The A30 was the post-war successor to the Austin 7. Launched in 1951, it sold well but was not a match for the Morris Minor which was bigger and launched three years earlier.
The car I passed my driving test in. Cost me £40 and I was robbed! Aged 18 I drove it to San Remo, Italy….what could possibly go wrong? Well, the gearbox seized as we arrived but was rebuilt in three days by some very helpful mechanics and eventually got us back safely to the UK.
Still holds my personal time record for driving from Birmingham to Dover ( in the snow ). I lusted after the A35 model with its bigger engine and rear window but it was too expensive for me.
It didn’t appreciate being ‘repainted’ with a rattlecan but never let me down….what a car!
My late Father had one the exact same colour registered as DAU 490 which I think was a local Nottingham plate. As a young child I remember trips to Skegness and driving around the hills of Derbyshire. On one such trip the engine began knocking (big end bearings I think) and after carefully nursing it back to the local garage the engine was rebuilt costing Dad £20.00 (probably a week’s wages in the early 1970s).
My dad owned a grey A35 van for over 30 years. The now famous Wallace & Gromit Van!! Loved that car. So many happy memories.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
