A Look At The Vintage Austin A30 & A35 British Motor Cars

Join Eamonn O'Neal and Nicky Fox as they explore classic British charm with the Austin A30 and A35, courtesy of the Austin Owners Club.
Nester Warrel shares her vintage ride's unique story, while Eamonn delves into the distinct features and enhancements that set the A35 apart from its predecessor, the A30.
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[@professornuke7562]

BOLLOCKS. My Moggie van did 65 with the engine from one of these in it. Admittedly taking off from the lights surrounded by Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores was a bit wild...... (1986)

[@jonathanpardoe8722]

Well anyone that sneers at this car should appreciate the bulletproof A series mill , cast iron so no warping of cylinder head at the slightest overheat . can withstand driving without water for long periods, does not need cambelt changes , no stupid sensors , and fuel economy so good its not worth mentioning . Engine still produced in Turkey and easily tuneable.

[@nickhickson8738]

But didn't all A series engines have that inaccessible piece of coolant hose that bridged the small space between the cylinder head and the main engine block? Virtually impossible to replace without lifting the head. There were compressible one's though.

[@brentbailey4900]

Thanks. This was my first car in the 60's. Wish I still had it for Sundays!!

[@micknedved9411]

I know where there is one in Australia

[@eamonryan2198]

The first car I drove on the road, aged 10, in 1959.

[@gavinbolton4660]

Unbelievable, I actually spotted one of these in absolute mint condition in Cape Town today.

[@henrylambert8621]

Austin a 35 I am glad to say I own one myself what a lovely small car

[@BillDFC]

I loved my A35....GTS 730 4 door! Bought it for £16. 10/- Drove from Dundee to London and back in 1971.

[@user-wp6eh1gi4z]

1970 my next door neighbour knocked on my door and asked me if I wanted to buy his Austin A35 as he was upgrading to a Vauxhall Wyvern. I asked "how much?" he came back with "£30 quid" Deal done. Me, the Missus and baby went on a two week tour of Devon and Cornwall and not one problem at all. Sold it 3 years later to a mate for £30 and bought an Austin Cambridge. Ah those were the days

[@josephbragg5445]

We used to do that in the states years ago but those days are long gone .

[@mid-walesrover681]

Port Sunlight garden Village was the perfect place to show off this great chapter of motoring heritage.

[@FrewstonBooks]

I had a 1956 A30 van with windows, ca, 1964. No heater, and an engine that never needed the oil changed - it used so much that no oil I put in lasted linger than a few weeks. A rear axle half shaft breaking on the Watford bypass left me stranded one day, but found one on a breakers yard and replaced it one Sunday morning. That was the only time it let me down. Sold it privately for a 3 year old Ford 105E Anglia in 1965.

[@ericgeorge5483]

My old man had 2 of these. Both vans with rear windows put in and rear seats and his first one did over 400k with no problems at all and was ASTONISHING in the snow. They are very collectable these days and fetch good money, and rightly so because they are EXCELLENT cars.

[@rodneyrowell7743]

As a student, I had an A30 as my first car when I turned 18. It was a real challenge to keep it going. In particular, the white metal crankshaft half-shell bearings only lasted a month or two before having to be replaced. It took a couple of hours to remove the sump, clean out the fragments of white metal and replace the bearings. For some reason, the bearing nearest the firewall was the main offender - probably didn't get enough oil. I think my various girlfriends might have liked the vehicle had it not been for the leaking rear window which caused water to pool under the back seat resulting in it acting like a soppy sponge! The front shock absorbers attached by three bolts were treacherous things. They were an integral part of the configuration of the suspension - the mounting bolts routinely fatigued and broke within about 5,000 miles resulting in the suspension's complete collapse. I could go on ad finitum about the problems with that car. My happiest day with that prick of a thing was when I swapped it for a Hillman Minx. For the experience, I am damaged to this day!

[@dennishawkes9892]

I worked at Austins worked on the A35 covering the door casings

[@fatbelly27]

Great little cars. I used to drive my mum's in the late 1970s. A Palm Green A35 with heater and 948cc engine!

