BETTER Than A Morris Minor?! Austin A35 Road Test

[@r1273m]

Back in the 1960's when I was a teenager, my first two cars were A30's, I couldn't afford an A35. The second one I put in a larger, 948cc engine I had been given and covered hundreds of miles regularly. I couldn't afford to take it to a garage for servicing and repair so taught myself from books to do the work. Even difficult jobs such as King Pins and replacement master cylinder I undertook. I learned so much that way.

[@Deepthought-42]

@@r1273m Same here. I remember replacing big end shells shells lying in the road on hardpacked snow. I could whip the head off, give it a decoke and regrind the valves in a morning. With modern cars I have to go on KZbin to find out how the wiper blades come off

[@Bettys_Eldest]

In the mid 60s my dad replaced his Reliant three wheeler with an early A35. He fitted an Austin 1100 engine and higher ratio gearbox. It would do almost 80 mph and 40 mpg. Jaguar owners would look on in surprise as he cruised on the M1 or M62 alongside them. The brakes were not great. All the disadvantages of rod brakes with none of the advantages of hydraulic, but eventually you would slow down. He built a large 6' x 4' trailer to hold all our camping gear and hand painted them both cobalt blue with a surf blue roof/lid. We once went to see Yorkshire County Cricket Club play in the John Player Sunday League at Worcester, only he got the date wrong and there was no game that day, so we went to Anglesey for the day, and by the time we returned home after midnight he had driven over 500 miles. He drove it for about eight years before replacing it with a 64 Cambridge.

[@megapangolin1093]

Great car, our family had one, with 4 kids in the back it still went well. I had a Moggy as my first car, took it off the clock, went like a dream, but you used conservation of momentum, anticipation when braking and grip the wheel and brace with your elbow on the door on corners, never a dull moment. Easy to fix or service them at the weekend, ready for Monday to drive to work. Great, sympathetic review.

[@johnmoulton9728]

My mum had a new one , it was a great car we often drove to Scotland and back from the south of England

[@frankb5603]

As an ancient Brit I enjoyed your review and liked your positive comments. The A35 was a nice little car.

[@Musician-Lee]

I’ve had two, and an A30 as well, plus 3 Morris Minors. I found the under-floor brake cylinder on the Austin to be a maintenance problem compared to Morris’s under-bonnet cylinder and the handling on the Morris is far superior because of the body shape. The Austin has a certain charm, and for just plodding along is fine. Just my opinion.

[@rogerphelps9939]

The Morris Minor brake cylinder was also under the floor and a pain to work on. As I remember it you had to dismantle the torsion bar suspension to get at it.

[@SusiesRepeat]

I had an A30 back in the day, I loved that car. How ever my sister totaled it , thanks Sue.

[@garycollard1981]

I recently drove an A30 at the Great British Car Museum. Really enjoyed the experience. Being an A30 it had a much longer gear stick. I got the hang of gear changes pretty well within the time I had. Would love to drive one again. Loved the sliding window, was looking for the winder at first.

[@nzmax]

I enjoyed your review. A mate has a 1958 A35 two door that was purchased new by his mums aunt, which has only done around 35,000 miles. Its a true "only driven to church on Sundays" car, as thats about the only time she drove it. She lived within walking distance of the supermarket and shops in the town centre, so was only rarely used for shopping trips. It recently had some engine work done to it, as I guess it has never been "run in" properly and some other parts replaced due to age related deterioration. I recently drove it, and was very surprised at how lively the 948cc engine actually is, and dont remember my own A35 I had in the late 80s being that good. Even the gear shift is still quite tight and precise, which would have been what they were like new. It would keep up with modern town traffic relatively well, and although they have a bit of body roll, I dont think anybody would be pushing one to its limits these days.

[@robertmcbride1859]

I used to own one back in the early 1970s. It was a great little car.

