Now back with us in part exchange A very well recognised Austin 1300 with only doing 49, 000 this is a blemish free example and very well maintained and cherished Austin Under the bonnet is show standard it has an immaculate blue interior and headlining this is the Automatic version with a smooth gear change a lovely car to drive and feels sharp and true.
Following his success with the Mini, Sir Alec Issigonis, set out to design a larger, more sophisticated car and with more advanced innovations and so the ADO16 (Amalgamated Drawing Office project number 16) model was created, hardly the most catching title but a design, that non-the-less saw a remarkable 40 different variants being offered by manufacturers such as Austin, MG, Wolseley, Riley, Morris, Vanden Plas and Innocent. Launched in 1962 the ADO16, like the Mini, was designed around the BMC 'A' series engine, again mounted transversely and driving the front wheels. Featuring disc brakes at the front (uncommon on mass-produced cars of the early 1960's) it also featured Hydrolastic suspension, offering passengers a smooth ride akin to the Citroen 2CV, a far less sophisticated car, and with its 'Tardis' like interior the ADO16 offered a comparable interior space to the much larger Ford Cortina.
Originally launched with just the 1100cc version of the 'A' series engine, the popularity of ADO16 was such that it Britains best selling car. This success continued throughout the Mk1's production (1962-67) and on into the launch of the Mk2 in 1967, and with the introduction of the 1275cc engine (similar to that found in the Mini Cooper S and Austin-Healey Sprite) the cars popularity was such that, remarkably at this end of the market, customers actually endured a waiting list! The ADO16's production continued, with minor styling changes, through to 1974, by which time over 2 million units had been sold.