The Austin implicated in Canada's strangest shooting

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Of all the staged publicity/public relations advertising/magazine/fashion shoot and what have you photographs that we’ve come across, this one may beat most in terms of sheer madness. It just raises so many questions.

We see a girl tied to a bonnet with some rope. That’s highly inexplicable to start with. What’s more, she’s wearing the antlers of a stag while a crossbow leans against the car, which has two arrows in a quiver and a pair of forest boots in front of it. Of all the vehicles in the world, the car is an Austin 1100. What on earth is that all about?

Who are we to hold responsible for this bizarre picture? And why, just why, did it seem like a sensible idea? Somewhere along the line, did mention of ‘a shoot’ get lost in translation? Unfortunately we can answer none of those questions. All we know is that the Canadians have to take the blame for this one. Unlike in the United States, where the badge-engineered 1100 range was reduced to the MG variant only, Austin and Morris 1100s were available in Canada in the first few years after their launch. Later versions were renamed as the Austin America.

Does that answer any of the many questions we have about this picture? It certainly doesn’t, so our hopes are in your hands once more, dear reader…

Words: Jeroen Booij; picture via Mk1 Performance Conversions
 

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