[@jsgould5392]

my first car, A35 van, bought in 1965 for £40, great fun and still miss it but costly to buy now.

[@johndoyle4723]

An A35 was my first car bought in 1969 for £25,it jumped out of gear regularly,one leaf spring was broken, and the big ends were rattling, apart from that a bargain. I soon got it all fixed up, and ran it for 2 years, and changed the engine 3 times. There were plenty of spare engines around for about £5, and you could do a full change in about 4 hrs. Always problems with the handbrake and the mechanical rear brake system. Exhausts were always blowing, I just used to patch them up with any bits of exhaust system I could find. Sold it for £40,some fond memories.

[@tonycamplin8607]

Great cars. My father had two black A35s with one number plate between them, he used to swap it over when he was repairing one of them!! I passed my test in one of them in 1959. The video said in the days before traffic jams, utter rubbish in the 1950s no town was bypassed and consequently the jams were horrendous.

[@merseydave1]

Great Cars ... in the lovely setting of Port Sunlight on the Wirral Peninsular

[@dianeirvine7624]

My mum had one of the first air con models,--- on the way to Brighton we hit pot hole and the rear window fellout

[@Dogtagnan]

If Wallace and Grommett have one it must be "crackin' "

[@smitajky]

"Never trust an A35 who is indicating a turn. They may have forgotten to turn them off" I would say the exact opposite. Because you ALWAYS turned them off you never "forgot". Unlike a modern indicator that can fail to turn off on a less than 90 degree bend. Where because the driver never turns them off they don't realize that in this case they actually have to.

[@reburdoc4647]

The only other car I owned with a obvious do as it told indicator was the Citroen CX

[@frankmitchell3594]

You could hardly forget the indicators with that switch flashing away and clicking in front of you.

[@RobinHood5045]

Nice. I think my Grandad brought an Austin in 1955, but that was an A40 model.

[@davidellis279]

My dad had an A35 and loved it,he drove like a mad man in it even though it topped out about 65mph,there wasn't as much traffic about in those days which was probably a good job because the brakes weren't that good.

[@SloopyDog]

I have had 2 A35 estate cars and a A35 van. I have had many classic cars in my 51 years of driving. The A35 was my always my favourite. Cheap to run , easy to maintain and great to drive. I wish they were still made today. I would be first to buy one. I can't pretend all British classic cars were great. A lot were rust buckets, but there were a lot of nice cars and vans made in Britain and I was lucky enough to drive a great many of them.

[@jmsmaxwell]

+Sloopy .Dog During my time in England from 8 - 72 I bought a bevy of British cars and would drive them, fix up what needed fixing and then sell them to people I knew that needed them and it let me indulge in my hobbyof driving a lot of vehicles that were fun and the repairing of them to safe and trustworthy rides. I must admit some were not worth the effort but still fun to tear down and see how things were done in them. I did take more than one to the scrappers to remove it from the public.

[@SloopyDog]

+James Maxwell I learned how to repair cars by rebuilding them re-spraying them. Once I had fixed them up I got bored and I looked for a new project. I had some great classics for very little money. I enjoyed the old cars better than the modern cars I drive now.

[@ericgeorge5483]

My dad loved both of his A35 Vans. One did (as I posted above) over 400k with no issues! Just incredible.

[@a.j.carter8975]

A35 racing

[@SloopyDog]

@@a.j.carter8975 You were more likely to be done for loitering instead of speeding. I think racing the A35 may be a bit optimistic.

[@robertchauval]

A35 .. my 1st car 1979 in New Zealand. Drove it home from school with 8 mates and dog and broke a stub axle LOL. I cracked 50mpg routinely when i needed to to save cash for a tank full.. go light on the pedal and it would run on the smell of a oily rag.. Loved it.. so many fond memories... no bells n whistles just lots of charm and character

[@presterjohn71]

I had an aunt that had a powder blue A35 right until she stopped driving in the mid-nineties. A classic car in many ways.

