1. Austin 10/4 Cambridge.
Despite the front end of this pre-war motor-car not being visible, there are enough identifying features to confirm that the car shown here is an Austin Ten-Four Cambridge, a type introduced in 1936 as a replacement for the 10/4 Lichfield, and produced until 1939 when a new Austin 8 & 10 took over (I discovered a very similar 10/4 Cambridge just like this one a while ago).
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The car shown below sports the registration number BYS 182, which is appropriate as the photograph was taken in Glasgow, for which registration series BYS applies. Records confirm that the series was introduced in May of 1938, thus dating this Austin pretty accurately. A cyclist, pedalling away on his delivery cycle, is doing a good job of keeping up with the Austin. While the Austin's 1125cc four-cylinder sidevalve engine was no ball of fire, I'm sure the four-door Austin was well able to show the tri-cycle a clean pair of tyre treads as soon as the road cleared. On a clear road the car would have been able to crack 60 mph. The photo dates to 1954.
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A cabriolet version of the Cambridge was also offered. Rather than featuring a fully folding roof, the 10/4 Conway - as the open-top version was known - was fitted with a roll-back roof section that extended from above the front screen, over the passenger compartment and to the rear of the car. It too was fitted with the 21bhp 1125cc engine, coupled to a four-speed gearbox. Pressed-steel (rather than spoked) wheels with 5.25 x 16 crossply tyres were now standard fitment to Austin's 10-horse cars.
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2. Side-on view of another Cambridge.
Gregory Jackson posted this, and several other, old family photos onto his Facebook page towards the end of 2015. With his permission, I'm sharing a few of them in this section of OCC. Here, another example of Austin Ten Cambridge is shown with members of his family. Cambridges were a common sight for many years, during the 1930s and well into the 1950s. This one is a little different from the norm, in that it's been fitted with full-width wheel discs, covering the pressed-steel wheels that this model is fitted with.
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3. Picnic time!
Photo #3 for the Austin Cambridge page is a roadside snapshot of a Ten at rest, its bootlid lowered, proffering to its owners a picnic set, from which a lady is preparing a selection of scrumptious nibbles. Precious little information regarding this scene is given, other than a handwritten note on the reverse that simply reads "lunch time". Were the family out for the day, or perhaps heading out for their annual summer holiday? Judging by the leaves on the trees, the bright sunshine and the resulting shadows, it is probably a summertime scene.
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4. A holidaying trip with an Austin 10 Cambridge.
Richard sent the following photographs. He was hoping to receive confirmation that the car his father is shown with, is an Austin 10 Cambridge. It is, or rather was, as it no longer shows as being registered, unsurprisingly. The registration - GML 724 - tells that it was first registered in London, during 1937 or early 1938. The first two images appear to show his father and the Austin on a holiday, in a caravan surrounded by chickens.
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Here is a rear three-quarter view of the well-travelled Austin 10, intriguingly the paintwork has been sanded back on the rear corner of the roof for some reason, and also around the rear windows. Why this would be, I have no idea. The boot area is crammed with luggage, and it appears that a sheet has been laid over the top, tied down, perhaps to protect the contents
of the boot from being rained upon. The Cambridge's bootlid was hinged at the bottom, enabling it to lie flat so that extra luggage could be accommodated. As on the early Minis, the
numberplate assembly was also hinged, so that it would remain visible with the lid lowered.
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This front-end view of the Austin reveals the compact caravan that served as accommodation for the trip. Once again, feathered friends are in evidence.
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Lastly, a side view of the Austin in a wooded location. Thanks to Richard for the photographs.
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Return to Page 15 in the gallery of vintage cars and vehicles.
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