Grey A35 in 1973, and some 30 years later.
Clive dropped me a line, having spotted a photograph on the site that shows an A35 pickup he once owned. The photos he sent show the same light commercial as it was in 1973, still in it's original grey finish and unrestored. The pickup dates to 1957, so was approximately 16 years old when seen in these old images.
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Clive adds: "Just a note about the pickup on your site. I owned her in 1973 before I moved on to Austin 7s. At that time she was unrestored and grey. We got her from a friend in London, she was MOT'd and taxed and both Mum and my younger brother drove her about with L plates on, as for me I didn't drive her at all. My brother drove her to the local Austin 7 rally at Hawkhurst that year but he moved on to other cars (a tatty Hillman Imp if I remember rightly), and the pickup rested in my grandma's garage for the rest of the summer.
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I sold her locally that autumn and over the next 30ish years we had sightings of her all over the country, in various states of disrepair. At the A30/35 Owners Club Beaulieu Rally in 2003, there she was again, all bright and shiny and BLUE! I found her new keeper and he said as all the other ones around having been restored were grey he decided to do her blue. It was nice to see her again. In the 2005 Austin Centenary Cavalcade there she was, a great tribute to her restorer. All I wanted 30 years ago was a pickup like the one I saw at Santa Pod Raceway pushing a dragster up to the start. It was 50 pounds well spent."
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Thanks for sending the photos and story over! A35 pickups were rare even when they were new, with fewer than 500 being sold due to the limited payload capacity they offered. Fans of the A30 and A35 will find various things on the site that may be of interest. There is a buyer's guide to these tiny Austins, and anyone using a PC might find the A30/A35 screensaver of use. Van versions of the A35, such as this one seen in Somerset, can also be found.
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An owner remembers the pickup he owned.
Fraser found references to A35 pickups on the site, and sent over a few words about the example that he purchased in 1968 and owned for three years.
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Trawling the 'net I picked up on your site showing one of these rare cars in excellent condition.
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I had one (PNV 905) from 1968 until 1971. Best car I ever had - possibly due to the fact that it was my first car. During those three years I never saw another one on the road or indeed off.
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Mine came from an uncle in Salisbury who used to do a bit of buying and selling. It cost 60 GBP, quite a lot when my mates were buying old Ford Anglias for about 30 GBP. I chopped it back to my uncle who said that a local garage in Salisbury had one as a breakdown repair van.
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A friend in New Zealand sent me a photo of one that had a roof rack
attachment for a surf board.
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I once set up the 'dickie' seats in the well of the boot, and took two mates in the back to a cricket match. I got stopped at a set of traffic lights in Wood Green, North London. He questioned me long and hard about my insurance. He barely seemed re-assured that it had undergone no modifications and was registered as a factory model. Getting pulled over was not unusual, as the car was so unusual.
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I dream of finding one, mothballed in an old barn... but I think it is a
pipe dream.
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Return to Old Vehicle Photos Page 8.
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