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Real Road Test: Austin A35 - The little Peanut!
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- čas přidán 14. 08. 2021
- The Austin A35 (and its A30 predecessor) was hugely important in the story of the British Motor Industry - the first British monocoque, an early adopter of overhead valves and a surprising success in saloon racing!
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A friend of mine had one of these when we were teenagers - I'm nearly 70 now. One evening after a sinful of homemade wine he decided to drive to a local pub. I still don't know how he did it, but he rolled it in the car park. Some of the other customers helped him get it upright again and he went home to sleep it off. I always think of him when I see one of these. RIP Alan.
My Mum was learning to drive for years without going in for her test, but in the late 1960s she decided to take her test. Much to everyone's shock she passed. I was in my late teens and had passed my test a couple of years prior. We looked out for a car for her and ended up getting her a low mileage green A35, in good nick. For the next few weeks the A35 sat outside without moving. One Saturday I persuaded her to go out in it with me. We decided to go over Ilkley moor to the Cow & Calf rocks and back, about a15 mile run. I drove the car up onto the start of the moor then swapped over for her to drive. She did a few bunny hops setting off, but she soon settled down and was driving ok. We got to the Cow & Calf rocks and parked up for a few minutes. When we set off on the way back she seemed to be doing fine until about a couple of miles over the moor where the road drops down into a small valley with first a quite sharp left hand bend going back on it's self then a150 yds straight with a sharp right hand bend. As we started to drop down the hill I advised her that she needed to be in a lower gear. She dropped it into third but was still going a bit fast so I advised her to give it some brake. Then just as we were approaching the sharp left hander instead of braking she hit the gas to the floor. As we hurtling towards the bend she just let go of the steering to put her arms in front of her face. I grabbed the steering wheel with my right hand to try and steer the thing. By this time we were on the corner on the wrong side of the road with a car coming the other way. Quick as a flash the other car swerved to the other side of the road. As I struggled steering the car from the passenger seat we were on two wheels, I couldn't get to the hand brake as it was to the right of the drivers seat. So I turned the ignition off, the car dropped back down too four wheels and before the next bend came to a shuddering stop in gear. Needless to say I drove back home from there. She had put her foot on the gas instead of the brake. She went on to have 10 more driving lessons and ended up being quite a good driver and kept the car for many years.
That was a cliff hanger of a story, glad that it ended happily. I was driving back home on a winding country road after having a drink and I am sure I went round a corner on two wheels, it certainly felt like it. It certainly sobered me up and slowed me down. Not that I was legless or the car was going fast as they coudn't but just quirks of the suspension. Being my first car at 18 I learnt a lot about driving and the car mechanically. There never was any thought of taking it somewhere to have it repaired or serviced, I did it all myself with my Dad's guidance as he had one previously. That experience stood me in good stead all my life.
Great little cars, economical and reliable, good starters in the winter. It helped if you used the starting handle when temperatures were below freezing so you had a good fat spark at the plugs. A couple of turns and she burst into life.
My Dad had one of these, UJW 955 2door. We were involved in an accident, nothing drastic but a very fast stop. my sister and I were in the back with our dog Gypsy, the front seats lifted forward my Mum and Dad lurched forward to hit the windscreen my Dad was knocked unconcious,then the seats came back my Mums seat breaking my Sister nose badly, my Dads seat landed on both my feet as he was unconcious I couldn't push it off, my Dads door had flown open and the dog had got out running through the traffic. The thing I remenber most was seeing a very large lorry screech to a halt at a funny angle inches from the boot, happy days.My sister still bears the scars to this day. thanks for the reminder :-)
"When WE were Kids we had it TOUGH....WE had to PARK OUR OWN DAMN WIPERS!"
Cars like the A30/35, Ford 100e, Morris Minor and Standard 8/10 were so common, and you could tell which it was by the exhaust note. As they approached you heard the engine, as they passed you heard the exhaust. Nowadays all you hear is tyre noise, and no character! I always thought the indicator switch looked like it had been borrowed from someone's cooker.
I certainly wasn't that anal! By the exhaust note can't say I could tell any difference in my 1970s driving yoof. Well maybe a moped.
I had an A35 Van, as my first vehicle. I always thought that the Indicator Switch looked like a one-eyed Elephant.
The Standard 8/10 were so ugly.
As children, we'd stand with our backs to the road, with one of us as quizmaster, and try to guess makes and models among the passing cars. Side-valve Fords and air-cooled Beetles were easy to distinguish, as were sixes (rare, then). Surprisingly, the Minor' 'A' sounded different from all other 'A's, with a flatulent quality on the overrun that marked it out.
