I have Gertie's little sister Ruby. She has synchro on 2nd, 3rd and 4th. However, when I first bought her she had a completely non synchro gearbox from an earlier car. I used her as my everyday car (in the mid to late 90s), so soon got proficient at gearchanging. I was able to change gear completely quietly probably 19 times out of 20. Later I installed the correct type of gearbox for her year (1936). I drove her extensively, including numerous times into central London, and a holiday in Britany, France. For the last 20 years or so I have had her on the Costa Del Sol in Spain. No longer an every day car, but still she has been used extensively here, including several trips to Ronda (up a mountain road from the coast). I'm glad to see Gertie is also regularly used. Cars are not supposed to be museum pieces. They are living, breathing things that thrive on regular use.
Delightful old machine! Glad you had the opportunity to drive this around the lovely countryside, instead of just a closed course...I did a double-take when that third gen (1961-63) T-bird showed up at the end!
Like all the others commenting, it's wonderful to see vehicles of this age so well maintained and used regularly. Terrific video, and great filming from Ms Hubnut, as always! And that horn! Fabulous.
I drive a car about this era and you are absoloutely right that the hardest thing to deal with being drivers of modern cars not appreciating what you are dealing with. I think they see an old car and think that although it looks very different it is more or less the same to drive as a modern. Not so! Even if you drive a car like this at the limit if its capability and your capability to control it, drivers of modern cars imagine you are out for a leisurely drive. To be fair most people don't mind been held up and give a thumbs up or a wave, but a bit more room for error wouldn't go amiss.
This 1932 Austin is 90 years old and is still going down the road after all these cars were built to last and boy has this Austn lasted all been well it should be around for another 90 years
what a wonderful video, as a child in the 40's I spent a lot of time in 'motors' like this - listening to the sound bought it all back- thanks Ian and thanks for being sympathetic to the old girl
All the boys excited for the brand new Bugatti Turbillon, and then you find out Austin made a car in the 30s with the central bit of the steering wheel that stays fixed as you turn the steering wheel! Kids these days...
My mum had a 1969 Holden Torana HB (Australian HB Viva) in which she named it 'Gertie'! It was hilarious yet sentimental when you mentioned the name of your featured Austin, as I have not heard anyone else name their car Gertie since mum's Torana. It was the family car, grew up with it, fell in love with it (my little sis HATED it! lol!!) it saw three engine/gearbox changes ( original 1159cc '90' engine also called the 'Series 70' in Australia, that got replaced with the 1.8 slant four from a later model Torana. The 1.8 lasted 3 to 4 years, until all three oil seals blew out on the front of the engine indicating that the compression rings were going! Dad learned of a buddy that had a rebuilt 1.6 slant four for free and went that option instead of rebuilding the 1.8 (we had little money then) turned out the 1.6 wasn't rebuilt properly and suffered from severe tappet noise that couldn't be adjusted out and the thing overheated a bit more than we liked.) So after that, the car was off the road and remained that way until a fine gentleman and his son came and claimed the car from mum and dad as the car was deteriorating substantially, it broke mum's heart as it was her very first car. The two guys that claimed Gertie planned to restore her to original condition as the belonged to the Vauxhall Viva club of Australia i believe. But anyway, long story short, the name 'Gertie' has a very special place in both my heart and my mum's heart particularly! Thanks for letting me share!
When you said "It seems to want to steer in two directions at once." I thought "That sounds terrifying!" but I love it when old cars have a gearbox that sounds like one from an old bus. For a 92 year old car, it's unspeakably cool.
Nice one fella and yes the older motors really do require major focus when pointing them in the direction you hope to go. God bless my good dad as he used to say when having a gear change crunch " It's a gearbox not a jukebox". 😁👍
I think the original car was older than the one used in the TV series though. The story begins in 1937 and the car is described as ancient, so I'd assume 1920s, possibly early 20s, like the Seven Ian drove last year. A Ruby would have been brand new at that time, not an old banger.
A beautiful piece of the past. Probably the best time to have been driving. None of the entrapments of today's motorists just pure joy of the open roads. I would have loved it
Reminds me when my clutch cable broke on my 205. I was about to bother dad and I decided to to clutchless changes to get home. It was great fun and I got home. Stoping and starting was hilarious. But with planning only had to stop start twice. Enjoyed this video. Like 734
What a great piece of nostalgia, Ian. Well done! Sir Herbert - as he was when "Gertie" was born, he didn't become Baron Austin until 4 years later in 1936 - would be so proud that a lovely old lady from Longbridge is still going strong. All that was missing was one of the two [or maybe both] HubNut ladies dressed in a silk or satin evening gown topped off by a cute beret, climbing aboard, and then you could have done a little cameo acting as chauffeur whilst they waved at the hoy-polloy from that sumptuous back seat!
