Description

1950 Austin A70 Hampshire

AMENDMENT; From a deceased estate; last driven 18 months ago; very smart looking example

This Austin A70 Hampshire was first registered in Birmingham in March 1950, a copy of an old logbook showing that it had just one owner there from 1955 until 1962 at least. Our vendor acquired the car about 25 years ago to join a collection of vintage cars.
An online check shows that it was last MOTd in 2009 when the odometer was showing 93,988 miles so it has presumably covered some 6,200 miles since then as the clock now shows 172 miles. We are told that it was last driven 18 months ago when the oil was also changed.
The car presents well with very good paint and chrome. The red leather seats are also very good as are the carpets and the headlining although the interior could do with a good clean following a period in storage which has left faint traces of mildew here and there. It retains its original Birmingham-issued number plate, KOF 976, which is not transferable.
On offer here from a deceased estate, this unusually tidy Hampshire will no doubt benfit from some precautionary recommissioning before being pressed back into use once more.

AMENDMENT: Please note that either the engine or the starter motor on this car appears to have seized during its period in storage and we could not get it to turn over.
MODEL HISTORY
The Austin A70 Hampshire and later A70 Hereford were produced by from 1948 until 1954. They were conventional body-on-frame cars with similar styling to the smaller A40 Devon and Somerset models respectively.
Most first generation A70s were Hampshire 4-door saloons, although a few A70 Countryman estates and A70 Pickup versions were also produced. The 2,199cc straight-four pushrod engine provided the same 67bhp power output as it had when installed in the earlier Austin 16hp, but the new A70 was somewhat lighter and brisker, accelerating from 0-60mph in 14.5 seconds with a top speed of 83mph.
The Hampshire cost £648 including a heater (what luxury!) and by the time production came to an end, 35,261 had been sold. It was replaced by the Hereford in 1950 which was wider and slightly longer with an extra 3 inches in the wheelbase.
For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com