Engine Punk

Spotted at Jamaica Inn (Photo : Roger Holland) Regular followers of Engine Punk may remember I recently wondered if an Austin 10 saloon I'd spotted years ago at Wadebridge show ground was still around. The DVLA website showed no records could be found so it looked as if this venerable motor car was no longer extant. However, a chance remark from a neighbour today revealed it is still with us and in running condition. He went to a legendary hostelry in the middle of Bodmin Moor with his wife (she went on her own accord) and took some photos of the old cars there expressly to show me later. Imagine my surprise when he showed me this image. I recognised the radiator immediately and the colour scheme was as I'd remembered. Checking its registration number revealed it to be the same as that Austin 10 saloon I'd snapped at Wadebridge all those years ago. I hope it turns up at a show this summer so I can see it again. My question remains - is this a sports saloon version of the Au...

The Austin 10 Ripley. That radiator reminds me of an Austin 7 Grasshopper but chromed or nickel plated This rare survivor of an Austin Ten Ripley Sports appears at shows around the west country following a comprehensive restoration. I had a close look at it at Boconnoc last summer and it especially intrigued me because, years ago, I read about how the great rivals in the UK motoring market place – Austin and Morris – faced each other off with cheap sporty cars. In simplest terms, Austin had the Austin 7 and Morris had Morris Garages. The MG brand included larger sports cars and even saloons but Austin remained happy to let the Austin 7 represent them in the “scurrying kindergarten” the Bentley Boys had to contend with. However, there were little glimmers of sportiness in other parts of the Austin range as represented by the Austin 10 Ripley Sports. The present owner of this particular restored it over a seven-year period after it was recovered from a scrapyard in Callington in the ...