Austin A40 Somerset

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The A40 Somerset made quite a bold statement when unveiled in 1952. Its transatlantic styled all-enveloping body looked quite contemporary, a shift away from the conservative looks of its predecessor, the somewhat antiquated A40 Devon.

The body looked very much like a scaled down A70 Hereford and was initially available only as a four-door saloon. Later in the year a two-door three-seat convertible was marketed as the Somerset Coupe and between the two models, some 173,000 found customers.

The 42bhp 1.2-litre four-cylinder ohv engine was just about enough, the tough little car selling well in export markets, particularly Australia where many were assembled from CKD kits supplied from England. In a strange quirk of fate, they were also manufactured under licence in Japan, some years before the tide of exports was to turn the other way.

This 1952 example comes from a deceased estate and has clearly undergone an extensive restoration. Sadly not quite finished, the restoration appears to have halted at the headlining stage, the area around the rear window still awaiting completion.

A large file of bills and invoices lists the extensive range of new and reconditioned parts that have been incorporated so far. The bodyshell has been stripped and painted, with most of the brightwork now back in position. It last had an MOT in 2009 (now exempt) and it was taxed until the end of last year.

We are unable to supply any further detail as to what has been done and leave it to you to compile the job sheet required to finish the project. Given the overall condition of the vehicle, we can’t imagine the list can be that long – and there’s still plenty of time before spring.