I’m almost clinically afraid of flying, but I was happy I did when I visited England back in 2009. As something of an Anglophile, I love British history, art, literature, architecture, and most importantly, its cars, and there were plenty of little British classics plying the streets for those summer weeks I wandered the greater London area and beyond. While the Austin A40 Somerset looked an awful lot like an A70 Hereford and was based on the A40 Devon, you’re unlikely to see any of them here in the States; however, if you’re looking for a diminutive (by our standards) car to refurbish, and you don’t mind searching for parts, this project with a low, low price of $1,000 might hit the spot. Barn Finds reader Barney found it on craigslist near San Francisco, and it’s been sitting in a barn for over 30 years.

The Hereford’s engine is a 42-horsepower, 1200 cc version of the B-Series four, which was backed by a column-shifted four-speed manual and a 5.28:1 rear axle ratio. The “Mega Torque 65” battery is approaching the physical size of the engine, and it will need to be replaced before further mechanical investigation can take place; while the seller “drove [it] home to restore” in 1992, it’s been stored in a barn since, and it doesn’t currently run. When it did, acceleration was understandably sedate: zero-to-sixty took about 30 seconds (as fast as 27 in some tests), the quarter-mile about 24. Top speed was a harrowing 69 miles per hour.

The body is excellent, but the ad’s text says that the front floorpans are rusty. The pictures posted are a little fuzzy, but the minor rust that I can see pales in comparison to the missing door panels and ripped upholstery. A little sheetmetal work is easy and inexpensive if you’re not a stranger to light metal fabrication and welding, but any good upholsterer will charge a fee that will make the car’s purchase price seem laughable. I hope there are some door panels somewhere in the owner’s stash.

It’s unlikely that the new owner will be taking long trips in their new A40, but if they do, their fuel stops will be short; the tank holds just over eight gallons of gas. Luckily, it will be easy to remove for cleaning.

Over 166,000 Somerset saloons were sold over the course of its short 1952-54 lifespan, but few of them made it to America, and this must be one of only a handful remaining on the North American continent. I hope there’s an Anglophile like me out there who sees the charm in this cute little anachronism from another time and another place, and decides to give it a good home. The plus side? You needn’t bother flying anywhere to get it.