At the end of the Second World War the British car factories were in a bit of a shambles (to say the absolute least). In order to get them back on their feet again a great deal of foreign money was given to them. As well, the allocation of steel depended on the amount of export. So it stood to reason that they dedicated majority effort to Export. This resulted in a great number of British cars being sold in Canada. Austin was probably the biggest. Ford was represented. First by the Prefect, then the Anglia, followed by a number of names still in use today. My first real car was a used Vauxhall Victor. I constantly hear someone say that they either owned a British Car or that one of their family or relatives did. Generally the response is favourable, but these cars have a real personality.
Nearly all the British cars imported were fitted with Lucas electrical system. Lucas has been coined The Prince of Darkness. Fittingly so! There you are out at about midnight with your favourite girl. The weather has been foul, the girl wants to go home, you are both soaked to the bone from the thunderstorm that came from nowhere. It is pitch black, the wipers are barely beating the rain off and all of a sudden DARKNESS. Lucas has struck! All the lights in the car go out the wipers stop. Dead, nada, zip. Not a blasted thing works. Sometimes the engine stays running, but most of the time it's dead as a doornail. Lucas strikes again!
Lucas has spawned a whole group of witticisms. The Lucas Theory of Electronics is one of them.
It has been determined that we are all wrong with the laws of electron flow. Lucas' theory simply says that it is all done with Smoke. A charged battery is really full of smoke. The wires move the smoke around the system. If the smoke escapes, that's it, she's dead.
Personally I like the slogan "If Lucas made guns, wars wouldn't start". I have seen a poster of a "Bloomer Girl" (anyone old enough to remember that?) pushing a huge upright vacuum cleaner. The slogan was "Introducing the new Lucas Upright Vacuum. If it is made by Lucas YOU KNOW IT SUCKS."
Over the course of automobile history these two companys engaged in some pretty fierce competition. Not just in the family car field, but in the field of sports performance cars. Austin had a number of them but they are mainly remembered for the big 6 cylinder Healy and the little Bugeye Sprite. Morris of course is the venerable MG. Today it is the same family (as a matter of fact nearly all the autos come from one conglomerate family). I just saw a picture of the new MG the other day, it was made in the Rover factory. The rivalry however is still continued between collectors of these two makes of automobiles.
In 1905 Herbert Austin founded the company in Longbridge. The plant location I am informed is still the principal works for Rover (but in this fast changing time I may be open to correction). I have heard the design of the original Austins described as "Dull but Reliable". Either way they were a very popular import in Canada.
Austin named a series of automobiles after towns in England. The memorable Westminster, Devon, Dorset, Hereford and Somerset were refered to as the "The Counties Cars". Unfortunately the Cambridge never had the distinction of being recognized in these ranks. Officially the County Cars were discontinued in 1954.
The Cambridge when originally imported was renamed the Cambrian, to sort of Canadianize the name. That didn't last very long, the Cambridge is what we remember them as. The factory called them by an "A" prefixed number. A40, A50, etc (Morris called theirs the Oxford). I collect Austin Cambridges. More modern Austins were called Innocenti, Vanden Plas, and Mini-Mokes. They were also badged Austins as Metros, Maestros, 4 wheel drive Champ and Gypsy. Special Taxi bodies were made and even a version of a Rolls. Export models that were really popular were the Marinas. And of course let's not forget the MG and the Austin Healey!
Now, to my other love in my life... Jaguar! I may have to start bowing towards
Coventry soon and offering up smoking offerings to Lord Lucas, the Prince
of Darkness (course most of his stuff has been known to offer itself up
as smoke). About 30+ years ago I did a restoration of a MK I Jaguar, and
got royally hooked. Of course, raising a family and owning a Jaguar were
not a viable financial arrangement, so I went to Detroit Iron and vowed
that the next Real Car I owned would be a Jaguar XJ6L. Took
me 30 years, but I now have my dream car. It is a bit of a rolling restoration,
but it looks good enough that I don't have to park it behind the shopping
malls. Expect to hear more about this beast and see the pictures in the
near future. Presently it is a little like the last child in the family,
no photos. The first one always gets the attention... Soon to be rectified!
Don't laugh, it is the Rally version and is a real hot little car. For spare
parts I have 2 more "in waiting". Will not say anything
more on this subject!
European designer Farina was asked to redesign the Cambridge. He was responsible for the box shape and the fins of the 60's era. A friend of mine now has my 68 Farina Cambridge.
Of course, we don't always find them in running condition. Most times we try to find them in pairs so we have one around for spare parts.
Most of todays generation think a Ford Prefect is the name of an alien
who spends all his time Hitchhiking the galaxy with a bloke from "a
broad spread of West Country farmland" name Arthur Dent. Truth is the
Prefect was one of Ford of England's hottest sellers. Sort of a British
Model T. As a matter of fact Model T's and "Fordson" tractors
were an early product from the factory.
It certainly had the lines. Looked like a box with wheels. Original unit
was wood floored. In the mid 50's the corners were knocked off and it was
supposedly modernized.
A sportier version called the Anglia was made. It had two doors and appealed
to the more Performance conscious (it still had those darn
Vacuum Wipers though). Ford never was as popular as Austin in Canada
in those days, so fewer examples of these cars remain.This one was in a
shed in Youbou B.C. It has 48,000 original miles. Admitted, if you were
born in 1956 and been stuffed in a shed for 10 years you would be a little
worse for wear. Check this homepage in the spring and I'll show you what
it looked like when new. That's my winter works project for this year! This
one is worth the effort. It looks as if I will be the second registered
owner (a few people have taken care of it, but no-one has driven it). I
have two more, 1951 box versions which I have to put together. Every kid's
dream, building his own car...