What a nice little car
My dad had an A35 van. He cut windows in the sides and fitted a bench seat for rear passengers. Did a lot of trouble free miles in it. Great memories!!!
My father did the same, there was probably a conversion kit at the time, but I do recall that he had to cut the sides and install them.
I don't recall the exact year, could have been around 1958/59 and we drove from just outside Glasgow, Scotland to Cornwall in the south of England for a holiday one summer. Generally our holidays were camping around Scotland.
Most people who did that got a seat and backrest from a bus scrapyard. Before Ebay the place to find such things was Exchange and Mart weekly paper.
There actually was an estate version: my first car in fact. It was ancient even at the time I bought it, in fact it was off the road and I had to sign a disclaimer. We got it back on the road eventually and I had great fun with it, though it was very primitive. You never forget your first time!
That was a tax dodge !
Purchase tax was levied up to 1973 and vans were a lower rate.
It was the same with camper vans, but if you were "converting" a van but hadn't quite finished doing it, it was still classed as a van.
The road tax might have been affected too.
I can't remember the details
The great Australian race driver Peter Brock made his first race car by fitting à Holden six cylinder to one of these.
Did it tip up on its nose and stay there?
Those cars are absolutely charming; thanks for a great upload!! My Dad had two A35 vans (rear seats and windows fitted) the first of which covered over 450k trouble free miles and always worked on it himself because he said they were so simple to service and maintain. His second one was sold to the president of the A35 owners club for peanuts (£1000 when it was worth a lot more). He came all the way from Cornwall to North Yorkshire to collect it! Cars like this have so much charm and personality, not like the generic crap churned out today.
"welcome to the sounds of Popular Classics"
A free audio tape of classic car road tests back in the day!
The A35 was one of the cars roadtested!
You used to be able to get recordings (well, you still can), of steam trains - they all sound very different when working hard or at different speeds. Someone ought to make and market some recordings of these older cars distinctively different sounds before they virtually disappear from the roads - Morris Minor on overrun, rorty MG, a screaming Mini, side valve Anglia, 2-stroke Saab, that sort of thing. When they're all just sat stuffed and mounted in museums, people will wonder what they all sounded like.
Mum had one of these as her first car. She was thrilled when I bought a Moggy Minor (around 10 years ago now) and admitted she was dead jealous. In those days the Morris was the one everyone wanted but the A35 was what she ended up with. Previous generation's aspirations :)
I remember my dad had an A35 van ala’ Wallace and grommit, as children we were secured safely in the back with the use of an old rug and some scatter cushions. One day he had to brake sharply and the ladder on he’s roof rack slid off and knocked the A off the bonnet, thank you for bringing back happy childhood memories 👍👍👍👍
But the flying A is the bonnet latch ?
@@rogerhudson2814 I assume it must of had to get mended, but it was taken clean off!
I own an A35.
They're very lightweight and have skinny tyres.
Makes them easy to push.
Which is just as well.
Sounds like a Spike Milligan poem.
That “noise” sure brings back memories 😉👍 There is nothing quite like that transmission whine and the A-seriea exhaust flatuence…..😁
But it was quite different from the distinct Minor exhaust sound !
I have three Minors and I'd say the A 35 is more rorty in the exhuaust where the Minor is a little "farty" the other difference in sound is induction noise ; Solex Vs SU carbs.
@@TheMentalblockrock That's probably more to dowith air cleaners - not blocking out the fact that carbs suck - LOL
Straight cut cogs in first gear, standard noise.
@@millomweb No, SU equpped cars definitely have a sound all of their own.
Ah, so that's why the older drivers in my family habitually dropped into 2nd before first even at dead stops. I just thought as a child that that's how to drive, tucked it away in memory and forgot about it. 50 years later Hubnut drags out and explains that quirky behaviour.
Thanks Ian. Much appreciated. 👍
Many BMC cars didn't have synchromesh on first gear. My dad had an MG 1100 and a Wolseley 16/60 and neither had it. My driving instructor said you only engaged first when you were stationary. I didn't know the trick of going into second first but they started well enough in second anyway.
I still do that...and I still stay in third too long while changing up. My first wife called these A35s 'short, round and dumpy'.
That's more like it.
I knew a family who had one as their only car. They were all over six ft so most modern 70s cars were too low for them. They still managed family holidays in it. They did not have the heater option, so they used travel blankets in the winter.
