Stone-age radio

British cars with over half a century of history behind them are still something of an undiscovered bargain among the GTHO Falcons and early Monaros that sell for astronomical sums at auction.

Shannons has three examples coming up at the Spring Auction in Melbourne on September 1. Two are small vans -- an Austin A30 Countryman Estate and Morris Minor Traveller -- and the third is a 1955 Morris Minor 1000 two-door sedan.

The two vans were built two years apart, with the A30 the older of the two, built in 1956 (the last year of production for the A30) and the Minor Traveller rolling off the end of the production line in 1958.

Where once there was no audio system, both vans are now fitted with the not-so-new-fangled-technology of a radio/cassette player. We hardly like to disparage cassettes, but sheesh, get with the program, you owners of old pommy cars! Time to give up Vera Lynn for The Veronicas.

Both 'period features' vans boast other 'mod cons' too. The A30 is relatively less 'molested', with the original engine swapped for a 1.1-litre Mini engine. For added comfort, a previous owner has dropped in "modern" bucket seats -- for someone who considers a radio/cassette 'modern', what would 'modern' seats constitute? We're figuring they're probably not Recaros. Shannons estimates the A30, without a reserve price, will sell for a sum between $4000 and $7000.

A previous owner of the Minor Traveller has modernised the car even more than the A30. An A14 engine from a Datsun (the same basic engine block as the original) now powers the Morrie, driving through a Datsun transmission also. Inside, the car is comfortable, with the radio/cassette audio system already mentioned, a wood-rimmed sports steering wheel, air conditioning (!) and electric windows (!!) -- features that were by no means part of the car's original specification. The car is also fitted with Minilite-style alloy wheels, which apart from being anachronistic, are arguably not in keeping with the style of the vehicle either. Shannons estimates that the Traveller will fetch somewhere between $8000 and $14,000.

The third small British car Shannons will be selling -- the 1955 Minor 1000 -- is (disappointingly?) closer to original than the two vans and has been garaged and driven over the past 15 years. Shannons advise that the present owner has not stipulated a reserve price and the car is expected to sell for between $3000 and $5000.

All three of these cars are now more than 50 years old and still represent good-value buying if you're after a car that won't appreciate enormously in years to come, but won't cost a fortune to keep on the road and is a bit of quasi-classic fun that can be driven daily.

In our next instalment, we'll bring you exciting news concerning the latest developments in eight-track cartridge players for pre-war Fiats.