The TRUTH about... the Austin A30 and A35.
Why a car that we regard today as rather staid and frumpy was really something of a revolution in its day.
When the original Austin Mini was launched in 1959, it wasn't called Mini, it was the Austin Seven. Not for the first time a new, advanced model was given a name which harked back to the hugely successful small car of 19221938 which had restored Austin's fortunes after World War I and established it as a true mass-producer. That's because when the new FWD revolution was launched in 1959, it had been only eight years previously that another Austin Seven had been introduced with great fanfare. It too was seen as a revolutionary and advanced, clean-sheet design. That was the car we now generally refer to as the Austin A30 and tend to view as a quaint relic of a bygone age.
From our perspective, it's easy to see how the Mini was seen as a groundbreaking design, but perhaps harder to understand just how transformational the A30 was. However, it is worth remembering that when the A30 was being conceived, BMC was still in the future. The pre-war Austin 8 had been revived until 1947, but by the time of the new Austin Seven's announcement in 1951, the company had been without a small car for four years. In the immediate post-war period, selling as many of the new A40 Devons as possible (mainly overseas) along with rather fewer A70s was enough to keep Longbridge's production lines busy, but it was recognised that a completely new and modern small car would soon be needed, for the home market in particular.
All kinds of configurations were considered, including two and four-cylinder engines mounted at either the front or the rear with various suspension designs, but eventually it was decided that the traditional front-engined, rear-drive layout was best able to accommodate four people and a reasonable quantity of luggage. What was revolutionary was the full monocoque body structure, designed by T K Garrett, who had been an aeronautical engineer before joining Austin. The Devon and its replacement, the Somerset, still employed a separate chassis frame, but the new Seven lacked even the vestiges of the front-torear chassis longerons which would be found under the forthcoming A50 Cambridge and A90 Westminster unibodies. It relied solely on the box-section sills and the transmission tunnel for beam strength between the axles, and eschewed even the front 'chassis-leg' box sections which were present on its competitor, the Morris Minor. Stressed-skin principles were fully applied and thus the roof, bulkheads, inner wings, rear panel and even the dash panel all played vital roles in ensuring the rigidity of the body.
To simplify production and reduce weight, leaded joints were completely eliminated. The roof design, with the guttering continuing around both sides of the car and above the windscreen, facilitated this, as did the bonnet and boot lid designs. Even the doors were simplified to save weight and cost, each consisting of just two panels with trim panels of painted and grained millboard, thus eliminating upholstery, except that of the seats themselves and the rear armrests. The shaped rear bulkhead formed the rear-seat backrests and needed only a slim cushion as a squab. The comfortable front seats used a single steel pressing for the cushion and squab. The front door windows were of the
counterbalanced, sliding variety and required no mechanism. Rear door window glasses were fixed, although swivelling quarterlights were provided to all four doors. The roof lining was fitted over two light metal frames which were then simply sprung into position in grooves formed in the interior finisher panels. Despite these apparent economies, the new Seven was a comfortable car with foam rubber seat cushions and, whilst simple, it was not austere, having a pleasing shape and a welcoming interior.
The new 803cc engine was a scaled-down version of the existing Austin A40 unit, although with certain simplifications and changes made possible by its smaller size. The power-toweight ratios of the Seven and the A40 Devon when loaded were identical, so the A30 was considered to have a lively performance by the standards of the time with a maximum speed of well over 60mph. The stroke of 76.2mm was the same as that of the pre-war 7, but the bore was greater by 2mm. This modern OHV unit was a huge advance on the pre-war sidevalve engines previously found in small cars.
The gearbox featured an off-set lever, operating through side selectors, and a layshaft which was also offset to reduce its height and bring the lever closer to the driver. Synchromesh was provided for the top three gears. Coil and wishbone front suspension used lever-arm dampers to provide the top links and lever-arms were also used at the rear with leaf springs. Steering was via a cam and lever steering box with what effectively amounted to a three-part track rod. The braking system was unusual only in that a single rear brake cylinder was body mounted and operated the rear brakes via the same rods and levers as were used for the handbrake. Naturally this saved weight and cost, whilst it was claimed the inherent flexibility of the mechanical linkage was beneficial in reducing the risk of rear wheel lock-up under heavy braking!
