HMC architecte britannique

[lesapandre]

3 minutes ago, HMC said:

Maserati/ Austin face off

Hmmmm - I wonder which of those will be on the road in 2030? 🤔

[Matty]

59 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

And where you hang your handbag.😂

Choke obvs 😄

[lesapandre]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Maserati/ Austin face off

Do you know if I had the choice- I'd go for the Austin over the white outsize running shoe.

[somewhatfoolish]

Have you hand started it yet?

[HMC]

3 hours ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Have you hand started it yet?

Ive done that with my old austin 7, this one not yet

[wuvvum]

16 hours ago, HMC said:

lower steering boss lever = advance / retard

I believe these days it's known as "advance / SEN".

[HMC]

First ftp- started jammed on the flywheel- hammering (in the literal sense) the starter didnt help, so instead i dragged the 12 behind the 75 on a tow rope and it nudged free. No pics of that polova, so have one of the drive before hand

[lesapandre]

An AA or whoever call out would be interesting.

"What marque?"

"An Austin"

"A what?"

"Austin"

"What model?"

"A Burnham"

"It's burning!"

"No"

What year?

1930

Long silence...

Old cars are fantastic. No one believes that anything before 2010 is a car...

If it plays up it should start "on the handle". They usually come with some massive iron starting handle.

You need to get a deerstalker hat to drive this - perhaps a huge stick-on beard too.

[HMC]

75? Yes the fiat 500 twin air engine went pop so - what to do? buy an even older car. In mitigation its a cheapy diesel auto so technically the least likely to go wrong of all 75s. We will see.. The tow bar has already been useful 😂

currently the only pic..

[2flags]

Good buy on the Rover. Diesel automatic, with reasonable maintenance should last a long, long time. Good engines, good gearboxes, rust can be a problem on the sills and the rear suspension, but other that that, a very nice and pleasant place to sit. Being the tourer is a useful thing too. 

[HMC]

3 minutes ago, 2flags said:

Good buy on the Rover. Diesel automatic, with reasonable maintenance should last a long, long time. Good engines, good gearboxes, rust can be a problem on the sills and the rear suspension, but other that that, a very nice and pleasant place to sit. Being the tourer is a useful thing too. 

Last owner over 2 years did the fuel pumps, rad fan, rear arms, plus other bits and bobs - £2.5k in reciepts (!) im hoping this bodes well. 

[lesapandre]

Out in this tonight. Nice ride height like the 'Orstin'

Locals amazed as usual...sinister after dark shot...this only 43.

Solidarity with the Burnham...

[Dyslexic Viking]

23 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Out in this tonight. Nice ride height like the 'Orstin'

Locals amazed as usual...sinister after dark shot...this only 43.

Solidarity with the Burnham...

I really like the 60 series Land Cruiser but they are probably too much  tractor for me.

[lesapandre]

8 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

I really like the 60 series Land Cruiser but they are probably too much  tractor for me.

They are ok. A real handful to drive yes a very aquired taste - solid  axles front and rear on cart-springs with a full girder chassis - probably quite a lot in common with the Austin - wall of torque - the engine red lines at 3500 rpm - pushrod operated. 

[Sigmund Fraud]

2 hours ago, HMC said:

Yes the fiat 500 twin air engine went pop so - what to do?

Shame, I was secretly hoping that your TwinAir ownership experience would disprove their terrible reputation.

What was it that killed it, in the end ?

[Coprolalia]

9 hours ago, wuvvum said:

I believe these days it's known as "advance / SEN".

This had me wheeze-laughing so hard I had to step outside the house so I didn't wake the kids.

[2flags]

4 hours ago, HMC said:

Last owner over 2 years did the fuel pumps, rad fan, rear arms, plus other bits and bobs - £2.5k in reciepts (!) im hoping this bodes well. 

That sounds like all the usual suspects have been taken care of. Just have to watch for rust in the sills. Remember, if there's a scab, don't pick or poke it!!

[gadgetgricey]

Loved my 75's . Diesel auto estate best model.

Even better if you have a working webasto as takes ages to get heat in the cabin without.

Can't recall if you have had one before.

What are you initial thoughts??

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, Coprolalia said:

This had me wheeze-laughing so hard I had to step outside the house so I didn't wake the kids.

Used to be ESN BITD

[captain_70s]

5 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Out in this tonight. Nice ride height like the 'Orstin'

Locals amazed as usual...sinister after dark shot...this only 43.

Solidarity with the Burnham...

Blimey, haven't seen one of them since about 2004, and the one I saw was very rusty then! To be fair it was a Y reg I believe and Aberdeenshire isn't famed for being kind to cars...

[Morris 63]

20 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Out in this tonight. Nice ride height like the 'Orstin'

Locals amazed as usual...sinister after dark shot...this only 43.

Solidarity with the Burnham...

I need to visit specsavers again - as I scrolled down to this on my phone, my first thought was "is that a lifted Volvo 240 estate?"  

[Pieman]

22 hours ago, lesapandre said:

You need to get a deerstalker hat to drive this - perhaps a huge stick-on beard too.

My old GP had a beard and a deerstalker, wore a waistcoat and a cravat too.  I remember him driving an MG Midget for a few years but he would certainly suit a vintage machine like this Austin.  I believe he is still practicing in his 80s!

[Asimo]

The Austin's wheels are ace. I have heard them called "artillery wheels".

Are they cast iron?

They make every contemporary aluminium wheel look trivial, fussy and ridiculous.

[lesapandre]

I don't think they are 'cast'. That would make them quite brittle? 

[HMC]

Ill have a read of my book and find out.

A strange consequence of driving the 12 about is that the 1954 daimler conquest century feels oh so modern and slick with its preselector gearbox. 

A modern, among moderns, relatively speaking?

[HMC]

20 hours ago, Sigmund Fraud said:

Shame, I was secretly hoping that your TwinAir ownership experience would disprove their terrible reputation.

What was it that killed it, in the end ?

i began to suspect the headgasket was going, and more recently also it became very difficult to start when cold. so much so if you touched the accelerator within 2 mins of starting it it would die and then be impossible to start. occasionally the car would refuse to crank despite the fuel system priming up. apparently the valves are actuated by oil pressure and is a sensor that if isnt happy will deem the oil level incorrect then it wont fire. the sensor is buried and needs much dismantling. Anyway i decided to bail out; which makes me sad as i loved the concept of the engine but it was throwing up more problems and was basically unreliable.

[2flags]

I love the idea that a 'modern' car is unreliable, so you go and buy a car that's 100 years old!

[wesacosa]

where did the Samara end up? assume off forum. I think that's one I'm going to regret not going for

[Sigmund Fraud]

10 minutes ago, wesacosa said:

where did the Samara end up? assume off forum. I think that's one I'm going to regret not going for

The Samara is still on the forum, and may well be up for sale again in the new year !

[lesapandre]

" The 1954 Daimler Conquest Century feels oh so modern..."

Thats one of the quotes of the year...😁