c.1948 Austin 16 DeLuxe

We have remarked already on the strength of these post-war Austins, which were also notable for their 75mph top speed and comfortable 4/5 seat cabin.

As a project, one can appreciate the engineering involved. Steering was by a cam and lever system which provided a dual ratio for ease of parking. Suspension can be seen to be all elliptic, overslung in front and underslung at the rear. A transverse torsion bar linked  both pairs of Luvax-Girling shock absorbers to the rigid beam axles. Mechanical brakes by Girling had 11 inch drums with twin leading shoes at the front.  These cars have survived in relatively good numbers. Hopefully someone will deem this one to be worth saving and if so, the reward will surely be worth the effort to own another of these amazing vehicles.

This example was purchased by the vendor for spare parts approximately seventeen years ago, a sort of ‘just in case’ car, but happily those spares have never been required and BRS 985 has been in dry storage ever since. As far as we can tell, the 16 is virtually complete and comes with a large box of spare parts, some of which are new; the V5C has been lost along the way but it should be a straightforward process to obtain a replacement.

Auction Date: 9 March 2023