Gallery of Special Cars: MUV 638 an extraordinarily original A40 Sports, recorded mileage: 06529!

 

For some time I have been planning a series on “special” cars and it is a pleasure to open it with MUV 638, which according to my knowledge is the most original Sports in existence and a true survivor in every sense.

 

Chassis GD3 649723 was completed in January 1952 at the Austin works in Longbridge to be sent to Jensen Motor for bodywork. There GD3 body #855 is dropped on the chassis and the car is finished in a popular colour scheme that records as exteriour colour: steeldust grey with grey leather interior, contrasting burgundy piping and grey carpeting. She was bought by Lt.Col. Horace Percy Fielder as an engagement present for Miss Barbara Fuller from the main Austin Dealer SMACs in Southend, Essex and registered as MUV 638 early in 1952.

 

The family used their new Sports only gently, which included a trip across the channel to France and hence the one remaining yellow tinted headlight. Shortly onwards she was stored away under blankets in a garage on Canvey Island, Essex. Fielder’s family had lived on the island for generations and he has been quite a prominent figure there. A marriage photo of the happy couple can be found on the internet at a canveyisland.org even today!

 

It seems that for the next ten years MUV 638 did see the light of day for little more than short runs and an annual MOT and after that not at all for the following twenty years! MUV 638 didn’t leave Canvey Island until the death of Miss Fuller in 1984 whereupon the car was returned to the original supplying Austin dealers to be sorted out.

 

The next owner, a local farmer and enthusiast, promptly stored her away carefully again for the next twenty years, so when the car turned up for sale in 2005 she had a recorded mileage of just over 4000 miles and had remained in the most wonderful original condition.

 

Luckily the next owner & keeper Marcus Angell had been a long time Sports owner and member of the ACCC. He undertook a careful preparation and gentle restoration of the car, maintaining all original features.

Late Ray Dawes, ACCC club spares secretary, greatly helped sourcing and posting out parts from the ACCC club shop in time for the upcoming ACCC annual rally and finally this wonderful car is taken out on the road again, to rallies, on country lanes and events like Kop Hill Climb, mileage now reads 06529.

 

Marcus kindly agreed to take many photos especially of the interior for me to document her wonderful condition and help other Sports restorers to understand how certain details looked like when new so to guide their own projects.

Thanks Marcus! I hope everyone will enjoy this set as much as I did!

 

Herzliche Grüße sendet Dirk