[@GrahamOrm]

I remember a hot summer holiday in Anglesey in my dad's. It was black and the weather was so hot you couldn't touch the bodywork. The seats were red leather (am I mistaken?), with dangly leather looped straps on the door posts to help rear passengers in and out. We had it for a couple of years and it ran well, it was superseded by a red mini traveller. Much simpler happy days in the 1960's.

[@ledeyabaklykova]

The bonnet lift handle does it for me.

[@datathunderstorm]

This was literally my Dad’s first ever vehicle purchase. He’d bought a used Austin A30 / 35 in baby blue colour with only two doors - this would have been between 1965 and 1967. I’m pretty sure that version had the half moon rear window. I recall my sister and I who were under 6 years old back then, kneeling on the rear seats facing backwards and looking out of that tiny rear window when we went for a drive. He sold it when he finished his studies and travelled back to West Africa. I watched this video purely for the nostalgia.

[@barryrichards3187]

My first car was an Austin A35 Estate. They called it a van, bloody cheek. I loved it and wish I had it now.

[@NYJALB]

We've had two of these cracking little cars in the past......and hopefully one day, we'll get another one!

[@ericgeorge5483]

NYJALB There is something so loveable about these cars. When looked after they are completely reliable too.

[@alanhindmarch657]

My Father had a 1957 A35, 4 Door, my Uncle Had a Green Van, an a Friends Dad a 2 Door A35. Love them.

[@xyz2121]

I love the little headlamp hoods on one of those cars.

[@geraldhutchins1023]

me and my dad god bless him we use to drive round country fitting showers over the bath in a a35 van and it never let us down it use to run out of water we use to fill it up and on we go good old days you cant buy that

[@jeffallinson8089]

Great little cars famed for reliability. I love the A35.

[@drspaseebo410]

The A30 was a classic little British car. A gem.

[@jmsmaxwell]

I bought one of these in 1969 for the princely sum of 80 pounds. It passed the MOT test and was in excellent condition. The lady I bought it from said she and her husband bought it brand new in Lutton and it was keep garaged until he passed justbefore I bought it. She did not drive and had not need for it. It had all the papers that came from the dealership and wasa ton of fun to drive. I sold it to a friend and he brought it stateside when he came home in 1971. I saw him several years later and he still had it and was prepping it for his daughter to use when she went to college. The Austin was stillin perfect condition and he had just rebuilt the motor and installed a upgraded stereo system in it for her.

[@brendanhurson4635]

James Maxwell

[@barrierodliffe4155]

I bought a 1952 Side Valve Morris Minor in 1965, it had only done 36,000 miles from new and apart from a very little rust it was in very good condition, I had a lot of fun driving it, a bit slow but very economical. I also drove A 35`s and many other small British cars including my 3 MG`s which were great fun and reliable.

[@donnymoylan5346]

James Maxwell r

[@SSGTA440]

This was a fabulous car..unit body construction, rack and pinion steering, and that 4 cylinder OHV engine....the A and B, BMC engines were tremendous....and BTW...these engines really respond to hot rod mods....bore and balance, port and flow the head, a tube header, bigger camshaft, and high perf intake and carb....believe me, they'll go faster than 50MPH!!.....

[@farouqomaro598]

One of the popular cars in Malaya & British Borneo during the 1950s & 1960s

[@martinlee5604]

I grew up in Bournemouth, and our family of four had a blue Austin A30 (PRU 985) until 1969 when we replaced it with a Ford Anglia estate (586 DCG).

[@poppyneese1811]

I always thought Britain built beautiful classy cars, but all we saw on tv was Jags, Rolls, Bentley’s, and the Range Rovers. Had no ideal that she also built these lil Austin’s that also are beautiful! Love reading the stories from the Britts that owned these lil classics! A few Austin Healeys made it here to West Virginia, mostly driven by pipe smoking, tweed wearing college professors that would have sold their souls to be British, but Lord how I loved the Triumphs, MG’s and the few Austin’s we got to see. In high school a Dodge dealer had a lil Blue MG sitting in the back, I don’t think it ran, but walking home from work late at night I would get in it and shift the gears and imagine I was driving the lil blue MG in the mountains of West Virginia.

