Austin A70 Hampshire

[mercrocker]

Well done, AD....The Hampshire is richly deserving of such a prize, after all you have saved two cars not just one and my experience of Austin Clubs tells me that the only other candidate would not for a moment begrudge you the award.

Crich is a fantastic backdrop for cars of this era, they look extremely well at home there!

And you are right about rain, nothing makes old car motoring more tedious than watching rain trickle in through five different places whilst you struggle to see the road in front....

[angrydicky]

Well done, AD....The Hampshire is richly deserving of such a prize, after all you have saved two cars not just one and my experience of Austin Clubs tells me that the only other candidate would not for a moment begrudge you the award.

He wasn’t bothered at all, he’s won the award several times over the years by default by having the only Hampshire there!
He’s a lovely old boy. Very interesting to talk to and what he doesn’t know about A70s isn’t worth knowing. Unfortunately, he has had throat cancer and (although he survived) basically has lost his voice meaning it’s quite difficult to hear what he’s saying while the poor chap is shouting in your ear.
I must go and visit him at some point. Us Hampshire owners are so few and far between, we must stick together!

[mercrocker]

I have a feeling I saw that particular A70 out across the New Forest one evening a few years back, certainly didn't think there were any in this vicinity so maybe he had a holiday down this way.

[angrydicky]

Once the Hampshire had dried out from Crich, I took it to the Mid Lincs Rover club rally at East Kirkby museum. I last went to this event in 2011 and it was full of all sorts of lovely old classics, so I was keen to go again. Unfortunately, the show is now packed full of modern cars, loads of 75/ZT/TF and others and really not that many classics at all. Disappointing. I even got parked by the marshal right in the middle of a group of performance Japanese cars, but later moved down the row to much better company with this delightful Jowett Bradford and a big prewar Austin (18hp? Not too good with these Austins).
They were owned by a very friendly father and son duo and I was talking to them for ages. The son was about the same age as me (early 30s) so that was nice to see.
It’s a decent museum as well and it was good to look around again.

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I got papped and stuck on Facebook around this time while I was going to Aldi. I had three people want to talk about the Hampshire in the car park when I got there, including the young security guard who loved it and said he would love to own a classic car, obviously I tried to encourage him.
Goes without saying most people on the Facebook thread had no idea what it was.

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After a good few months of having the old shell sitting outside the workshop, I decided to scrap it. Another Hampshire owner dropped in while he was up here from Kent, and cut the reasonably sound (the only bit that was) roof gutters out to repair his rotten roof. He also took the back doors and a few other bits and pieces. Once he’d gone, I finished off the cutting and demolished the shell into pieces small enough to fit in my trailer. I had to do two 20 mile round trips to the scrapyard which netted fuck all really, about £50 I think, barely worth it.
I salvaged the period seat belts out of it, and the windscreen but there really wasn’t much else left worth having by this point.

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While cutting up the shell I had a phone call from a local club member with an even rarer Austin. The background to this was he saw me in the Hampshire and followed and flagged me down. He told me what he owned which I was quite amazed by, almost as amazed as he was to see an A70 on the road! Anyway, we exchanged numbers and, fast forward a few months, he was on his way back from a show and wondered if I was in and could he pop in and show me his car? Well the answer was of course yes please and look at this beauty!

A ‘Carbodies’ A70 Hereford coupe. One of only 265 made (iirc) and one of just seven known survivors. What a treat it was to see.

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[mercrocker]

That Hereford Coupe is superb! Austin really did have some line-up throughout the 1940s, in complete contrast to the likes of Rover and Standard with their one model policies - even Ford, Morris and Vauxhall only fielded offerings in two sectors of the market. Admittedly, Morris had a bigger version of the Oxford and the subsidiary Nuffield ranges but nobody had the diversity of the Austin models.

[angrydicky]

I have a feeling I saw that particular A70 out across the New Forest one evening a few years back, certainly didn't think there were any in this vicinity so maybe he had a holiday down this way.

John, owner of KOP 18 lives in Herefordshire but he could have been on holiday, as you say, or down there for a counties rally.
Actually, somewhat appropriately Hampshire has more surviving Hampshires than any other county. There’s supposed to be six club members with Hampshires who live there.

[DodgeRover]

Did anybody from the club recognise your car from the registration, I believe you said previously they had assessed it as only fit for spares?

[Hooli]

That Hereford is absolutely gorgeous

[treehugger]

I was wondering what was going on, angry dicky. Thought I had missed something! Excellent stuff.

[59Impala]

I also now have a Hereford Coupe. Before you get too excited it is of course a 1/43 model in cream. Just thought, got another one with the top up, the new one is top down. Kind of sad to see the old LOB cut up but it was way past saving. That chap's Hereford Coupe is lovely, not sure if I've ever seen one. I'm hoping my Impala will be back with me by the time the Rover event comes around at East Kirkby, the engine build should be underway now. I visited the place where it's at a few weeks ago and they finally had all the parts to do it. They did send me photos which is kind of 348ci Chevy engine porn if you get what I mean. It should have a very healthy output the guy reckons with possibly 400-ish horses although he's not sure as he's never built a 348 before.