My Dad had the heater option - they weren't really missing much.
I never understood why BMC went from cars that seated people well to the low seating Mini and ADO16 ,the road footprint isn't much less. I 'm sure Postman Pat really drove an A35 post van.
I always wonder how people got on in the Winter without a heater and mist or even frost on the inside & outside of the windscreen.
I remember my Dad having a tin with a cloth soaked in something that was supposed to reduce steaming up of the inside glass surfaces for his Morris Minor 1000 although it did have a heater.
@@Martindyna Potato juice!
@@rogerhudson2814 I think the cloth was soaked in a chemical, I see these products are still available in the US (anti fogging). Never heard of potato juice as a solution, I wonder how that works.
One of the first classic cars that I really noticed as a kid was a Black one with the Austin of England chrome badge on the back. It looked fabulous and I wanted one, but I was only 12 at the time. That must have been in about 1976 and there a few still on the road at that time, they were just seen as cheap old cars at that time.
i was 12 when i bought a ford consul(if memory doesn´t fail me) on the junkyard, with help of my friends we manage to drive it with a 1.3L engine ,manual off course, it cost me all my money what today is 20€
Yes my dad bought a black 1956 A30 in about 1964. It cost him £130. He drove that for a few years and when it ran out of steam he bought an older 1953 model for £15. It ran well and he swapped all of the interior controls from the later old one to the earlier new one if that makes any sense. I then fitted all the older parts to the newer now defunct car as a fun project during my school holidays. So in the early seventies some of the kids at school took the piss as my dad drove this ancient almost homemade dark blue with light blue stripes down the sides A30. The very same kids dads didn't even drive. Great cars.
In 1971 as a 13 year old I bought an A35 along with an Austin 1100 engine and gearbox for £22. My dad drove it for a couple of years. Dad and his mates all worked for each other at weekends. Between them they had the trades to build a couple of houses, and keep a fleet of elderly motors running. Nominally for £1 per hour, but money rarely changed hands. His mechanic helped me fit the engine and gearbox on that basis. In exchange, I painted his house for 50p per hour. A couple of years later my Saturday job in the Asda warehouse would net me 24p and hour! It was a different world.
@@Bettys_Eldest They were great days though. Things felt real back then and everything had a value. We didn't throw anything away, in fact we didn't have anything to throw away.
A cheap old car is just a classic in waiting! So I keep telling myself about my 156!
Happy memories of my A30 and A35 van. Once got side-swiped in my A35 Van by a fancy Mercedes on a roundabout. He did a runner. It took me a good five minutes to remove his paint from my door hinge!
Well that takes me back! An A35 was my first car and it was an ex-company car. Yes, a company rep had used it to do his sales calls.
Its nice 👌 👍
I’d love one of these, we’ve been spoiled by modern cars but if you were a bit down on your luck and found yourself on foot in the country on a wet cold winters day with a heavy back pack one of these would be an absolute luxury.
That took me back Ian! The sights and the sounds! My mum had an A30 in the mid 60’s followed by a Mini with sliding windows in the late 60’s, followed by a Morris Minor or 1000 in the early 70’s. The A30 was black with a little white flash on the sides and red interior. She just used it for shopping and school runs but I remember once when my Grandma had died, she drove from Long Eaton to Peterborough, where my dad was working away on the Showground, to tell him his mum had passed away. It was torrential rain all the way there and I had to sit in the back with my feet up because the floor was like a sieve, letting floods of water in!! His workmates were amazed it had made the 50 mile journey. We came home in a Bedford TK tractor unit!
It’s so nice to read such fond recollections from former drivers and families who shared part of their lives with one of theses little classics. I bought mine for £55 as part of my ‘saving up to get married’ strategy, I’d previously been driving a Triumph TR4, bought on a loan that I paid off, so it was quite a change. However, I loved the A35 and my fiancé, now wife and I drove from Stafford to Clovelly in 10 hours, via Porlock Hill (1 in 4) and Lynmouth, virtually non-stop. The little car did brilliantly and only faltered when I ventured further South and attempted a 3 point turn on a steep hill in Fowey. The sump hit the kerb and the shock was so sever it knocked the clutch mechanism clean off its mounting. I spent the next 2 hours underneath re-aligning the clutch bearing before continuing on to The Lizard and Lands End. Since then we have travelled down to Cornwall several times (pre-M5) during in the late 60’s. By unclipping the two front seats and turning them sideways we were able to Camp in the car several nights on glorious remote beach car parks up and down Cornwall, then taking impromptu 15 shilling B&B’s intermittently to get cleaned up. I sold it in 1969 for £50 to a neighbour who took a shine to it after 3 wonderful years of memorable motoring.
