I am listing an original, survivor, unrestored 1973 Vanden Plas Princess 1300 right hand drive 4 door sedan that was imported from England in 2010. The body was made by Austin and was finished as a Vanden Plas, which is the luxury version of the ADO16 body line (the next size up from a classic mini). Look up BMC ADO16 onWikipediafor more information. This car is about the same size as a modern Mini and will seat 4 average size adults comfortably. This is a sister car to the Austin America that was available in the US from 1968 - 1972. I have a report from the Vanden Plas Owner's Club in England that verifies this car as an original, matching numbers car that is as it left the factory. It has one of 3 options listed in the salesbrochurefrom 1973, the heated rear window. It had an optional radio at one time but was removed before I acquired it. The front speaker and antennae are still in place.
As the top of the line luxury version, the interior is outfitted with a wood veneer dash and also had wood veneer at the top of the doors. The rear passengers weretreatedto wood veneer tables that folded down from the front seats, their own reading lights and a fold down arm rest. The head liner is in great shape and is a wool blend fabric, All the seats have factory leather inserts. The only blemish is in the front passenger seat where the stitching is starting to come apart in one area but the leather is not torn, it just needs to be resewn. The front seats also have the ability to recline. The dash pad has no cracks. The floors are treated to a thick carpet as well as a thick sound deadening material to keep road noise down. The steering wheel has no cracks. The vinyl on the rearpackageshelf is discolored but the tray itself is in great shape. All the windows work well. On the dash cluster, the clock works when it wants and the fuel gauge does not read. It does work when grounded at the tank, so it is most likely the fuel sending unit.The car runs and drives well. I drive it to work occasionally and it cruises well at 65 mph. All the electrics work as they should. The front right fog light works after you tap it. The rear window still has the original dealer sticker in it.
The outside is finished in a color that is called Green Mallard. It was in a hail storm at some point and has a few dents. They are not that noticeable. The paint is wearing on the right hand side doors, trunk lid and rear quarter. The front, hood, roof and left side appear to have been repainted at some point and shine well. There is evidence of an accident at some point in its life. When driving the car, you would never know. The car is not perfect but it is original. The chrome looks good. One of the hub caps has some rust but the other 3 look good. It has a full size spare and the tires have around 5000 miles on them. The original plates from England are still on the car.
The engine is the 1275 cc Austin engine with the 12H designation that denoted the higher compression 8.8 - 1 engine. This engine was not available in the US. The mileage on the car is currently just under 41100 miles and are believed to be original but I have not been able to get the records from England to verify. The radiator has been boiled out, the radiator hoses replaces, the dual SU H2 carbs were rebuilt (except needles), the head has been redone and valves replaced as well as the head gasket. It also has a spin-on oil filter kit but I still have the original canister that holds a filter insert.
There is rust in a few places on the car, as it is an English car that spent most of its life there. The most evident is on the front end and rear end just above the bumpers, as seen in the pics but is not bad. The floor pans are solid. The drain rails around the trunk (boot) and hood (bonnet) had rust when I first got it but I used wire wheels on a drill to remove that and painted it with a special paint that treats the rust. The trunk was the worst and it has a few pin holes. The sub frame mounts in the front wheel wells had rust around them but I removed the rust and treated those areas as well. They will need to be repaired as some point. The floor pans are solid as the underside was coated with an undercoating by the owner in England. There is also rust that cannot be seen that is behind the heater box on the firewall. This causes a small amount of water to leak inside the cabin when it rains. This was a common problem with this body style.
I am sure that I am forgetting something but I have tried to represent the car asaccuratelyas possible. This car is very rare in the US. I have never seen another one in person. I do know of one in the New York and the New Orleans area and have seen one other for sale on EBAY. You will not see another one of these at you local car show. If you want something that is unique, fun to drive, looks like a mini Rolls and has great reliability, you need this car.
Shipping is at the expense of the buyer but I will help in any way I can. Alabama does not issue titles to cars that are 35 years of age or older. Other states know this and will allow you to title this in your state with a bill of sale and a copy of registration from Alabama, which I will provide. This car is for sale locally and I reserve the right to end this auction in event of a local sale.