You drove away at the roundabout at the end and I heard the old, old Top Gear exit music (Out of the Blue, Elton John) fade into my head! Thank you so much for that delight! I'm lucky in a way to have been to some car shows in the eighties when some of these were still hanging on. I remember my Dad (1937-1986) being quite nostalgic for the bigger expensive cars of the thirties and forties. Though his parents had Rovers and Jaguars a decade or so later.
Something I've come to appreciate more recently is the characteristic engine / gearbox / exhaust sounds of particular brands. This '20s/'30s Austin sounds like a Morris Minor from the '50s onwards, for instance. I could always identify a Renault even as a young child back in the '70s, but we'd be talking about cars of a single generation because old cars were rare due to sheer rot. The really weird one for me is how my current car (2014 Fiesta diesel) has exactly the same transmission / exhaust thrum (albeit at twice the road speed for any given engine speed) as the 1.1-litre Fiesta Pop Plus I learned to drive in 35 years ago - separated by several generations and running on different combustion methods.
I've driven a 50s Austin A40 and that was tough enough but oh so much fun. Like you say the gear changes are definitely the hardest bit. Steering is very imprecise as well. Have to concentrate to stay in a straight line.
Pre war motors are a lovely experience once a little confidence is gained. As you allude to, anticipating the actions of modern motorists is possibly the greatest challenge... I wonder if you can find an Edwardian motor to drive, you'll find that another level again but a wonderful and unforgettable experience.
These older cars are so fascinating in terms of their simple mechanical layout and the fact they tended to just focus on the basics rather than creature comforts that added luxury but also more things to go wrong. I'm amazed at how roomy this one is in the back - it's pretty much a limousine!
Fabulous! My dad used to read me stories, when I was a wee lad, about an Austin Clifton Heavy 12/4, called 'Gumdrop' while occasionally breaking into, as it turns out, quite accurate transmission noise impressions. The chap who wrote and illustrated the books was called Val Biro.
I've actually already driven a Tourer more like Gumdrop. I was also a fan of the books. Val Biro actually owned Gumdrop and would regularly take Gumdrop to shows.
@@HubNut Brilliant, just gave it a watch there. I noticed the lost temperature guage, Gumdrop lost his in one of the stories but got it back care of a chicken I think, the old girl you drove at beaulieu wasn't quite so lucky.
My father had a pair of 1931 Austin 12/4 cars, both convertible. When he sold them in the early 1950s, he kept the clock from one of them. It's now in a mahogany mount in my bedroom.
Lovely old bus. Have a 1935 Dodge Pickup as my oldest Truck and a 1924 Maxwell as my oldest Car. Got a couple of 100-year olds. Even crushed a few 1920's Fords and Essex's about four years ago. This old stuff is VERY common around here even over 100 years later!
Great video, Ian. What a lovely car. I remembered where I saw one of these. In the miniseries "Mapp And Lucia" the estate agent is offering to drive Lucia to inspect a house, and he tells her he has an Austin Windsor saloon. At the house we get a couple of glimpses of the car.
The most I've seen cars like these are those being used as wedding cars, and they tend to sound like they had something a bit more "modern" under the bonnet, much better to hear the real thing though, even with the crunches... :P
Proper motorcar. Also, as I remember from driving and being driven in pre-war cars, 45mph is an entirely satisfactory speed for cross-country work, as it might have been called in the day.
Great video, I was told my great grandfather would travel up to Oxford with his brother to buy Austin 12s to bring them back to north Devon, they would then cut the backs off them and turn them into pick-up trucks to use around the farm.
The sound of straight cut gears. Not something you hear today. Definitely takes you back in time. Amazing that 29 horse power can haul that big machine around like it does. I imagine it has pretty good torque. I remember the Volkswagen bug with 40 horse. They didn't like hills either. Beautiful old car. Thanks to you, and the owner, for sharing it with us.
They were slow up hills but unlike big water-cooled cars of the era they didn't overheat on mountain roads. My late mom liked to tell how proud she was as a kid going up the Großglockner road in the family Beetle passing all the stranded Opels and Mercs.
Re the lacking synchromesh in the SHMD Atkinson : It was a David Brown gearbox and known for weak synchromesh. Both Atkinson's only double deck and the Sunderland trio were "blacked" by drivers until semi-automatic gears were installed.
