1965 Austin Gipsy: keep it at 3000 miles from new?

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The Austin Gipsy was designed, and built, in answer to the same Home office requirement for a British "Jeep" as produced the Land Rover. Many enthusiasts often confuse the two, looks alone allow this, but they are radically different vehicles, with the Austin being more advanced and with its larger engine, more useable. The Gipsy was taken out of production when Austin-Morris welcomed Rover into BMC and Rover management forced the continuation of Land rover over Gipsy. arguably theonly clear advantage the Landy had over the Gipsy was that th eRover product was made of aluminium, the Austin steel. In 1965 The UK Home Office bought 100 Gipsys for use "in case of national emergency" - these were put into store and almost forgotten about - EXCEPT that in 1997 they came to auction - details and more about Gipsys here. 

The Gipsy shown here was bought at that sale and put back into store, only emerging in 2012. It has done less than 3,000 miles FROM NEW! It will be returning to the raods of England this year but, what a choice? to retain its utter originality, even the rear seats have their factory plastic covering, or errode that "time warp" mile by mile?  

(Text and photos Guy Loveridge)
       

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