As a young man my father worked in the Austin plant here in Wellington in the mid fifties for a time, he told me he used to install the headlining... He met a chap who also worked there and they became lifelong friends and even today, well into their eighties, they still meet once a week for a quiet pint or two at a local pub.

An amazingly charming old classic, I don't really mind the cow hips on that car, sort of suits it oddly enough. Very well used and loved, what with it's slightly tatty interior and the squeaks and creeks, it's utterly adorable, and still going strong, well as best it can for an old girl.

This car conveys ''original'' and ''authentic'' 1950's BMC all the way. Easy to assemble, easy to repair and easy to maintain. Gives a whole new perspective on the meaning of ''durable''

The only thing missing from this video is the wonderful smell of a nice old car on a rainy day.

That amazing chrome toothed bonnet scoop actually feeds the cabin fresh air vent and fan... quite contemporary

When I was a kid in the mid 60s in rural east Devon, an elderly couple down the road had a fawn/creamy Austin A50. It wasn't used much, but it was clearly much loved, and the old boy washed and polished it quite a bit. Even then, I thought it looked very old fashioned by comparison with most of the more modern looking cars on the roads then, but it was probably only 6 or 7 years old. A reminder how much British car design radically changed between 1955 and 1965.

"I liked it a lot, despite it being mostly hopeless" @14:53

I thank the God of motoring blogs that you make such great videos

I just love the good old British cars from the fifties and sixties

Cars with engines quieter than the radiator fans, lovely fan drone accompaniment with the revs building.

My first ever car was an A50: a 1955 model bought in 1969, suitably in Cambridge when I finished at university. It never failed to start first time and never let me down on the road. I suppose anyone's first car is special, but this was a good'un. Ian, you're right that BMC/BL failed to develop these models, but actually Fifties Austins were ahead of the competition and probably the best mass-produced cars you could buy. Certainly up to about 1955 Fords, Vauxhalls, Hillmans and the old MO Morris Oxford had sluggish side-valve engines, no independent front suspension, and mainly 3-speed gearboxes. And Fords in particular were pigs to start in the morning. Driving behind that grand old Austin mascot made you feel good to be British.

Having grown up with Austin's I appreciate the simplicity of everything. Everything has an on and off. Everything always worked, even if it didn't turn off. Like every small car, you grew to like the mannerisms. You adjusted your drive to suit your Austin or Morris and they just keep going.

What a lovely old car.. I love how it isn't perfectly restored. Clearly being used daily and well looked after. Full credit to the owner 👍

Great video. I learned to drive in an Austin A50 in 1963. It was a lovely car. It's a shame the horn didn't work on the one in the video as that was one of the best parts of the car, a pair of Lucas Windtones, if I remember right.

I like it when a bonnet is opened, and the space is largely empty.

Hubnut: We have a British car here in NZ! Weather: Turns British

The best place for a Tom Jones CD is somewhere that doesn't have a CD Player!

Hi Hubnut. Much to comment on here! Some British cars in AUS and NZ were fully imported, but the greater number were manufactured complete in Australia or assembled in NZ from CKD kits. And then AUS made cars went to NZ and NZ assembled cars went to Australia. A case in point is that most of Australia's Rover P6Bs were assembled in Nelson NZ. These CKD kits actually had the roofs cut off the unibody to save shipping space, and welded back on in NZ. On the B series engine, British engineers in the mid 50's reckoned 1500 was as big as they could get it. But BMC Australia engineers determined that siamesing the bores would work and got it up to 1600 (or so the story goes). Given that 'clue', the British engineers later got it up to 1800. The 1600 appeared in the Australian Morris Major Elite. Imagine a Wolseley 1500 with a Morris grille and tailfins and you'll be close. Perhaps you'll see one. On the dumpiness of 1950's British cars, I had meant to comment earlier that the Singer Hunter was probably the dumpiest of the lot, to the point where they couldn't even sell them in and UK. And I too was surprised to see the horn button not turning with the wheel on the Austin. It made sense when the trafficator switch was in the centre of the wheel, but the point was entirely lost once the stalk switch came into use. Cheers.