Awwwwwwwww, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. thankyou Ian. Int it funny how this brings a tear to your eye, even tho i was born in 1960. love from New Zealand
At one point I heard a little squeak of alarm from Miss Hubnut. Can't say I blame her! The thought of driving a near century old car with brakes and steering best described as approximate is scary enough but when you're just a passenger and there's nothing you can do to help yourself.....
My late father used to say that these 'Heavy' Austins were popular for private hire cars / taxis. Interesting side note - Pre-War Austins had their bodies named after race courses - Epsom, Ascot, etc. Post-War were counties - Dorset, Devon, Somerset, etc.
What an lovely car Ian , but it’s hard work 😓 driving one! And perhaps even scary for the first time! Fantastic that it’s driven so often! Makes everyone smile! 👍🏻👍🏻🆙
Very nice and interesting to see and listen how an old vehicle like this is driving. Really lovely. Driving those days must have been really hard work. Thank you for this video and interesting impressions. 😊
I guess ‘Gumdrop’ was just different in body style - memories of reading those stories by Val Biro to my children and his visit to their school. Now I can put some sounds to them! Another great review Mr Hubnut.
My first car was a 1936 Austin seven Ruby, my daily driver ( to Wanganui boy's college New Zealand), as late as 1966-7. Drive a vintage car to really appreciate any car anywhere near modern.! Lovely car in this interesting video, many thanks.
Wot larks! The oldest car I've driven is a Daimler Consort. Even though it was built in 1952, it's very much a 1938 car with a tiny bit of body modernisation. It was a preselector, so no risk of crunching gears ;)
You got me covered by miles...mine is a '66 Cortina and a '66 Toyota Landcruiser (only cars I've driven that's older than me...being '67 model myself). Cheers!
What a car, I’d be terrified. Loved the contrast at the very end. My mums 93 and from a relatively affluent background and remembers some cars from her youth, I do wonder what she makes of modern life generally, but particularly cars - she generally just states things are awfully complicated now dear.
When I see any car from about 1955 or before that had semaphore indicators that were welded up and changed for orange flashing lights, I always wonder: how sacrilegious would it be to have fitted it with bright orange LED flashing semaphores instead? I thought I'd seen them on one of the oldtimers that Car SOS fixed up, but I re-watched all the relevant episodes, and it wasn't. Maybe it was Wheeler Dealers. It's the kind of bling that I can see Mike Brewer favouring on a car like this.
@@StephenAllcroft ...and knowing Steph and her penchant for all things pre-1960s, there'll be about a hundred such videos to comb through to find it. I can't be the only one that wants to see trafficators, flashing LED or otherwise, on her Standard Ten. It's the right age for them.
Thirties cars are always fun to drive, no chance of nodding off at the wheel even on a modern A or M road. She has a few, in my opinion, questionable modifications like the indicators, that horn ring and the panel illumination, the original panel light that button looking thing above the indicator switch, pull for on and twist around to where the dim light required to shine. That body was hand signals only when new, externally mounted trafficators were fitted to later models. Pulling away in second was standard unless an uphill start. I now regret ever selling my Riley's but moving to a house with no garage or drive in the '70's forced my hand. Too expensive to replace now.
I'm not waiting for the day when you'll start reviewing Ferrari's. You are too genuine for that shit. And I'm glad you had this opportunity to know this old lady.
Just lovely. This is very similar to Siegfried Farnon's car featured briefly in series 1 of the BBC version of All Creatures Great and Small. The car featured in the opening theme in series 1 to 3 and so was immortalised in this way, even though it didn't feature much in the actual show. It makes you want to drive one to Yorkshire and splash through a stream (not sure the owner would like that)...
Ah, yes. The first series was so long ago that the period cars weren't so precious and the cast could go bashing around in fields without seemingly a second thought. In the current series the cars are treated like museum exhibits and barely move.
Came here after watching Top Gears report on the Rimac-developed Verne selfdriving car-pod thingy and the difference could not be bigger; from a sleek thing that will transport you in top comfort and luxury to a contraption where you really have to do ALL of the driving... Things certainly have changed in the 100 or so years since the Austin Heavy was new. Some for the better (that pod did look great!), but not all of it - I never ever want to give up driving to the car!
What a delightful car, thankfully though vehicles have moved on somewhat, and become more readily available to the masses since those days. Great video Mr Hubnut ❤.
I used to have to drive a Morris ten four. Whenever it came into our garage for work. The clutch was where the brake pedal should be. And a couple of people got in a muddle with the pedals and crashed it so after that nobody would drive it
Hi Hubnut, and thanks for such a good look at such an interesting car. For the most part the gearbox drowned out the sound of the engine, but I did hear it once or twice and it's a nice noise. On synchromesh, it was the province of Cadillac and a few other makes in 1932, but was spreading rapidly, so I imagine it would have found its way into the pricier Austin's only a year or two after this car. Cheers.