[@mikeonb4c]

A next door neighbour had a 1967 British Racing Green A35 van he had had from new and it was in showroom condition. He knew i admired it and when he decided to sell it (c1982) he let me buy it for £300. When I first started driving cars in 1968, A35s were the cheap old bangers a few people bought, and they drove horribly. But this A35 van was in 'as new' condition and I was amazed at how nice it was to drive. It wasn't fast, but it was quite smooth and the suspension pleasant and damped. It wasn't particularly noisy, there were no rattles, and when I took it down to Cornwall from London (starting at 3am and driving into dawn on quiet roads) I drove at 60-65 mph and got 40 mpg. I sold it two years later for £500 as I didn't have a garage and I felt it needed a proper 'collector' owner who could look after it in the way it needed to be. In my youth I had had Morris 1000 saloon, convertible and Traveller. But my favourite car remains the 1958 MG Magnette ZB Varitone I had for several years (also bought for £300).

[@Deepthought-42]

These cars with cross ply tyres taught me a lot about car handling. When wet it was possible to drift on roundabouts within the legal speed limit. 😀

[@markthomasson5077]

Especially in the wet, a small steering wheel gives more fun.

[@angelsone-five7912]

Smashing car.

[@jamesdavidson4135]

The first car I ever bought with my own money. Town and Country tyres on the back for the Winters crossing the border in to Scotland. Loved it never a problem

[@taks8439]

I have a Moggy but never driven an A35. I have to say the handling of the moggy is amazing considering the era it came from.

[@paulc9588]

Fantastic! One of the most charming and endearing cars ever built in Britain. Brings back memories of lifts in an A35 from a school friend's mum in '73/'74 when I was 6/7 years old . . . an old car and pretty rare even then. I found the dashboard indicator switch fascinating. She replaced it with a Simca 1000 and then a Hillman Imp Caledonian, a reminder of how cool and interesting everyday cars once were.

[@Bettys_Eldest]

In the mid 60s my dad replaced his Reliant three wheeler with an early A35. He fitted an Austin 1100 engine and higher ratio gearbox. It would do almost 80 mph and 40 mpg. Jaguar owners would look on in surprise as he cruised on the M1 or M62 alongside them. As you mentioned the brakes were not great. All the disadvantages of rod brakes with none of the advantages of hydraulic, but eventually you would slow down. He built a large 6' x 4' trailer to hold all our camping gear and hand painted them both cobalt blue with a surf blue roof/lid. We once went to see Yorkshire County Cricket Club play in the John Player Sunday League at Worcester, only he got the date wrong and there was no game that day, so we went to Anglesey for the day, and by the time we returned home after midnight he had driven over 500 miles. He drove it for about eight years before replacing it with a 64 Cambridge.

[@GPR111]

Great little classic for use on quieter roads these days (!) So engaging as you really have to "drive", unlike modern cars which we effectively supervise (?)

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

Couldn't agree more!

[@lffit]

OMG my French teacher at school in Australia 'Speed Jordan' we called him, and he was so tall, what a sight it was of him driving one...., thanks for the upload!

[@lespritmanouche]

I had a couple of A35's back in the 60's - loved them - they were great fun - a mattress in the back of the van version had the weekends away sorted.

[@tricialyn4645]

It's cute! Loved the review, I'd not have the strength to close the driver's window 😂 I enjoyed watching. TY for sharing

[@-old-school-motorcyclesltd]

Great commentary i have the a30 now with the 948cc engine and front discs fun fun fun

[@jimmyquinn9639]

Lovely little car 👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍

[@normandunckley3926]

The guy down the road brought one ( A30 actually) at auction few years ago. Not immac, but tidy, been restored in 90's. Loves it, uses it all the time for local errands (also owns a Lexus ) he's kept it,saying, considering speed limits 20 - 30mph urban, speed camera etc, solid, economical, easy to work on, does everything for only going 3-6 mile distances & who's going to steal it, its manual!. Quirky fun to drive, easier to get in/out than lower modern cars. If I'm outside the front of house can hear him coming up the road, that Austin/Morris engine sound you knew from when you a kid.

