Charterhouse Auctioneers & Valuers
Lot 39
A 1934 Austin 10/4 Colwyn Cabriolet, registration number RV 4807, chassis number G33986, engine number IG 34094, black with brown accents. Introduced in 1934 to complement the family of 10/4 Austins, the Colwyn was described by The Motor Magazine as a neat occasional four seat Cabriolet, with folding three position hood and rear luggage compartment. Nicknamed Bonnie, this charming Colwyn Cabriolet was originally purchased for £178.00 by a Mr A D Smith, the owner of Farlington Garage, near Portsmouth. On delivery, the odometer had a delivery mileage of 13 miles and five gallons of Shell petrol was put into the tank for just over seven shillings. Bonnie was mainly used for a weekly wage collection and touring holidays, she was subsequently fitted with a tow bar to tow a caravan or trailer and visited amongst other places, Ripon in Yorkshire, Ffestiniog, Snowdonia and Cornwall by way of the infamous Porlock Hill. All these journeys are carefully documented from 12 April 1934 until September 1949, noting average speed and MPG, stops undertaken and time, and whether or not the caravan or trailer accompanied the Austin. The Austin Sports Ace disc wheel trims and spare wheel cover, and all running repairs were recorded during Mr Smith's ownership. When Mr Smith decided to part with the Austin in 1968, 65,182 miles had been covered. Bonnie was then purchased by a Mr John Gates for £75.00, he would then use the car regularly for the next five years before passing custodianship onto his daughter and son-in-law, who enjoyed the Austin on numerous road rallies and runs. A Mr John Harrison was then the next owner who purchased the car for £850.00 in January 1977. In 1982, Bonnie was taken off the road for 16 years for a comprehensive restoration. Mr Harrison restored the car retaining as much originality as possible and carefully used refurbished original parts and repairing the leather interior. The hood was subsequently replaced, but all carpets and running board rubbers were retained. When the restoration was completed, the Austin toured France twice and has won six first place awards at the Austin Ten Drivers Club national rally. Ownership changed hands again in 2015 and was purchased by our vendor in 2016. RV 4807 is presented in excellent condition and is not only an extremely rare model but is offered with a comprehensive and most revealing history detailing its life with the various owners, including six winners rosettes from the ATDC national rally, a Motorine logbook with the aforementioned records dating from 13-3-1934 until 1968 (including petrol consumption at 41 mpg), oil consumption, oil changes, tyre records, chassis lubrication and a schedule of repairs. The history file also contains images of the restoration and photographs of the Austin at various locations with the caravan, handbooks, an original sales leaflet, the warranty, spare parts lists, a Castrol lubrication chart, numerous invoices, previous MOTs, RF60 and RF60A logbooks. With its continuous history from new and being presented in excellent condition this rare Austin is every bit as charming as it was when new, and will be cherished by its new custodian and will be ready to be shown or enjoyed as one wishes. RF60, V5C, MOT and tax exempt See illustrations
