1933 Austin Heavy 12/4, 11.9hp. Registration number GV 1610....

Estimate

£5,000 - £7,000

1933 Austin Heavy 12/4, 11.9hp. Registration number GV 1610. Chassis number H 1027. Body number HC 925. Engine number 1 H 2100.
Sold with the V5C, R.F.60, various old MOT's.
The Austin 12hp was introduced by the company in 1921, it was the second of Austin's post World War I models and was in many ways a scaled-down version of the 20/4, introduced in 1919.
Initially available as a Tourer, by 1922 three body styles were offered, these being the four-seat tourer, the two/four-seater and the coupé. The car enjoyed success throughout the vintage era with annual sales peaking at 14,000 in 1927.
While the mechanical specification changed little (the engine increased from 1661 cc to 1861 cc in 1926), many body styles were offered with saloons becoming more popular as the twenties drew to a close. The car continued in the Austin catalogue until 1935 and as a Taxi option until 1939. The last cars were produced for the War Department in 1940.
During the early thirties, the car began to become known as the "Heavy 12", to distinguish it from the other, newer, 12HP cars in the Austin catalogue ("Light 12/4", 12/6 etc) and received some updating. The artillery style wheels were replaced by wire spoked ones in 1933 and coil ignition replaced the magneto in 1935. The gearbox got synchromesh on its top two ratios in 1934. The body range was steadily simplified with the last of the fabric covered versions in 1931 and no open cars after 1934.
GV's early history is unknown but the R.F.60 on file shows it was owned by John Yaxley of Norwich in 1959, a 1962 envelope is also on file. In 2003 Thomas Ritchie of Glenrothes was the owner and we presume that he restored it during his ownership, our vendor purchased it in 2009. The bodywork presents very well as does the replacement interior and needs very little work apart from polishing occasionally. Note should be taken of the hand painted crackle effect door caps. The drive train performs very well and it has had limited, but regular use during their ownership. It should be noted that the engine block has a slight crack and weeps the odd drip. It was like this when purchased and has never been an issue. MOT's on file go from 2002 at 5641 miles to the last in 2012 at 8878 miles, it now shows 669 miles (9999 is the largest number the odometer can go to).