I've gone into considerable detail above to show that the Austin A30 Seven was very carefully thought out. As the original Austin 7 had done in 1922, the new Seven contrived to provide what a contemporary medium-sized car did, although in a smaller and much less costly package. There is no doubt that it did so very successfully – it was perfectly capable of carrying four adults in some comfort and at a good average speed, whilst using petrol very sparingly.
With deliveries starting in May 1952, for the next four years the A30 sold well, a two-door version being added in 1953 and van and estate car versions the following year. From 1953 there was a redesigned dashboard with a delightful single combination instrument unit, (later also fitted to the A40 Farina,) replacing the plainer original. At the same time the pleasing central indicator knob replaced the original instrument panel-mounted switch and the final drive ratio became numerically lower to give more relaxed cruising.
As time went by, the performance was felt to be insufficient for modern conditions and the 803cc engine with its rather small white-metalled bearings and somewhat flimsy crankshaft proved vulnerable to sustained high-speed cruising, so in 1956 the A30 became the A35. Although the body changed a little with a much enlarged, curved rear window, a cream-painted grille with chromed surround replacing the chromed grille and flashing indicators
replacing the old semaphore signals, the car had a much improved appearance. Under the bonnet was a vastly superior 948cc A-series engine with 34bhp, mated to a new gearbox with better ratios and a short remote gearchange. The A35 could hit 75mph and 0-60mph in around 30 seconds, the A30 having taken 29 seconds to reach 50mph! With larger bearings, a stiffer crankshaft and block and lead-indium bearing shells, the new cars had been tested by being driven flat-out for mile after mile, or should I say kilometre after kilometre, on the West German Autobahnen.
The new power unit was eminently tunable and the A35 was now to be successful in saloon car racing; it still appears today at the Goodwood Revival. In that arena it certainly outperformed the larger and heavier Morris Minor 1000. From the start of A35 production a stylish pick-up version was also available, based on the two-door saloon rather than the van. It had little load-space and the government applied purchase tax, which adversely affected sales – only 497 were built in the single year it was produced. The A40 Farina, mechanically almost identical to the A35, arrived in 1958 and by the following year the A35 saloon models were deleted. It was effectively replaced by the new Austin Seven (Mini), to which it had lent a reduced capacity version of its A-series engine, turned sideways. The A35 estate (Countryman) continued until 1962, the van until as late as 1968 with a 1098cc engine from 1962-66 and an 848cc unit for the final two years, being the only rearwheel-drive BMC vehicle to receive the A-series engine in that capacity. GDX 249E is the registration of the late James Hunt's much loved A35 van which he still drove daily until his untimely death in 1993. It is registered as 848cc and was auctioned a couple of years ago, after 18 years in storage.
I've had an A30 and an A35. The A30, 455 FMP, was my second car, bought for £30 in 1972 and fitted with a 948cc engine. It was a scruffy little thing, but I enjoyed it for a few months, despite the fact that, to maintain steady progress, I found it necessary to constantly pump the accelerator pedal at the correct rhythm. I sold it to a vehicle technology instructor at Willesden Technical College who later informed me, to my chagrin, that the distributor had been loose in the block; if only I'd known!
The A35 followed in 1975, bought from a friend for £10. It was registered something like 683 UYU, definitely UYU, and had 130,000 miles to its credit, still with the original engine and gearbox. The engine had been re-rung and re-shelled, but the gearbox was untouched and any trace of synchromesh was long gone. I learned to double-declutch like a pro and found it hard to stop doing so subsequently, even on cars with good synchro. I'd love another A35. They make all the right noises and are just so good to be in. Why haven't I had one for 48 years? Maybe it's time I went back to the future.