A forgotten Austin Westminster
Say ‘Austin Westminster’ and most will think of the A90/95/105 of the Fifties or the Farina-bodied cars of the Sixties. Yet the name originated much earlier. This one, fresh from 50 years on a farm in Lincolnshire, was recently extracted from its plot by Chris Berridge, the new owner, and Malcolm Scott. Chris explains its origins.
‘It’s detailed in Jim Stringer’s book Herbert Austin's Heavy Twelve Four,’ he says. ‘The Westminster was a short four-light saloon introduced in 1931 for the 16/6 chassis and then also offered on a swb 12hp chassis from October 1932. Only 15 cars were built in 1935, with this body offered on the newer 18hp chassis for a further year. In total there were only 103 Westminsters built between 1932 and 1935. This car was first registered on 29th June 1935 so must have been one of the last.’
It was registered in the West Riding to Harry Walker of Rawmarsh and was apparently slow to arrive from the supplying garage, Clayton & Son in Rotherham, because it took pride of place in the front of their showroom. Mr Walker was the grandfather of Malcolm’s friend Steve Evans, who acquired it in 1971 when his grandfather stopped driving. It was once stored in a wooden garage, which collapsed on it, then it moved outside.
It has an unusual feature – the rear doors incorporate a second front-section of the rear wing. This catches any road muck, swinging away when the door is opened, allowing passengers to pass without spoiling skirt or trouser. Sadly, the body is now riddled with rust and the interior has disintegrated, but Chris felt the car was unusual enough to be worth rescuing, and one of his sons is interested in doing something with it. Genius-level MIG welding and a full restoration, or transformation into a special?