AUNTY BETTY By David Chaundy
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AUNTY BETTY By David Chaundy I’ve been around vintage Austin’s for most of my life. I’ve always loved them and have been fortunate enough to have worked on and driven most of the Austin range built in the vintage period. My father worked at the great Longbridge factory all his working life having started as an apprentice in the west works pattern shop in 1956. I have several treasured memories of the works itself, what an impressive place it was behind the plain Edwardian brick facades of its older sections. I was lucky enough to be taken around the factory on a number of occasions by my father as a small boy. Wearing his works white cow gown he would show me some prototype components he’d been working on. By the time I was old enough to visit the factory my father had moved to the south pattern shop which was located in the oldest part of the factory just behind where Herbert Austin’s office had been. I well remember the first time I set foot in the pattern shop. My father led me by the hand past the machinery forming wooden parts etc. to his bench right in the centre of the shop. At that point a rather embarrassed looking young man carrying an article in his hands walked awkwardly toward his bench looking rather upset. All the men banged their tools on their benches and the word “shitter” was whispered from man to man. When the poor chap put the article on his bench the men laughed and the atmosphere returned to normal. As it turned out the man’s work had been rejected by the inspector, a rare and shameful thing to happen in the pattern shop, a rejected item being referred to as a “Shitter”! In true Austin tradition the workman responsible was made to feel his error so acutely he made sure it never happened again! I asked my father if the same thing had ever happened to him, “only once mate” he said “only once.” Page | 1 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.com
I can still vividly recall the sound of “Big Bertha” the old Austin works steam hooter as it sounded the changes of shifts in the 1970’s. I could see the chimneys and roofs of “The Austin” as it was locally known on the horizon from my bedroom window and could see the plume of steam rising above the south works near the old water tower as Big Bertha roared her low note into the sky. It could be plainly heard 4 miles away on top of the Lickey Hills where I often played as a child. The great factory seemed to be wrapped around the foot of the hills when viewed from above. It seemed to me to be as permanent as the hills and landscape itself back then. Little could I have realised that much of this great local institution that once employed over 30,000 people would be little more than a memory in 2008. From the age of 7 I had taken a keen interest in helping our neighbour restore a 1928 Clyno 9HP with a fabric body. Seeing that little car run under its own steam after a lengthy restoration impressed me so much I’ve been hooked on restoring cars ever since. Soon after its restoration the Clyno was sold to make way for a bigger car. It was then that I was given my first introduction to Austin cars. Our neighbour had rescued a 1926 Austin 12 Windsor saloon from a Worcestershire orchard. It arrived on a trailer with a collapsed roof and covered in green slimy gunge. Over the following months I helped him restore the car which was in a shocking state. During the time I spent working on that car I grew to love it. I liked its simple well balanced lines and happy looking expression. I was impressed that despite a hard life and very poor treatment the old lady was soon brought back to life. It was so solidly made one couldn’t help admiring it. One afternoon another neighbour known to me as Charlie called by to see how the 12/4 was progressing. Charlie was in his 90’s and had worked at the Austin from 1913 until he retired in the late 1960’s. He was a great old character, about five feet ten inches tall, he had silver hair and silver rimmed glasses. Charlie was blessed with a dry sense of humour and a love of dirty rhymes and songs which usually made me laugh on hearing the first line. I was under the car at the time he arrived and hadn’t seen him. I was commenting on how well built the car seemed underneath. Charlie bent down to see me lying there and said “all our cars were bloody well-built and would last a life time given a bit of care like. Ole man Austin wouldn’t use a quarter bolt if a half inch un would do better son” These comments made over 30 years ago had stayed with me ever since. For me they sum up vintage Austin cars perfectly. Several of Charlie’s other stories of life at Longbridge have stayed with Page | 2 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.com
me in a similar way. I can still see his pained expression when he remembered being locked out of the works for being 2 minutes late. To hear him talk about life at the Austin one would think he hated the place. The opposite was actually true. He was terribly proud of his time at Longbridge and held Lord Austin in the highest esteem. Charlie often mentioned the strict regime at Longbridge. “We had to be smartly dressed at all times with a collar and tie. You made yourself look busy even if you weren’t. We had a signalling system between the blokes that warned us if one of the gaffers were coming our way. We needed it too. Many a bloke lost his job for simply looking idle!” I asked how he had stuck it. Charlie looked me in the eye and said “Oh they were happy day’s son, better than today. We had real pride in our work, and what lovely work it was, you had to be skilled in several different ways, none of your one man one job nonsense then you know. If it was still the same now, I’d go back and work for nothing. You were alright if you towed the line and worked hard with no eye on the clock mind, ole man Austin couldn’t stand an idle bloke!” If only I had realised then what a goldmine of information Charlie was I’d have paid his stories a great deal more attention than I did. Several other members of my family worked at or had worked at Longbridge. Inevitably I heard