I always thought that the district nurses drove these little cars.
Ahh brings such great memories. My dad's first car was the A35 van and he kept it for 25 years . He then sold it to a enthusiast , and it is still regesterd today so obviously being looked after nicely
My dad's first car also I believe. I was going to make this comment! Glad to hear your dad's is still going today. My dad told me it was cheaper to get the van version and as he was on such a budget that's what he and I guess a lot of others did.
The late great James Hunt had an A35 van as his daily driver!
The extra headroom was to cater for the average Trilby wearing A35 driver's headwear.
First car we had when we moved to Kenya, even the same colour! I’m back in 1959 with that engine sound. Many thanks.
Used to see loads of these about, including driving schools. Were popular in Sweden, where they were nicknamed 'the meatball'. Bodywork Italian designed. Sometimes used in the USA as parking enforcement vehicles which were apparently ideal for that purpose.
Wow! I grew up in Pennsylvania in the 70s & 80s & don't ever remember seeing any of these; I didn't realize they were marketed in The USA.
@@markhealey9409 You were born too late lol! They were more visible in the 1950s and early 1960s, but not really that common a sight.
Great video, beautiful little car from a nicer world. The exhaust noise alone has me hooked.
andicog Rose tinted memories there i think in all honesty.
@@paulthesquid3595 as I wasn't around back then I can hardly have 'Rose tinted memories' 👍
Charming little cars. I remember seeing them on the road when I was a kid in the late sixties and particularly the seventies. A rare event now sadly, but great to still see them at classic car meetings in the hands of enthusiasts. The baby blue colour suits it down to the ground.
Love it, just the sound of that little enigine memories i learned to drive in an A30 & my 1st car 2 door. even learned how to crank start it!! My dad was a dog handler & only had a 2 mile trip to work. Our German shepard owned the front seat with his head out that pull down window. Anytime you started it, he would bolt around the side of the house expecting to be included.
Was the fun & skill of driving, proved to me you dont need gizmos & eletronics etc to have a fun ride
Oh my word. This brought me to tears reminiscing all the fun times traveling from Sheffield to Whitby on a Sunday day out, I was only about 5 or 6 years old and I remember everything about the car! Fantastic to see once again. We had a car spares company on Penistone Road in Sheffield. Fantastic memories Thank you.
We had one of these new in 1960 Dads firms car I think, I particularly recall that central speedo and indicator, many happy memories of Sunday trips to Barmouth thanks for the video Ian
Ian this has really bought back memories for me, we had an identical one of these in the early 60's.
Remember going down to Southend with my brothers and sisters in this. We got four of us in the back,me and my brother and two sisters. We used to stop at a place called "The Half Way House" for someting to eat and drink before we got on our way down to Southend probably about 68 miles from where I live in Hertfordshire. Think we did a steady 50 m.p.h.
Hello Ian, You're making me very nostalgic with the A35. 'Aggie', my little girl, was a dear little friend. She became, in the course of several stages, a MUSCULAR little friend, with a 1275cc engine, and suspension and brakes to match. (AH Sprite wheels, and driving lights liveried her up in the manner of an MG Magnette)
Lovely!
My dad had one of these as his first car! He always said it was the car he regretted selling the most! It was way before my time unfortunately so I only have a few photos as a memory!
My dad never sold his own cars. They'd go for scrap after he'd done with them.
And the scrap's still here ;(
Anyone want a box of coils ?
A35 countryman van my ultimate favourite old classic still holding good money for a good example. My pal had one 1956 and lent it to me going down a hill dip the clutch to accelerate 😂 but under braking turn to the left and brake hard as the drum brakes were badly adjusted . It was a bit rusty so I named it “ The little green grot box “
Absolutely in love with these cars.👍❤️🇬🇧 stonking video as per usual .
Ahh memories of my mum's A35 "Ermintrude" it was suffering with frilly doors and wings to the point where water would squirt through the door bottoms :o
Replaced with an A40
My auntie's was called "Guinivere"!
