1961 60s sixties Austin red Fire Engine at Cleveleys Spring Car Show at Jubilee Gardens. A new location for Classic cars, veteran, retro collectable, restored, cherished old timers, heritage event, vintage, automobile Vehicle show by Blackpool Vehicle Preservation Group (BVPG).
The Austin Motor Company enjoyed a modicum of success with the Military spec Champ. It was complex and expensive to build, so its commercial suitability was limited, especially as it did 8mpg on a good day, but the Army ordered plenty of them and it gave the company a great deal of experience with off-road vehicles. The company decided to take Land Rover on ‘head to head’ with something a bit more straightforward. The ability to design from scratch lead to some innovative design features for the new car which was named the ‘Gipsy’ (spelt with an ‘i’ and not a ‘y’). The suspension was fully independent and used Alex Moulton designed ‘Flexitor’ rubber springing coupled to trailing arms. These were discovered on a military trailer which was under test at MIRA, the system requiring no lubrication and being particularly suited to repeated bumps. The chassis was a simple ladder affair, made from oval section rather than square, with an all steel body adding to the rigidity of the whole structure, making the car particularly tough and strong. It was initially available with a 90” wheelbase, a longer 111” being introduced in 1962. Powered by a rugged 4-cylinder Austin Hereford engine, it could also be ordered with a similarly sized diesel unit, both coupled to a 4-speed gearbox with transfer box to lower the ratios and add the front wheels into the equation. Far more comfortable than the cart sprung Land Rover, the Flexitor springs gave it a reputation for rather vague steering, eventually making way for more conventional semi elliptic springs later in its production run. In total 21,208 Gipsys left the works, the model being dropped only because of the British Leyland merger which brought the hugely successful Land Rover under the same roof.
Size: 4801px × 3201px
Location: Cleveleys UK
Photo credit: © ZarkePix / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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