WHY IT MATTERS

By far BMC’s biggest earner, these Austins and their badge-engineered sisters topped the sales charts for years.

Following on from the massive success of the Mini, the big sibling 1100/1300 was originally launched in 1962 as a Morris, with the Austin version arriving the following year. The Pininfarina styling was just right, the car had superb interior space for its size and the Hydrolastic suspension meant excellent ride quality. MkII models were offered in 1098cc 1100 or 1275cc 1300 form. It was nigh on a world-beating package – at least until the rust took hold, which it almost always did.