Austin A35 Pickup
Discussion
A bit of a long shot...
At the Croft circuit event last weekend I saw an Austin A35 Pickup with wire wheels.
Not the usual spec for a pickup so I wandered over and had a closer look.
Inside the car sported bucket seats, rev counter and additional gauges. More intriguing.
The owner had a display board in the back with a full history of the car including several articles from the 1950's which showed that it had a period racing history.
Does anyone know anything about this little car and particularly how to contact the owner ?
At the Croft circuit event last weekend I saw an Austin A35 Pickup with wire wheels.
Not the usual spec for a pickup so I wandered over and had a closer look.
Inside the car sported bucket seats, rev counter and additional gauges. More intriguing.
The owner had a display board in the back with a full history of the car including several articles from the 1950's which showed that it had a period racing history.
Does anyone know anything about this little car and particularly how to contact the owner ?
Another member of TNF has added some info on the car.
It was registered TTN1, and owned by Austin dealers in Newcastle by the name of Murray & Charleston Ltd..It was Downton-tuned, and by all acounts could reach and cruise at 100mph. A mechanic driving it to a meeting was stopped by police for reaching the "ton", since that was illegal for commercial vehicles, but he revealed two old bus seats under the tonneau which made it a passenger vehicle.
It raced at events at Charterhall, Rufforth (yorks), Ouston (Co Durham) and blagdon hall (sprint), so seeing it at Croft would suggest that it has spent its life in the North of the country. God knows what class it ran in -production cars? Sounds like a real hoot, though.
It was registered TTN1, and owned by Austin dealers in Newcastle by the name of Murray & Charleston Ltd..It was Downton-tuned, and by all acounts could reach and cruise at 100mph. A mechanic driving it to a meeting was stopped by police for reaching the "ton", since that was illegal for commercial vehicles, but he revealed two old bus seats under the tonneau which made it a passenger vehicle.
It raced at events at Charterhall, Rufforth (yorks), Ouston (Co Durham) and blagdon hall (sprint), so seeing it at Croft would suggest that it has spent its life in the North of the country. God knows what class it ran in -production cars? Sounds like a real hoot, though.
nicanary said:
Another member of TNF has added some info on the car.
It was registered TTN1, and owned by Austin dealers in Newcastle by the name of Murray & Charleston Ltd..It was Downton-tuned, and by all acounts could reach and cruise at 100mph. A mechanic driving it to a meeting was stopped by police for reaching the "ton", since that was illegal for commercial vehicles, but he revealed two old bus seats under the tonneau which made it a passenger vehicle.
It raced at events at Charterhall, Rufforth (yorks), Ouston (Co Durham) and blagdon hall (sprint), so seeing it at Croft would suggest that it has spent its life in the North of the country. God knows what class it ran in -production cars? Sounds like a real hoot, though.
Managed to get a picture of it from a friend who was there. It was registered TTN1, and owned by Austin dealers in Newcastle by the name of Murray & Charleston Ltd..It was Downton-tuned, and by all acounts could reach and cruise at 100mph. A mechanic driving it to a meeting was stopped by police for reaching the "ton", since that was illegal for commercial vehicles, but he revealed two old bus seats under the tonneau which made it a passenger vehicle.
It raced at events at Charterhall, Rufforth (yorks), Ouston (Co Durham) and blagdon hall (sprint), so seeing it at Croft would suggest that it has spent its life in the North of the country. God knows what class it ran in -production cars? Sounds like a real hoot, though.
I'm sure it's the same car and was re-registered some time ago. I wonder if your contact knows the present owner ?
Chunkychucky said:
Amazing, love A35s and never knew a pick-up was raced! A friend bought a van with the intentions of building a racer out of it, but the powers that be told him he wouldn't be allowed to enter, so instead he stuck a 1275, midget discs and a 5 speed 'box in it and uses it on the road.
They were definitely raced in period. Also raced were Ford Y-type vans, which could be tuned quite a bit with Aquaplane heads, shorrocks superchargers etc. happy days, long before today's one-make bore-fest.Am I right in thinking that A35 pickups are really quite rare?
