If you like classic cars, then the biennial Churchill Vintage and Classic Car Show is a must-see event, held on the wide sweep of Churchill’s village green. This pretty Cotswold community is just a 15-minute cycle ride from the TEE base in Chipping Norton, and is a near-neighbour of the Top Gear TV show presenter Jeremy Clarkson; Prime Minister David Cameron also lives a few minutes away.
The show was a powerful reminder of past names in the auto world, including one of the most popular world marques, Austin. A confident, chrome-plated ‘Austin of England’ logo in flowing italic script was applied to Austin cars in the early 1950s, as both decoration and product differentiator. According to some reports, parts suppliers from non-English parts of the UK were not so happy about its use, though this doesn’t ring quite true to TEE, as the terms ‘Made in England’ and ‘Made in Great Britain’ were used by many manufacturers, particularly for export markets, as they were seen as respected badges of quality in many markets.
No matter: at the time, the country – and Austin – were still recovering from World War II, during which Austin, based in Longbridge, Birmingham, still built cars but also made trucks and assembled aircraft, including the Avro Lancaster bombers of the famed ‘Dambusters’ 617 squadron. Planning for post-war production started while the war still raged, and a new car range was announced in 1944, with production getting underway the following year. The immediate post-war range was similar to Austin’s late-1930s cars, though one important technical breakthrough included a new overhead-valve engine.
The Austin of England title was promoted everywhere: on the cars, it was applied along the side, in front of the door, as shown in the splendid Mark Fosh picture of an Austin Somerset convertible shown above. The logoscript also featured in adverts and sales materials, and very good it looked too. Sadly for enthusiasts, a combination of takeovers and political meddling led eventually to Austin’s demise, and the marque is currently owned by SAIC Motor, of Shanghai, China. SAIC also owns another classic name, MG, which may well be in good hands, for in SAIC’s words, “Our job at MG Motor is to take this great brand, full of history and heritage and give it a worthy future.”
The 2012 Churchill Vintage and Classic Car Show was held in a relentlessly cool and damp summer, but the rain held off and a great day was had by all. Enjoy the Austin pictures we took there with the trusty iPhone 4S – and maybe pencil in your diary for a visit in 2014.
Click here for the Churchill and Sarsden website, which has details and more photos, and enjoy some of the other cars, shown below.
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