Austin Sixteen
Guy starts the Austin’s stripdown, then changes his mind
Safely installed at Fins ‘N’ Chrome’s workshops in Fareham, the barnfind Sixteen was about to be stripped by boss Jeff Marshall and myself when I received one of those phone calls that leaves you split down the middle.
Mintex, the brake people sponsoring our project, wanted the car to join a line-up of motors at their display at the Goodwood Revival Race Meeting. It would sit alongside an Austin-healey 100S, Connaught L2, vintage Bentley, and Brabham and Cooper grand prix cars. But – and it’s a big but – it meant we would have to put the car back into rolling condition to make it look like a barn find and not an Airfix kit. That meant putting the engine and gearbox back into the car – we’d spent a good 70 man hours on the stripdown so far.
But, ultimately, it wasn’t a difficult decision: we couldn’t turn down a Goodwood opportunity. So the car was displayed with Mintex and fortunately the feedback from spectators was encouraging – lots of them had seen the car in Practical Classics and were fascinated by our plans. The trip did cause us some problems though, fitting everything into the schedule being the main one.
Timing is important for us because we need the car ready for our trip next year – we’re hoping to recreate Alan Hess’s 1947 ‘Goodwill Tour’ of Europe, driving the Sixteen along the exact same route Hess took to promote post-war sales of the car. If all goes well we’ll be taking in seven European capitals. In fact, the car looks like it will end its journey in Germany – at Goodwood the
Global President of Mintex saw the car and wants it to end its days on display at their European headquarters in Leverkusen. Other good news is that Jaguar have agreed to provide a chase car for the trip.
The engine fires up
Promisingly, Jeff had managed to get the car running and driving within a few moments (or so it seemed to me) of it landing at his workshops. The seized engine was freed with the assistance of diesel down the bores and a long bar, and with fresh fuel, battery, points and plugs she now starts on the button.
Then there was a petrol tank issue to deal with. At some stage someone had put a jack under the middle of the tank and, I assume, wondered why it took so long for the car to go up in the air. We drained the tank, dropped it from the car and sealed it at filler and outlet. Then Jeff put an airline into the overflow and connected the compressor. The BANG as it popped back into shape threatened the cleanliness of my underwear… but it worked. After a flush and a treatment with tank sealer it’s good to go.
After the first installment of this saga I have been hugely gratified by the reaction of Practical Classics readers to my personal quest. I seem to have struck a chord and readers are contacting me with their own memories of the cars and the original 1947 promotional trip, which I am aiming to recreate with my partner in crime, Steve Berry.
Noteworthy correspondents include Thomas A. Groot from Garage Groot in Oslo who has offered to look after us when we get there in March – hospitality which we have gratefully accepted. I have also been sent an original workshop manual and driver’s handbook from John Davis of Hornchurch.
John tells me he was given an Austin Sixteen in 1963 as his first car. It had not been running for two years but he ‘spent every moment and shilling I had getting it road-worthy.’ John clearly has great affection for his 16 which he kept for two years before selling to his Uncle (for £25) who promptly wrote it off returning from the pub!
Stage Two is go
Over and above the work Jeff has done, the car has now moved nearer to me in Yorkshire so I can get my hands dirtier on it. It’s also handier for IK Classics, who have the facilities to tackle the body and interior.
Jeff was always going to hand the project over once we were happy with the mechanicals and now stage two is in process. The coach paint has holes in it and needs to be stripped back (it’s too thick to be just blown over), but on the plus side it’s largely done a good job of protecting the metal below. The interior needs to come out to be refurbished but I think it will all be saved. From the waist up, the Sixteen is pretty good.
‘The seized engine was freed with diesel in the bores and a long bar’