Peg to hold the choke out - yep that’s NZ for you! Thanks again Hubnut for the vid, informative and enjoyable as always😀

All of a sudden I can smell this cars interior! My Grandfathers last car in the 1970's was an A95. It had a radio!

An old friend that lives near Melbourne has recently restored a Westminster that had been languishing in a local farmers field for many years. 'Charming' is definitely a suitable adjective, unlike sporty, dynamic, quiet and economic.

My dad the A55 remember going on holiday in it and the shock absorbers went and the steering would shake like hell at a certain speed me and mum were terrified when it would start to shake noisily .This car vlog brought it all back😲😲👍👍

Nice to see it on the road and not in a scrap yard!

Lovely car with that flying A wing on the center of the bonnet. Windshield wiper allert will keep driver reminded to concentrate on road more in rainy day.

It's a beautiful car in my opinion. I like the unpretentious lights particularly at the rear and the roundness. The Farina was a right enormous clodhopper in comparison. Must have weighed far more. Ladybird books of the fifties and sixties usually had a car like this in them, going to the seaside.

Ah now that is classic Hub Nut, from the whack of the wipers to the classic sound of the indicators, and man that gear change is awesome 👍 Tam.

Nice weather (normally), sunshine, gorgeous scenery, clean streets and full of well-preserved yet patinated old cars. What's not to love about New Zealand?

The column shift gears did it for me. Memories in abundance and no half shaft issues. I'm still looking forward to an A40 Somerset real road test but, for now this fills the gap sublimely.

Wow, a single 1 1/4" SU on a 1500cc engine! They hold things up enough on a 998cc A series! Nice to see cars like this still getting around!

I like the way the logo on the steering wheel doesn't turn with the wheel but stays straight!

They were everywhere when I was a kid. Bloody gorgeous I wish I'd had one ...

Hey Mr H, my first vehicle was a 1957 A55 van which my parents bought for me way back in 1962, so this is extremely nostalgic for me. I'm now 74 and I clearly remember going on a camping trip with my folks and ascending Porlock hill, 1 in 4, with a tooth missing on first gear, but we made it. Golden, irreplaceable days. Thanks for sharing ---yes it's that old Yorkshire "Gezzer" in Ireland again.

listening to those wipers would do my head in lol

Really enjoyed that one, look forward to many more from NZ & Oz

Really enjoying these New Zealand trip vids..best thing on my subscriptions at the moment.well done

Blimey, takes me back. My Dad had an A55 mk1 and it made all the same noises, clonking wipers, whining transmission and the speedo needle went all over the place. Never needed to use 1st gear. No seat belts in our car. The p switch was for the panel lights. Thank you hubnut for showing us this car.

This was the first car I owned, I bought a very cheap "well used" one as a teenager about 40 years ago, and from what I remember it wasn't that uncommon to find myself on 2 wheels when I flung it around the corners. Obviously I gained much more respect for classic cars as I grew up (and they grew in value).

Bonus double indicator action to finish on. Fun times!

managing to nearly get into a power slide coming out of a roundabout is quite impressive. That column gearshift does seem to have some merits (and the same principle as modern paddle shifts.) I've never seen one being used before; quite educational.

I think it's great we can see or even purchase a car of this era nowadays. Very entertaining. Thank you.

Lovely. I love the fade in and out indicator lights as opposed to the on off affairs of later and modern cars.

hi Ian , more great commentary /review (interesting facts) love the way you pan from you to the car!

Lovely honest old car and that gear whine is exquisite!

21:40 "The horn button is fixed, but it should have a proper parping horn" I didn't know about the fixed button, but it had a good parping horn. A local business / property magnate did a very risky overtake in his Dino 246GT, and my father hit the horn button. It jammed, so it stayed on for a full 1/4 mile as we followed him, and while we waited behind him to turn at the end of the road, and then across the bridge. Bob Jones got a real ear-full that day, and I bet that didn't happen often.

Oh loved this just my cup of tea, I'm in the minority I know but i always loved the styling of these, in fact the rear lift model (@1957) is not as stylish I think. Not sure I'd be brave enough to own one though. Terrific stuff Mr H, much thanks :)

As much as I appreciate some period charm that wiper "clack" would driving me nuts and have me moving the arms up a spline within a couple of miles...

