Now this is what I think of when someone mentions a vintage automobile find! This Austin 12/6 Open Tourer looks like it’s been put away for a long time, but the seller tells us it runs and drives! It’s listed for sale here on eBay and is located in Los Angeles, California. Bidding is currently just below $5,500 as I write and surprisingly there’s no reserve!

While this ol’ girl looks a little awkward with the side curtains still in place, if you mentally remove them as in this example here, you’ll see it’s a lot sleeker. Okay, maybe sleeker isn’t the right word, but more…fun looking? And I really like the third lamp on this one; it adds character. And if you feel the way I do about dirty old cars, it’s all about character.

As you can see, the British plates are still present, although the only thing I found from googling them was that “DZ395” is some European Ford heater blower fan. So you’ll need to contact the Vintage Austin Register to find any of the pre-importation history and how to get parts. As far as what happened to the car since it was imported, the seller is proud to tell us that it was owned by the husband of a former Secretary of Labor. Now I couldn’t care less about that, but it might matter to someone out there.

You know, I’m thinking folks were skinnier back in 1930. Either that our modern personal space requirements have increased! Cute, though, isn’t it!

Interesting driving environment. I’m not sure I’d fit!

The six cylinder engine was a big deal, although it’s only 1496 cc. Most of its competitors had four cylinders, so the Austin was supposed to be smoother. They enlarged the engine the year after this car was built, so I suspect there isn’t a tremendous amount of power here. But that’s not what you’d have this car for anyway, right? Let us know if you’d like to tool around in this Open Tourer.