[@g-r-a-e-m-e-]

"the guy down the road" made me laugh

[@berwhaletheavenger]

The last A35 saloon was built in 1959 - replaced by the Austin 7 Mini. A35's aren't bad tbh.

[@4418CARLOU]

My 1st car was a A35 van in battleship grey. I bought it off a friend who raced motorbikes. He would have his bike and tools in the back and sleep in it over night. How times have changed.

[@Foxie888]

Around 1955 our school teacher would take a bunch of us in his car, if I remember correctly it was an Austin with 8 of us with him in the car, mountain climbing swimming in Port Elizabeth South Africa. Great fun

[@DavidGloyne-vf9sv]

Great car, leant to drive on an A35 back in '76, was my mums car and passed first time.

[@jessehalper]

Taught myself to drive in a green A35 van as a 12 year old. Paid 2 quid for it delivered to the farm. Petrol was 6s 4 1/2d a gallon so I soon exceeded the purchase price on fuel. The brakes failed but I continued to drive it with no due care and attention.

[@AlanBoulter]

My first car❤ did everything I needed, loved it.

[@Skizzo321]

As an American, this is honestly one of my bucket-list cars (having owned a 1965 Mercury Comet, and a current owner of a 1988 Mazda RX-7 10th Anniversary) Granted I would not own one stock, but a street-car built to a nice 1275cc Speedwell class is something I would desire to own.

[@adebrade172]

Prefer a moggy with its rack and pinion steering

[@Chris-f7s2y]

The small Austins that time are interesting and quirky cars for sure, but they really don’t compare well with the Morris minor. The minor was way more advanced - SU carb, SU electric fuel pump, rack and pinion, more space more refinement, better handling. The torsion bar front suspension on the Morris was also more advanced at the time. At some point both shared the engine and gearbox, although the Austin had the much better OHV engine right from the start however I believe the A30 was launched somewhat later than the Morris. Austin had started using OHV engines just before WW2 and discontinued SVs in about 1947, around the time in fact, when the Morris was launched with a SV engine. A completely new engine was intended for the Morris but it got dropped at the last moment before launch and the Morris 8 engine used instead. Plenty of stuff published about this story for you to look up if interested.

[@fredcoleman6827]

I learned to drive in a 1957 one. I was so relived when i replaced itv with a 1969 mini 1000

[@alexandrecouture2462]

Nice little car!

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

It sure is!

[@hoppend]

Better in *almost* every way!!

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

This man clearly knows his stuff!

[@berwhaletheavenger]

Apart from handling, steering, roadholding, interior space.......

[@hoppend]

@@berwhaletheavenger I am just a bit biased.. my vid's tell the story

[@rogerwileman9965]

I took my one from Wellington to Napier across country on the back roads ( dirt roadies )

[@michaelbacon561]

A family member had one around 1974 when I had just passed my test at 17. I didn't like it; as you mentioned, it was very narrow and felt like it would easily topple over if you cornered it at any speed above walking pace! The Minor was bigger and more stable but I guess it would have cost more.

[@charlybeagrie1119]

In 1970/71 I lived in multi-occupational house. One of my fellow tenants was a student who had an A35. One day he stuck a first-floor fire hose out the window to was his car: one of the headlights fell off.

[@michaelblundell8608]

I appreciate you're not burning too much rubber but I do winch a little at the casual driving one handed so much. Old habits maybe.

[@mistakenforarealpoet]

One handed ‽ No handed at times

[@squeezy99]

I used to have one - the original brakes are virtually non-existent in modern traffic. I put discs on the front and hydraulics all round. My A35 was from 1958. The rear original brakes don't work in the snow. The speedo needle bouncing around indicates the cable nut in the gearbox is worn out and a new cable is needed (i fixed this on a gearbox rebuild on my A35).

[@Bettys_Eldest]

each winter Dad would put two 56lb Avery weights, a sack of sand and a shovel in the boot of ours to keep the back end down.

[@Cali7227]

Just found this channel and subbed. Looks like a lot of great content to watch

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

Thanks for joining, enjoy!

