Austin cars for sale

Overview

Austin was one of the two companies at the centre of the British motor industry, and it put more ordinary people into cars than almost any other European marque. In Australia it matters twice over: Austins were sold here for decades, and Austin-badged Minis were assembled locally.

History

Herbert Austin founded the company at Longbridge, Birmingham in December 1905, starting with conventional four-cylinder cars. The Austin Seven of 1922 was the transformative product — a genuinely cheap, genuinely small car aimed at a mass market that did not yet exist. It was built under licence around the world, becoming the first BMW (as the Dixi) and an early Datsun.

Austin merged with Morris in 1952 to form the British Motor Corporation, and BMC gave the world the Mini in 1959. Front-wheel-drive 1100, 1800 and Maxi models followed through the 1960s. The Metro of 1980 was billed as the marque’s saviour and briefly was. The Austin badge was retired in 1987; the trademark is now owned by SAIC.

Buying a classic Austin

Rust decides value. On a Mini in particular, check the floors, sills, subframe mounts, A-panels and the seams around the rear subframe before you look at anything else — a shiny car over rotten structure is a common and expensive trap.

Parts availability is excellent through British specialists and a strong Australian club network, and the mechanicals are simple enough for home maintenance. Confirm what a car actually is: Australian-assembled Minis differ in detail from UK ones, and badge swaps between Austin and Morris versions are common.