Last year I had a chance at driving an austin 7 at the great British car journeys and I thoroughly enjoyed it at the age of 31 it made me smile and feel like it was a bit of me. I understand this is the bigger brother but it's the closest comparison i have. they are wonderful to drive if a bit tight around the pedal and steering column alway had a thing for the older cars Somewhat special in my opinion. I thought it was going to be difficult but it really wasn't it came so natural The austin here has been meticulously loved and looked after clearly. I would love to experience more of this age and style of cars. Next on my list is the wolseley that they offer at the great British car journey
Up there with your top ten methinks, absolutely brilliant !! I thought I was seeing things with that Thunderbird wafting past at the end, is that your next one, that would be a bit of a contrast !!
Well done Ian those gearboxes are really hard to master, along with a steering box that is vague at best 👍 I still struggle with my F-i-L's Standard Vanguard phase 2 in present day traffic.
Hi Ian & Carly! There's a guy local to us who drives his 1920s 2 door saloon daily, come rain come shine, even in the snow! Not a clue what it is, but it's a similar shade of blue with black wings/running boards and a black padded hard top roof. It has an oval rear window, but alas, I've never got that close to begin knowing the make. I've sat behind it on numerous occasions doing almost 70mph on the Balmedie dual carriageway, so he's most definitely up to the task of driving it! Beautifully patinated machine. Cheers. Leigh.
It's never been the lack of power and grip or the lack of syncro that puts me off driving such beauties as this, I'm always so wary of the brakes. She does sound gorgeous though.
What an absolutely gorgeous car Ian, and you got to drive her. I'm greener than Kermit on a snooker table while listening to Green Day (whoever they are 🙂). I would love to even be a passenger in Gerty let alone being the pilot. Brilliant! many thanks for sharing. Top job HubNutters.
Fantastic video - I got to drive an Austin Seven at the weekend for the first time - (definitely a driving experience!) and so much of this felt so familiar! Love the videos - especially something just a little older. 😊
The marketing slogan used to be: You buy a car, but you invest in an Austin". This one certainly seems to have been a good long-term investment.
Indeed given it has lasted so long, and I guess in those times you didn't change your car every five years when an updated model came out.
And the gearbox and gear changes were a chance to show your skill (which is largely lost)
I have Gertie's little sister Ruby. She has synchro on 2nd, 3rd and 4th. However, when I first bought her she had a completely non synchro gearbox from an earlier car. I used her as my everyday car (in the mid to late 90s), so soon got proficient at gearchanging. I was able to change gear completely quietly probably 19 times out of 20. Later I installed the correct type of gearbox for her year (1936). I drove her extensively, including numerous times into central London, and a holiday in Britany, France.
For the last 20 years or so I have had her on the Costa Del Sol in Spain. No longer an every day car, but still she has been used extensively here, including several trips to Ronda (up a mountain road from the coast).
I'm glad to see Gertie is also regularly used. Cars are not supposed to be museum pieces. They are living, breathing things that thrive on regular use.
Delightful old machine! Glad you had the opportunity to drive this around the lovely countryside, instead of just a closed course...I did a double-take when that third gen (1961-63) T-bird showed up at the end!
Like all the others commenting, it's wonderful to see vehicles of this age so well maintained and used regularly. Terrific video, and great filming from Ms Hubnut, as always! And that horn! Fabulous.
What a beautiful car, the noise,you can see your enjoying yourself, be great to have more roadtests of cars of this era
You do a great job presenting these older cars with lots of detail in a relaxed style.
What an absolutely wonderful old car.
Better than classic Top Gear.
Ian's even got a Chris Goffey beard 😅
I love the noise of the old beastie
It's good to see Hubnut, doing what he does best.
Hopefully, we'll see you and the Mrs, out and about camping soon.. Cheers 👍👌
Most definitely!
Enjoyed this Ian and Carly. Love the colour of big Gertie
I drive a car about this era and you are absoloutely right that the hardest thing to deal with being drivers of modern cars not appreciating what you are dealing with. I think they see an old car and think that although it looks very different it is more or less the same to drive as a modern. Not so! Even if you drive a car like this at the limit if its capability and your capability to control it, drivers of modern cars imagine you are out for a leisurely drive. To be fair most people don't mind been held up and give a thumbs up or a wave, but a bit more room for error wouldn't go amiss.
