Early 1932 Ten saloon

April to August 1932. Look for:

• 19in wheels with narrow 4.00 x 19 tyres,
• Small headlights - painted black with chrome rim,
• Sidelights also black with chrome rim,
• Screw fit Bakelite radiator cap - the car in the photo has a temperature gauge fitted - this appears in some of the early publicity photos and may have been an optional extra,
• Fluted double blade spring bumpers,
• Coil spring bonnet catches - similar to those on the Austin Seven.

Early cars have scalloped front wings, like this one. The "later" type of wings, less cut away at the front, appeared on cars from chassis No 1082. Neither type had wing struts and many cars had a badge bar fitted between the wings to stiffen them.

At the rear of the car look for:

• Two prominent beaded seams up the back of the body,
• Narrow tyres,
• Spare wheel with small diameter chrome hub cap,
• Curved folding struts that support the luggage rack when it is down,
• Rear valance pressing has an assymetrical profile for one rear lamp fitting RH side - although two lamps are fitted here to meet present-day lighting regulations.

1932-33 Ten

From September 1932. Main changes:

• Magna hub 18in wheels with 4.50 x 18 tyres on the de-luxe model (5.25 x 16 on export cars),
• No visible body seams at the back,
• Larger & chromed headlights on the de-luxe model - still with flat glass,
• Sidelights chromed,
• Chrome radiator cap - screw fit at first then bayonet fit later,
• Diagonal struts supporting the front wings.

Tourer and van versions of the 10 were introduced in this period and the cabriolet appeared in April 1933. The 2-seat and 4-seat tourers and the cabriolet were to de-luxe specification.

This picture of a 1933 Ten stripped for painting shows that the rear body seams were still there but were no longer covered with beading. The seams become invisible under the paintwork.

The rear valence fitted is of the later type pressed with a profile for a rear lamp to be mounted on either left or right sides; or both.

The bits sticking up are the cradle for the spare wheel, this cradle is normally hidden behind the luggage rack.

1933-34 Ten

From July 1933:

• Bumpers no longer fluted but retaining twin blades,
• Spare wheel cover - black with chrome trim - often lost,
• Box trafficators (semaphore indicators) mounted high on scuttle as standard fitting,
• 12v electrics replacing 6v - metal instrument panel containing backlit dials with chrome surrounds,
• Crossed-braced chassis frame - only visible if you look underneath,
• Straight struts on folding luggage rack,
• Revised bonnet catches with the spring hidden in a tube with chrome finger loop.

From Aug 1933:

• Wider rear body for improved shoulder room in the rear seats,
• Larger rear window on saloon to suit wider body.

An electric fuel gauge replaced the Hobson's Telugauge from November 1933. To provide room for the float to swing the drain plug in the bottom of the fuel tank was moved well to the left from the previous nearly central position.

The 4-seat Tourer shared the changes made to the Ten saloon. This one has been personalised with some useful accessories, such as the bespoke tonneau cover.

This view of the rear of a '34 cabriolet reveals that this model was also given a wider body. The cabriolet has unique running board rubbers designed to match the long single door. On the chrome rad cabriolet the doors tend to droop.

The cabriolet bodies were sub-contracted out. It was the only factory designed Ten model to have both a boot and an exposed spare wheel. The "boot" is very small and incaccessible. Suitable to stow your overalls but not much else!

The GB plate and left hand mirror are necessary additions for this widely travelled car.

The Two-Seater retained a narrow body as the upper step to the dicky seat was mounted on top of the wing, which had to be wide enough for the step. Indeed there was no need for a wider body as the shoulders of any rear seat passengers would be higher than the body sides of the dicky. What looks like a big boot is the cover and backrest for the rear dicky seat.

Otherwise the changes from the 32/33 to the 33/34 models are the same as the other Tens.

Registered in Birmingham in August 1933 this is the earliest surviving Austin Ten Sports. The raked chome plated radiator grill is unique to the Sports model as is the lightweight aluminium touring body with cutaway front doors and no running boards.

