Austin 16

zThis one-of-a-kind Austin 16 was supplied new tro the Royal Navy and would have been put ashore for use by senior-ranking officers, having been carried on board HMS Implacable and HMS Indomitable anbd throughout the Far East, Singapore and New Zealand.This unique Austin 16 has undergone a body-off restoration to get it to this totally concourse condition - even up to the fuel tank and pristine underside. Built in 1940, the car features the Austin 12 body, but was fitted with the larger 16HP engine and an uprated more robust gearbox to accommodate its role as a Royal Navy senior staff limousine during the war. In this specification these cars didn't become available to the general public for another five years until after the war's end in 1945.The high standards to which the car had to be made are seen in its imposing appearance and more obviously in the car's elegant and luxurious interior, right down to the soft hide leather seats and the magnificent two-tone styling of the interior.The coachwork is faultless, deep, glassy shine all over with unpitted chromework throughout and numerous high-end flourishes all round the car. The rubber trim and running boards are in similar fine order.This car has clearly had no expense spared in its restoration; what we noticed about driving this car is the sheer comfort of the and quality of the ride, it felt like a new modern car - it is hard to believe that this car is 71 years old the way it drives - it handles incredibly well, sticks to the road, the steering is marvellously responsive and the brakes razor sharp. Not surprisingly for a vehicle custom-built to ferry high-ranking officials around, the suspension and overall ride quality are genuinely limousine-standard. The clunk of the doors closing leaves us in no doubt about the solidity of the car's build.The newly-overhauled engine sits in an engine bay that no general would object to - even eagle-eyed military types would be hard-pushed to find a speck of dust in there. The engine itself has even been converted to hardened valve seats so the car will survive in modern terrain, and it performs like a new engine thanks to the rebuild. The four=speed manual gearbox is also excellent, it gives a nice change but you can really feel the robustness of the gears. This Austin was certainly constructed to withstand the rigours of military business, first and second time round!In 1991 the car was repainted in RAF Blue to carry the wounded Nigel Havers all around the country with co-star Joanna Lumley in the television series The Perect Hero, and the car was repainted in this Sea Green tone for a role in The Camomile Lawn, with Prunella Scales and Paul Edington, and was later the thinking man's limo for Martin Clunes in Over Here.The car later underwent a full nut-and-bolt restoration in 2009. That restoration is fully documented in an extensive binder of paperwork and receipts.This is a unique opportunity to own a museum-grade piece of history, or simply to enjoy a fantastic classic restored to the highest of standards.

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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