Is your mother's name Philipa Rayner? I had an a35 named Ermintrude and it came from England. The one I own now is named Ermintrude II
@@erikvogelzang No sorry she was called Janet, I think a lot of slightly round bovine little cars got called Ermintrude from the Magic Roundabout :)
Yet another outstanding video Ian. The fact you research and explain the history of each test vehicle is sublime. It's the content you put out that's making TV much less appealing. Thanks for sharing 👍
"The fact you research and explain the history of each test vehicle"
That's more Ian than HubNut. It's what he did in his pre-YT journalism days.He's a mass of info on old cars - which is why he could compare any car with any other.
What? No "triangle of doom" comments - love your channel and keep up the good work.
More headroom for longer legs. This is brilliant seeing as you're more than likely to have a longer torso as well- and long before multi-adjustable seats came along.
Just beat me to it. :)
Or the shorter you are, the higher you sit.
It made pulling the seat forward a struggle as one was pulling one's weight uphill, easier done from outside and then having to push it back a bit if required.
I'm over 6ft yet got in a Mini with an 1inch spare. Amazing design & sadly missed. The '90's Mini revamp done away with that seat & I couldn't sit in it without my head on my shoulder. Sacrilege.
I don't hold with this new fangled technology. We already have the railways, and the horse-drawn carriage. What else do we need? I will admit (grudgingly) that this horseless carriage has a certain charm. Thanks for the review, Ian.
My dad had the A35 van when I was a child. I always remember the twist indicator control in the middle. Great for camping!
The noise it creates reminds me of a milk float from the 80's 😄 I love seeing these old vehicles you find.👍🏻
Cool sound and looks, it's excellent this charming car still is on the road today and what a fun and relaxed classic review video. Much appreciation, thank you HubNut👍
Either the tracking is out, or the steering wheel has been off and not put back on straight. Let me have it and within six months I'll sort it out.
That indicator switch is still available for £57.75, but it looks like an after market item. Looks like the new old stock Lucas ones have finally run out. They were used in winker conversion kits from Halfords to replace the old trafficator arms. Back in the 60s probably about 5/- (25p)
I learnt to drive in the A35 and have many fond memories of this lovely car. I just wish that today's cars had that character. Thank you.
I had a Austin A35 van as my first driver, but not on the road, but I drove around my grandparents garden nursery which had a large field which I learnt my driving/handling skills before passing my driving test, great fun, it cost me all of a fiver ! that A series engine has to be one of the all time great engines, which stayed in production for nearly 50 years !
A few days ago one of these, looking completely standard, went past me on the M4. I was only doing about 50, but followed it after it passed. It was accelerating away at a surprising rate. What was most surprising was its complete lack of outward performance tuned appearance. Someone had obviously made a lot of effort to produce an A35 sleeper. Made I smile it did!
I had A30s and A3s in my life from day one when I was growing up. My family was never without one or two.....and Peanut was the name of a dark blue A30 we had from 1977 until 1986. My first car was a grey 1954 Austin A30 2-door Deluxe with the 803cc engine. It too had the heater, body-coloured ash trays with black bakelite handles, chrome trafficator tops and locking fuel cap - all of which (like the opening rear quarter windows) were factory options. She had done 70,084 miles when I bought her in 1984 for the sum total of $NZ500 and the one owner who had had her since he imported her into New Zealand from England (she had been bought there by a relative and therefore was a 'second hand import', thus only eligible for half the import duties) as a 'used', not new, car.
She had been repainted twice in his ownership - once in the early 70s when the original dark grey paint had faded and again just after he put a long crease in the driver's door in 1981. Both times the paint was applied with either a yard broom or a wringer-mop and bucket, so the coats were thick and very textured. While reversing into her spot in a new carport my father had built, I neglected to see his wheelbarrow and scraped it down the RF wing. There was no damage to the bodywork of the A30 except a rub-mark in the paint where the wheelbarrow connected for several feet. A wipe with my hand was sufficient to remove said mark - THAT is how thick the paint was!
The other trick the car had was as a stand-in for Bond's Aston Martin. However, I did not have to flip a switch to get a plume of smoke to appear out the rear - just decelerate down a mild hill and hit the gas at the bottom or idle at the lights for more than a minute. I checked the oil on that car as often as I checked the fuel - which was every time I went to use it. She would use four litres of oil per 1000 miles.....so 250 miles per litre. Some leaked out various seals, but most of it came out the tail pipe, although she never fouled a spark plug funnily enough. She would do 50mph ok, but 60 and over was only possible downhill with a tail wind.....and I only did it once because it scared the heck out of me!
