BMC BLUEPRINTS SAVED FROM SKIP
A30-A35 Owners’ Club acquires a stash of rescued assembly drawings from a former Longbridge employee
‘The blueprints are unique and a great addition to our archive’ PAUL LEWIS, CLUB ARCHIVIST
The A30-A35 Owners’ Club has acquired a unique set of body blueprints – 14 years after they were saved from a skip.
The drawings, which cover every iteration of Austin’s Minor rival, from the A30 four-door saloon (AS4) to the A35 Countryman MkII (AP6) were produced between 1951 and 1962.
The only notable absence is that of the A30 pick-up (AK5) – but the club already has access to these because a member bought copies originally supplied to body maker, Fisher and Ludlow, in period.
The plans now in the A30-A35 Club archive left Longbridge in 2004 as MG Rover simultaneously celebrated Longbridge’s centenary – and sold off large chunks of real estate to developers, St Modwen, to help shore up its finances.
The blueprints were originally going to be thrown away until an employee tasked with taking them to the skip asked if they could keep them. Incredibly, the worker who kept the blueprints in 2004 offered them to the A30-A35 Club at the time, but was turned down. Current archivist and Club magazine editor, Paul Lewis, realised their significance earlier this year, and acquired them. He said: ‘A previous committee may have turned them down, but they’re unique – and a great addition to our archive.’
Sadly, the Austin Drawing Offices, which lent their name to subsequent Austin and BMC model projects (and where Dick Burzi’s styling team designed the A30-A35), were demolished last year.
Paul has since confirmed that the A30-A35 Club has no plans to use the drawings as a means of producing new body panels – but now has the blueprints in stock if demand for spares changes. ❚ austina30a35ownersclub.co.uk