Another great video! - Can't see an A50 Cambridge without remembering my Primary School's Secretary - a tall, friendly and efficient woman in glasses who drove a black A50 to school in the early '60s

What a wonderful old bus. it certainly is loved but not overly so. Very nice indeed. Many thanks HubNut.

We had a A95 with the 3 litre C series engine at the garage I worked in 1968 at Palgrave Suffolk. We used it a a breakdown 'tow-truck'. It would shift and tow well but would yaw like a yacht on bendy roads. I think it was made in 1959.

Well, shockingly vigorous and slop- free wipers impress even before engine motivation and electrical output from the mighty Lucas dynamo. NVH heavy soundtrack on the move unsurprisingly identical to my late uncle's A60 van version in about 1970 when I rattled around in the back accompanied by fumes from petrol spilling out of his Atco mower fleet. The Austin later broke his leg when it capsized in a narrow Devon lane reversing incident. More boxes ticked with this review, thanks Ian.

Love this old car reviews the trouble is am at an age When I can remember seeing them on the road when They were brand new

Lovely car hub my dad had Austin cambridge 1622 cc blue white striped take care Richard ann

What a cute little car that Austin Cambridge is. I’ve got a Dinky toy of it in light blue. It also reminds of TWC ,

I bought a 1955 A50 in 1962, and coming from a 1950 Morris Minor MM side-valve, the A50 was 'cutting edge' luxury. Far from being a nice little car - as you called it, in its time, it was considered a big family saloon. Full leather seats - the front two being square and when siamese'd, seated three ... the column gear change, and 'umbrella' handbrake, also helped. Getting reverse gear wasn't as difficult as you seemed to make out. You simply pulled the knob on the lever before moving the lever ... a Bowden cable running inside the lever - released by the pulling the knob, prevented accidentally selecting reverse instead of 2nd gear. Interestingly, the column change system on the Austin - and on other cars such as the Ford Consul, eventually wore and became imprecise, floppy. The problem was easily solved by replacing the 'cotter pins' that fixed the levers to the selector shafts on the side of the gearbox. The lever to gearbox shaft arrangement was exactly the same as the pedal arm to crankshaft on a pedal bicycle, using the same 'cotter pins'. I noted also that your NZ model had an SU carburettor, which doubtless gave you less bhp than the UK built models which used a Zenith downdraught with an 'accelerator pump'. I found the A50 to be one of the nicest cars I have ever driven, then and since. I think we have forgotten that the cars of the 1950's were specifically designed to give a smooth ride whatever the road surface - quite often cobbled, and potholes are nothing new. A great sadness for me, was that I couldn't afford the A50's more streamlined replacement, the A55. I don't mean the Farina model, the A55 I refer to was almost identical to the A50, just a bit longer in the tail, usually two-tone paint, nicer headlights, and more chrome up front.

Good road test. Amazing how we have progressed and then hit a wall.

A motley collection of tools - story of my life ! (but never the right one when you most need it).

I remember my grandfather having one of those when I was very young. I didn't remember what car it was but did remember the steering wheel. I was amazed by the steering wheel center & how it worked. I only identified the car years later looking through old photos. Another Hubnut video that triggers so many memories. Superb.

Great thanks. Enjoyed very much. Informative with a 'natural touch' and friendly. Much appreciated.John (Australia)

Brilliant, you were driving around my old stomping ground when I was a teenager! I went to high school in Henderson.

My Dad had a black A40 Cambridge in the '60s which took us to Wales and back without a murmur. Very slowly, of course. Brought back memories - thanks for uploading.

Thank you for sharing. This takes me back. I changed the brake shoes on my friends identical model. In 1972. We went to our first paid band gig in this the whole band. Guitars, amps drums the lot. It had a roof rack. It was the fish and anchor in Evesham. Very noisy gearbox. Many happy hours in this car.

