A classic automobile owner put a lot of effort into restoring the vintage Austin 6 and installing a new engine and gearbox. An Austin 6 restoration that brought the historic model back to life has been discussed by a classic automobile owner. After spending hours refitting the engine, Fred Leach, chairman of the Cambridge and District Classic Car Club and a member of the Austin 10 Drivers Club, admits he “celebrated” when the car began.
Leach bought the lovely Austin in the early 2000s and has since put in countless hours to restore it to its former glory. However, he fell in love with Austin about 40 years ago when he first experienced the flavor of vintage cars.
He said: “I started working for the AA in London when I lived down that way. One of the other chaps in the garage where we worked, he had an old Austin. I used to sort of look at it and help him with bits on it. I ended up buying one that had been in a slight accident and needed some work doing to it, that was back in 1980 or 81.
“I got that back on the road and for quite a few years I owned that and used to do regular trips to Holland and all over the place with it.” Leach sold the model on but got the bug back after meeting his wife.
The remaining funds were invested in classic cars after the couple sold one of their homes and settled all of their debts. In 2004, Leach and a friend went to Swindon to look at the Austin after spotting it in a magazine. They soon reached an agreement on a price and returned a few weeks later to pick up the magnificent machine using a car trailer. The man we purchased it from was barely utilizing it, he continued. We got that done since as soon as we started using it, the leather’s stitching began to come apart.
“We had new carpets, I rebuilt the gearbox, I rebuilt the back axle. We had a new hood made for it. Finally we had it repainted in 2016 and a couple of years later I managed to break the engine. I broke the crankshaft so ended up having to rebuild the engine as well.
“It’s not a shell-bearing engine. It’s a white metal engine so you have to have that done and there’s very little specialists around for that nowadays.” Leach admitted he secured all the parts to rebuild the engine days before the country was put into the first coronavirus lockdown.
However, he admits it was a “lot quieter” than usual which allowed him to gradually rebuild the internals. Despite spending hours on fixing the model, Leach admits he has no intention of leaving the model lying around. He has travelled to Brittany with twelve other Austins of a similar era with the car clocking up 1,000 miles door to door. The Austin has also been to the Isle of Wight and a trip to Cumbria with Leach having one eye on another journey back to Holland.
“We thoroughly enjoy using it, and we take full advantage of it,” he said. We go anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 miles in it each year. I remember them pulling their ancient automobile behind a modern car years ago, even if they were staying in a hotel or something. They don’t operate the vehicle. Leach acknowledges teaching his kid to operate the car, which has been a prominent part of family celebrations including two weddings. He disclosed that he had no plans to sell the car, which had spent almost two decades in his possession.
“The car is with us for as long as we can,” he declared. We will have to consider our options if we reach the point where we are becoming older and unable to get out and drive it. Thankfully, we have children, but I only have one son who is interested in antique cars, and because to his age, he prefers the Escorts.