many stories about the factory, its products and the people that worked within it. With so many Austin people around me as I was growing up it seems perhaps inevitable I should develop a keen and lifelong interest in everything to do with Austin. In 2005 the restoration of my Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II neared completion. It had taken thousands of hours and had been far from easy. Unfortunately at that time a spine condition that had dogged my life from the age of 16 had deteriorated seriously. Having sought medical advice, it became apparent that I couldn’t continue to restore cars or do a variety of other activities for very much longer. Certainly I wouldn’t be able to work in the way I always had. To not have a car to work on was a prospect that I simply couldn’t accept. It would mean the end to my greatest pleasure in life. I felt despite the difficulties I wanted to restore one last car. The work would have to be done at a vastly slower pace than I’d been used to. In reality at a snail’s pace, I could no longer just stick at the work until it was done. I would have to adapt and think up new ways to do jobs that a fully able person would not think twice about. The greatest difficulty would be learning to be patient with myself. When it came to deciding on what the new project car would be, there was no contest really. It would have to be one of the larger vintage Austin’s that I had loved since childhood. Having owned a 1929 16/6 Burnham a few years prior, (now owned by Barry and Jan Davis) my initial thoughts were to search for an early 16/6 tourer. My experience of the 16/6 had been very positive. I found them to be particularly smooth running, roomy and comfortable. They are excellent hill climbers and so quiet at idle it is virtually impossible to tell if the engine is running at all from inside the car. A carefully built and set up 16/6 engine would take some beating for smoothness in my opinion. The negatives to owning one in my view were the weaknesses likely to be present in an early engine. Age weakened connecting rods and a timing chain prone to jumping teeth are well known problems to the experienced 16/6 owner. I anticipated problems finding certain parts if anything was broken or missing because the 16/6 isn’t quite as well served as a 12/4 where parts are concerned. The connecting rods had a pinch bolt little end. The bolt closed a saw cut in the rod thus securing the gudgeon pin. This was ok when the cars were new, but to my mind not a good idea after 80 years of use. Cracks start at the saw cut then run down the rod until eventually the rod fails. This is more likely to happen if the car is driven at the higher speeds that the 16/6 is so effortlessly capable of. I started looking for a car thinking I could overcome the engine problems by fitting new fully floating connecting rods made to my own drawings in modern materials. I hadn’t been looking long when a friend asked me to help him extract a 1925 Austin 12 tourer from a local garage. The car had been laid up for over 10 years due to the ill health of its owner. As my friend wanted to buy the car I willingly agreed. The car was a four wheel brake 3TT model in Navy blue and was in excellent original condition. After spending an afternoon greasing oiling cleaning and adjusting, and with the fitment of a new battery, the 81 year old car started first turn of the handle and ran faultlessly. Driving that car was a pleasure. It pulled well, idled beautifully, and it had great charm. It seemed to me somehow prettier than the slightly larger later cars with its shorter radiator and more barrel sided panel work. I loved its deep buttoned leather seats and its pram style hood. Page | 3 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.com
I changed my mind there and then about what I wanted. From then on I was looking for an early Austin 12
tourer. Any car that I bought needed to be very original, it would need to have all matching numbers and be
correct in most details. I was also determined to buy a car with genuine Austin coachwork.
To my mind the quality of Austin’s coachwork would be very hard to beat. Take a look at the ash framing of
any Austin body built before 1939 and you will find a work of art. Handsomely proportioned accurately
machined, beautifully joined, seasoned timbers with a finish on them any cabinet maker would be proud of
make up the framework of even the cheapest Austin models. It is the integrity and strength of this framing
that sets the humble Austin body above the offerings of most of the great coachbuilders in my view.
Austin’s build quality had been impressed on me by my great uncle who worked in the West works body
shop as a panel beater from the late 1920’s right up until the outbreak of war in 1939. His recollections of
body production at Longbridge impressed me greatly as a teenager and have since been confirmed by
personal experience.
My love of Rolls-Royce cars has given me ample opportunity to study the products of many of the great
British coachbuilders prevalent before the
Second World War. I have seen dozens of
pre-war bodies made by theses famous
companies stripped out for restoration over
the last 20 years. Beneath their beautifully
shaped and finished exteriors and
wonderfully appointed interiors, the bodies
are often very poorly framed. Inadequately
sized timbers that have sagged, cracked,
and often snapped, are an all too common
occurrence. Badly made joints are often
seen stuffed with rag, bent nails or old
carpet in a vain attempt to stop them
moving and squeaking.
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Of course poor framing leads to damaged panels. With time the whole body can sag into a
different shape to that originally intended by the designer. Splits and cracks start to run
across stressed panels, doors drop so badly they can hardly be closed, and before you know it you have a
vast amount of very costly rectification
work ahead.
The problem of course was the very small
numbers of each body design that were
made to keep them exclusive. It was
uneconomical to tool up properly to make
framing for 2 or 3 of a particular design.
