In regular use and driven 20 miles to the sale; an impressive example of this powerful and dependable Austin   Austin introduced its big 20hp model in 1919, a car heavily influenced by the Hudson Super Six that Herbert Austin drove during the war.Incorporating many of the Hudson features that had so impressed the Austin boss, the Twenty was powered by a 3.6-litre four-cylinder engine with a cast-iron block, a detachable cylinder head and an aluminium crankcase.

Driving through a four-speed gearbox it developed 45bhp at 2,000rpm and could lope along at a genuine 70mph providing the bodywork wasn’t too formal.Immensely durable, it was considered by many to be at least the equal of the contemporary Rolls-Royce 20hp and, with light enough coachwork, it could even give a Bentley 3-Litre a run for its money.

Popular as a hire car, it was not unusual for a well-maintained Twenty to clock up over half-a-million miles in its working life.

This made it a particular success in export markets w...