If you’re looking for a vehicle that is sure to draw a crowd at any car show or off-road event, this 1954 Austin Champ would do it. It’s one interesting 4×4, to say the least. This rugged project can be found here on eBay in Bend, Oregon and there is an unmet opening bid price of $1,200 and no reserve after that. Let’s check out this “British Jeep”.
The Austin Champ is about 12-feet long so they’re quite small compared to a typical SUV, but they are small enough to fit on a trail that you couldn’t or wouldn’t take your Escalade down. As if anyone who owns an Escalade ever takes it off of a paved road. Here’s a little video on YouTube showing an Austin Champ in action.
The seller says that this Austin Champ was found in a northern California barn where it had been sitting for years. They say that the only rust is under the battery compartment, but they don’t show us any engine photos, unfortunately. I know. The Austin Champ was a way to provide a British-made vehicle to the British military rather than depending on US-made Jeeps.
The Austin Champ was small but it was more than up to the task. The design team wanted a fairly simple vehicle with interchangeable parts and named it the FV1801A – the full definition was: “Truck, 1/4 Ton, 4×4, CT, Austin Mk.1.” CT stood for CombaT and Austin Mk.1 meant that it was the company’s first effort at creating this vehicle. They are pretty spartan as you would imagine, just like a Jeep would have been in this era.
The body does look solid on this Champ and it’s unfortunate that there aren’t more photos. The engine for the Champ should have been either a 2.8L Rolls-Royce-designed inline-four or more likely, an Austin A90 2,660 cc four-cylinder. We don’t know what’s in this one or whether it runs or not. Have any of you seen an Austin Champ in person?
2.6 or 2.8L four cylinder? That’s a rather large four banger! I know, low compression, but I expect it would be rather stout.
The hard part would be finding original parts. The body seems in good enough shape that it wouldn’t take all that much to make it operational. Drive train is the only sticking point.
Interior: Floors and metal work looks good. Media blast and rhinoline that thing. No, I’m not going for originality. I like utility vehicles to be just that. Make the interior usable. Seats are just cushions and any upholstery / marine shop can fabricate simple rectangles for this inexpensively. The top might be a bit trickier, but the same marine upholstery shop that does boat tops can handle it.
Bodywork- take it down to metal and repaint. Industrial tractor paints that you don’t mind scratching and touching up. It wouldn’t look right in two stage base/clear. UTILITY.
This calls out for some mild mods like bumpers, cooler mounts, storage, etc. Lots of lights. But then I’d be putting a generator and other stuff in there too because I’m nutty like that. UTILITY.
And in the end. HAVE FUN. Because a museum piece gathers dust, not memories. Go out and have fun making those memories.
We owned one, it was a great vehicle with the ability to go through water to windscreen depth as the engine and all electricals we’re waterproof. The most fun thing however was that it had five gears forwards and reverse. I can tell you, going backwards at fifty mph is quite a hair raising experience. The Rolls Royce engine was pretty bulletproof but the same could not be said for the rear axle unfortunately. In short a fun vehicle especially for off roaming.
Ok, I really want this one! And it’s close enough to go get it with my flatbed. Let’s see how I do in this auction.
Go, Gator, GO! We’re rooting for you, I hope you can snag this Champ!
Coolest thing is the Rolls-Royce four banger engine.
A few. Once in a while you see them here in Europe.
Looks like seller added some engine photos. Not bad looking.
Back in the ’70’s I had the misfortune to own one . At that time they were much loved by ” Chelsea Cowboys “,who went clubbing in them in central London .Mine was rescued from a field where it had been dumped , and I gave somebody 70 pounds for it , as I recall….they were lethal , and the story is that they were responsible for more deaths on active service in the Middle East than enemy action . The Army got rid of them ,so they became Army Surplus . The Rolls engine was a beauty ; petrol , covered in waterproof casings so you could drive it under water ,( if you really wanted to) , and the 5 speed forward and reverse box was what caused all the trouble….they were too narrow , too high , and too heavy . I tidied it up , put an ad. in “Exchange and Mart” , and flogged it to a Welshman . He lived about 300 miles from me , and apparently it cost him about as much to drive it home as he had paid me . Oh yes , the back axle whined all the way too….happy days !
I had one in ’72, took it to Switzerland for six months of my industrial year. Broke down in Thionville, France, where I left it for a few weeks while my visa came through. It was “thunking” as I drove. The garage where I left it shook their heads when they heard, but it was just one of the shifting rods disconnected and bouncing on the prop shaft – they were amazed when I fixed it on my return!
Oh, and I parked on the street in Switzerland, and was requested to get local registration – but didn’t need to as it was only six months. But that was because the police received complaints that it was “ugly” parked outside the apartment. Only the Swiss!
In my experience it was a very capable vehicle, and strongly built – I jumped up and down on the bonnet when it broke down, and didn’t even scratch it.
Number of features – two batteries, 24v for starting. Torsion bar suspension, no springs. Clutch on the cooling fan for when you “deep dive” into water – 6’6″ with a snorkel (yes, there’s a hand throttle so you don’t have to sit down and drown), and 1’6″ without preparation. Big holes in the floor so the water can come in and you don’t float away. Well thought out.
“The engine for the Champ should have been either a 2.8L Rolls-Royce-designed inline-four or more likely, an Austin A90 2,660 cc four-cylinder.”
Er, the other way around. Only a few had the Austin engine, most the Rolls. Good, smooth engine. What impresses most on the Champ is the comfort. In a Jeep or Land Rover, you have NO comfort so go slow over anything irregular on your path. The Champ however has a very good suspension, you can go much faster.