Tuesday 16th October 1951
The Austin A30 , a compact economy car, was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show, London. Introduced as the “New Austin Seven”, it was Austin’s answer to the Morris Minor. At launch the car cost £507, undercutting the Minor by £62. Originally only offered as a 4-door saloon, 2-door variants were introduced in late 1953, and in 1954 a van and van-based “countryman” estate were made available. Despite having a smaller loading capacity than the equivalent BMC O-type Minor based vans (60 cu ft / 1.70 m3 as opposed to 76 cu ft / 2.15 m3) the Austin van offered the same payload. Being slightly lighter and stiffer, it was favoured by businessmen, and saw long service for many.