Absolutely loving the symphony of sounds from this gorgeous old girl! You're a very lucky man Mr H, getting to drive such a manificent machine 👍👍
This 1932 Austin is 90 years old and is still going down the road after all these cars were built to last and boy has this Austn lasted all been well it should be around for another 90 years
The sheer delight on Ian’s face 🥰🥰🥰
what a wonderful video, as a child in the 40's I spent a lot of time in 'motors' like this - listening to the sound bought it all back-
thanks Ian
and thanks for being sympathetic to the old girl
All the boys excited for the brand new Bugatti Turbillon, and then you find out Austin made a car in the 30s with the central bit of the steering wheel that stays fixed as you turn the steering wheel! Kids these days...
As the British always said in the old days: We start in third gear and there we stay.
In retirement areas you can still hear sub-1000cc engines pulling away in 3rd gear, on a regular basis.
@@borderlands6606 Ahhh the aroma of burning clutch....
@@Clodhoppingchange clutch, not gear 😁
@@borderlands6606Happens here in Denmark too. Often in a tiny Suzuki 1.0 😁
These are hilarious sayings. As someone who just bought my first pre-war car, I will start using these!
My mum had a 1969 Holden Torana HB (Australian HB Viva) in which she named it 'Gertie'! It was hilarious yet sentimental when you mentioned the name of your featured Austin, as I have not heard anyone else name their car Gertie since mum's Torana. It was the family car, grew up with it, fell in love with it (my little sis HATED it! lol!!) it saw three engine/gearbox changes ( original 1159cc '90' engine also called the 'Series 70' in Australia, that got replaced with the 1.8 slant four from a later model Torana. The 1.8 lasted 3 to 4 years, until all three oil seals blew out on the front of the engine indicating that the compression rings were going! Dad learned of a buddy that had a rebuilt 1.6 slant four for free and went that option instead of rebuilding the 1.8 (we had little money then) turned out the 1.6 wasn't rebuilt properly and suffered from severe tappet noise that couldn't be adjusted out and the thing overheated a bit more than we liked.) So after that, the car was off the road and remained that way until a fine gentleman and his son came and claimed the car from mum and dad as the car was deteriorating substantially, it broke mum's heart as it was her very first car. The two guys that claimed Gertie planned to restore her to original condition as the belonged to the Vauxhall Viva club of Australia i believe. But anyway, long story short, the name 'Gertie' has a very special place in both my heart and my mum's heart particularly! Thanks for letting me share!
What a Beautiful vintage Hubnut Test Drive. I loved seeing & hearing "Gertie" with a lovely engine "Thrum" as she ambled along the road.
When you said "It seems to want to steer in two directions at once." I thought "That sounds terrifying!" but I love it when old cars have a gearbox that sounds like one from an old bus. For a 92 year old car, it's unspeakably cool.
Wow, nearly 100 years old and with a performance air filter, fantastic!
Nice one fella and yes the older motors really do require major focus when pointing them in the direction you hope to go. God bless my good dad as he used to say when having a gear change crunch " It's a gearbox not a jukebox". 😁👍
Well done Ian, my mum (1934 to 2015) learnt to drive on one of those and was told "If you can drive that, you can drive anything maid!"
“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” vibes. This is relaxation par excellence.
King Charles favorite movie...
Just imagine HubNut and the family going on holiday in this , now that would be a good vid .
Picnic in the back , salmon and cucumber sarnies to go .
Ant Hill Mob on tour?
Reminds me of "All creatures great and small"...
I think the original car was older than the one used in the TV series though. The story begins in 1937 and the car is described as ancient, so I'd assume 1920s, possibly early 20s, like the Seven Ian drove last year. A Ruby would have been brand new at that time, not an old banger.
A beautiful piece of the past. Probably the best time to have been driving. None of the entrapments of today's motorists just pure joy of the open roads. I would have loved it
Lovely antidote to modern computer cars
Reminds me when my clutch cable broke on my 205. I was about to bother dad and I decided to to clutchless changes to get home. It was great fun and I got home. Stoping and starting was hilarious. But with planning only had to stop start twice. Enjoyed this video. Like 734
What a great piece of nostalgia, Ian. Well done! Sir Herbert - as he was when "Gertie" was born, he didn't become Baron Austin until 4 years later in 1936 - would be so proud that a lovely old lady from Longbridge is still going strong. All that was missing was one of the two [or maybe both] HubNut ladies dressed in a silk or satin evening gown topped off by a cute beret, climbing aboard, and then you could have done a little cameo acting as chauffeur whilst they waved at the hoy-polloy from that sumptuous back seat!
You drove away at the roundabout at the end and I heard the old, old Top Gear exit music (Out of the Blue, Elton John) fade into my head!