I got my driver's license in the A30 and it was also the first car I ever took on a gravel road. I drove my parents' 42,000 mile A35 up to our summer holiday spot - 100 miles of winding road followed by 12 miles of gravel road only 10 days after getting my license too! The A30 and I had a lot of adventures, but like most teenage boys, I lusted after speed and street cred, so I traded her in on a 1965 Mk1 Cortina GT. It is a move I lave long lamented and despite much searching, I cannot find any trace of my old car. Now few and far between on the ground, finding another one as good as that one was, is not an easy or cheap ask either.
Many thanks for the walk down Memory Lane, Ian. Those sounds bring back great memories....
Aww, This car is so cute and adorable, I wouldn't want to drive it so much as cuddle it. Lovely little thing.
My dad had one of these when we lived with the Americans at raf brize Norton . We used to swap weekend drives with them . They loved this toy car and dad loved the big yank cars . We drove all the way from wrought to hull in the A35 we didn’t know it had a broken axle . Few days later dad was sent to Borneo never to return . When I do see one of these it brings back memories.
DELIGHTFUL! What a little charmer. An ( A30) you say... well I've never heard of it or seen it before in my life but I love it. (Especially that window - lock feature), what a marvelous mechanism. Well it's so CUTE, but one can see it's solidly well - built as well. I've always had a affection for these early British car's. Thank you so much for this fascinating presentation. Jeff, on the other side of the pond.
I saw 2 Austin A35 vans with windows today parked up in a layby on the "A35 road!" near Bere Regis in Dorset. It brought back memories as before my dad had his own car, we did many miles with 7 aboard my uncle's A35 Van. The 2 men in the front; my mother, aunt and sister crammed in the back seat and my cousin and I behind the back seat looking out of the rear window. 100 miles trips to the seaside in Wales were routine.
My dads first car was a 4 door A35 in the same colour. As a family we went everywhere in it, brilliant little car.
Happy Days and Memories.
My first car was a 1962 A35 van which was converted into an estate. I had the car from 1970 to 1974 and it was then scrapped due to excessive corrosion. Thank you HubNut for the video - it brought back many happy memories.
Ah, takes me back. I had regular weekly trips in my cousin's (a long story), named the Flying Flea. We are going back to the late 60's/early70's and it had had one front door replaced but not yet painted to match the rest of the car.
This was my first car bought second hand in 1964. Cream with red interior. Mine was the four door version. You are right about the white metal big end bearings. I had to renew them and at the same time I had the engine re-bored and new 'Hepolite' piston heads fitted. Knowing very little about dismantling and re-assembling an engine, you can imagine how I felt when she fired at the first time of asking. Happy days!
The transmission whine on cars off that era takes me instantly to the vehicles in Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley. (Google them, kids)
I almost expected Brian Cant singing "Here comes Ian in his little sky blue car; he won't be hooning highways but it will take him far!"
Now how classic English a Car is that, 1950s style done properly by a friendly English gent all in Wallace and Gromit character. Can still 'smell' my Dad's 1955 Hillman California interior, the first car where he had me leaning over doing the steering with him. That Hillman holds fond memories. Preceded by his 1950 Vanguard and followed by his '57ish Hillman Minx and then '60ish Morris Oxford with fins before he swung over to his totally different and large Toyota Crown. Big change for him. Thank you Hubnet for your comprehensive reviews. John, Brisbane, Australia.
"Ah THAT'S a big tractor and I'm in a tiny little car!"
No seatbelts either!
Great review as always Ian.
Had the 1959 A35 Black , 2 Door without heater , finally had an escort one fitted ! Loved that car , it was my first .
Thanks, the A35 was my first car in 1968. The rear brakes and handbrake never really worked properly, an hydraulic cylinder moved a mechanical lever that had cables through to the brakes. The front shockers were terrible.
I did thousands of miles in it, Ibought it for £25 and sold it 2 years later for £35. It was a scrapper when I bought it, but my Dad helped me get it back on the road. I learned all my fix it skills on this car.
I changed the engine several times, used A series engines were to be found everywhere for a few quid, a few hours to install, and hopefully another few thousand miles, once the big end separated from the crank and knocked a big hole in the engine, but a day later ,I was running again. Most things could be fixed with basic tools, and of course a hammer.
The first time I saw one was back in 1968 when one turned up at our home in Jamaica for my dad to work on.
Wow this takes me back...my best mate had one of these..and used to ‘breathe on it’ and did it shift on those twisty country roads in our area! Indeed full of charm..simple...easy...thanks for the memory.