[@richlawrence4160]

4 kids in the back with luggage for a 2 week holiday, now that is a squeeze. Car did about 80kph flat out with that load.

[@raychambers3646]

My first car was an A 35 van ,patched up the footwell with a sheet of ally !

[@alanwareham7391]

I had a 1959 A35 van with windows and seats in the back ( second hand) and it was a lovely little car ,that simple is was brilliant ,so ok it wasn’t fast but it was never meant to be , and ok you never had cruise control ,sat nav .etc,etc but just to show what I mean I wanted a spare key for a Peugeot some time ago ( and I suppose it could be any modern car )and for a basic key without the starting ability was quoted a price that made me stutter something that you would t say in front of a vicar and an all functions one if I remember correctly was over £180 to go back to my A35 a replacement key from woolies was 5 shilling or now something like £5 . I would love another A35 again but am told that being as they had carbs I can not use E10 petrol as it rots the cars file lines and destroys the fuel tanks and destroys the carbs Just a note ,recently Ive seen that they are planning to make a new Moggie 1000 again and it can be yours for just £40,000 the thing that they forgot to tell us is where in Britain it will be made

[@bonvoyage5377]

It was a fake video about the moggy.........all AI, sorry

[@palco22]

Just by looking at the photo thumbnail I wonder how this vehicle would manage the Swedish Moose test. It would be interesting.

[@TeaLuck1]

These cars were running in calcutta till the 80s !

[@Stringythingy]

There’s a Frogeye hidden in there somewhere of course 😁

[@mariopizzamanmario8563]

They are lovely, but I'd change the brakes to a 'proper' (power-assist?) disk-drum setup (I did the same on my Mini). Because my loved ones drive it too. Then the rest... keeping the looks, but mildly modernising it. They are full of character though (MAYBE even more than the Minor).

[@asa1973100]

My nan told me she was give one in the early 50s but her company , she parked it up in a carpark went back and it was full of them and she had to go round trying the keys for which one was hers .

[@richlawrence4160]

my mum had an a30, my dad had a rover 75 and thier friend had another a30. The same key fitted all three. If I saw the friends car parked, I would always move it to the other side of the street.

[@Bettys_Eldest]

We had an A35 in the mid-sixties when I was a kid, dad handpainted it Cobalt Blue with a Surf Blue roof. It was never mistaken for anyone else's car. I had a blue Golf in the 80s. One day I went to go home from work, walked to the car, unlocked it and sat in before noticing that the radio was different. One of my colleagues in a building holding a little over 100 had the same colour Golf with the same key. My car was parked about five places further on. Ten years later my wife walked into town. Did her shopping then tried to unlock the door of her red Fiesta. When it wouldn't open she managed to pulled the handle off. Then panicked and ran home with the handle in her hand. I rang my mechanic and made tentative arrangements for him to repair it, and went to await the return of the owner. Thankfully the owner was very understanding, and also knew my mechanic so the repair was done quickly and inexpensively.

[@GSimpsonOAM]

I have earlier Austin 8. The mechanical brakes have a wedge and roller system (Austin 8 is completely mechanical) The rollers stick and get a flat spot on them. New rollers are still available A clean and oil with new rollers improves their effectiveness a lot. The lever arm dampers perform quite well with new (modern) seals and oil (correct grade) and this stops a lot of the rolling about. The best I have done on a run is 52MPG but drops to 40MPG when pressed (50-55 mph)

[@rogerhalcrow2358]

My first car a 1957 model that I bought in 1964 on passing the driving test did many miles in it never let me down and was simple to maintain

[@coconuciferanuts339]

My Morris Minor had an A40 gearbox put in it.

[@adoreslaurel]

An Austin with an SU Carb?, was that standard? were these the basis for the Bugeye Sprite?.

[@davidspendlove5900]

Yes

[@finlayfraser9952]

A 62 car? Google tells me the saloon was replaced by the A40 in 1959, only the estate soldered on into 1962. Que pasa?