Increased power output - 30bhp against 20bhp - and a close ratio gearbox combined with reduced weight to provide a lively performance compared with the standard car. Sports models were fitted with a Bluemels wire-spoked steering wheel. Some saloons were built on the Sports chassis by coachwork makers such as Gordon.

The Sports model had the same style of rear valence, spare wheel housing and luggage rack as the standard cars, including a cover over the spare.

From this viewpoint the lack of running boards is the most obvious evidence that it is the Sports model rather than the 4-seat Tourer.

The plug for draining water from the fuel tank may be seen slightly left of centre under the 2 of the No. plate, which indicates that this car does not have an electric fuel gauge - but it is easier to look inside at the instrument panel.

1934-35 Lichfield

The range was refreshed in July 1934 with a new look and the addition of names for each of the models.

Visible changes were:

• Cowled radiator,
• Smooth rear "boot" over spare wheel - the cover opens to form a luggage rack,
• Single blade bumpers,
• Restyled wings,
• Dual windscreen-wiper blades were introduced with the Lichfield (but do not appear on all),
• Revised bonnet side ventilation - 3 little hatches on each side replaced the louvers,
• Self cancelling trafficators - on the Lichfield and Colwyn built flush into body sides (round bulb type with "upside-down keyhole" slot),
• Convex glass in headlamps,
• Bowden cable front brakes - from Sep '34.

The model names allocated were:

• Lichfield saloon
• Conway cabriolet
• Open Road tourer
• Clifton two-seat & dicky tourer
• Ripley Sports tourer.

The Ripley retained the distinctive Sports radiator grill.

Not all the models benefited immediately from all the new features. The Open Road shown in the line-up (pictured at top and bottom of this page) is one of these intermediate models. It has a cowled radiator, bonnet and wings, and single blade bumpers but an exposed spare wheel. Most Open Road models have a boot over the spare like the Lichfield and Colwyn. The Colwyn did not appear until September 1934. Anecdotal evidence from South Africa suggests that there may have been an intermediate cabriolet with Colwyn front end but exposed spare. The 10/4 Clifton retained the exposed spare (and narrow rear body) to the end of production.

1936 Sherborne

Available from January 1936 this was an interim model to give a more modern and streamlined look to the Ten and widen its sales appeal by offering a fashionable six-light model. The Sherborne was produced alongside the Lichfield, which was updated in line with the specification of the new model.

Features of the Sherborne:

• Six-light body,
• Sloping rear,
• Rear wings profiled to sloping body,
• Deeper splash aprons on the front wings.

Other changes which the Lichfield and Colwyn also had:

• New windscreen with rounded corners - cranked open on a rigid chain instead of an over-centre catch,
• Air smoothed body contour above windscreen,
• Windscreen wipers mounted on the body and not the screen frame - with chrome hooks to stop them blowing over the roof when in the horizontal parked position.

Visible change across all models:

• Different self cancelling trafficators built into body sides (festoon bulb type with narrow slot),
• Sherborne style front wings (NOT on vans or Ripley).

The new cranked winscreen and roof mounted wipers may have appeared on the Lichfield from Oct '35 as the handbook of that date clearly shows an interior view of them, but it seems the Sherborne style front wings did not appear on the Lichield and other models until 1936.

1936-39 Cambridge

In the new range of cars from July 1936 the Ten was completely redesigned with a new chassis and body to provide more accommodation, increased performance, and better brakes, in a bigger looking more modern shape. Austin had 1000 Cambridge cars at the dealers in anticipation of the demand.

Click on the picture to look inside.

Most obvious changes were:

• New more streamlined six-light body and wings,
• Split rear window,
• Easiclean steel wheels fitted with 5.25 x 16 tyres,
• Headlights mounted on radiator cowl not wings,
• Windscreen wipers at bottom of screen,
• Bonnet side ventilation - 2 hatches on each side,
• Steel sunroof (flush fitting when closed),
• Twin rear D lights in place of single round "pork pie" rear light.

The boot now had space for luggage as well as the spare wheel and as on the previous models could be folded down to provide a platform for more luggage.