Lovely sound coming from that engine

Excellent review the sound of that gearbox reminds me of the wolseley 1500s I had back in the day and they weren’t slow

Learnt to drive on one in 1967....wonderful old lady

love the wiper sound when finishing the down sweep

An old friend i had inherited a 1958 A55 Cambridge when he was 17, and drove it to school in 1971 in Canada. (Left Hand Drive) It was so unusual he got a couple of girlfriends because of the car.It was two tone blue, and one of the girls drew a cartoon face on the Boot. with the handle in place of the nose. She called it he Boogle. It had a problem with reverse, (Had to pull out the knob on the end of the stalk, and shift down. It Broke. ) Ray always was a rugged Individualist. This car reminds me of his. Cheers from Canada.

Very welcome Vintage car review - thanks Ian !

Lovely car. And have a look at the front marker lights - what a nice detail! But at the rear all the design ethusiasm was gone... "Rear lights? Oh come on, just put them anywhere!"

Remarkable that the speedo is in MPH! Nice video! Always loved the ingnition key placed in the middle as on the MGA/B and other BMC cars! It appears that the wipers could do with a little adjustment on the neutral position. Every clang touching the bezel from the windscreen hurts! Lovely how the fresh air is ducted into the heather fan! Always liked the B series engine. Quite perky and torquey on the MGB in my honest and modest opinion, but that was a 1800 Twin carb. A demo of starting the engine with the handle would have been a lovely bonus hehe ;) Looking forward for the Mayflower and P76 ;) Greetings from Belgium.

A Lovely little car and I like it👍 Re the passenger train. It's the first one you have seen because it's the only one we have Lol.

My parents first car was an A55, a wedding present from my mum's dad who was the Austin dealer in Christchurch. Grey with blue leather interior. We actually passed it on to my step brother for customising in about 1987, so had it a good long time. Amazing fact, considering the long stroke and rather weedy engine... We used to take it on grass track hill climbs. Let the air out of the back tyres and four kids bouncing up and down on the back seats for grip. It did actually make it to the top 😅

I’d love to own an A30 one day. I’ve always loved those little guys.

Wow your hair grows quick! This is gonna be an expensive trip, but Michaela and her like could make a fortune! Haha

These cars were also imported to the US, because my father drove one of these in 1963-64 for about one year. He eventually traded it in for a more practical family-friendly Pontiac Chieftain ( we had four children in our family). What I remember the most was that flashing directional arm. As a five year old I was fascinated by it

Such a beautiful looking car!

Charming little cars. Love looking at the the way we were or memory lane articles in classic car weekly or practical classics magazine as they are always on street scenes from the periods 1950's-1970's

What a charming little car mate !.....I worked today , Saturday, after a 50 hour week and got tired.....at 2PM I laid my self across the seats of my brand new Vauxhall Vivaro and used my Hubnut hoodie as a pillow...zzzzz. Now tucked up in bed on the east coast of Suffolk (with half a bottle of whiskey) I'm sure that I speak for many when I state that you are doing a great job entertaining us.....well worth the Patreon subscription! Happy Days x

I was going to visit New Zealand, but seeing how fast beards grow I can't afford the razors.

the wiper action hypnotized me, I'm not sure if I watched this video or I dreamt it

We just watched Summer Of Rockets Epi One on DVD last night . LOL ! Your car !

I love the Ricardo Burzi pre-Farina cars, especially the ' cow hip ' rear end ones which were made between 1955 & 56 only , before a stop-gap rear end update with the extended boot arrived for 1957.A friend had a ' 56 Vanden Plas A105 6-cylinder twin-carbs. , a very rare beautifully stylish comfortable car with a bench front seat.You may be interested to know Ian that a very nice A95 Westminster in this pre-Farina style from early ' 59 has just sold at auction for around £28,000 , stunning the auctioneers predictions !.I'm not entirely surprised, I think they are lovely and with so many ending up on the banger track and survivors very depleted , I would say one to watch for the future .Great review as ever, keep up the good work !.

Smashing Stuff!! Trying to Catch up on your videos (:

Passenger side wiper seems to be hitting the windscreen surround. Brilliant reveiw though Ian and great little motor, thank you.

Lovely little car. I can't help but notice how many Suzuki Swifts there are in New Zealand, it seems to be full of them.

