the advent of the dipping rearview mirror and in order to save you being dazzled by the headlights of following cars at night all Austin saloons were equipped with a pull-up rear window blind operated by the driver it was very effective but it did restrict the rear vision it's a lovely summer's day so let's go on a picnic hamper can go in the Dickey seat [Music] here comes father and Amanda [Music] is he going to rain father thinks he'll take a chance and put the top down [Music] down it comes in one in one in one in one easy action now for the side windows where is father going to put them inside the doors of course well they'll be kept dry and be instantly available in case it rains [Music] now for the other one [Music] they'll soon be hot now oh dear the battery's flat what are they going to do of course young Charlie we'll have to use the starting handle [Music] one term to get her started and it's back to the Dickey for Charlie and off they go have a nice day and now for one of the most popular family saloons of the era the famous often 10 which sold in the thousands between 1932 and the outbreak of war in September 1939 in the driving seat Roy Jackson more this particular car started life on the 3rd of February 1938 when it was bought by the Crito manufacturing company of Braintree Essex probably for one of their commercial travelers the car is a scaled-down version of the Goodwood saloon in 1938 the ten horsepower engine developed 27 brake horsepower which gave the car top speed of 60 miles an hour we're now happily cruising at 40 with the smaller engine more use has to be made in the synchromesh gearbox in order to achieve good acceleration the north of 50 time is under 30 seconds still in top gear for the corners there's some body roll because the suspension is relatively soft steering is quite light and responsive and is fairly neutral you only get actual [ __ ] and oversteer on very bumpy roads with sharp corners or when you're driving rather too fast for the conditions [Applause] the driving position is good visibility is also generally good although rearview is somewhat restricted or other divided window now for our one in TN hill into third and foot right down at about 30 and we go over the brow and Inter top ready for the long left hand mend [Music] we've got appreciable body lean here because we're doing over 40 miles an hour through the corner there's a lot more to do driving these cars compared to the modern family saloon but that's where the fun lies you can feel the road surface through the steering wheel and you have to anticipate your braking rather more although the Girling brakes can produce a 1g stop from 30 miles an hour second gear and through third into top at about 30 miles an hour we're now up to about 40 the usual open road cruising speed would be around 50 to 55 miles an hour the six gallon tank will take you more than 200 miles that's about 35 into the gallon at one shilling in six months old money the cross flight hours of the 30s would last about 25,000 miles the majority of owners carried out a lot on their own maintenance they decarbonize the cylinder head and reground the valves about once a year using tools from the tool kit supplied with the car nether upholstery was standard and the same eight body colors were available on the 10 as on the 14 price in 1938 178 pounds ex works these Austin's were well engineered simplicity was a key note the engineering policy laid down by herbert austin was sound and conservative engineering with no innovation introduced before being exhaustively tested the simplicity is apparent in the engine bay almost a walk in engine room the large zennith carburetor sits underneath the even larger air filter the air filter provides induction silencing and as if the oil wetted wire-mesh variety it had to be regularly cleaned in petrol or paraffin and riyals this is the other side of the engine notice the large diameter hose leading from the radiator to the cylinder head cooling was by thermo siphon the oil filler is at the bottom the Dynamo mounting provided the adjustment for the fan belt a two blade cooling fan was standard a four blade fan was available for hot climates the coil was always mounted this way on Austin's to avoid problems with dampness and condensation a bhavan to the right is the horn the distributor was skew gear driven from the camshaft adjustment of the contact breaker points was part of the owners routine maintenance the spark plugs are very easy to remove for inspection the original equipment spark plugs could be taken apart for cleaning the brass radiator cap is on the same side as the oil filler as both would be checked daily the jack wheel brace of the full set of tools was stored under the Bonnies here we can see why the 1939 10 bonnet was known as the alligator bonnet it was the first front opening austin bonnet which was held open by a prop the four-cylinder engine was very similar to the six and shared many components the cooling was still by thermo siphon in 1939 although a water pump was included in the War Department specification model used by the Armed Forces the 10 has a very clear and easy-to-read set of instruments the dashboard is painted metal with a very deep Club compartment on the left the pedals are well spaced and in the conventional layout the gear positions are molded into the rubber gear box cover and landed switches to the left of the clutch pedal with the 1939 10 the handbrake was moved to the floor between the front seats now for a closer look at the dashboard the starter has changed to a pool type to eliminate the solenoid the ignition and light switches were combined in one unit on all Austin's of this period the speedometer is clearly marked at 30 miles an hour to remind drivers of the then recently introduced 30 mile an hour speed limit to the left of the steering wheel a matching sized cluster of three gauges show oil pressure fuel content and amp ere's strong and simple properly maintained your Austin would give you years of reliable service the 1939 10 open Tura surely one of the best looking cars ever produced by the Austin Motor Company does