Bob’s rust-free 1300GT a triumph of dedication

The once-ubiquitous Austin 1300 is now a rare sight on Britain’s roads.

But rarer still is a 1300 that’s never suffered from the crippling rust that saw so many of the 2.1million made – including all its badge-engineered cousins – make an early trip to the scrapyard.

But former motor racing mechanic Bob Johnson knows a thing or two about looking after cars, and the 73-year-old’s pristine 1300GT still retains its original subframe, floor panels, and vinyl roof – almost unheard of for Britain’s best-selling car of the 1960s.

I spend a lot of time cleaning with a toothbrush

Bob paid £775 for the car when it was less than a year old in November 1971, and has spent 46 years warding off the tin worm with a fastidious cleaning regime that keeps the glacier white GT in showroom condition.

“I spend a lot of time cleaning with a toothbrush and other brushes – it’s a bit of an obsession,” he admits.

“The car is totally original. It’s had one replacement sill, but that was because a Bass Charrington lorry carrying beer bottles crashed into it in 1973, not because of rust.

“I’ve also filled it with Waxoyl – it’s probably a fire hazard! – and that’s held off the rust.

“To get one of these with the original vinyl roof is very rare. They used to crack, or the vinyl would lift and rust underneath.”

The 1300GT was arguably the best-looking of the many models based on BMC’s ADO16, which was badged as a Morris, Wolseley, Riley, MG and Van Den Plas Princess as well as an Austin.

Launched in 1962, the car was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis of Mini fame, and featured that car’s A-series engine driving the front wheels, with disc brakes and innovative hydrolastic suspension.

It proved an instant hit, with its cute styling, sharp handling and smooth ride streets ahead of anything Ford or Vauxhall were producing at the time.

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The GT was always a pretty quick little car

The twin-carb GT was introduced in 1969, with a 1275cc Mini Cooper engine taking power to 70bhp over the standard 56bhp, and the black vinyl roof, black body stripe, bucket seats and grille adding a more sporting appearance.

Bob’s car has an after-market sunroof and wears period 1970s Cosmic alloy wheels, put on by the car’s only previous owner, who ran a car accessories shop.

“The GT was always a pretty quick little car, but because of my racing background I’ve tuned the engine, so it’s a little quicker than standard,” says Bob, who spent several years in the 1960s preparing Lotus 41 Formula 3 cars.

“When I bought it, it was my only car, but after a couple of years I switched to Mini vans for my work as a plasterer and because of the racing work.

“So it became a second vehicle, and I didn’t drive it that much, which has also helped to preserve it.”

Nevertheless, the car has covered 72,000 miles, including holidays with wife Sylvia – a non driver who “puts up with” Bob’s motoring passion.

As well as the GT, Bob owns probably the world’s best mark 1 Ford Fiesta XR-2, a time-warp car that’s covered only 205 miles from new, a 1985 Porsche 911 Targa, 2005 Porsche Boxster, and a 1997 Ford Escort – each one as immaculate and clean as the Austin.

“I was always into cars, ever since I passed my test in 1962,” says Bob. “I probably spent more hours working on the race cars than doing my job as a plasterer.

“I moved over to Mini vans partly for work but also because I’d often have to sleep in it overnight when I was at race meetings. I couldn’t do that in the 1300! Though I would take it to local tracks like Mallory Park and Oulton when I didn’t have to stay overnight.”

Bob’s time in Formula 3, where he prepared the Lotus 41 for a privateer team and driver Ken Crook from, overlapped with a certain James Hunt.

He had a lot of crashes, hence the name Hunt the Shunt

“I remember James Hunt from those days – he was like a privateer having come up from Formula Ford,” says Bob.

“He had a lot of crashes, hence the name Hunt the Shunt, and then Lord Hesketh took him on, bought him the top gear and his story goes from there.

“We didn’t get those breaks. We had a very quick driver, but unless someone came along with a big fat cheque, you couldn’t make it up to F1. We were campaigning against works teams like Team Lotus themselves and Brabham, and they had more money than us!”

After leaving F3, Bob spent a year on the European circuit preparing the Chevron B19s before concentrating on club racing and helping a friend’s son climb the karting ladder alongside future stars including Lewis Hamilton and Paul di Resta.

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The 1300 is not short of admirers

Bob says the constant cleaning and checking of racing engines carried over into the way he looked after his own cars, and the 1300 is not short of admirers.

“If I park the car at the shops, it always attracts a crowd of people,” he says. “A former police officer, who had one as a Panda car, asked if he could sit in the driver’s seat. He had tears in his eyes, it brought back so many happy memories of his time in the force.

“I’ve had offers for the car, and I’ve got three or four people pushing me to buy the car for about £6,000, which is not a lot of money.”

Bob very nearly sold the car back in the 1970s when he had his heart set on a Triumph Dolomite Sprint.

“I never really intended to keep it, and I would have swapped it for a Dolomite but the garage was offering me pennies for it, so I kept hold of it,” he says.

“I saw a Sprint at a garage for £1500 or £1600, but the salesman only offered me £450 for mine. I went in to see the boss, who I knew, and he said ‘they rust, the bottom falls out of them’. I said ‘well it’s not falling out of mine!’ And that was that.”

But Bob does concede that, as he gets older he’s struggled with a loss of confidence on the road.

“When I bought the GT I was 28, involved in racing, full of confidence and happy to drive all over Europe,” he says.

“But I recently had a stent put in my heart and my confidence has gone down a bit, so I don’t drive too much anymore.

“I was almost at the point of selling all of my car collection – I could probably sell them all within an hour!

The GT has got my DNA on it

“But the GT has got my DNA on it – it would be very hard to sell it. It’s the car that means the most to me, closely followed by the 911.”

According to DVLA records, just 43 Austin 1300GTs remain on the road in the UK, plus a further 31 Morris-badged GTs.

There’s no doubt that Bob Johnson’s is one of the best and, if he does ever choose to sell, any new owner has a lot to live up to…

Photos by Simon Finlay

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