Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

[img]

An Austin A35 van, interesting, but why show a photo of one in the General Section? Many of you will know that production continued into 1968 but what intrigued me for years is why there were so many A30 and A35 vans in my area in the 1960s and early 1970s with Worcestershire FK registration letters.

Not only that but I remember in 1968 seeing many "early" Minis, always saloons with new "F" registrations on cars which were clearly years older than the 1968 numbers on them.
I have pondered this for years, asked questions and not receiving satisfactory replies.

But I have had an explanation today to both puzzles and both were provided by the owner of a late 1959 Austin A35. He lives about twenty miles away near Corwen in North Wales close to what was once a thriving motor retail business - Thomas Motor Mart or correctly HG thomas Motors Ltd. He worked there part time at weekends to make a little extra money.
Mr Thomas and my late father were long acquainted and he bought several new cars from him - Minis, the Wolseley 18/85 in 1969. I bought my first car there as well and my mother a new 1982 Metro 1.3 HLS.

Primarily a BMC/BL garage he also had several acres of used cars and light commercials.

The Austin A30/35 vans sold by him in large numbers were, I was told today, formerly owned by Great Universal Stores which changed their vehicles at 3 years old. They were disposed of in a south Birmingham auction centre by closed auction which suggests some form of lease agreement between BMC and GUS.
Most of the vans were grey but others were dark blue and dark green.
They were still being sold until 1971 at HG Motors Ltd.

The "old" model Minis on new "F" registrations were also bought by Mr Thomas at a closed auction. They were all unregistered factory runabouts around Longbridge. Many of them were "paint defect" cars or failed final inspection when new. All the ones I saw around here had Birmingham "OB. OC, OD ........." registration letters.

HG Thomas Motors took a Vauxhall franchise as well in the late 1960s at another site and that might also explain the number of used Bedford HA vans with Cheshire and Luton registration numbers in the area................

An enterprising an ultimately a very wealthy man. No longer with us I'm afraid.[/img]
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1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
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[Rick]

Interesting how job lots of cars can move around in that way.

Do the old premises survive still?

RJ
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[Ellis]

[lowdrag]

You have answered a question for me too, so thank you. In the early 60s a member of the darts team in Hampshire had a green A35 van registered 29 FFK.Fit's in with your story.