Perfect nostalgia, Ian !

Excellent video of a lovely old car. Old chap behind my nan's home in Plymouth had a black one in the early '70s. Was always preparing a tank of water 'just in case' for summer driving! Boy, that car sounds very agricultural, but I'm sure I'd love a drive in one, especially on a quiet NZ road! Last one I saw was a little over 2 years ago, in Galle (Sri Lanka)….cruising happily and looking very sharp!

Had a A55 with longer boot the wipers brought me right back to driving it. Nearly lost it in the rain on many occasions back end would just go without warning. Was nervous just watching you !! Ha ha .

It's amazing that cars over six decades old work at all. When I was a kid, those cars were everywhere and people used to hustle them along using every ounce of their meagre performance - they could be made to go a lot faster with a bit of tuning too. But my overriding memory was that they had a very good ride. I noticed all the banging and crashing over bumps in the film; such a shame. With new bushes and shocks and so-on you'd be amazed how smooth they were. I thought them ugly at the time but compared to modern cars they are really quite appealing.

Hello all great vid. In the late eighties I brought a 1957 Austin A105 twin carbs, on column 3 stage BW Automatic trans.factory radio, heater, padded dash and super rare factory Sun roof!!! The previous elderly owner said his dad was a farmer, was able to transfer funds to UK to buy the car brand new. He paid another 185 pounds (massive amount at the time) to have the Sun roof fitted. Correspondence from factory to his dad noted this to be a highly unusual request. However the Austin limousine of the same year was offered with Sunroof so the transfer was made. Everything on this vehicle was in great working order, always flew through WOF's. The A105 was a step down from the very hoipolloi A105 Vanden Plas. 1980 the Austin costed me $600, even at the time, I thought that was a good price. However at 23 years old, my Austin A105 was some what over shadowed by my other car, an immaculate 1961 Lincoln Continental HT 4 sedan, known as a Kennedy car. He was assassinated in a 1961 Lincoln that had been updated to 1963 specs. The same vehicle would never again have an open top.

Spot on point about BMC depending on commonwealth sales of outdated cars. Looked quite a handful to drive with the column change too,

Really so cute that Austin. Looks indeed very cozy. It's always nice to see that there are still people to keep them in good shape. Love it!! Hey, I thought you would take some free time for yourself? I didn't expect a new video today. Anyway, enjoy..

That A50 looks such hard work to drive. It took me right back to my 1967 A40 Farina, which at least had a floor mounted gear stick and I fitted a stereo after changing it to negative earth.

My Grandad had a dark brown (almost looked black!) very shiny 1969 Morris Oxford. I seem to remember the engine sounding like that in the Cambridge, which I love. Very brave for driving that in today's traffic. Especially judging busy roundabouts.

I saved this video until I had tea and a muffin in front of me. Not surprisingly, it sounds just like my A60, which is nice. I love the look of these and once it warmed up it allowed you to demonstrate it perfectly. A car designed for tootling around a village in the mid '50's, just delightful. I like the blanks in the B pillar for the trafficators. As much as he was a genius in some respects, Issigonis has a fair bit to answer for, as you say. He seems to have held too much power over the product ranges at the time. We miss you, solid, simple BMC car. Cheers.

Think I'd rather listen to those clanky wipers than 'Tom Jones sings country' Another great video and a great little car. I see those sandals made another appearance. A car like that deserves a nice pair of shoes 😂

It looks like the same driving experience as the A60, though the 1622 had a taller top gear. Lovely old motors.

I had an A50 over fifty years ago. i loved it the gear change was OK I put another engine in from the scrappy and with an MG head with 10 thousand skimmmed off. It went like the clappers and far more economical than standard. I have fond memories it and my old Morris 1000 and Mk2 Jag.

I like the shape. A chunky cuteness.

Lovely. Felt like I was going back in time.

The very first car that owned. 1956 Austin A50. Brought it off my grandmother in about 1976 for $300.00 Drove it all over the place, including up Ruapehu. Had no heater. Great first car. Same colour as this one. With a good tail wind, it got up to about 70mph.