[@Londonfogey]

When I was a boy (late 70s) there was a man in our street with one of these. It was very black and very rusty. I remember thinking it was the oldest car I had ever seen, but it couldn't have been more than 25 years old.

[@ABCDEF-yf4yu]

The Austin A35 is distinguishable from the A30 by the bigger rear window. Is the car smaller than a Mini and Fiat 600?

[@smitajky]

Some of the things I liked were a) it had a lot of usable space. Modern vehicles are much less efficient in their use of space and weight. b) I liked the manual turn indicator switch and starter. Both robust and fail safe. c) Every component, engine, suspension and brakes were easy to work on with simple tools and facilities. d) the boot was capacious, easy to load and DIDN'T need a key to open. You could choose to lock it or not. e) you couldn't lock your keys in the car. It had to be locked WITH the key. f) It was almost unboggable on a muddy paddock. g) the quarter vents gave good ventilation in most conditions. h) the corners of the car were easy to see for safe simple parking.

[@wassock55]

i had a van and used it to travel through the new forest each day---it had a great big rust hole in the floor and when it rained i used to get wet

[@billymcauliffe7855]

My grandfather had an Austin van he had a shop and it went every were no problem at all

[@ramblerandy2397]

In decent condition, properly set up and adjusted, the brakes were fine.

[@victormuckleston]

as long as you used proper asbestos linings, the new linings are rubbish.

[@Yorkshiremadmick]

Brilliant there’s still one driving around in Amble by the Sea Gorgeous little thing. My exMilitary 110 Defender doesn’t have self cancelling indicators and takes 3 minutes to hit 60 down hill with a strong tail wind 🌬 It also doesn’t want to stop 🛑

[@nickhickson8738]

The A30 was the first car I bought on HP after passing my test my test in 1956/7. I bought it from Car Mart Croydon but soon after the clutch started slipping so was replaced unter warranty. Went all over the place in it and then fitted the chrome band around the front grill to make it look like the A35.

[@TheRousler]

My father had a grey A35 van and converted it to an estate. Then a cream one and did the same....Austin employee discount plus saving on purchase tax by buying the van.

[@lapisredux]

apparently bugatti based the veyron grill on the A30.

[@Seele2015au]

I am sure you said it in jest; Ettore Bugatti designed his radiator based on the back of a chair designed by his father.

[@lapisredux]

@@Seele2015au or more likely a toilet seat designed by his father.

[@brentbailey4900]

Thanks Mick. I think I have moved on. I now drive a jeep GC Overland with all the bells and whistles and it tows like there is not tomorrow but I'd prefer to have the service costs of the A30.

[@stephensmart7388]

Sweet little car's memories of yesterday's

[@asa1973100]

How fabulous was Nesta and her estate

[@TheHypnotstCollector]

in 1956, age 6, I stepped into my front yard to see an A30 parked next door. There was "stuff" in it, boxes, ?. I looked it over and thought it must be a car for a kid and maybe my parents had gotten it for me. alas.

[@Chipchase780]

TheHypnotstCollector 😂👍

[@desdicado999]

There is one for sale in the small mountain town of NewDenver in British Columbia Canada not immaculate but complete and most likely road worthy and all complete .

[@101jumpit]

Remember when me Dad had an Austin A30....Happy Days .......:)

[@heronimousbrapson863]

I remember these cars in western Canada in the 1950's (left hand drive models of course).

[@jerrybootneck1736]

My very first car at 17 was the A35, I paid £90 in the early 70's. Most weekends I'd drive 280 miles to visit my family and back again, never had a problem with it and it started first time every time. I even still remember it's registration PHJ 820. When I eventually sold it I got £50 for it lol.. Brilliant little car with lots of memories. Oh and it had been re-sprayed by the garage I bought it from, 2 parts crimson to one part red giving it something like a Maroon colour.

[@DarshanSingh-xc9vt]

I had two of themA30 in1970 Lovely cars

[@robrichards6979]

The car/ van is an A30 not an A35, the A 30 had a chrome grill and flip out indicators. The A35 had neither.

