Austin A35.
Examples of Austin's A30 feature several times in the old-motoring photo gallery, but for some reason photos of the later A35, in saloon form at least, have taken longer to track down. This is the first A35 saloon to be added in, a black 2-door A35 with a smiling lady sat behind the wheel. The photo was taken in September 1965. This classic A35 has been fitted with a radio, so if this photo was taken early in September '65, she could well have been listening to the current Number One in the UK Singles Chart - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones. Other Number Ones in that month were by The Walker Brothers, and Ken Dodd..
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The A35 looks to be in good overall condition, and shining nicely, although the driver's door handle is exhibiting a touch of the droop, not unusual on Austins after a few years.
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In the background is a moderately interesting old bungalow, probably dating from the 1930s.
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2. A Speedwell-modified A35.
David sent me an email in April 2011 regarding some old slides that he'd scanned, following on just a few weeks from him arranging for my old truck to appear at the 2011 Race Retro event at Stoneleigh. The first of these images to feature on the site shows his dad's Austin A35 negotiating a ford, as David recalls:
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"Dad’s 1958 Austin, A35 EEC 951, in a Westmorland ford, taken in 1963. This was his first small car, previously he’d always used motorcycles for recreation and a large car for business purposes (trailer towing etc.) I remember that the A35’s previous owner was one of the driving test examiners at Kendal. As well as the sunvisor, there was a slight Speedwell tuning element incorporated in the A35.
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I honed my driving skills in this car, although I actually learned to drive in the business' Standard Vanguard Phase 2, starting at the age of fifteen years old. I took at least two driving tests in Lancaster in the A35 but failed each time, very frustrating. Of course I was driving too quickly and confidently and had to have that knocked out of me by a professional instructor, before passing my test in his Triumph Herald."
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Return to Page 11 in the vintage car motoring gallery.
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Other items of A35 interest on the site include this screensaver (XP only at present), and some photos of a rare A35 pickup. A hunt around via the Site Search at the foot of this page will turn up plenty more relating to these small Austins of the 1950s.
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