Registration No: NCY 961
Chassis No: GV5173541
MOT: Exempt

• Part of the collection since at least the late 1970s
• Subject to an older restoration
• A rare survivor
• In need of recommissioning / renovation

Introduced in 1947, the A40 was Austin's first 'clean sheet' post-WW2 family saloon design. Based on a sturdy chassis frame equipped with independent front suspension, a 'live' rear axle and four-wheel drum brakes, the newcomer was powered by a 1200cc OHV four-cylinder engine allied to four-speed manual transmission. With some 40bhp on tap, it was reputedly capable of over 70mph. Once production was in full swing and the principal Devon (four-door) and Dorset (two-door) saloon models firmly established, other variants joined the A40 line-up including a Jensen-designed sports four-seater, 10cwt pick-up, 10cwt van and estate car (or 'Countryman' as it was known). Styled in-house by Dick Burzi, the commercial A40s contrived to be stylish yet practical. Though, today - thanks to years of overloading, stop-start motoring and general abuse - survivors are few and far between.

First registered in Swansea on 19^th April 1956 (or so its ‘NCY 961’ number plate would imply), chassis GV5173541 has been part of the late Mr Lucas’s collection since at least the late 1970s when the DVLA computerised their records. Self-evidently the subject of past restoration work, the Austin’s odometer shows 33,552 unwarranted miles. Passing its most recent MOT test on 15^th May 2012, the A40 Countryman is now in need of recommissioning / renovation.

David Lucas (1947 – 2023)

A motor engineer by profession, the late David Lucas amassed a collection of over forty vintage and classic cars, commercials and tractors between the 1970s and his death last year. A true petrolhead, he housed several of them in a private museum which was decorated with an amazing array of automobilia. Drawn to cars with original interiors, he also had a deep love of music and a quirky sense of humour. A champion of the underdog, he eschewed the more famous British marques such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Aston Martin in favour of Armstrong Siddeley, Singer and Standard Triumph. A stalwart member of various car clubs over the years, he exhibited at numerous events up and down the country. Summed-up by his loved ones as ‘one of the life’s true gentlemen’, David Lucas remains much missed.

For more information, please contact:
Damian Jones
damian.jones@handh.co.uk
07855 493737