The Great British Trade-up Challenge Finale

Douglas Hester was the very proud winner of our Great British Trade-up Challenge car and has now collected his prize, congratulations!

For our final car in the challenge, our very own Steph Hoy began the search for a traditional British car, finally deciding on an Auston 1300 in a brilliant shade of ‘Limeflower’. ‘Basil’ the Austin 1300 is a variant of the 60s bestseller ADO16. Across all badged variants, it was the best-selling car of the 1960s and was used by driving schools, families and professionals racking up the miles. Many people think of the Mini when they think of the 60s, but the ADO16 outsold it, it just sadly didn’t outlast it in terms of popularity.

In Steph’s words:

“I met with Keith, the previous owner of the 1300, in a car park and upon hearing we were going to be selling one of the final trade-up cars for charity, he not only dropped the price by £500 to a brilliant £2,995 but also agreed to service and MOT the vehicle for no additional charge.

The car really fit the criteria; low number of former keepers with a degree of history documented (Keith had done this online via his website), engine started fine from cold and showed no signs of low compression or excessive oil burning, all the usual areas on the sub-frame were clean enough and there were no areas of concern on the bodywork. The car had benefitted from an older restoration nearly 30 years ago and looked a little tired in places with paint chips and a crack in the vinyl dash, but these were small cosmetic concerns on a car which really didn’t show its age at all.

Hopping in, I checked how the car drove, stopping straight, no cause for concern with the hydralastic suspension and transmission. The gear change needed a little hesitation when the car was cold but once the drive was a few miles in, it was unbelievably smooth and straightforward.

I cruised from Peterborough over to Birmingham the night before the Lancaster Insurance Services Classic Motor Show at the NEC and couldn’t believe how responsive, smooth, and pleasurable the drive was. Not a drop of oil or water used and overall, a jolly good find!

We’ll be auctioning our other car inthe Trade up challenge, a rather dashing Jaguar, on 28th January 2023 11am, with all proceeds going to Auditory Verbal UK, who support deaf children by aiming to give them the same opportunities in life as their hearing peers. Follow us on our social channels for updates.