[@paulnicholls8683]

We often called them baby Austins. I dont think that was mentioned.

[@datathunderstorm]

Thanks for clearing that up. My Dad had a 2 door A30 then - not an A35 as I thought; his car did have the flip out indicators and a chrome grill. The indicators were later upgraded to the more modern ones and the flip outs disabled.

[@regsparkes6507]

OMG,..I would sell my soul ( almost, LOL,) for an A35 Van,...what a car!

[@davegoody2096]

Lovely little car.

[@tbwpiper189]

Looks like an upholstered rollerskate.

[@Musician-Lee]

I had an A30 and later an A35 van. They were great cars, but for some inexplicable reason the foot brake hydraulic cylinder was under the floor rather than in the engine compartment, meaning it got covered in mud and the mechanism jammed unless very regularly cleaned. The extra 100cc in the A35 made a lot of difference, and it was far more lively than the A30.

[@wildernessactivitiescanada1030]

1963 I went to Southend airport and flew with it (A 35) to Deauville, drove to the south of Franch for a camping holiday then returned via Deauville and Southend. 1964 left for Canada and drove a Ford with a V8 engine.

[@holger5555]

The engine of the Austin A35 was used in Tempo Matador in Germany.

[@bambangpurwanto8350]

My father have this car at 1964 until 1967

[@nickhickson8738]

Still looks good today.

[@deanosaur808]

More than 2600 a30/a35's still on the road in the UK, and over 1000 more SORN! The MGB is probably the most common classic car in the UK. 25,000 still on the road 🤯

[@rpm1796]

My Mum had one...''The Puddle Jumper''

[@robertkibbler1564]

I always thought Noddy drove a Fiat Gamine..?

[@davidluck4608]

Great old cars😇

[@llewellynwilliams1956]

thats the lovely "port sunlight village" were the soap factory is on the wirral

[@geespar1]

I’m sorry I don’t agree about Noddy, his motor was more like a convertible Morris Minor as it had separate ‘mudguard’ style wings, the wings being red of course and the rest of the car yellow, which wouldn’t have worked on an A30/A35 (please see any illustrated Noddy book or Noddy TV adventure for evidence)

[@adrinathegreat3095]

Cars today are far more powerful, unfortunately traffic speed hasn't moved on much. Funny comment about the brakes, it's a small lightweight car, that accelerates slowly, it's not a 2 ton monster truck that needs huge expensive brakes to slow it down

[@AAHKLEE]

Hydraulic front drum brakes with mechanical rears. However, a slave cylinder mounted on the rear axle actuated the rears with pressure from the front. God Save the Queen! (and all who sail in her)

[@allanarmstrong4333]

AAHKLEE no slave cylinder on the rear axel. and the brakes are all hydraulic.

[@ontherunplmr1218]

Yes on A30, was my first car I purchased in 1972, 1956 model ! although just passed the MOT the rear brakes did not work because the slave cylinder was stuck fast ! also I had to fill in all the wheel arches with newspaper with Davids Isopon on top wonderful stuff like concrete when set, then painted with black paint !! happy days !

[@hoppinonabronzeleg9477]

I imagine you mixed the gearbox oil 2 parts sawdust; 3 parts oil as well. Oh year and don't forget to wind the speedo back with an electric drill too !

[@niamh_20]

Don't knock the peanut. They were great cars. My dad had an A35 van. A 1968 on F Reg. He wishes he still had it.

[@glenarmone684]

my first car A30 cost me 50 quid it had the trafficators little signal arms lit up and stuck out I would regularly forget to cancel and break it off I sold it for 50quid after two years and bought a A40 farina.

[@glpilpi6209]

I bought an immaculate A30 once for £25 , the clutch slipped a bit though.

[@MostEasterlySteve]

Good for old Hughie. Spent a tenner on some plastic wings and with the money he saved he bought the missus a new basin to do her hair with 2:53

[@alanfbrookes9771]

Never get up to 70 in it? Nonsense. I had a 1957 Austin A35, my first car, and I often had it beyond 70. You could easily get 80 on a flat road. In races they recorded one at 94.