Improvisation inevitably took place to keep
costs down. With no crash tests or research
and development put into such bodies it is
not surprising they often proved to be
anything but hardwearing. Austin on the
other hand would be making hundreds of
bodies all of them identical. It was
therefore worth the expense and trouble to
tool up properly to produce them.
Accurately produced components could be
assembled quickly, and with repetition the workforce became highly skilled at getting the job right every
time. Austin’s coachwork was more expensive than other coachbuilders but it was designed to meet the
specific needs of their own chassis and built to a very high standard of quality.
Austin cars may not have the glamour and elegance of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley but they are certainly
worthy of equal respect.
My search for a car ended when I bought “Aunty Betty” a 1924 Austin 12/4 5 seat touring car from Bruce
and Fay Schaw of Auckland New Zealand. The car was advertised on the internet and the price seemed very
reasonable so I sent an e-mail to the vendor asking if the car had been sold or if it was still available. The
next day I received a reply stating the car was for sale and the price had been lowered. Bruce kindly obliged
me with numerous photographs and descriptions of the parts of the car I was interested in. We had several
telephone conversations about the car, its history and what came with it. When I was sure that the car had
its original engine gearbox and axle and that it was very sound bodily I could think of nothing else but
buying it. The one drawback with the car
was its lack of four wheel brakes.
A visit to my friend, mentor, and Austin
expert Tony Smallbone (known to many of
you as the ever helpful technical adviser to
the VAR UK) put my mind at rest to some
extent on that score. Tony said “you’ll love
that early car they are a delight! They have
such lovely steering and excellent handling
they are a pleasure to drive. You’re a careful
driver and know how to handle a vintage
car. You will hardly notice the difference in
the brakes but will appreciate the nicer
handling.” I have the greatest respect for
Tony’s knowledge but I’d be lying if I said I
was totally convinced about the 2 wheel
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brakes.
Aunty Betty seemed to be so right for me in every other respect. She was the ideal
candidate for me to pour all my time and love into restoring. So I decided to take the plunge buy her. I
wrote to Bruce telling him I was interested in doing a deal quickly.
His reply surprised me. He was deeply troubled by the thought of selling the car to someone who would ship
it out of New Zealand.
He had tried very hard to sell the car to a New Zealander over a period of almost 12 months and had failed.
The only serious interest had come from a chap in Britain but he had been asking questions for 6 months
and didn’t seem particularly keen. Bruce told me he had promised the former owner that he wouldn’t sell
the car overseas. A man of his word he had tried hard to honour his promise without any interest from
Austin enthusiasts in NZ. I told him I respected his position but felt he should have told me up front that he
felt this way. Bruce told me he would make up his mind within 24 hours so I would just have to wait.
Bruce’s priority was he had to be sure that the car would be properly cared for. Some people who had
expressed vague interest in the car had wanted to keep it outside or had been overseas dealers after a cheap
deal. Satisfied the car would be cherished and very well cared for with me he finally agreed to sell.
The deal we did bought me the car, a huge
amount of spare parts, and a large box of
literature and history. There were so many
parts they filled the entire interior of the car
and the luggage carrier on the rear. Bruce
went to a great deal of trouble in preparing
Aunty for her voyage to England. Shipping
regulations demanded that the car be
drained of all fuel and oil. Bruce diligently
drained off all of Aunty’s fuel and oil etc.
even draining her rear axle. He removed
her hub caps and replaced them with
aerosol caps to prevent them being stolen,
and placed her calormeter with the spare
parts inside the car. He must have spent
days carefully packing every bulb screw and
bracket, before packing them into Aunty
before her trip to the docks.
I set about the task of organising shipping from Auckland. I finally settled on RJJ freight and shipping
based in Felixstowe. They arranged to put the Aunty in a container in Devonport Auckland and ship her via
the Suez Canal to Felixstowe in approximately 6 weeks.
With the car containerized and on the high seas I set about researching her history. Bruce kindly sent her
documentation to me by air mail so I was able to start my research before the car arrived in Britain.
The first person I wanted to contact was Douglas Wood, Aunty Betty’s 3rd owner. Bruce had told me he had
met Douglas a few times and he had found him to be a very knowledgeable man. Bruce had also told me
that Douglas had written about Aunty Betty when he owned her, so he seemed the perfect person to ask
about Aunty’s past.
