Your classic: Austin A35 van

| 18 Sep 2025

The list of cars I have owned in the past would perhaps make any classic enthusiast’s pulse race.

My first was a Vauxhall 12, followed by Morris Minor and Austin A35 vans, three Minis (a standard car, a Cooper and a van), Hillman Super Minx, Austin-Healey Sprite, Opel Manta, Lotus Europa and Mercedes-Benz 380SL – to name but a few.

If nothing else, it proves that boys love their toys.

The classic Austin A35 cabin, with a central speedo and large steering wheel

After my apprenticeship with Lucas in the Midlands, I moved to British Leyland in Solihull as an electrician, working in the maintenance department looking after the presses and machines on the production lines.

The Rover SD1 and Land Rover 90/110 were being built there at the time.

After a short while, though, the pull of my Welsh hometown proved too strong, so I returned to Aberystwyth and started a removals company, which fully occupied my time.

The business grew, as did a new love for and appreciation of antique furniture.

The Austin A35 van on the day of purchase, heading to its new home

I was developing an eye for quality and had a growing piggy bank, so my wife, Sally, suggested that I satisfied a long-held desire to look for a project car to restore.

I was further galvanised into action by a chance conversation with my friend Gareth Harvey, the local AA patrolman, so with octane levels rising in my veins, the journey began.

Funds weren’t sufficient to realise the dream of an Austin-Healey 3000, but eventually we found a Californian-import MGA that had made its way back to the UK and ended up in mid-Wales.

This Austin A35’s tuned 1275cc A-series engine provides a surprising turn of pace

Over a period of some 20 years the MGA was then restored, and after persistent requests to sell it to Gareth, by then retired from the AA, I parted with it and went on the hunt for a new project.

The passion for Austin A35s resurfaced, and the nostalgic pull drew me to a well-loved van.

While the vehicle was in good order, it cried out for some attention, so a few tweaks here and there were implemented.

The original engine was past its best, so a replacement was sourced. This turned out to be a 1275 A-series unit fitted with a non-standard camshaft and breathing through an SU HIF44 carburettor.

‘An MG Midget final drive in the diff complements the upgrades and makes this piece of motoring history a remarkable car’

It was treated to some work and a rolling-road tune-up, after which the capacity was estimated at something more like 1340cc.

The rolling road was a new experience for me: standing in front of a tied-down car belting along at 60mph and straining at the leash is an experience I won’t forget in a hurry.

The extra power led to the addition of front disc brakes and an anti-roll bar that aids driver confidence when getting a wiggle on. And boy, does this car want to wiggle!

The Austin A35 van on the rolling road at Mosley’s near Llandeilo in Wales

The ride height has been lowered by an inch, and the wheels banded by an inch to improve the ride and handling.

An MG Midget final drive in the differential complements these upgrades and makes this little piece of British motoring history a remarkable car: you just can’t keep a straight face when you drive it.

It was reviewed by a YouTube car-channel presenter, whose comment was that my A35 van was the ‘least-likely sports car in the world’ – but he clearly enjoyed it!

The van is often seen on display at car shows in west Wales, but it is equally at home on the shopping run or being enjoyed on adventures in the country.

‘The passion for Austin A35s resurfaced, and the nostalgic pull drew me to a well-loved van’

As is so often the case with our classic cars, there are many conversations to be enjoyed with admirers – stories such as the one from a retired London bus driver recounting tales of seeing James Hunt bombing around town in his A35, or quips about Wallace & Gromit.

It’s one of the joys of classic car ownership: the way they make for easy introductions and open conversations.

The classic car is a common denominator that drives over class barriers and brings out a shared passion.

Five decades from now, will there be misty eyes glancing back to the current crop of EVs or stories of charging waiting times? Somehow, I wonder…

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