MEET THE OWNER – DAMIEN RYAN AND HIS AUSTIN 1800

For too long, the ‘Landcrab’ family was overlooked in favour of other BMC front-wheel-drive cars. Yet, when the British Motor Corporation displayed the original Austin 1800 at the 1964 London Motor Show, there was not another domestically made car in its class.

The nearest FWD equivalent was the Slough-assembled Citroën ID, but that was far more expensive than the 1800 De Luxe’s £808 14s 7d price. Today, Damien’s Austin is not only a reminder of a genuinely individualistic car, but it is also a car acquired for a very important reason.

Motor thought the latest Austin possessed the space of a 3-litre, the performance of a 2-litre and the running costs of a 1.5-litre. Autocar described it as “one of the most important cars in the world of motoring”. The Austin became the Car of The Year for 1965, but the Corporation failed to rectify its early faults. Less than three years after its launch Car magazine complained, “how long BMC can allow the 1800’s shortcomings to prevent it from realising a truly tremendous potential is something for them to decide”.

The 18-22 ‘Wedge’ replaced the Landcrab in early 1975, and Damien’s example dates from 1967, making it one of the last of the Series One versions. He recalls, “My parents had one from 1968 to 1986. I was born in 1965, so the 1800 was the car I grew up with, the first car I drove and the first car I worked on as a young boy with my dad”. He came by the Austin a year ago when seeing it on a classic car site – “after seeing the 1800 there was not a chance of me not buying it!”

In terms of road manners, Damien finds the Austin “an excellent car to drive on today’s roads. It can maintain pace with modern cars, accelerates well and importantly, it brakes well too. The interior space is incredible, and although my BMW ‘daily driver dwarfs the 1800, it feels much smaller inside”. Alec Issigonis himself would probably have been delighted with such a comparison, as the Landcrab was said to be his favourite BMC design.

Naturally, such a magnificent Damask Red Austin attracts a great deal of attention – “the public, especially the older generation, stops, stares, and waves. It certainly makes people smile - especially me, as just sitting in it makes me happy. Young children love it; I have nieces and nephews who love sitting in it and opening and closing windows without buttons. Also, the indicator switch with the flashing green light and the push button to squirt water on the windscreen are big hits”.

And, above all, LHE 56 E had a very special role in the Ryan family, for as Damien explains, “I bought the car and spent time getting it to run nicely as a surprise for my parents”.

With Thanks To - Damien Ryan