1930 American Austin 3 window coupe.
This beauty is proudly owned by Ron and Lillian Mitchell and
has been very tastefull restored.
This particular car was certainly among the first to roll off the assembly
lines in Butler and carried with it the high hopes of Herbert Austin and
the original investors. The 3 window coupe was concieved as a sort of travelling
salesman's car. Economical yet dignified, and a little bit of cover for
samples in back. The Austins and Bantams, though eventually hung with the
judgement "cute" by the American public, were always intended
as serious cars. America's first economy car. Although the concept never
really caught on here even after trying every marketing variation in the
book ( a second car, the wife's car, the college boys car, the daughter's
safe car, the economical car, the easy to park and drive car,,,even a "sport
car"....on and on) there was some justice. When the war broke out and
there was gasoline rationing people tended to hang onto these little cars
because you could go a lot further on your ration of gas, and moreover,
being so small there wasn't all that much scrap value. As a result quite
a high percentage of the total production survives today (even after weathering
a spate of hot-rodding popularity in the 50's and 60's).
SNAPSHOTS BANTAM