The Clifton and Open Road tourers, and for a while the Colwyn cabriolet, remained in production alongside the Cambridge into 1937 and benefited from the better Girling brakes hidden beneath the Easiclean wheels.

The Colwyn was replaced by the Conway 4 door cabriolet, based on the Cambridge saloon, and a new van was introduced with "Cambridge" styling at the front.

The Cambridge and Conway were updated in June 1938 but these changes were mostly to the engine, raising the power to 28bhp. A visible change inside is that the central "signal-lever" handbrake was replaced by an "umbrella" handbrake under the right-hand side of the dash.

May 1939 to Oct 1947 GRQ to GSI

Just before the war new recruit Leonard Lord introduced a range of American-style Austin cars with unitary construction, alligator bonnets, and horizontal slats on the rounded radiator grill. The Ten was entirely new with almost no part the same as on the previous cars. From the front this Ten is very different from the Cambridge it replaced. Models were the saloon (GRQ) and open tourer (GQC) and neither was given a name.

From the rear view the differences are more difficult to spot but the vertical boot handle, prominent boot hinges, lower number plate and bumper overriders are the most obvious differences. For some inexplicable reason the rear light for the new model was reduced to a single combined lamp mounted under the No. plate - an obsolescent arrangement that had to be updated in use due to later legislation.

The post-war GSI saloon looks like the GRQ but with more sturdy over-riders on the bumpers. The tourer was not produced after the war.

The doors are hinged the opposite way from previous models being hung from the central pillar.

It can be difficult to distinguish this 10 from the 12 and 14 models.

Most post-war production was assigned for export, one reason why the 10hp Cambridge is more common than the later car.

The GSI continued in production until replaced by the the Austin A40 Devon in October 1947.

Snags and Pitfalls in Dating Tens

Special bodies by coachbuilders are often difficult to date accurately. The Flewitt drophead coupé had a wider rear body before the standard cars did. A view of the front or a look inside or underneath would help to date it.

At Longbridge existing parts in stock were used up and not wasted. For example cowled-rad tourer models continued for a time to have box trafficators mounted on the scuttle although the Lichfield had flush fitting trafficators within the body.

Changes associated with a particular model did not all take place at the at the same time. For example the earliest Lichfield models had André-Hartford type friction dampers and the Luvax vane hydraulic type did not appear until later.

The customer could specify features not normally fitted. One Lichfield known to ATDC was supplied from new with a chromium plated cowling over the radiator and a Sports type steering wheel, as specified in surviving documents.

Cars may have been repaired or restored with parts that fit and look OK but differ from those fitted when the car was new. For example known to the Club there is at least one early Lichfield that has later Sherborne-style front wings and a Sherborne that has early Lichfield style wings. There is a Lichfield chassis that has had a chrome-rad tourer body fitted - retaining the Bowden cable front brakes.

Where all the date indicators stack up you can be confident. This Colwyn looks like a 1936-37 Girling braked version with Sherborne-style front wings and Easiclean wheels. This is backed up by the body which is also the later pattern as revealed by the windscreen and its surround, including the wipers mounted above the screen on the body. This car has been beautifully restored to tiptop condition. Attention to detail extends to the pram irons on the hood. These have chromed hinges but painted arms, as original.

Hidden Changes

Tens were updated both mechanically and electrically. A list of some of these is in the last chapter of Pitman's Motorists' Library "Book of the Austin Ten" by Staton Abbey. Most of these changes are not visible without looking under the bonnet or underneath the car, and some can only be detected on dismantling.

No Austin Ten in use on the road today is exactly as it left the factory. All cars have been modified during their lives to keep them street legal. Many have other changes as well for practical reasons. Later improvements may be added to earlier cars. In some cases newer cars have reverted to earlier arrangements that were more reliable or easier to service and repair.

1. ATDC Newsletters - 1966-1970
2. The Book of the Austin Ten - Staton Abbey
3. Making Cars at Longbridge - Bardsley and Corke
4. ATDC members - past and present
5. Personal observation by "Anne O'Rourke".