I owned a turquoise A30 2 door for a while in the late 80’s, with the optional external sunvisor. With 803cc it was slow but could reach 55mph. The optional heater was a massive box on the bulkhead, much bigger than the battery.
I have a fond childhood memory of being a passenger in one of these with my kind old grandfather who would let my brother and I switch the indicator knob, as I recall that example had flip out indicators on each side. I've always thought of this vehicle as a "Noddy" car!
Thanks for posting.
The flip out indicators were called semaphores. 🙂👍
My uncle in Scotland had an A30 company car which he used to drive all over the country. One day the “engine melted” in his phrase and he had something different. By 1959 he had moved up to the glory that was the Vauxhall Victor Mark 1.....
…..Had the A35 van for years, abused it some, but it never let me down , this brought back great memories,….. thank you.
My first car at 17 years old. Learnt to drive in it in 1969 and had it for 2 years and then went all modern , an A40 ! rebuilt and modded engine and resprayed in bright yellow with back roof. The good old days.
Like something from the Beano. Sounds great and the wipers and so cute. Thanks for driving it. ❤️
Properly laughed at the manually operated windscreens washers. Lovely little car, such an evocative noise.
Thanks for that. I passed my test in one of these, my grandads car, back in 65, when I was 17.
He would let me borrow it in the evenings and with my mates, we would cruise the streets of Brighton.
Cool!!
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The usual reason to have an anti roll bar on the back and not the front is to give the front more grip. My guess is that it would be a chronic understeerer without the rear anti roll bar. Your test brings back memories of my trips to school in an A35. Especially the indicator!
Cannot beat the sound of a A-series. Lovely little car, great review as always.
Thanks Hubnut.....very nostalgic. Family owned 3 of these (A30&A35s) during my early years. After the usual cars in common use (pre & post-war Austin 7s & 8s) the A35 was considered quite 'sporty' !
I only have one recollection of this car. It was when I went to a prep school not too far from Oxford, and a Californian professor working at Oxford University put his kids into our school back in the early 1970s. They bombed around in an old Austin A35 which was totally hillarious to them as they were used to driving large station wagons back in the US. I really can't imagine the culture shock that they experienced.
From the sublime to the ridiculous - prior to watching this delightful test of the A35, a car I've always loved, I was watching a road test of a 1965 Maserati (Vignale) Sebring 3500 GT Series 1. Man what a car, stunning in grey with red leather - sounded glorious...! I love the A35 just as much! Greetings from Oz
My grandparents first car! Loved the video and sent it to my dad!
That's a SERIOUSLY lovely car! It'd almost work as an every-day car, providing there's no motorways on your daily run. A true beauty, and the exhaust "pphhrrpp" is just so reminiscent of my childhood! Thanks, Ian!
As a child of the sixties, I remember them well , someone in our road had a A35 van, green and white wheels, the rear door was flat with a window and it was a hinged opening.
Dad had the van version when I was a youngster. I traveled in the back Mam and Dad in front. I was allowed to reach through and work the indicator switch. Happy days.
What a nice little car, I always loved these, I used to get a lift to school back in the 60's in the estate/van version, would love to add one to the fleet someday.....
Such a charming little car, love it!
My Dads first car was an A35 , the van version. He had rear seats installed for my brother and I . We travelled all the way from Lancashire where we lived to Devon for our holidays. An epic journey in those days for such a little car. I remember the quirky indicator switch on the dashboard so clearly.
My father-in-law had an A30, and once let me drive it on a long run while I was still a learner. We were 4-up but I managed to coax it to 60 mph; but it really didn't want to do any more! Also once borrowed an A35 van - that had extra low gear ratios, I believe, so 50 was about all that would do!
I had a 948cc 1968 van “countryman” conversation by Restall in the mid ’80’s. I took the anti-roll bar off and it was like a 2CV - but it handled so much better. Weak point was the brakes. Was going to put Midget discs and a 1 3/4 SU on it, but unfortunately tin worm had got to it in a major way so ended up scrapped in the early’90’s. I loved that car.
My first car! I remember it well. It went up hill fully loaded without any problem. It had 'lace' for doorsills but I loved it,
Awww Wow that brings back memories.
Dad would let me play 'Co Pilot' flicking the Indicator Switch. When I got to ride up Front..!!
All Seat belt free, when in the back, sliding from side to side
Could be Fun down country roads..!!
Great review Mr. Hubnut..!
Thanks..!
Cheers All from Oz. 😎
An A 30, four door, black with semaphore indicators was my first car in 1965.. I loved it. I fitted the indicator lights and dash switch as a mod.