I rang Douglas on the morning the car left Auckland. He was very surprised to hear from me but
remembered the car very well. He described her as a marvellous and totally useable car that he’d enjoyed
owning. He said the car had never been messed about with and was very original which set it apart from
most of the other cars still surviving. He went on to tell me about his life as an Austin agent and that he had
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been a director of Seabrook Fowlds, the company that had sold Aunty Betty as a new car. After making contact with Douglas I wrote to him asking some more questions about his ownership of the car and if he could shed any further light on the history of the car in particular the Seabrook Fowlds connection. Soon afterward I received a very friendly e-mail from Douglas’s son Chris offering to communicate with me on his father’s behalf. At the age of 93 Douglas was no longer able to write easily so Chris kindly stepped in to help. I am indebted to Chris for the tremendous amount of help he has given me during my research, he’s become a great and much valued friend. It is thanks almost entirely to Chris that I can write the following detailed account of Aunty Betty and her life in New Zealand. Without Chris’s help and Douglas’s excellent memory this interesting story would have been lost to posterity. Aunty Betty was ordered by Mr G.H. Scott who was then the Austin Motor Company’s senior representative for the whole of Australia and New Zealand! (No small area to cover) 3 identical cars were ordered on behalf of Reuben Dexter of Dexter Motors Ltd Albert Street Auckland New Zealand. Reuben Dexter had been a partner in one of New Zealand’s first Austin agencies known as Dexter and Crozier Ltd which had originally operated from Christchurch but expanded in later years. They opened a branch in Auckland around 1918 when Reuben Dexter relocated to the city. After dissolving the partnership between himself and David Crozier in 1923, Reuben continued in business in his own name in Auckland selling used cars as well as maintaining an Austin agency. Page | 7 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.com
Aunty Betty’s chassis was
completed on 27th August
1924. Chassis number 8096 was fitted with
a 5 seat tourer body finished in Elephant
grey. Her wings and valances were finished
in Black stove enamel. Her wheel spokes
were painted in Elephant grey with the
rims and hubs picked out in Black. Her
interior was trimmed in blue crocodile
grain deep buttoned leather upholstery
complimented by a grey and black fleck
carpet bound in blue leather cloth, to
match the upholstery. When complete she
was given car number 2TT5827.
The car was ordered as a fully equipped
“special” 5 seat tourer complete with spare
wheel and tyre, dashboard clock, luggage
carrier, driving mirror and folding
windscreen for the rear seat passengers.
She was one of the last 2TT cars built totally by hand in the old way and finished with the old oil based
coach enamel protected by a clear coach varnish. The enamel was sprayed on at Austin from 1919 but was
never as durable as the cellulose paint that replaced it soon after the start of the 3TT series 12/4 cars in
1925.
Having passed inspection Aunty Betty
was packed in her wooden packing crate
with dry charged battery and tool kit and
shipped to Auckland. She arrived late in
1924 and was displayed in Dexter motors
showrooms. By the time Aunty and her
sisters arrived in Auckland they were
obsolete models. The 3TT series
launched in September 1924 offered
customers the benefit of 4 wheel brakes
and friction dampers as standard.
Consequently they were far more
popular with the buying public.
Dexter Motors managed to sell the other
two sister cars but couldn’t sell Aunty
Betty, the public wanted the latest specification on a car as expensive as an Austin 12.
Starting at £475 in New Zealand an Austin 12 was not a cheap car. A fully equipped special 5 seat tourer like
Aunty Betty would have cost £510! An Austin 12 was fully £100 more than an Essex six imported to New
Zealand at the same time. Seen as a durable quality car, the discerning motorist seemed willing to pay the
extra money for Austin dependability despite the mid 1920’s being far from easy times. (See Dexter Motors
advertisement from late 1924)
In February 1925 Mount Eden green grocer Mr Francis Powell passing Dexter Motors saw Aunty Betty in
the showroom. Interested by what he saw he stepped inside for a closer look. After examining the new car
Francis visited his friend John Seabrook of Seabrook Fowlds Ltd Symonds Street Auckland to discuss it.
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At the time Seabrook
Fowlds were motor
dealers with franchises for Leyland
Lorries and the Paige Motor Co of
Detroit selling their Jewett cars. John
Seabrook known as Jack, had set up his
business in 1919 selling Leyland trucks,
soon afterwards he expanded moving to
a much larger building on the corner of
Symonds Street and City Road Auckland
on 3rd March 1920.
In June 1920 Jack went into partnership
with local politician’s son Bill Fowlds,
forming Seabrook Fowlds & Co.
Together they moved into selling motor cars with several makes passing through their showroom. Phil
Seabrook, Jack’s brother had taken a job with Dexter and Crozier in 1919, as he wanted to gain technical
experience on Austin cars and gain an
insight into Austin’s operations in New
Zealand. He helped out at Seabrook
Fowlds where possible in his spare time
until eventually he left Dexter and
Crozier to become a full partner at
Seabrook Fowlds on the 23rd March
1922. The three partners wanted to get
into selling British cars and were keen to
become Austin agents. Aided by Phil’s
Austin experience, the three young men
felt spurred into action by a virtually
certain customer in Francis Powell. They
visited Reuben Dexter to see if they
could do a deal to their mutual
advantage. The deal they concluded was
to be very profitable for all concerned.