Thank you so much for that delight! I'm lucky in a way to have been to some car shows in the eighties when some of these were still hanging on. I remember my Dad (1937-1986) being quite nostalgic for the bigger expensive cars of the thirties and forties. Though his parents had Rovers and Jaguars a decade or so later.
I still feel the HubNut fleet should have an Inter War car
Is it just me that was excited by the dashboard illumination.
Nope. Cheers!
Something I've come to appreciate more recently is the characteristic engine / gearbox / exhaust sounds of particular brands. This '20s/'30s Austin sounds like a Morris Minor from the '50s onwards, for instance. I could always identify a Renault even as a young child back in the '70s, but we'd be talking about cars of a single generation because old cars were rare due to sheer rot. The really weird one for me is how my current car (2014 Fiesta diesel) has exactly the same transmission / exhaust thrum (albeit at twice the road speed for any given engine speed) as the 1.1-litre Fiesta Pop Plus I learned to drive in 35 years ago - separated by several generations and running on different combustion methods.
Wow! This is absolutely majestic. I love to see these types of cars tested on the channel. Good work everyone 👍
I live in that area and I see a chap driving an Austin 7 around with some regularity. Its Black and Maroon if I remember rightly.
Oh that's lovely. I love videos about ancient cars like that.
I've driven a 50s Austin A40 and that was tough enough but oh so much fun. Like you say the gear changes are definitely the hardest bit. Steering is very imprecise as well. Have to concentrate to stay in a straight line.
Pre war motors are a lovely experience once a little confidence is gained. As you allude to, anticipating the actions of modern motorists is possibly the greatest challenge... I wonder if you can find an Edwardian motor to drive, you'll find that another level again but a wonderful and unforgettable experience.
These older cars are so fascinating in terms of their simple mechanical layout and the fact they tended to just focus on the basics rather than creature comforts that added luxury but also more things to go wrong. I'm amazed at how roomy this one is in the back - it's pretty much a limousine!
Because there's no boot...
Fabulous! My dad used to read me stories, when I was a wee lad, about an Austin Clifton Heavy 12/4, called 'Gumdrop' while occasionally breaking into, as it turns out, quite accurate transmission noise impressions. The chap who wrote and illustrated the books was called Val Biro.
I've actually already driven a Tourer more like Gumdrop. I was also a fan of the books. Val Biro actually owned Gumdrop and would regularly take Gumdrop to shows.
@@HubNut Brilliant, just gave it a watch there. I noticed the lost temperature guage, Gumdrop lost his in one of the stories but got it back care of a chicken I think, the old girl you drove at beaulieu wasn't quite so lucky.
My father had a pair of 1931 Austin 12/4 cars, both convertible. When he sold them in the early 1950s, he kept the clock from one of them. It's now in a mahogany mount in my bedroom.
Lovely old bus. Have a 1935 Dodge Pickup as my oldest Truck and a 1924 Maxwell as my oldest Car. Got a couple of 100-year olds. Even crushed a few 1920's Fords and Essex's about four years ago. This old stuff is VERY common around here even over 100 years later!
I just love to see these 30s cars! They look so elegant. ❤
So satisfying! The extra engagement needed to drive a car of this vintage looks like challenging fun. Every moment of your video made us smile 🙂
Great video, Ian. What a lovely car. I remembered where I saw one of these. In the miniseries "Mapp And Lucia" the estate agent is offering to drive Lucia to inspect a house, and he tells her he has an Austin Windsor saloon. At the house we get a couple of glimpses of the car.
The most I've seen cars like these are those being used as wedding cars, and they tend to sound like they had something a bit more "modern" under the bonnet, much better to hear the real thing though, even with the crunches... :P
That little squeak from Miss Hubnut as you picked up speed 😂❤
Proper motorcar.
Also, as I remember from driving and being driven in pre-war cars, 45mph is an entirely satisfactory speed for cross-country work, as it might have been called in the day.
Beautiful old car!
Great video, I was told my great grandfather would travel up to Oxford with his brother to buy Austin 12s to bring them back to north Devon, they would then cut the backs off them and turn them into pick-up trucks to use around the farm.
Nice video Ian ! Love the old stuff . Driving was a challenge back then ! Cheers from Arizona 🌵 not freezing here 🥵
Nice T-Bird shot at the end!
Lovely old girl "not mrs hubnut" the car I'm talking about😂. Nice tbird at the end mate. Aussie Graham.
The sound of straight cut gears. Not something you hear today. Definitely takes you back in time. Amazing that 29 horse power can haul that big machine around like it does. I imagine it has pretty good torque. I remember the Volkswagen bug with 40 horse. They didn't like hills either. Beautiful old car. Thanks to you, and the owner, for sharing it with us.
