Austin A35 Pick Up 1958

Description:

UAB101 is the 75th Austin A35 pick-up produced out of a total of just 475. Originally intended as a small utility vehicle for local tradesmen the A35 pick-up went into production in late 1956 but was halted within a few months due to issues with purchase tax. Commercial vehicles were at that time exempt from purchase tax whereas standard road cars were not. The A35 pick-up had a tiny load capacity and no tailgate along with seats fitted in the rear tub (that fold away), and as a result the tax authorities decided that this made it more of a recreational rather than work vehicle and applied the purchase tax thus making the car very expensive to buy in the UK. As a result and with very few sold production was halted and all unsold models were shipped abroad (mostly Australia and New Zealand), roughly half of these little pick-ups ended up overseas.
UAB101 is an original British example and was sold new in Worcestershire and registered on 1st January 1958. In 2001 this car underwent a full and very expensive professional photographic restoration with Heritage Classics in Middlesbrough. A total exceeding £25,000 was spent restoring the car and it is now one of the finest, if not the finest example to be found anywhere. Underneath the car is in beautiful show condition, up until 2016 the car formed part of an important private collection and covered less than 100 miles on its rebuilt engine in 14 years. In 2016 the car was briefly used to promote a national online business but only covered a few (perhaps 100) road miles during that time as it was used mostly for photo purposes. The car does drive very nicely indeed though and the little 948cc engine purrs as well as it did when it was new.
UAB101 also featured in an ITV documentary about commercial vehicles that was produced by Yorkshire television and a newspaper cutting of this event is included in the comprehensive history file along with the original green logbook and piles of invoices and photos from Heritage Classics. The car is both MOT and tax exempt due to its age.
No one knows for sure exactly how many of these quirky pick-ups remain; at the annual Austin A30 and A35 owners club show they might expect 5 or 6 to show up on a good year. They are the enigma of the Austin world and for this reason they are greatly converted.
This is an exceptionally rare opportunity to own an original British A35 Pick-up that could be shown to win prizes or driven and just enjoyed. UAB101 draws a massive amount of attention wherever it goes and would make a fantastic addition to any collection.

To view images of the restoration click here