Seabrook Fowlds bought all of Dexter
Motors Austin spares and Aunty Betty at a handsome discount and were soon afterward granted the Austin
agency for Auckland territory.
In return Jack Seabrook was able to secure the Riley agency for Dexter Motors. Francis Powell also did well
out of the deal, he was able to buy the car he wanted at a considerable discount. The car actually cost him
£465 which meant he had saved the not inconsiderable sum of £55 off the list price. Aunty Betty was
therefore the very first new Austin car sold by the new Austin agent marking the beginnings of a long and
profitable association between Seabrook Fowlds and the Austin Motor Company.
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Seabrook Fowlds expanded dramatically
over the following years assembling
completely knocked down Austin cars in their Auckland
factory. (See photograph) The company was soon to
become a household name in Auckland, respected for their
reputation for high standards and excellent service.
Seabrook Fowlds formed the first Austin 7 owners club in
1926/27. They were successful in racing Austin 7’s and
undertaking endurance trials still impressive today. In one
such trial they took a standard Austin 7 chummy and
shipped it to an extinct volcano in Auckland harbour called
Rangitoto Island. They then used the car to climb to the top
of the crater driving through waist high brush and over
virgin scoria to demonstrate Austin’s rugged dependability
and strength to a public sceptical of the little car’s abilities.
These tactics won the company massively increased sales
and eventually an invitation for Jack and Phil Seabrook and
Bill Fowlds to visit Sir Herbert Austin at Longbridge. He
must have been impressed with the three young men
because he presented them with an Austin 7 supercharged
works racing car that went on to be highly successful in
competition in New Zealand. Seabrook Fowlds continued to expand and serve the North of North Island
New Zealand via their sub agents dotted around the country. Among these sub agents was Douglas Wood
Ltd of Pukekohe a place to feature significantly
in Aunty Betty’s future life.
Aunty Betty started her working life with 54
year old Francis Powell in Auckland’s Mount
Eden district on 17th March 1925. Aunty Betty
had been a major purchase for Francis, she
was to be his only motor car and he set out to
take care of her from the day she arrived. He
had a wooden garage built next to his house in
Rarawa Street in Mount Eden which was to be
her home for the next 31 years. She was used
quite often to deliver green groceries within
the locality and was remembered fondly by the
locals. She took Francis and his wife on
outings and trips and proved to be reliable
transport. During his ownership Francis had
Aunty Betty serviced and maintained by
Seabrook Fowlds (see the photograph of
Francis with Aunty Betty standing outside
Seabrook Fowlds Symonds Street showroom
on one of his regular visits to the firm in the
1950’s) she was always very well cared for and
kept in full running order. He must have loved the old girl because he kept looking after her right through
the times when she was just a worthless old car. It can’t have been easy to find tyres for her beaded edge
Sankey wheels but he managed to keep her on the road until he stopped driving at the age of 86. Francis
had the last Warrant of Fitness examination of his ownership carried out on 8th June 1955 by Wilson’s
Service Station Mount Eden. The recorded mileage at that date was 0160, and the car’s registration number
was quoted as 262-926. I had the good fortune to find wedged in the dashboard tool box not only the 1955
Page | 10 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.comWarrant of Fitness but Francis Powell’s last driving license. Issued on 29th June 1954 it finally expired 30th June 1955. For some reason Francis’ driving career ended early in 1955 leaving his old friend idle in her garage. Aunty had been repainted at least twice during her time with Francis. No doubt the original less than durable oil paint soon crazed and became dull making a repaint desirable. Aunty Betty showed several battle scars to her wings and panels. Indeed following some detective work on my part I feel she has been rolled over at some point in her early life, almost certainly with Francis. What actually happened we will never know, life for the motorist in the 1920’s was often far from comfortable. Dirt roads often turned to deep mud especially in New Zealand’s magnificent mountainous and wet terrain. Motorists often had to negotiate very steep slippery conditions in wet weather. Such conditions made accidents a common problem especially for cars relying on two wheel brakes. Regardless of the circumstances that caused the damage, Francis thought enough of her to have the old girl repaired and re-painted and put her back on the road. In April 1956 at nearly 32 years old Aunty Betty was in excellent condition considering her age, she had low mileage, no body corrosion and had been carefully maintained all her life. From the middle of 1955 Aunty stopped being used. Francis Powell had reached the age of 87 and had ceased driving for some reason Page | 11 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.com
leaving the old car standing in her garage. Francis considered what would become of his beloved Austin 12 after he died. He didn’t want the car knocked about or for it to fall into less caring hands than his. Due to her special place in the history of Seabrook Fowlds and his long friendship with the company’s founder John Seabrook Francis decided to leave Aunty Betty to the company that sold her new confident that they would continue to care for her. In 1956 Francis Powell died, his widow carried out his wishes and Aunty Betty returned to Seabrook Fowlds Symonds Street showrooms. Aunty spent the next ten years either on display at Seabrook Fowlds Symonds Street Showrooms or in storage. SF also owned a 1912 Austin 10/12 Sirdar Phaeton (now owned by Wesley Lamont in Ireland) which was often on display with Aunty Betty as a showroom centre piece during the late 1950’s and early 60’s. Both cars were un-restored and highly original. They made conversation pieces and attracted people with their quaint old fashioned charm. During her time at SF Aunty Betty was crudely repainted in light blue all over and kept in generally tidy running order. She was never restored but simply kept greased oiled and clean. She still had her original Page | 12 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.com
interior upholstery, carpets and hood. She was sparingly used during the ten year period
she spent back at SF covering a mere 2490 during that time.