[@kkiwi54]

A friend of mine had one - rolled it 😞

[@gangleweed]

Nice car and suits a family but it's nothing compared to a Morris 1000.

[@rameshbhattacharjee4374]

A30 and A35s were the precursor to the mini minors

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Lovely little things - yes, probably more character than a Minor. However, according to an ancient family anecdote, they can shed rear wheels……..didn’t they end up sharing their engine with the Minor? They also had a decent motorsport heritage…….more cheese Gromit!

[@hooser-u8k]

Imagine a RangeRover looking like this

[@acrobaticcripple8176]

Can't understand you willies who can't drive one of these round a corner. I had 4 A30s in total, and thrashed the daylights out of them. I never felt worried cornering after getting radials. The speedo often went off the end going downhill. They were all high mileage, and drank oil. (Straight 30 or 40 sae, none of your synthetics) Ran on 87 petrol and gave 40 mpg despite being so abused. Spent one winter without a starter motor, but it wasn't a Ford!! No problem. How? For the tiddlers look up starting handles. I'd love another one to CARE for, but no longer able to drive such a creature. A modern automatic hybrid on Motability suffices now. Quick, but nowhere near as much FUN! Moggies? OK, but not a patch on an Austin! 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

[@hooser-u8k]

Time for an electric version

[@robertsmith9810]

I WANT A35 pickup only enough roon in the buck for ones lunch

[@rameshbhattacharjee4374]

A Peanut On Wheels

[@amraceway]

They need a Japanese five speed gearbox.Those gearboxes transform 50s and 60s cars.

[@berwhaletheavenger]

Better than a Minor? In no way, shape or form.

[@chrisdorrell1]

You have no clue minnors are 🤮🤮

[@brianmansfield666]

£6000? …. Not anymore 😊

[@carolramsey6287]

Dreadful cars. The brakes don't work and the centre of gravity is well.... Interesting especially if you want to go round corners upside down. A Morris Minor "has the edge on handling" Right! Definitely a better buy.

[@SamLukie]

Coffins on wheels.

[@aacmove]

I guess breaks are cheap because they dont have any.

[@LesterLovesWatches]

55hp for a car that weighs less than a tonka toy 😂

[@joeestes-u8z]

You talk too fast...

[@BruceTURNER-c7c]

Rubbish Old English cars. Thank God that the Japanese started building good cars We got rid of these Austins and Morris cars

[@keithhooper6123]

Nothing wrong with these cars.Plenty still survive.

[@philiptidmarsh]

Thousands of these cars survive in the uk whereas virtually all japanese cars manufactured last century have rusted into the ground. The ones that are in the UK have mainly been recently imported from countries with dryer climates.

[@johnbrereton5229]

The Austin A30/35 was fitted with Austin's own A series engine. The Japanese Nissan company fitted it to their own cars and even built them under licence, so they weren't that 'rubbish' ????? 😂😂😂

[@bluegtturbo]

​@@johnbrereton5229True at the very start. Then they built much better engines.

[@johnbrereton5229]

@@bluegtturbo Austin was at the very forefront of car manufacturing starting in 1903. They designed and built advanced reliable engines right up until they ceased production in 1988. The A series was first produced in 1951 and was still in production until 2000 fitted in the mini. However, they designed and manufactured many other other advanced engines that were just as good, like the B series, D series, C series, E series etc etc etc. Austin's decline was due to poor management and a hostile militant workforce, it was not due to poor designs or lack of engineering excellence. Fortunately the Austin motor Company is now back in production at their Essex factory. Where they manufacture a classic styled, but right up to date, electric sports car called the Arrow.

[@rogerphelps9939]

Nice but both the A35 and Morris Minor were crap by today's standards.

[@chrisdorrell1]

Far far far better than ALL minors . Minors are crap the should all be scraped. The A35 A 30 are brilliant. The minnor was a district nurse car. Terribly built and look s**t. This bloke knows nothing. I have had both. I know. NEVER BUY A MINNOR EVER