Did you ever know a college professor with unkempt hair? Or a kid whose parents were from overseas? I can say I’ve known both, and both gravitated towards “those furrin cars” back in the day. In the case of the latter folks, the mother was British and drove an impressively British car, what? Our Pick of the Day is that very car, something that appeared like an overgrown MGB: a 1969 Austin America. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Denver.
Let’s imagine the Austin Mini (originally known as the Austin Seven in 1959), the car designed by (Sir) Alex Issigonis that set the template for every subcompact car for the future: front-wheel drive, transverse engine, and handling that made the little car quite tossable, especially in Cooper and Cooper S states of tune. After several years of production, Austin applied the same recipe to its larger stablemate, the Austin A40. The result was the Austin 1100, generically known as the BMC ADO16 because Austin was part of the British Motor Corporation that produced similar vehicles under the BMC umbrella including Morris, MG, Riley, Wolseley, Princess, and Vanden Plas. The new vehicle was initially introduced as the Morris 1100 in August 1962, with the Austin version appearing a year later.
The ADO16 wasn’t just an upsized Mini—it was a larger canvas in which Issigonis was able to apply even more sophisticated engineering (per an original flyer):
- Front-wheel drive: for maximum traction and handling.
- Disc brakes: for surer, safer stops.
- Exceptional visibility: the all-around kind you associate with a station wagon.
- A unique liquid suspension: which the press says delivers “the best possible combination of handling and ride.”
- A revolutionary transverse-mounted engine: which makes for greater traction, better handling, improved visibility ahead, and significantly more interior space than in other economy models.
Like with the corporation’s larger cars, Pininfarina was commissioned to style the 1100. Underneath, the Hydrolastic fluid suspension system created a dynamic connection between the front and rear wheels to reduce pitch. The result was a comfortable ride while maintaining stiffness in cornering.
The first generation of the Austin 1100 was built through May 1967; the Mark II version of the Austin model now included the 1300 thanks to the addition of a larger 1275cc four. This would continue through 1971, upon which the Mark III was introduced in September. It was replaced in April 1973 with the Austin Allegro, though the ADO16 platform was produced through 1977 in South Africa.
In the U.S., the first ADO16 to hit dealerships was the MG 1100, though it was marketed as the Sports Sedan. The Austin 1100 was introduced in June 1967, to be replaced the following May as the Austin America, equipped with a 58 bhp 1275cc four. This car lasted in American dealerships through the 1971 model year, to be replaced by the Austin Marina.
Despite being a top seller in the UK, the Austin America didn’t make quite the same impact in its namesake, though almost 60,000 appeared on our shores at a price around $2,000. This restored 1969 Austin America features an automatic transmission, rebuilt engine, very good paint, and a new interior. There can’t be many left in the U.S. despite somewhat generous sales.
Even if you’re not an unkempt college professor or an ex-pat from another land, you may be the kind of guy or gal who has a thing for unusual machinery with competencies foreign to most American cars of the time. For $14,900, you can show the rest of us what America is all about.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