In the late 1930’s Douglas Wood married Jack Seabrook’s youngest sister, Marion Elizabeth Seabrook. An
Aircraft engineer by profession he joined Seabrook Fowlds staff in 1935. By the 1950’s he had become a
director of Seabrook Fowlds as well as running an Austin Sub agency under his own name in the town of
Pukekohe. Douglas had developed a love of vintage Austin’s having rescued a 1928 Austin 16/6 Clifton
tourer (now owned by VAR NZ member Ted Allen) from being used as a hen house. He restored the car
during his spare time and took to using it on vintage motoring events in the early 1960’s. Douglas had
known Aunty Betty since 1933 and had a soft spot for her. He kept his eye on her and her companion Sirdar
Phaeton when he could making sure both cars received at least basic attention to keep them both running.
In 1966 Douglas approached Johnny Seabrook (Jack’s son and by then general manager of SF) to loan him
Aunty Betty and the Sirdar Phaeton for a parade and vintage car gathering to celebrate the centenary of
Pukekohe High School. The request was granted
and on the day Douglas drove Aunty Betty in the
parade.
Chris, Douglas’s son drove the family 16/6, and
Douglas Wood Ltd’s oldest employee Harry
McEwan drove the 1912 Austin 10/12 Sirdar
Phaeton.
Some days after the parade, Johnny Seabrook
approached Douglas with a proposal. He
suggested that Douglas should buy both Aunty
Betty and the Sirdar Phaeton because they were
getting in the way and should be being properly
cared for and enjoyed. The deal was so good
Douglas bought both cars on 18th October 1966,
and over time restored them both.
Page | 13 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.comOn arriving in the Wood household, Aunty Betty
received the first serious attention she had ever had
since leaving Longbridge. Douglas wanted to bring Aunty Betty back
up to smart useable condition, he didn’t want to totally dismantle
the car and felt she was best left undisturbed where possible. He
only touched the things that really needed attention preferring to
leave the rest well alone. Aunty Betty was stripped of her trim and
hood and sent off to be repainted in Dulon cellulose. Her body and
wheel spokes were finished in dark royal blue and her valances and
wings in black by Jimmy Brocas of Pukekohe. Her nickel plating was
refinished and her seat facings replaced with new leather supplied by
Douglas’s cousin at Astley’s tanneries. Her carpets were changed
from their original grey and black fleck to blue carpet of non-original
type which made a big improvement over the worn out originals.
It is easy to forget that back in the 1960’s car restoration was a new
hobby, there was very little support for people like Douglas who were
far sighted enough to realise that vintage cars should be preserved.
There were virtually no specialist services available to help the early
enthusiast so they had to be highly skilled and be prepared to learn new skills if their project car demanded
it. With the body re-painted Douglas moved onto the hood. He found that the hood sticks were sagging with
age so after the frame had received attention a local upholsterer was commissioned to make a new outer
cover, side curtains and hood bag.
Chris Wood rebuilt the engine, he carefully
balanced all the reciprocating parts, he also
attended to the valves and combustion chambers
and had a significant amount of weight turned off
the flywheel. The original bores and pistons were
retained. The engine was nicely detailed and
painted before being re-installed. At the same time
all the spring shackle bushes and pins were
renewed and the steering checked over.
With the car now back in beautiful condition again
she was much admired. Before long she was back
on display at Seabrook Fowlds Symonds Street
showrooms when not in use. (See pictures) She
was also often seen on display at Douglas Wood
Ltd in the showroom as an eye catching talking
point for customers.
Pleased with the many compliments he had
received following Aunty Betty’s restoration, Douglas entered her into a number of concourse competitions.
The car came first on a number of occasions, and won her proud owner several well-earned trophies.
