Austin 16/6 Pick-up

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Although the first Austin car was marketed as early as 1906, it was really not until the 1922 season that the company established itself as the number one player in the domestic car market.

This was due largely to the phenomenal success of Austin's 7hp and 12hp models which gained an immediate reputation for utter dependability at an affordable price. By 1927 they had been joined by another outstanding model, the 16hp, a particularly lively six-cylinder machine which helped cement the firm's reputation as a maker of quality cars for the masses.

Slotting neatly into the Austin range above the 12hp model but below the 20hp, the 16/6 was powered by a new side-valve engine with a timing chain at the rear of the block, mated to a four-speed gearbox. It shared it’s chassis with the Heavy 12/4 from which it was distinguished by the ‘Austin Six’ script on the radiator and wire wheels.

Autocar particularly liked the six-cylinder engine reporting that it ran “very nicely indeed, smoothly, quietly and with a real willingness to get going if the driver chooses,” recording a top speed of 60mph and 21mpg economy. Periodically updated and restyled, the Sixteen lasted in production until 1937 in a variety of saloon and tourer bodies and is widely regarded as one of Austin’s finest models by the enthusiasts of today.

As a plaque on the dashboard confirms, this magnificent machine was supplied new by PJ Evans of Birmingham in July 1929 and was originally a 16/6 saloon. It was later acquired by a Mr Hughes of Presteigne who bought it from a local farmer and converted it into a pick-up to start his own coal delivery business after he returned from the war in 1945. For the next 20 years ‘Blodwyn’ as she is affectionately known, was a common sight on the roads of Radnorshire, collecting coal from Presteigne railway goods yard and delivering it to homes and businesses in the local area.

In conversation with the vendor, Mr Hughes’ son recalled how his father got the local blacksmith to beef up the rear suspension with an extra pair of coil assistor springs so it could carry loads of up to a ton, although on one occasion they managed to lug 27cwt of coal from the goods yard, keeping Blodwyn in bottom gear all the way home! Retired from service in 1968, Blodwyn then slumbered in a shed at the coal yard in Presteigne until 1981 when she was rediscovered and brought back to life by the previous owner, John Hindle of Bewdley.

For the next 25 years he used her for selling spares at autojumbles and classic car events around the Midlands, including Shelsley Walsh and Prescott, where she became a familiar and much-loved sight, the drop sides lowered to display the parts on sale. The vendor tried on several occasions to buy Blodwyn but was always politely refused until John passed away and he finally succeeded in acquiring her from the Hindle family in 2006 on the strict condition that the venerable Austin should be kept in running order but never be restored – a promise that he has honoured to this day.

During Hindle’s ownership Blodwyn was maintained by noted Frazer-Nash expert Ron Footitt of Cleobury Garages with numerous invoices on file to record the work carried out. This included an engine rebuild with new pistons, reground crank, remetalled big-end bearings, top-end overhaul etc; new king pins and bushes; brakes, steering and suspension overhaul; new wiring to restore the lights, horn and windscreen wiper to working order, plus numerous other mechanical jobs all fully detailed in many invoices on file which amount to some £4,500 in the 1980s.

Blodwyn also enjoyed something of a film career while in Hindle's care, appearing in an episode of Dennis Potter's wonderful 'Singing Detective' series and also in a scene from one of the BBC's Miss Marple episodes, 'They Do It With Mirrors' (VHS copy included in the sale).

During the vendor's ownership Blodwyn has continued to be meticulously maintained with help from vintage Austin guru, Bob James of Oswestry. This has included additional work to the engine to keep it running sweetly including a new timing chain and tensioner, new valves, refaced valve seats and new head gasket; gearbox rebuild; new clutch; brake system overhaul; rebuilt starter motor; Autovac overhaul; discreetly fitted flashing indicators etc.

Said to run and drive well, Blodwyn has always been in regular light use these past three decades with a dozen old MOTs back to 1983 charting the gradual accumulation of mileage. She certainly fired up promptly and ran very sweetly on the freezing cold morning of our visit, pottering happily around the yard as we manoeuvred her for these photos.

She remains in wonderfully original condition throughout with that irreplaceable patina that only comes from decades of careful use, her original black paintwork still visible beneath the flaking layer of later hand-painted blue, a riveted repair to the front nearside wing living testament to some coal yard mishap in the distant past. The scratched and faded dashboard retains most of its original instruments, all in good working order including the oil pressure gauge which recorded a healthy 27psi at tickover, and the wooden floorboards beneath the pedals still bearing the deep ruts caused by coal man Hughes’ hobnailed boots.

She comes with a good history file including the aforementioned repair and servicing bills; a buff log book from 1956 in the name of Hughes of Presteigne; a modern V5C; a current MOT valid until October 2016; a dozen old MOTs; various original parts books and maintenance manuals; a 1988 copy of The Automobile magazine in which Blodwyn is admired by Mike Worthington-Williams at the Malvern Autojumble and a 2010 copy of Heritage Commercials magazine which carries a three-page feature on the vehicle.

Altogether a unique and wonderful ‘oily rag’ survivor which needs to be sympathetically preserved for future generations to enjoy.