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On transferring to Brisbane in the early 80s, I joined the Austin Motor Vehicle Club of Queensland. I had just inherited my mum's Austin 1800 Mk 2, which was an ex-BL company car I had bought for my parents in '70. The Club caters for all Austins - most of them being A30s and A40s, but there is a smattering of Cambridges, Westminsters and the odd Freeway and Lancer, two more Austins unique to Oz.

For details of a previous article written by Nairn about the Austin Freeway click here

In about 1992 a bloke approached the club trying to sell two Austin Maxis. The reaction in the club ran along the lines of "what the bloody hell is one of those", but me being in a slightly demented masochistic mood followed up the lead. One was a 1973 in Flame Red, the other a 1974 Harvest Gold. The red one was pretty knackered, so I took pity on the yellow one and parted with about AU $1500. Apparently, it was first registered in Andover as HTF 259N and was a 1500 and privately imported to Melbourne about three years later. I think it spent time in South Australia registered as MAX 1, but had ordinary Queensland plates 516 BIA when I first saw it. By now it had a 1750 engine fitted.

Wasn't till we got home that my mate commented on the slight puffs of smoke that obliterated him in his Holden following me. It's not wot you know, it's who and this came in the form of another mate who is a first class panel beater and spray painter. He had already done wonders with a Mini that I still have, so he went to work on the now called Mrs Fawlty. Well, Sybil Fawlty had one didn't she?

The sills were rusted out, so we found an Austin Kimberley in a wrecking yard and had sills from both sides gas-axed out. The Kimberley and 1800 share sills, so we thought the Maxi looked very similar, and they fitted. The beauty of Oz BMC cars is that they were properly rust proofed in the factory in the first place and we don't have to put salt on the roads, as we don't know what ice is. We had the engine completely rebuilt - easy to get engine and transmission parts here, and then resprayed the car as near to Harvest Gold as we could get. The trim was dark blue, but a previous owner had the seats covered with blue velour, which make sense in this climate. Nothing worse than sliding around vinyl in a sweat.

For more information about the Kimberley click here

By now the car was wearing more appropriate rego plates - 333 BMC which are normal Queensland issue. An AA badge graces the grille (we have the RACQ here, so a few people think I'm somewhat brave to boast membership of Alcoholics Annymous). The badge has seen every country in Europe, having been on my 100E Ford and a Wolseley 1500 when we did the Oz thing of touring round Europe making nuisances of ourselves.

Since then, Mrs Fawlty has been pressed into every day use. I now run a mail order motoring book business, so I use a Mazda van to cart my display around to swaps and race meetings etc. The Maxi is used for everything else.

It often appears at Classic car shows, the best being the Annual All British Day. As I sell books there,I usually set the racks up the day before, and then load the Maxi, the 1800, the Mini and a Freeway that I also have and with well-meaning friends (graft and freeby books being the operative words here) we get the whole lot there. Last year they all abandoned me, suddenly remembering last minute engagements, so the Maxi toted about 26 hobby boxes of books in one move. With rear mud flaps on the ground, I had visions of an embarrassing evacuation of Hydrolastic fluid in front of the assembled throng, but Mrs Fawlty showed her usual grim determination when faced with more than just Basil.

Two of us sauntered off to do a swap meet in it about 3 hours from here. It certainly causes a few comments, and I did overhear some bloke saying "Look what this guy's done to his Kimberley, he's made a hatch out of it'. I was busy trying to flog the odd book when this friend asked me if the Maxi could take a BSA Bantam home. It just fitted; half way home I was thinking that the engine revs didn't really match the speed of the car, particularly going up hills. Sure enough, the clutch was having a tea break. There is a bridge over the Brisbane River, high enough for large ships to pass under, with a long approach on either side. We hit the bottom at over 130 kms an hour (in an 80km limit) and at about 10 meters from the top, I thought we were going to roll backwards. We just struggled over, with me thinking evil thoughts about clutches in 1800s and Mins etc. One thing they did do with the Maxi was make clutch removal a snack. I think it took me longer to get the battery tray off and out of the way.

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