Registration – JVJ 605

Chassis No. – GS4705338

M.O.T. – Exempt

Odometer – 70,000

Perfectly glorious in pale green, this example of Austin’s A40 Somerset is presented in good fine condition and offered at no reserve. ‘JVJ 605’ is powered by Austin’s 1.2-litre B-Series straight-four engine, driving the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox. The bodywork, in its green-blue Sky Blue tone, looks fantastic, with a number of chrome highlights matching the era. Inside, the colour scheme continues, with cream door panels and seats, and body-coloured dashboard.

The vendor describes the underside as ‘very clean and tidy’, with ‘everything working as it should’, and rates the engine and bodywork as ‘average’, while the transmission, electrics, and interior are considered ‘good’, with the paintwork requiring attention in a few places. The odometer reads an indicated 71,202 miles, with just 11 owners in the vehicles more than 70 years on the road. ‘JVJ 605’ is offered for sale with original Austin owner’s manuals and is considered by the seller as a ‘nice little car with a really nice interior’.

· Offered at no reserve

· Cherished example of Austin’s A40 Somerset

· Low mileage model for its age

Austin’s A40 Somerset entered service in 1952, replacing the A40 Devon and A40 Dorset models which launched five years earlier. Using a number of the Devon/Dorset’s components, the A40 Somerset featured the same 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine as before, as well as other mechanical components, but featured overhauled styling, with a ‘transatlantic’ body style making the design more modern, inspired by American models. Offered initially as a four-door saloon, a convertible – the A40 Somerset Coupe – was produced later, with the roof able to be folded back completely, or to the B-pillar, and built by Carbodies of Coventry. The A40 Somerset survived until just 1954, when it was replaced by the far more modern-looking Austin Cambridge.