Aunty Betty became a regular on vintage motoring events, with the Wood family attending on some
occasions in both Aunty Betty and their 16/6. She was in the line-up of cars at the first Rally held by the
newly formed New Zealand Vintage Austin Register, with Douglas and Chris becoming two of the founding
members of the new organisation. (See photograph)
Page | 14 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.comAunty Betty rapidly became a favourite with Chris and Douglas. She was blessed with remarkable performance and excellent handling. Despite her smaller engine and two wheel brakes, Chris found she was actually faster on the road than their 16/6. Having developed a taste for entering vintage timed trial events Chris decided to enter Aunty Betty for a number of events to see how she would perform. Accompanied by family friend Murray Ralls as navigator, Chris drove Aunty Betty on quite a number of occasions. They gained respectable places on the score board on most of these, coming 2nd on one 24 hour trial, which involved them driving through the night with a special light rigged up to enable Murray to read his maps in the dark. (See photographs) These events were not races they were more about good navigation and skilled driving than speed. Aunty Betty was never thrashed, but I suspect she rolled along more excitedly than on more mundane outings whilst competing with Chris and Murray. Aunty Betty was used for many vintage car events over the next 20 years. She served as a Brides Maids car at Chris and Diana Wood’s wedding and was present on many pleasant family outings and picnics. She was always reliable, starting on the button and never missing a beat. Only once did she “fail to proceed”. On a 300 mile drive to the south of North Island, Douglas with a party of friends stopped for lunch. When they returned to the car she wouldn’t start. The magneto had melted its shellac on the run, as the engine cooled down it solidified locking the magneto. The Simms coupling broke when Douglas pressed the starter. He was not too pleased with the breakdown but with his spare magneto fitted, the car was back on her way and Page | 15 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.com
has never broken down since! Douglas’s affection for Aunty Betty was palpable in his
writings. Over his 23 year ownership of the car he was inspired to write about her
glowingly on many occasions both in the journal of the NZ VAR, and in Beaded Wheels a magazine
published by the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand.
During Douglas’s ownership Aunty Betty received a new registration number FD 5935. A few years later he
learned that registration numbers beginning in DE were being issued locally. As his initials were D. E.
Wood a DE number seemed appropriate so once again Aunty Betty received a new registration number, DE
1924. Douglas maintained Aunty Betty in excellent condition until at the age of 76 he decided it was time for
someone else to care for his old friend. Chris Wood had by this time restored his beautiful 1924 Austin 20/4
tourer. This lovely car had been assembled from parts collected by Chris over a number of years, most of
which were from an Austin 20 Sports model. He finished the car by fitting the chassis with a newly built
replica body. With a full time job and a young family to care for Chris didn’t have time to take on Aunty
Betty so Douglas prepared to put her up for sale. Having heard that Aunty Betty was about to be sold,
Murray Ralls voiced his interest in buying her. Murray had many happy memories of riding in Aunty Betty
in the late 1960’s when he and Chris Wood had been so successful in timed trial competitions.
As a long standing family friend Murray
was a happy choice to be Aunty Betty’s
new custodian.
Murray bought Aunty Betty with a
quantity of spare parts from Douglas on
23rd March 1989. To mark the end of an
era Douglas and his wife Betty had their
photograph taken alongside their old
friend for the last time on the day
Murray collected her. (See photograph)
Murray and his wife Trish used Aunty
Betty sparingly during their ownership.
She attended several vintage events etc.
but was not used a great deal. Trish
christened the car Aunty Betty because
she affectionately associated her with
Douglas Wood’s wife Marion Elizabeth,
known to her friends and family as Betty. Murray an engineer by profession maintained Aunty Betty
mechanically, but never undertook any serious restoration work. By the mid 1990’s Aunty’s paintwork was
getting tired. Murray always intended to carry out a major restoration of Aunty Betty when he retired from
his job, but a turn of events changed his plans for the car. To add to her problems the car was involved in an
accident in 2000. Whilst driving on a vintage car road run Aunty Betty was struck in the near side rear. She
sustained a badly crushed and split rear wing, damage to her near side rear quarter panel, and damage to
her rear panel. Her luggage carrier was damaged beyond repair and her rear chassis tube was bent. Trish
Ralls suffered serious neck injuries and had to have surgery to correct the damage. Understandably both
Murray and Trish felt very differently about using Aunty Betty from then on. Murray repaired the damage
to the rear of the car and put her up for sale in 2003.
Page | 16 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.comBruce Schaw responded
to Murray’s
advertisement for a caring new home for
Aunty Betty. After a drive in her Bruce
thought her rear axle sounded noisy, but
a deal was struck which involved Murray
rebuilding the rear axle before Bruce
took delivery of the car. Bruce also
acquired the considerable quantity of
spare parts that had been retained with
Aunty from her days with Douglas
Wood. Murray was obviously keen to
ensure that Aunty Betty stayed in New
Zealand because he asked Bruce to
promise never to sell the car to an
overseas buyer. Bruce willingly agreed to
this request not foreseeing there being
any problem in keeping his promise.
Bruce intended to fully restore Aunty
Betty when he bought her, but things
didn’t go to plan. A change of address
and lifestyle meant that Bruce and Fay
only used Aunty Betty very occasionally.