I had a A35 1958 I went all over the north island NZ over some of the roughest roads GREAT FUN
We found one in a garage in Brynamman in 1972; 1200 miles on the clock, original tyres, everything… completely untouched, just loved. The owner never took it out in the rain, or at night. The car, we called, “Herbie” was immaculate throughout. There was no rust anywhere, no wear on the seats, carpet, peddles, nothing! Herbie looked like a brand new car, in British racing green🤗 my brother was stopped by the police, on more than one occasion, just to look at her, we think🤗 thats how good she was. I recall the little, flip up indicators, and the smell… never forget the smell. It took about 5 minutes to get to 60😂❤️
A nice little car.
When I started junior school in 1970 (Charlestown CP School, Cornwall) my first teacher was a lady called Mrs. Moss, and she drove a powder blue A35 just like this one.
Now, I'm not quite sure how the human brain works, but when I try to remember Mrs. Moss' face, all I can see in my mind's eye is the face of the A35 on the front of her head!
This actually happens to me quite a bit. There was a man who worked for my dad who drove a Ford Corsair (the pointy fronted one) and again, when I try to remember his face all I see is the Corsair's! And again with my Granma's neighbour Mr. Blake, he had a little green Riley Elf and that was his face as well!
The A30, the first car I ever got to drive. In 66 we did 900 miles around Scotland in just over 10 days.
All we need now is an A40 Farina test an I'll be a happy bunny :D
Ian, Ian, Ian, memories, memories, memories. I remember going out for a ride many times in my uncle's car in the mid 50's. I t used to be a thrill as it was so different to my fathers car, a huge Vauxhall but can't remember the name that particular vehicle. Strange but can't really remember much about my father's cars until he got a Hillman Californian, which was absolute luxury. My uncle went on to buy a Standard 10 which again was a superb car.
I had two A30s, both two door, the first with an A35 engine. Loved them both. Happy memories. The sort of car shape they can bring back as electric cars. Do not know why it has a brake servo. It certainly does not seam to work. I never had trouble stopping. Just look after the master cylinder (under the drivers right heel) & the brake linings. The rear rod mechanism is a very good thing on an older car, very easy to maintain.
I had an A35 Van. Brakes were not good. To me, it was Austins' way of cheapening the Braking System. To have a Slave Cylinder with rods and Clevis Pins means trouble - and poor braking. The Handbrake Framework also wrapped itself around the Rear Brake Slave Cylinder. I think that it was the Handbrake Framework that took the hydraulic force when the footbrake was pressed. The framework was adjustable, and (if this ever becomes separated whilst driving, like a rock damages the Linkage)) you lose the foot brake pedal, and also the handbrake won't function at all. There is no braking fail-safe from memory, and I looked at the braking design and thought "Could be better". This was my biggest criticism of the A35, but rust ended its' life at 7 years old.
What memories! My first car after passing my test in 1966, was an A35 van, because I wanted a new vehicle and vans without rear side windows avoided 'purchase tax'. It cost £299, with an extra £20 for the luxury of a heater. MTO 846F, 948cc, took me all over Britain and even on a long holiday in 1970 to the Bavarian Alps and Austrian Tyrol - getting up those alpine roads tested it considerably! I loved that van - my first long journey from Nottingham to Edinburgh cost £1.5.0 (old money) - 5 gallons with that lean engine. No problems at all mechanically, no breakdowns en-route anywhere. A wonderful vehicle that I kept for 7 years and then up-graded to an Anglia saloon.
But my blue van will never fade from my memory. I last saw it in Nottingham in the 1980s.
Loved my A35 in gloss black with red plastic “upholstery”. I supplemented the heating when parked up with a Primus stove - good until the oxygen ran out. It’s chosen name was Expendable 6 in white Letraset. Traction engine steering wheel knob added for faster handbrake turns. Epic little machine!
Fantastic video. I drove an A35 for years and never knew you could lock the windows that way 😄 lovely practical little car. I used to drive from Ascot to North Devon in mine on a regular basis. The front seat lifted out in seconds so I could shift ridiculous loads. Even got a full sized fridge inside on one occasion.
I love the winged 'A' on the bonnet and the little chrome sidelights on the top of the wings.
Dad had both sizes of the van variant. So many memories of a great little vehicle
My uncle had one of these.
Him and my Aunt used to come and visit us often in their little car, complete with the dog on a tartan blanket in the back seat.
In those days cars would only be driven at 30-40 miles an hour on the country roads.