My folks used to have a 'normal' one when I was a kid, and when we were in Ireland one year we saw one standing in the corner of a new car showroom. We stopped and got chatting to the fella, who said that there was very few ever made. No real reason to doubt him (he wasn't selling it!) - always wondered though
My folks used to have a 'normal' one when I was a kid, and when we were in Ireland one year we saw one standing in the corner of a new car showroom. We stopped and got chatting to the fella, who said that there was very few ever made. No real reason to doubt him (he wasn't selling it!) - always wondered though
srob said:
Am I right in thinking that A35 pickups are really quite rare?
My folks used to have a 'normal' one when I was a kid, and when we were in Ireland one year we saw one standing in the corner of a new car showroom. We stopped and got chatting to the fella, who said that there was very few ever made. No real reason to doubt him (he wasn't selling it!) - always wondered though
475 made.My folks used to have a 'normal' one when I was a kid, and when we were in Ireland one year we saw one standing in the corner of a new car showroom. We stopped and got chatting to the fella, who said that there was very few ever made. No real reason to doubt him (he wasn't selling it!) - always wondered though
Regularly saw the A35 pickup racing at Charterhall, Ouston, Middleton St George. All this in the late fifties. Always driven by Jimmy Bloomer. The car was owned by Murray and Charelton of Newcastle ,Blayon, Middlesborough and Stockton on Tees. My mother and farther both worked there before and after the war. They also had some other hybrids. An A60 engine in an A40?
Theyhad a fleet of cars the included a Bently Continental, A gull winged Mercedes, An early E type in British racing green. Murray and Charelton where the oldest Austin Dealers in the World. The first premises where in Barrass Bridge in Newcastle and then College Avenue Newcastle. They then relocated to the old tram sheds at Windgrove Newcastle. They became Dutton Forshaw in later years. Love to hear from anybody who remembers those days.
Theyhad a fleet of cars the included a Bently Continental, A gull winged Mercedes, An early E type in British racing green. Murray and Charelton where the oldest Austin Dealers in the World. The first premises where in Barrass Bridge in Newcastle and then College Avenue Newcastle. They then relocated to the old tram sheds at Windgrove Newcastle. They became Dutton Forshaw in later years. Love to hear from anybody who remembers those days.
B16head said:
Regularly saw the A35 pickup racing at Charterhall, Ouston, Middleton St George. All this in the late fifties. Always driven by Jimmy Bloomer. The car was owned by Murray and Charelton of Newcastle ,Blayon, Middlesborough and Stockton on Tees. My mother and farther both worked there before and after the war. They also had some other hybrids. An A60 engine in an A40?
Theyhad a fleet of cars the included a Bently Continental, A gull winged Mercedes, An early E type in British racing green. Murray and Charelton where the oldest Austin Dealers in the World. The first premises where in Barrass Bridge in Newcastle and then College Avenue Newcastle. They then relocated to the old tram sheds at Windgrove Newcastle. They became Dutton Forshaw in later years. Love to hear from anybody who remembers those days.
Sadly, Jimmy Blumer (sic) died very recently. He used to race several cars at the same meeting, as well as the A35 pickup there was a Cooper Monaco and a Lister-Jaguar. The A35 would be entered in the production car race and also in the sports car race. At one meeting he won 3 out of the 4 races, and once won a team prize on his own - I don't know the actual details but I think he entered 3 cars under different entrants' names with him as the driver. By all accounts he was heckled (jovially) at the prize-giving with calls of "pot hunter".Theyhad a fleet of cars the included a Bently Continental, A gull winged Mercedes, An early E type in British racing green. Murray and Charelton where the oldest Austin Dealers in the World. The first premises where in Barrass Bridge in Newcastle and then College Avenue Newcastle. They then relocated to the old tram sheds at Windgrove Newcastle. They became Dutton Forshaw in later years. Love to hear from anybody who remembers those days.
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