1957 Austin A35 Speedwell
A fantastic way into historic racing. Not to be confused with the incomporable A35 Academy cars, which were limited on power and had standard suspension.
This example belonged to the Chairman of the A35 Owners Club before being converted to Speedwell specification in 2019 and has been raced up until the 2023 season. The car was thoroughly refreshed in late 2022/early 2023 including a full refresh of the Swiftune engine, which is a 1293cc unit producing a little over 130bhp thanks to a special Swiftune alloy head and race cam setup. In a car that weighs in at 680kg!
Suspension and brakes are the the work of the legend that is Rae Davis. The front brakes are discs using Carbonne Lorraine pads and the rears are Rae Davis drums, finned for cooling. Suspension is all adjustable with the Rae’s anti-tramp A-Frame installed at the rear.
The gearbox is a freshly rebuilt dog ‘box fitted in February 2023.
The current owner has raced the car in the HRDC and entrusted Westbourne Motors to support and maintain the car over the past 5 years. The service and expertise that Westbourne offer is second to none. The owner was able to drive to the relevant circuit in his 911, don his race kit and go racing, all safe in the knowledge that the car was on the button and ready to go. Once the race was done, the car would be taken away by Westbourne and gone through in preparation for the next outing.
Post refresh the Austin has only done about one and a half hours of testing/racing in 2023. A race incident at Oulton Park in July 2023 cut the season short. A combination of the owner relocating and taking a break from competition means the car is now for sale having just been recommissioned by Westbourne Motors, ready for the 2024 season.
Spares include a pair of fibre glass wings and bonnet as well as two sets of minilites, one with road tyres and the other Dunlop racing rubber. The set on the car are brand new Weller wheels with Dunlop CR65 tyres.
This lovely little car would be welcome on the grid with HRDC as well as many other race series including Goodwood Revival.
