10k-mile A35 van up for auction
An Austin A35 van with the lowest mileage known to the owners’ club is being auctioned by Brightwells today (Wednnesday, 15 May). The 1960 Austin has just 10,083 miles on the clock, having spent four decades in storage.
A Mr Alan Keyes bought the van new from Cordingly and Sons, and it still carries the signwriting for his business – AN Keyes Limited Auto Electricians of Rochdale Road, Manchester.
Mr Keynes was later left unable to drive when he was seriously injured in an industrial accident, so he stored it in his garage, where it stayed for 40 years until his widow passed it on to his grandson, still with Mr Keynes’s tools in the back.
A Brightwells spokesman said: ‘Rarely do we come across a vehicle with this level of originality.’ Austin A30/A35 Owners’ Club committee member and magazine editor, Paul Lewis, said: ‘Some information on this van appeared on our website last year and caused a lot of interest.
‘It’s a significant find. I can’t think of an A35 van with a lower mileage.’
The van’s estimate is £8000-10,000.