1948 Austin Panel Truck Sedan Delivery

Anglo-American hybrids have been some of the most successful ventures in the automotive kingdom. The British are quite good at building beautiful cars with handsome interiors, but, as the jokes would suggest, they can be mechanically troublesome. But with a good old-fashioned American V8 under the hood, modern wiring, and a dose of horsepower, the results can be spectacular.

This fantastic 1948 Austin A40 panel delivery van is 100% original steel bodywork, and we invite you to take your time looking at the photos, because this is just a beautifully proportioned and designed little commercial vehicle. The detailing is simply beautiful, from the grille to the Flying A hood ornament to the 'Austin of England' script on the sides of the hood. Even without 350 cubic inches of Chevy thunder under the hood, it would be hard not to love this neat little truck.

Exterior
You have to love how the front fenders swoop down and melt into the bodywork, disappearing as they hit the rear wheel arches which house massive 295/50/15 Michelins that wrap 15 inch Weld shiny wheels. The detailing is simply awesome, from the wrap around front grille to the Flying A hood ornament to the 'Austin of England' script on the sides of the hood it is looking decidedly British. With the entire body bathed in “Techno Blue” borrowed from the late model VW line, this diminutive truck shines like a crazy blue diamond. Bumpers have been painted to define a more sleek line, leaving only the front grille and hood ornament as well as light bezels in their chromed form. Gaps are beautifully minded throughout, and right down to the Austin of England badge on the bulbous hood, and the top hanging oval rear view mirrors, the hits just keep on coming. The steel paneled sides offer up the small but powerful billboard space to shout out your business name arriving to customers in style, all the while advertising every mile. On back dual center opening doors allow plenty of access to the interior cargo area, and a lower shaved bumper now reveals dual simple oval taillights to bring up the rear. A very well done custom by Rods by Hugh Brooks of Ontario, Canada.

Interior
Don't let this Austin's smaller stature fool you, the interior is comfortable for two and will carry plenty of your “stuff” with ease. Tastefully upholstered in tan leather and tweed, it has a contemporary look that retains a lot of the Austin's original charm. We see late-model power bucket seats that make it easy to get comfortable. These are flanked by molded “Flying A” armrests on the doors, sculpted to match the hood ornament out front. A nice twist with modern power toggles for the windows, and a billet style aluminum door handle just above the armrest. A modern tilt column is topped by a color-matched steering wheel and new aluminum gauge panels were fabricated to replace the originals. The auxiliary white faced dials are ahead of the driver, with a speedometer and tach in the center, all by VDO. There's also a Vintage Air A/C system that's very effective and fully functional, a Lokar aluminum shifter rising proudly from the beige thick pile carpeted hump in the center. Pioneer provides the AM/FM/CD stereo system that sounds great in the well-insulated cab. A secondary panel below the radio houses controls for the wipers and headlights, as well as a 12-volt power outlet. Residing in its own custom molded housing above the windshield within the tweed lined headliner is a trick rear-view camera screen, which is a useful tool in the panel delivery, which will have its blind spots. Curiously there is a bare “foot” pedal on the floor with the gas and brake, which is for your high beams. In back the cargo area is all buttoned up with more beige tweed lining the molded panels for the roof and sides with another AF embossed logo on either side. More thick pile beige carpet floods the floors, and one could almost live here it is that nice.

Drivetrain
A pop of the bonnet, is a super blinged 350ci crate V8, beautifully finished with lots of polished aluminum and chrome. It's a neat fit, but everything you need is there, and service access is decent. There's a Carter AFB carburetor up top, a modest cam inside, and an Edelbrock intake manifold. The block has been painted to match the bodywork, looking it was built right in from the factory. This along with the inner fenders and firewall which have been contoured and smoothed to accommodate the engine and look great. A big radiator up front is cooled by an electric fan and all the accessories are chrome. Ceramic-coated headers hug the block and dump into a great-sounding stainless steel exhaust system that peeks out just ahead of the rear wheels—the sound is definitely V8, but tasteful.

Undercarriage
Underneath, you get a fully reinforced chassis with boxed side rails, custom cross-members, and all the features you want in a car you're actually going to drive, in full safety and structurally sound form. The front suspension is a Heidt's independent setup with polished A-arms and coil-over shocks, plus rack-and-pinion steering that's both more precise and easier to maneuver than the original setup. On back we note a 4 link with adjustable coil over shocks. All this resides in a fully painted and chromed accented environment that has not seen many miles since its build.

Drive-Ability
Having a penchant for anything British, I was eager to hop in and take her for a tool. It was off to the test track where she performed beautifully, handled like it was on rails, and had plenty of power to push this small vehicle forward…quickly. Stopping was on the dime, and all functions were definitely…functioning!

What better way to enjoy this ever so British built panel delivery without the usual worry regarding the British mechanicals. All replaced all buttoned up, and an interior that is uniquely spit spot as our decoder would say with his Cockney accent. And now for something completely different, for the business or just getting around in style from across the pond.

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.