[@victormuckleston]

they tested the protatypes to 90 mph, but turned the power down as the engine would need replacing at 20000 miles

[@alanfbrookes9771]

I wish I still had it. I bought it for £30, drove it for 4 years, then sold it for £35 and bought a Jag.

[@TheKenjoje]

Is the video from late 90s?

[@darkunderworld]

Road tax on the window expires in 1995

[@fordlandau]

Did it look as funny in the 1950s as it does now ?

[@iainreid9914]

Strictly speaking they are not 'vintage' This term was borrowed (from the wine industry) in the early 1930's. The Vintage Sports Car Club started because it was felt modern cars were not as good or well built as earlier ones. The club classified carss from 1913 to 1931 (I think) as 'vintage' and worthy of being held in high regard . Some later thorough bred cars were later accepted as 'Post Vintage thoroughbreds'. In modern times the term has become misused to the car enthusiast and mistakenly applied because a car was old. It is not an age related criteria but a quality one. Some vintage cars in the thirties actually were quite new.

[@hjp1hjp22]

Perhaps the smallest four door car, but there was also the two door. Not ideal for a six foot six, twenty stone passenger.

[@santiirigoyen3334]

Beautiful cars

[@josephbragg5445]

Neat little car

[@faslunnishamohamednizar870]

Spare parts available now for this car?

[@ivanmanagh6574]

I had a Austin A30 it was renown to need replacement bearing shells every month or so, I could replace them in 2 or 3 hours as I became a expert at this as they need doing so often. The shells were made of a soft steel and were rubbish . Other than that a fantastic car. We called ours a A3 as there was no room for a 0.

[@edgarbeat275]

Ivan Managh did you ever reginde and polish the crankshaft journals. If not that would explain the high rate of wear. My mini has done 102,000 miles and the engine has original bearings and standard bore size. The head had to come off to free of a sticking valve that's all. I change the oil regular.

[@edgarbeat275]

Was it an 803cc? If so the yes those don't like revs 55mph max anything more and it protests by eating it's bearings.

[@DelTry-tq3fh]

With regards to indicators, it would appear that most modern cars don't seem have any indicators. So I don't trust them anyway.

[@joelbun7808]

I had one in the early 60s and was fast it would reach 80

[@wolfstock6030]

Das ist ja mal ein lustiges Auto. Ein Winzling und fährt wie wild auch heute noch. Wäre an der Zeit den heute wieder für den Stadtverkehr und auf der Kurzstrecke zu aktivieren. Wäre der Hingucker. Kacken alle neuen Autos aber heftig gegen ab. Grüße aus Köln/Cologne, Germany.

[@theactualnic]

Fizzy little car!!!!

[@OldCharlieRum1903]

Where’s Jimmy Wagg?

[@robertnorth8631]

I have a a30 as3. 1953 l am trying to find a new home for it

[@eddkennedy6458]

The second car going over the camera is burning oil.

[@mastercylinder1939]

We had an A40, white with a grey roof.

[@edward002gaming]

what a sweet old lady poor she lost her a30 these lorry drivers never took care of road safety even today

[@joeysarmiento1925]

Do they have left hand driven A35s? Neat!!! 👍🇵🇭😎

[@mowbray99]

I had one in 1967 from Monte Carlo the engine seized up on the A1 at Wetherby me and a mate got an engine from a scrap yard and put it in .

[@joeysarmiento1925]

@@mowbray99 so your engine is a left hand drive? I'm not stupid ok. I don't know what you are saying.

[@mowbray99]

@@joeysarmiento1925 It`s quite simple the car was left hand drive, imported into this country ,the engine was the same as all others but it seized up and me and a friend replaced it.

[@joeysarmiento1925]

@@mowbray99 thank you. You are lucky to have a nicedaily classic. We don't have those cars in the 🇵🇭.

[@harleyhartley3168]

What year was this filmed? x

[@Menandmotors]

1999! :)