Description Wonderfully correct and original; few owners; only 49,700 miles indicated; lots of history; a proper Forties time capsule! RESERVE REDUCED A successor to the much-loved Seven, the Austin Eight was another excellent little car but had the misfortune to be launched in early 1939, just a few months before Germany invaded Poland, sparking off an unfortunate chain of events that would soon turn every car plant into a munitions factory.

However, military staff still needed to get about, so while most of the Longbridge works was swiftly turned to war production, a steady stream of Eights continued to trickle from the gates.

The chassis was a major step forward for Austin, being half-way to full unitary construction in that the main member was a pressed steel floor-pan with a box section welded down each side of the car and three others going across the floor.

The body was then bolted to this structure.

Styling was by Ricardo ‘Dick’ Burzi, recently poached from Lancia, and was ...