The American Austin Car Company was an attempt to popularize the European idea of an economy car for America. In 1929, buoyed by the success of the tiny Austin 7 in Europe, Sir Herbert Austin of the Austin Motor Company of Birmingham, England traveled to America with plans to license out production.
Bill Minor, of Columbia, Tennessee, was an artist, gifted fabricator, and automotive enthusiast. With his great fabrication abilities, he was able to make or repair almost anything.
This amphibious car was designed by Hans Trippel. It has a unibody steel two-door cabriolet body with electrically-welded joints and is powered by an 1147cc Triumph Herald engine mounted at the rear and driving the rear wheels. Two propellers are activated for propulsion when the car is in the water.
The Astra was originally developed in 1955 as the “Little Horse” utility vehicle by JARC Motors Ltd. Of Middlesex. The single-seat, 13HP commercial vehicle was simple but capable.
The Audi Coupe GT was produced as an executive compact car; a tamer, front-wheel drive version of the famed Audi Quattro. Sold in the US market from 1980-1987, it was updated to the Audi 90.
This 1969 Austin Mini has been updated to mid-1980 specification. Although Austin never produced an in-house cabriolet, several independent companies in England performed the conversions.
The Austin Mini Moke (British slang for “donkey”) began production in 1964. It was designed as a four-wheel-drive jeep-like utility vehicle for the British army. Although it was rejected by the military because of its low ground clearance, a two-wheel drive version became popular around the world as an inexpensive “fun” vehicle ideal for hot climates.
The Austin Mini Reptune GT Gullwing is a body kit designed for the Austin Mini, and the brainchild of British-born designer Dennis Prophet. He was responsible for the import of the Austin-Healey 3000 and its racing activities but soon started his own business in Scarborough, Ontario called Reputation Tuning Services, or Reptune.
In the mid 1960s, Austin decided to produce the Mini in South America. Knowing the production volumes would not be large, they could not afford to make another set of stamping dies for another factory.
The Twini Mini was an idea that was never fully developed. In 1962, British Motor Corporation built a Mini Moke with 2 engines to help its off-road capabilities.
Known affectionately as the “Bugeye” in the US and “Frog-Eye” in the UK, the Mark I Austin-Healey Sprite was an entry level British sports car introduced in 1958. Designers Donald Healey and Leonard Lord saw a chance to fill a gap in the market below the larger and more expensive MGA.
The Austin-Healey Sprite was the entry level British sports car in the 1960s. The Austin-Healey Sprite Mark IV represents the final development of the Sprite line.