They were slow up hills but unlike big water-cooled cars of the era they didn't overheat on mountain roads. My late mom liked to tell how proud she was as a kid going up the Großglockner road in the family Beetle passing all the stranded Opels and Mercs.
Re the lacking synchromesh in the SHMD Atkinson : It was a David Brown gearbox and known for weak synchromesh.
Both Atkinson's only double deck and the Sunderland trio were "blacked" by drivers until semi-automatic gears were installed.
Someone round here has a flatbed truck built on a Heavy Twelve chassis... whilst a friend owns a Sixteen with a similar body in the same colour.
Awwwwwwwww, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. thankyou Ian. Int it funny how this brings a tear to your eye, even tho i was born in 1960. love from New Zealand
At one point I heard a little squeak of alarm from Miss Hubnut. Can't say I blame her! The thought of driving a near century old car with brakes and steering best described as approximate is scary enough but when you're just a passenger and there's nothing you can do to help yourself.....
This is either you'd hate it or love it experience, and I'm one of those mad people that would love it!
Thanks for review!
My late father used to say that these 'Heavy' Austins were popular for private hire cars / taxis. Interesting side note - Pre-War Austins had their bodies named after race courses - Epsom, Ascot, etc. Post-War were counties - Dorset, Devon, Somerset, etc.
What an lovely car Ian , but it’s hard work 😓 driving one! And perhaps even scary for the first time! Fantastic that it’s driven so often! Makes everyone smile! 👍🏻👍🏻🆙
Very nice and interesting to see and listen how an old vehicle like this is driving. Really lovely. Driving those days must have been really hard work. Thank you for this video and interesting impressions. 😊
I guess ‘Gumdrop’ was just different in body style - memories of reading those stories by Val Biro to my children and his visit to their school. Now I can put some sounds to them!
Another great review Mr Hubnut.
My first car was a 1936 Austin seven Ruby, my daily driver ( to Wanganui boy's college New Zealand), as late as 1966-7.
Drive a vintage car to really appreciate any car anywhere near modern.!
Lovely car in this interesting video, many thanks.
Just wonderful, from a time when motoring must have been a gentle pleasure.
Amazing that it's not far off 100 years old. I wonder how a Tesla Model 3 (or any current car) will perform in 2116?
Your smile whilst driving her said it all....
Wot larks! The oldest car I've driven is a Daimler Consort. Even though it was built in 1952, it's very much a 1938 car with a tiny bit of body modernisation. It was a preselector, so no risk of crunching gears ;)
You got me covered by miles...mine is a '66 Cortina and a '66 Toyota Landcruiser (only cars I've driven that's older than me...being '67 model myself). Cheers!
I think this car does firmly highlight why preselectors were so popular around this time. More preselector action coming soon hopefully.
What a car, I’d be terrified. Loved the contrast at the very end. My mums 93 and from a relatively affluent background and remembers some cars from her youth, I do wonder what she makes of modern life generally, but particularly cars - she generally just states things are awfully complicated now dear.
When I see any car from about 1955 or before that had semaphore indicators that were welded up and changed for orange flashing lights, I always wonder: how sacrilegious would it be to have fitted it with bright orange LED flashing semaphores instead? I thought I'd seen them on one of the oldtimers that Car SOS fixed up, but I re-watched all the relevant episodes, and it wasn't. Maybe it was Wheeler Dealers. It's the kind of bling that I can see Mike Brewer favouring on a car like this.
Saw that trafficator mod on I drive a classic, but I can't recall which car.
@@StephenAllcroft ...and knowing Steph and her penchant for all things pre-1960s, there'll be about a hundred such videos to comb through to find it.
I can't be the only one that wants to see trafficators, flashing LED or otherwise, on her Standard Ten. It's the right age for them.
Thirties cars are always fun to drive, no chance of nodding off at the wheel even on a modern A or M road. She has a few, in my opinion, questionable modifications like the indicators, that horn ring and the panel illumination, the original panel light that button looking thing above the indicator switch, pull for on and twist around to where the dim light required to shine.
That body was hand signals only when new, externally mounted trafficators were fitted to later models. Pulling away in second was standard unless an uphill start. I now regret ever selling my Riley's but moving to a house with no garage or drive in the '70's forced my hand. Too expensive to replace now.
I think indicators are a very wise addition these days. Drivers don't recognise hand signals or trafficators.
Ian, you are having to much fun in the Austin 😅
I'm not waiting for the day when you'll start reviewing Ferrari's. You are too genuine for that shit. And I'm glad you had this opportunity to know this old lady.
