While there’s some rust in the doors of this taxi, the body as a whole doesn’t look too bad, and it’s been driven less than 80,000 miles. Ok, I’m skeptical of that claim as well! Maybe 180, 28o, or even more, as some FX4’s have done over a million miles! Rare on this side of the ocean, the Austin is located near Aurora, Illinois and is for sale here on eBay. Bidding is surprisingly low at $1,525 with no reserve. Thanks to reader Tom for this terrific find! And here’s some great news: there’s a diesel engine under the hood. Known to be a reliable unit, the 2178 cc Austin diesel isn’t overwhelming with its power, but it doesn’t break. Parts are not impossible to come by, and while there aren’t a lot of them in the US, you should be able to get any obscure parts from the UK. The manual transmission is also reliable. The seller says it needs paint and brake work, and while the engine turns over the seller has not been able to start it. Would you like to try?
I think these are quite rare with the “bunny ears” indicators on the roof and a single red light at the rear on each side – later ones had Austin 1100 (or Austin America) rear lights. These taxis were manufactured right up to 1997 so doors maybe the same size and obtainable. Not sure that is a rear tyre style originally used ! A rare, good find in the US.
Well, these are hardly rare, maybe here, but I’m sure there’s a pile of these in England somewhere as high as a ski hill. Wiki claims, at one time, it was the most popular taxi in London. What is amazing, Austin made this style for like 40 years, (’58-’97) basically, unchanged. (think Checker) Pretty neat car for cruise-in’s and such. Lot of work, though. I’d probably ditch the diesel. Not because it’s a bad motor, it’s just you’d probably fog out your neighbors when you go for a ride.
I used to be a cabbie. I would love it. The Brit version of our Checker cab. Everyone knows what it is, and not easy to find here in the U.S. Agreed with RickyM. Parts should be easy enough to get, and should inter-change.
Sorry, parts are not that easy to come by in North America as I tried a few years ago. Second, these just don’t sell well. Interesting car, but I like to get a little money back when I restore a vehicle not lose my shorts.
The 2.2 engine was only for a couple years as its reliability not so good. The Rover 2.5 replaced the 2.2 after a couple years and was used for many more.