Bruce found the cars brakes were almost
non-existent which led him to feel
nervous about driving her. He rebuilt the
brakes making a 60% improvement in
their performance but no further work
was ever undertaken. Bruce also owned
a Ford Model T tourer and felt a little
overburdened with the work ahead of
him if he were to restore both cars.
Bruce therefore decided to leave Aunty
Betty alone. He liked her faded glory appearance and character. For some reason I get the feeling that Bruce
never really took to driving the car. He found her uncomfortable and disliked driving her in traffic. After
retiring from his job as an engineer he felt he no longer wanted to spend so much time looking after vintage
cars. Consequently she was advertised for sale within the vintage car movement in New Zealand and
subsequently on the internet.
I am now the proud owner of this lovely vintage car. I believe it was love at first sight when I first clapped
eyes on her in a dockside warehouse in Felixstowe.
It was always my intention to restore Aunty Betty to concourse condition, and I’m happy to say her
restoration is well under way at the current time.
When she arrived in Britain I felt I wanted to get to know her and enjoy driving her for at least a few months
before the lengthy restoration process commenced, so I carried out a thorough service and gave the poor old
lady a good clean while I waited to get her registered and road legal.
I wrote to Mike Worthington-Williams the well-known automotive historian who writes a fascinating
column in the Automobile magazine. I asked his advice on how I should go about registering Aunty Betty in
the UK. I received a very helpful and friendly reply from Mike and with his help Aunty Betty was soon
Page | 17 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.comMoot’s, inspected by the DVLA, and registered BF 4146. At last after months of wondering
what she would be like to drive I had my first drive in a 2 wheel brake Austin 12.
It seemed appropriate to take Aunty Betty back to her birthplace at Longbridge for the occasion.
Sadly on the day Aunty and I were just in time to witness the destruction of the old West works where
Aunty’s body had been built all those years ago. We had approached the factory from Longbridge Lane and
come to a halt at the traffic lights at the junction with the Bristol Road. It was a disgusting and sickening
sight sitting at the traffic lights watching the bulldozers destroying years of motoring history at a stroke. As
we turned left and headed toward the Lickey Hills it was very sad to glance to the left and see an empty
space where the North and South works had once stood. Only the railway line remained on this once
proudly industrial site after almost 100 years as a car factory. We stopped outside what had been the Austin
service department on Lickey Road to take some photographs. At least that building was still standing. It
was nice to record yet another milestone in Aunty Betty’s long life. (See photograph) It was a bittersweet
moment sitting there listening to the destruction going on in the distance as passing ex Austin and Rover
group men delighted at seeing this historic car back at her birth place shouted their approval from their
cars. As I sat there I remembered all the old Austin men I’d known as a lad and wondered what they would
have said had they been with me.
Many people stopped to take photographs and ask questions, all were delighted to see Aunty Betty there.
For many of the people who stopped to chat to me Aunty Betty stood as a relic of the past, a reminder of
better days when British people had pride in their country and supported their own industries. What a pity
these patriotic feelings have been allowed to die in more recent years. Perhaps if they hadn’t Longbridge
would still be making cars.
What a pleasure driving Aunty Betty turned out to be. Tony Small bone’s description of what she would be
like could not have been more accurate. The car handled beautifully with an excellent ride, and her light
precise steering was indeed a delight. As for performance she had clearly not lost the sparkle and turn of
speed that had so impressed Chris Wood in the 1960’s. One area of concern was a slightly noisy third gear
but even that wasn’t very bad.
In less than a month Aunty and I had covered 500 miles, she was so nice to drive I had her out every day.
What a glorious feeling it is to ride in the open air sitting above the rest of the traffic listening to a willing
vintage engine purring away. Aunty did have her moments however, I overheated the brakes on a long
descent on the Malvern Hills but that was really my fault and not hers. I have to admit that it can be easy to
skid the car in wet weather, but given the fact that she is unlikely to see many wet roads in the future I’m
not unduly concerned.
I found the car to be
amazingly original
virtually everything is
present and correct, except
that is for the carburettor.
Early 12/4’s had a Zenith
30H Bronze side draught
carburettor, without a
choke or strangler. 30H’s
were often removed and
replaced with the later
Zenith 30 HA or 30 HZ
carburettors which were
fitted with a choke to aid
cold starting. Clearly early
Page | 18 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.comin her life Aunty had been upgraded with a later carburettor and a Trico Folberth windscreen wiper probably by Francis Powell. Thanks to Tony Smallbone I now have a correct Zenith 30H which I will take great pleasure in fitting to Aunty Betty when she emerges from her current on-going restoration. It is now over 2.5 years since I first saw the advert for Aunty Betty. Back then I could never have imagined I would buy a car from the other side of the world and make a host of interesting new friends both in New Zealand and the UK as a result. Do I recommend investing in a vintage Austin? Most certainly, you never know where it may lead. Page | 19 www.kda132.com |Ashley@kda132.com
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