The Revival of a great British car brand | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

One hundred and twenty years ago Herbert Austin resigned from his general manager role at Wolesley to form his own Austin Motor Company near Birmingham at Longbridge in 1905. By the mid-1920s Austin had become the UK’s leading vehicles maker, out-selling its main British rivals at Morris and Ford, helped enormously by the 1922 introduction of the famed affordable Austin Seven.

In 1952 Austin merged with its former rival Morris to form the Nuffield motoring group, this amalgamation subsequently leading to the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and later disastrous British Leyland (BL), this ultimately leading to the demise of the Austin marque in 1987 when the former BL Austin-Rover Group was renamed the Rover Group in an attempt to banish all the negativity associated with the former BL regime and move it more upmarket.

The rights to the dormant Austin brand name were then confusingly held by previous BL-associated owners BMW, then Ford, MG Rover, Nanjing and ultimately the Chinese SAIC group that today has the rights to the MG name. 

Fast forward to 2024 and the Salisbury-based Burlen group - the owners of the famous SU carburettor brand and subsequent remanufacturing rights to the former-Austin J40 pedal car, as revived in recent years by the popular 246-yard Settrington Cup presented by Ralph Lauren for ‘drivers’ up to ten years old at the Goodwood Revival - finally obtained the rights to use the Austin name again after much negotiating for the Austin Pedal Cars Ltd.

Having successfully reunited the Austin name to the J40 pedal car, Burlen boss Mark Burnett then considered going a stage further by acquiring the rights to the Austin name and applying it to a full-size car that an adult could drive. This he achieved at this year’s Revival, rather sooner than planned partly due to much encouragement from the Goodwood Motor Sport Content team, when he debuted a pair of ‘new’ 1959 Austins, more familiarly known as Minis,

Painted in Farina Grey, one of the three authentic colours that the Austin version of the Mini was originally available in at the model’s 1959 launch (with its sibling Morris Mini Minor also offered in three different colours) The ‘new’ Austin Minis were powered by a Swiftune-built 1200cc A-Series engines to compete in this year’s St. Mary’s Trophy presented by Motul, dedicated to 1950s saloon cars and including other contemporary Austin models, an A35, A40 A90 and A105, plus an Australian-produced Austin Lancer Series 2.

The 1959 Austin Mini racing duo were extremely true to the launch specification of the 1959 originals, with flat sills, larger floor pressings, original rain gutters, plus Austin-made and branded fuel filler caps, door mirrors, steering wheels and new winged Austin badging, all encased in an accurate 1959-type bodyshell made by Austin. Mark Burnett shared his maiden St Mary’s drive with Le Mans star Darren Turner in car numbered appropriately 59, with the second Austin Mini wearing number 19 and driven by Nick Swift and Karun Chandhok.

Following their discrete Revival debut, the new 1959 Austin Minis made a more obvious ‘debut’ last weekend in the Austin Pedal Cars showroom at the Bicester Scramble. When asked if a regular road car version of the ‘new’ early Austin Mini could be made, Mark Burnett smiled and said “possibly, although I don’t know how we’d price it.” Until then, Austin will be able to offer authentic-style branded 1959 BMC Mini parts and accessories. Such as door mirrors and badging.

Tickets for the 2026 Goodwood Revival are now on sale.

If you’re not already part of the GRRC, you can sign up to the Fellowship today and save ten per cent on your 2026 tickets and grandstand passes, as well as enjoying a whole host of other on-event perks.

Goodwood photography by James Lynch, Charlie Brenninkmeijer and Gary Axon.