If I do drive a Ferrari, I promise it'll be a 308 GT4 or Mondial.
@@HubNut but please don't. No youtuber came back whole after Ferrari power trip. Stay with simple cars. They are awesome too.
@@HubNut Or a Ferrari hill tractor, much like Porsche and Lamborghini there are Ferrari tractors
Just lovely. This is very similar to Siegfried Farnon's car featured briefly in series 1 of the BBC version of All Creatures Great and Small. The car featured in the opening theme in series 1 to 3 and so was immortalised in this way, even though it didn't feature much in the actual show. It makes you want to drive one to Yorkshire and splash through a stream (not sure the owner would like that)...
Ah, yes. The first series was so long ago that the period cars weren't so precious and the cast could go bashing around in fields without seemingly a second thought. In the current series the cars are treated like museum exhibits and barely move.
Came here after watching Top Gears report on the Rimac-developed Verne selfdriving car-pod thingy and the difference could not be bigger; from a sleek thing that will transport you in top comfort and luxury to a contraption where you really have to do ALL of the driving... Things certainly have changed in the 100 or so years since the Austin Heavy was new. Some for the better (that pod did look great!), but not all of it - I never ever want to give up driving to the car!
Absolutely fantastic, something i will never do. Thank you.
What a delightful car, thankfully though vehicles have moved on somewhat, and become more readily available to the masses since those days.
Great video Mr Hubnut ❤.
Straight cut gears always sound properly mean and industrial! Love it!
I used to have to drive a Morris ten four. Whenever it came into our garage for work. The clutch was where the brake pedal should be. And a couple of people got in a muddle with the pedals and crashed it so after that nobody would drive it
Hi Hubnut, and thanks for such a good look at such an interesting car. For the most part the gearbox drowned out the sound of the engine, but I did hear it once or twice and it's a nice noise. On synchromesh, it was the province of Cadillac and a few other makes in 1932, but was spreading rapidly, so I imagine it would have found its way into the pricier Austin's only a year or two after this car. Cheers.
Seeing this car again is amazing. Just love the looks. 😊
Never been into Pre war cars but Gertie is lovely
Last year I had a chance at driving an austin 7 at the great British car journeys and I thoroughly enjoyed it at the age of 31 it made me smile and feel like it was a bit of me. I understand this is the bigger brother but it's the closest comparison i have. they are wonderful to drive if a bit tight around the pedal and steering column alway had a thing for the older cars Somewhat special in my opinion. I thought it was going to be difficult but it really wasn't it came so natural
The austin here has been meticulously loved and looked after clearly. I would love to experience more of this age and style of cars. Next on my list is the wolseley that they offer at the great British car journey
WANT!
That Klaxxon would make a great ringtone or message-arrived sound! AROOGAH!
Beautiful car you lucky bugger
Crunch, graunch every trip!
Lovely video and a wonderful example of that car. I commend the owner for using it like he does. Thanks for taking us along.
Up there with your top ten methinks, absolutely brilliant !! I thought I was seeing things with that Thunderbird wafting past at the end, is that your next one, that would be a bit of a contrast !!
You passed my old house at Great Eastern Terrace (with all the flowers). Couldda popped in for a cuppa.
The gearbox sounds a bit like my AEC Regent V.
Well done Ian those gearboxes are really hard to master, along with a steering box that is vague at best 👍
I still struggle with my F-i-L's Standard Vanguard phase 2 in present day traffic.
Hi Ian & Carly! There's a guy local to us who drives his 1920s 2 door saloon daily, come rain come shine, even in the snow! Not a clue what it is, but it's a similar shade of blue with black wings/running boards and a black padded hard top roof. It has an oval rear window, but alas, I've never got that close to begin knowing the make. I've sat behind it on numerous occasions doing almost 70mph on the Balmedie dual carriageway, so he's most definitely up to the task of driving it! Beautifully patinated machine. Cheers. Leigh.
Essentially Gumdrop.
It's never been the lack of power and grip or the lack of syncro that puts me off driving such beauties as this, I'm always so wary of the brakes. She does sound gorgeous though.
Lovely old car Ian. My Dad had an Austin 10 when I was little.
No shortage of mechanical noise!
A veritable symphony.
What an absolutely gorgeous car Ian, and you got to drive her. I'm greener than Kermit on a snooker table while listening to Green Day (whoever they are 🙂). I would love to even be a passenger in Gerty let alone being the pilot. Brilliant! many thanks for sharing. Top job HubNutters.
Fantastic video - I got to drive an Austin Seven at the weekend for the first time - (definitely a driving experience!) and so much of this felt so familiar! Love the videos - especially something just a little older. 😊