Highlights
- Race ready
- Upgraded twin piston brakes
- Rebuilt and bored 1275cc (1310cc 130bhp)
- Spare radiator and wheels
- 2 owner car
The Background
Initially launched at the 1951 Earls Court Motor Show, branded as “The New Austin Seven”, it was a small family car produced between 1951 and 1956 and was immediately put in competition with the Morris Minor, undercutting the Morris price tag by £62 (which would be the equivalent to almost £2,000 in 2021).
Deigned by a previously aeronautical engineer, T.K. Garret was given a fully monocoque, chassis-less design which was the first Austin to be made like this. This design made it lighter and stiffer than most conventional motorcars of the age, fitted with an 803cc I4 engine and a 4-speed manual transmission it was the ideal budget-friendly family car of the age.
The History
The current owner originally purchased the car back in 2009, from its original owner who kept it brand new! The car was in extremely good shape for its age, and thanks to the new owner being a mechanic and a specialist engine builder, it still shows its originality through the body and has been incredibly well maintained. As it sits just now, the Austin isn’t road legal due to the alterations made for circuit racing - so it does require to be taken to and from the track on a trailer.
According to the seller, the car has raced mainly in the the Scottish SMRC series but its eligible for more than one of the CSCC series classes and The Classic Touring Car series.
According to the seller, the car has raced mainly in the the Scottish SMRC series but its eligible for more than one of the CSCC series classes and The Classic Touring Car series.
Over time, the current owner has put a lot of time, money and effort into making this little Austin what it is today. A lovely bright yellow paint job alongside some very welcome racing upgrades such as a 1275cc engine swap that has been bored out to 1310cc, producing a very healthy 135bhp, which in a 700kg car is a lot quicker than you’d expect it to be at over 190bhp per ton - more than your modern day Golf GTI!
The Paperwork
Paperwork for this A30 is quite thin on the ground however this is only due to the current owner doing all of the work to the car himself, there has been no requirement for a papertrail. The owner has however put together a full spec list for the vehicle written up.
The V5C is available and in the owner's name ready for transfer.
The Interior
As expected, the interior of this circuit racer has been stripped out and kept to the essentials - no creature comforts here (aside from a heated windscreen), but in the name of weight reduction, who needs ‘em? A full custom roll cage has been fitted to keep the car in regulation with any racing requirements along with a single Sparco Pro 2000 Plus bucket seat, Sabelt 6-point harness and a complete fire suppression system. These were all installed around 2010-2011, so if you require this car for FIA-approved racing you will need to renew the seat and belt as well as service the fire suppression system too.
Stack instruments have been installed in the cockpit with a large 125mm tachometer located just behind the quick release steering wheel, putting it in plain view so you know exactly where in the powerband you are and when you need to shift. Located just under the centre portion of the dashboard is a custom mounting plate with two Stack gauges, one for water temperature and one for oil pressure - an essential when it comes to racing. Just to the left of these is an AEM air/fuel ratio gauge, too. Additionally on the mounting plate for the gauges there are a number of manual switches for the lights, fuel pump, wipers, fog lights and heated front window. The original gauge cluster itself does have two cracks which travel from top to bottom of the glass portion, however these don’t affect the functionality of it.
Other safety features within the cab include a pull lever for the fire suppression system located on the dashboard to the left of the gauge cluster (there’s also one located outside of the car too) as a manual killswitch in the centre console.
The Exterior
Thanks to how well the car has been kept throughout its lifetime there has actually been very minimal amounts of welding done to the bodywork, the owner states there has only been one sill replaced and this was only due to a small racing incident that happened. Outside of this, the front and rear arches have been slightly flared to help accommodate 7” wide wheels to assist the stability of the car. The wheels currently on the car are 13” x 7” superlites wrapped in Yokohama 048 Soft 175/50/13 tyres, and there is a full set of spare wheels which are 13” x 7” Revolutions wrapped in Yokohama 048 Medium 175/50/13.
You won’t miss this car on the track, that’s for sure. Originally painted green - the same colour as the interior panels, it was welcomed to a new lease of life with a bright yellow paint job and some decals to really finish off the racing look for the car. The number “33” is on either side of the vehicle along with some advertising for the current owners engine building services along with some sponsorship and brand decals. We think it looks fantastic!
The Mechanics
This is where things get exciting - where some real time and money has been spent to ensure this A30 can hold its own on the track and show how truly capable it is. Starting with the engine, it is a 1275cc BMC engine that has been bored out to 1310cc, with the following build specifications:
- Ported cylinder head (36mm / 31mm)
- 310 Scatter cross drilled camshaft
- EN40 Steel followers
- Modified S rods
- Omega forged pistons
- Tuftrided crankshaft with H/Duty shell bearings
- ARP bolts throughout
- Baffled sump
- Duplex gears and H/Duty chain
- 45 DCOE Webber carb on Maniflow 7” manifold
- Maniflow big bore exhaust manifold
- Big bore single box race exhaust system
- 19 row oil cooler
- Small alternator conversion
- Custom made alloy radiator with thermo switch controlled fan
The gearbox has also been improved upon with;
- Straight cut gear set
- LSD plate type 4.8 (4.5 also available)
- Concentric clutch release bearing
- AP Racing 7 ¼” clutch
As you can tell, this car is no joke when it comes to the mechanical side of things, and it doesn’t stop there. The suspension has also been modified with fully adjustable front levers which are bolted to an adjustable camber plate, 900lbs front springs (500lbs also available), an alloy housing mounted anti-roll bar with rose jointed adjustability, rear adjustable telescopic shocks (original mounting still available), panhard rod and mini panhard tie rod, lowered leaf springs and rose jointed steering rods on a standard steering box. As you’d expect, this vehicle is set up with track racing in mind and it doesn’t disappoint - it’ll give some much higher powered vehicles a run for their money.
As for the brakes, these have been upgraded with midget hubs and 9 ½” discs with MGB twin piston calipers with race spec Questmead pads to help with the extra stopping power required thanks to the sharp jump in power increase. The rear brakes are still the original drums however they have been fitted with racing specification brake shoes and competition brake hoses have been installed all round.
Finally, located in the boot of the vehicle you will find a 4-gallon aluminium petrol tank fitted with an electronic Facet red top fuel pump, and a lightweight battery installed to help keep the weight down.
The Appeal
With such an extensive specification for track use and all of the work carried out to an incredibly high standard, this A30 would be the ideal vehicle for anyone looking for a toy to have some fun with. Building something like this would cost you ample amounts of money, and countless hours of labour on top of that - so it’s easy to see how appealing a race-ready car like this is.
You’ll be smiling from ear to ear chasing down higher powered cars who struggle to shake you off their tail - let the adrenaline begin!
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