Small cars are now increasingly popular among Singaporeans, due to the tax benefits from small engine capacity and parking space. Most of them are clearly Japanese, but I was quite surprised to see this tiny 1959 Austin A35 as well!
The Austin A35 was a small family saloon that was first produced in 1956. It was the successor of the A30 and shared various visual similarities, such as the rather cute-looking body which was designed in-house. This enabled the A35 to be lighter and stiffer than other vehicles of its time. During a test run in 1957, it handled well in traffic and had good fuel economy, a point which was important for buyers during the fuel crisis at that time. Different body styles were made: a 2/4-door saloon, an estate (station wagon) and a panel van. The 4-door saloon here was powered by a 948 cc A-Series i4 engine, allowing it to reach a top speed of 117 km/h with an acceleration of 30.1 seconds [0-100 km/h]. It was 3464 mm long and weighed 705 kg.
Production of the A35 stopped in 1968 for the van version and 1959 for the saloon version. Somehow, only 28,961 4-door saloons were made, more than 5 times less than the 2-door version. This particular unit, in a unique metallic pea green paint, still has its original registration number. Although it is not very evident from past newspaper records, A35s were sold here and this may be the last one on our shores! This car would not look too out of place among the small city cars that we have today. It would seem that the owner must really love this little machine so much that he/she still decides to keep it until today. Despite the relatively huge cars that ply our road, I believe you will be able to spot this one easily as well!
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