1934 Austin 10/4 Two-Seat Tourer with Dickey

This open two-seat tourer - with additional Dickey seat - was first registered in March 1934. It benefited from the model updates that came during 1933 including an X-braced chassis, 12V electrics, trafficators, chromed hidden-spring bonnet catches and a spare wheel cover.

Aside from the Austin spending its life in and around the Southampton area, little is known about its early history but in 1970 it was discovered on a small-holding “in a dilapidated state” surrounded by chickens and ducks by a Mr D Shepherd who took it upon himself to treat the Ten to an extensive body-off restoration.

The chassis and mechanicals were stripped and restored by Bob Gentle of Southampton and the interior and roof were retrimmed by Southern Upholstery from the same area.

In 1974, immediately following completion of the restoration, this Austin 10/4 came a close second in concours competition, the first rosette of many more awards to come. It won the Pride of Ownership Cup at the 1975 Austin 10 National Rally and Outright Winner at the Southsea Rally.

Due to the owner’s ill health, the car was dry stored again from 1986 onwards, but this time was kept running and roadworthy, before being sold to Peter Nash Specialist Cars and bought by the current owning family in February 2003.

It was purchased as a gift for their daughter’s 8th birthday - yes 8 not 18 - it was something fun that she could be taken out in and would be able to drive once she was old enough.

She (the car) has been loved and cared for by them for the last 20 years, having the engine rebuilt by Bob Glenister at Available Austins of Coventry within the first year of ownership due to a cracked block. This work and associated repairs cost almost £7.5k, since when they have undertaken most of the maintenance themselves.

A couple of years ago, for reasons they can’t remember, they changed whose name was on the V5C. In their ownership, she has been used extensively, including a run to the Netherlands in 2010, where she won the “pistoncub” for first place at the Austin Ten Drivers Club weekend.

Sadly the father of the family recently passed away and neither mother nor daughter feels able to keep the Ten in the well-maintained manner she has been accustomed to. Rather than see her put away to gradually deteriorate, they’d like her to find another owner or family to give her just as much love and have as much fun with her as they have.

The exterior bodywork is painted in Austin’s Royal Blue with gold coach-lines along the side and black painted wheel arches. The paintwork is in a reasonably good condition considering that the restoration work dates back to the early seventies.

There are a few blemishes, scuff marks and cracks - as you might expect - but nothing more serious than some scratches on the front wings from the engine cover and a crack in the edge of the rear deck panel. On a car like this, such things just add a little patina to its already charming character.

Being an open tourer rather than a cabriolet which has door windows, this car has a folding roof with detachable side screens that slot into the door tops. The roof and screens were remade during the restoration around 50 years ago but still fit well and look in a remarkably good, usable condition with just a little mildew showing on the roof.

The twin vane bumpers are correct for the year, as is the lightly-patinated chrome radiator cowl. Around six months after this car was built, the factory switched to body coloured cowls. The trafficator boxes, by 1933 fitted as standard, can be seen mounted either side of the scuttle. All of the lamps are Lucas ‘King of the Road’ units, including the headlamps, wing-mounted running lights and the “pork pie” tail lamps.

The rear deck houses a “Dickey” seat for two further passengers, which is accessed by climbing up the steps mounted over the rear nearside wheel arch. The running boards are possibly original to the car as they are covered in a moulded rubber that is certainly looking of that age.

The Ten sits on 18-inch Magna hub wire wheels, which are painted black and fitted with Avon Stonehenge tyres. The spare wheel is mounted on the rear of the car inside an original style cover, so often missing.

The interior is trimmed and upholstered in dark blue with pleated seat facings on both front seats and the rear Dickey seat. The origin of the word dickey isn’t easy to find, but apparently they were also called mother-in-law seats - presumably acting as a chaperone to a courting couple.

The seats are in good condition, with very little wear evident and no apparent damage, as are the door cards and trims.

Up front, the dash is framed in wood, with a body-coloured instrument panel inset with a handful of Smiths and Lucas gauges. The steering wheel looks original but has suffered a little damage to the moulded rim in the 4 to 5 o’clock position, which has been wrapped in tape.

The floor is covered in edge-trimmed dark blue carpets, in a good condition and inset with an Austin logo’d rubber mat under the pedals. Under the carpet is what looks like a horsehair underfelt insulation.

Up front in the engine bay, the 4-cylinder side-valve motor and ancillaries look in reasonable condition, although judging by the rust on the spark plugs it would benefit from a service and probably a good going over.

The rear of the engine bay attached to the bulkhead is a large box, presumably for holding tools and spare parts - running maintenance being much more of a thing back then than it is now.

The undersides look in a reasonably good condition, with older underseal on the metal parts and structures and paint on the wooden floor boards. It looks like there has been recent work to the drive train as there are shiny nuts attaching the drive shaft to the differential.

The leaf springs look well greased and in good order, as do the rods and cables for the drum brakes. Suspension damping comes in the form of Andre Hartford Shock Absorbers, which work on friction between several disks. The simple exhaust has the usual surface rust on the pipework but the silencer box looks to have fared better.

The Austin Ten’s last MOT expired just over 10 years ago - in 2012, new rules, since superseded, were introduced, meaning cars built before 1960 did not require an MoT.

The car comes with a decent history file containing the buff log book registration document covering the mid-fifties to the early seventies and the green book continuation. There are also a few period publications such as spare parts price list, Pitmans Austin 10 book and a Ten-Four handbook.

There are also several invoices from two key periods in the cars history; the early seventies which covers the initial rescue and restoration and then 2004 when the engine was rebuilt due to the cracked block.

What also comes with the car, is a fair amount of spares, removed parts, tools and tooling. This includes a period socket set, grease gun, tyre levers, anti-roll bar, wheels, fuel tank sender, jack, wheel brace, spare tyre inner tube, tool roll and a starting handle.

There’s also the car’s very own Piston Cup trophy!

As a high-days-and-holidays and occasional show car, a pre-war Austin has few peers; they’re tough, easy to work on and provide their lucky owners with a charming but sprightly vintage driving experience.

Subject to an older restoration but kept in good running order since an engine rebuild almost two decades ago, this Austin Ten is perhaps no longer a concours contender but don’t let that put you off.

We think this attractive “two-seat tourer with Dickey” will sell for between £10,000 and £12,000, which is remarkable value for money. It is also on sale with NO RESERVE so any bid could win.

The low price of surviving pre-war cars relative to more modern classics never ceases to astonish us and this example is no exception. What an absolute cutie!

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at Bonham Cars Online HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.