it drive as it looks why Jackson Moors in the driving seat so let's find out the Tenno Pantera is a rare car less than a hundred them were made before the war the car I'm driving is particularly interesting one of the veteran Austin engineers what it was originally a test vehicle that he was eccentric supercharged if the war hadn't intervened Austin would have released a supercharged version in 1940 the car was then sold to the Archdeacon of Norwich on marks the 11th of that year it's a very pretty car with a top speed of around 65 miles an hour the engine power is up on the previous model and five brake horsepower it's also lighter than saloon so acceleration is improved there are no records of what it was like with the supercharger that he would probably have been capable of 80 miles an hour [Music] in 1939 there was still no caster action on the steering so just like other Austin's you have to steer in and steer out of the corners the steering is very positive and direct the ride is firm that very much better control this is one of the first Austin's to be fitted with piston type hydraulic shock absorbers the front shock absorbers and mounted transversely so they give some measure of anti-roll this makes the cornering very much flatter so this car can call a rather fast of the previous ten into third for the hill [Applause] and over the crest at about 35 miles an hour into top and up to 45 now let's see what she's like through the sweeping left-hand Bend [Music] that was very stable part there trace for grow you went going fast enough to make the car oversteer we need at least another 10 miles an hour for that this car is also fitted with improved Girling brakes still mechanically operated they're more powerful and more progressive and require less pedal pressure smoothly away in second speed and up through third into top the car will cruise all day at 55 returning about 35 miles to the gallon this is real wind in the hair motoring particularly for the backseat passengers who need a hot sunny day like this to really appreciate it the top pulls up in one movement and the side screens are stared behind the backseat this also provides access to the luggage space there is no opening boot spare wheel and toolkit are kept in a separate compartment behind a number plate town only three body colors are available black blue bed blue and maroon the north 250 time is twenty six point eight seconds and the top speed a good 65 miles an hour the price in 1939 was the princely sum of 175 pounds X works the 1939 austin ten chassis stayed in production throughout the war and all the way until the introduction of the a40 in 1948 it was light and strong a complete welded unit with good diagonal stiffness the lateral and diagonal rigidity of the structure played an important part in providing good Road holding the front part of the chassis frame and the cross members are completely boxed and the front of this section is also diagonally braced the power unit is mounted at three points using special live rubber mounts this exploded view of the top half of the 10 engine fearly shows the thermo siphon cooling system the much quieter large barrel type tappets and the vertically mounted spark plugs the Pistons and cylinder head are aluminium the crankshaft has three main bearings and a wet sump is used in conjunction with a gear oil pump for lubrication the maximum brake horsepower was 32 produced at 4,000 res penis all the engines reciprocating parts were balanced prior to assembly the engine and gearbox form one unit and there is synchromesh on second third and top gears the clutch on the 1939 10 was an improvement being lighter with longer travel much easier to use with a more progressive bite the specification calls it sweet overall the 10 engine and chassis set the tone for Aston engineering until then our Lord introduced the unitary body to Austin with the Somerset in 1952 prior to the 1939 10 all Austin's had Gerdes chassis this detail from a 1938 catalog shows the propeller shaft and differential solid live back axle the rear semi electrically spring and double-acting luvox hydraulic shock absorber the drum brakes here are Girling wedge and roller this illustration shows the hourglass steering mechanism operated by worm and sector this provided light responsive and progressive steering each side of the straight ahead position the rake of the steering column could also be adjusted at this point here we can clearly see the live rubber engine mount this is made of a special natural rubber with excellent vibration insulation properties also in close-up is one of the luvox hydraulic shock absorbers just behind the gearbox position the girder chassis was strengthened with this cruciform frame bracing to 6 volt batteries wired in series were used to provide 12 volts for the electrical system single 12-volt batteries were introduced on the newest in 10 Aston used the girder chassis for 33 years the welded platform chassis introduced on the 10 lasted just nine years Austen's of the 1930s these cars are like time capsules motoring history come alive the romance of the open road cars that have to be driven not sat in and pointed days when motorists was still faintly flavored with intrepid adventurous romantic to many of us especially those who bought and drove these cars Austen means open counties Benjamin rhododendrons it also means Battle of Britain and post-war austerity but the really interesting thing is that these cars are still eminently drivable in 1919 easily keeping up with Town & Country traffic and cruising happily on motorways between 55 and 65 the increase in journey times is hardly noticeable and from today's standpoint of electronic complexity with computerised engine management systems and Starship Enterprise instrument displays these Austin's represent a simpler kind of life which can be sampled and savored just by getting in and driving off [Music]

Channel: Stu It Yourself

Views: 39,997

Rating: 4.8241758 out of 5

Keywords: classic car, austin, 1930, vintage

Id: 5-xxABjF9rI

Length: 39min 27sec (2367 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 09 2018