1969' Austin 3 Litre

HERE is another of my "garage finds" and anyone who follows my adverts will know that my prices can be just as amazing as my discoveries!

This is a 1969 (May 2) Austin 3-Litre in the most amazing condition. They were a rare enough beast back in the day with less than 10, 000 being built between 1968 and 1971 and I can only see two other examples currently for sale in the UK and they are both on this very website! You will note that they are priced at around the 11k-mark.

This old girl has just emerged from hibernation - complete with a host of Green Shield stamps sitting proudly in the centre console. And they were not even damp when I opened the doors! The tax disc in the screen is dated at 1985. Was that the last time this proud old girl cruised around the roads? Well, we can't know that for certain. but very probably. Yes. Bodily she is in the most amazing condition and, when people ask me about rust on classic cars and how bad it is etc, it will be a difficult question to answer this time around. I don't see any! Her wings, door bottoms (both externally and their undersides), wheel arches and sills appear to be excellent. I don't think she has ever been painted. The photos, taken today, do not tell any lies. Her interior is in splendid order, save for one small tear to the driver's seat base next to the door. Ninety per cent of what jumps out at you there has been caused by some sticky tape being applied decades ago. The split is no big deal. Seats, head lining (original) and wooden dash are in superb order as is the classic Austin steering wheel. There's three small areas in front of the screen on the top of the driver's wing where rubber coverings have been applied. Maybe the aerial was aimed at the wrong areas before finding its current home. Maybe Ambassadorial flags flew from the wing? I don't know. The chap who removed her from the garage following a bereavment tells me that he had the old girl by using a distributor from a big Healey. You have to take people at their word. This clearly has been a much loved car all its life and perhaps the elderly (and only) owner could simply not bear to part with it.

Engine is free for sure as I have just tried it.

She goes out as she came in, except that I have given her a quick wash and polish and she now gleams in the Autumn sunshine. Brakes will need going through obviously. However, in summary, an 11k example will be up and running and could probably take you anywhere. I very much doubt that it's bodywork could be any better than this one. I would also imagine that examples in that price bracket have been painted/ restored. This one is honest and original. Find better for £4500. You won't. Thanks very much for reading if you have stuck with me this far!

My classic cars are motoring antiques. Please do not imagine that they are some of replica creation of old vehicles. Quite regularly, my customers purchase classics which are older than they are. If you intend to visit and inspect a classic the way you would a modern day car, then you are coming to the wrong shop. They are time-worn with scars, repairs and doubtless all sorts of stories if only they could tell us. This one, for example, is 53-years-old and so will have quirks and faults in there somewhere. These are not always apparent when buying and selling classics which is what I do. I do not restore them, nor do I pretend that they are concours cars. The majority of them go out as they came in, and I continue to enjoy finding more - a skill which is becoming increasingly difficult as many of you will be aware. They deserve to be taken on as "family pets" and cared for through thick and then. They don't make them any more and demand now out-strips supply. Please bear all this in mind, and enjoy your classic car. I can also assist with delivery and so please ask for a quote.

I have now been established as a one-man band classic car dealer for 20 years and pride myself on my buying prowess and - due to small margins - my prices which I firmly believe are up there among the very best in the UK classic car marketplace.