HubNut Goes Vintage - 1928 Austin 12 Heavy, National Motor Museum 

Glad you enjoyed the drive. Its a favourite with our visitors, particularly the school groups. Great feeding the wheel demo!

My mother had a 1928 Austin Light 12 with the same body in the late 1950s early '60s. We went 2 miles to school in it every day and it was glorious. One of the cats used to like to snooze on the canvas hood and was once driven a few miles to the village on it when my mother forgot to shoo it off. The floor was wooden boards which was fun when going through floods! It was a fine old car and utterly reliable. I want it back!

Val Biro came to my school with Gumdrop when I was 6. I still have the signed book, and read it to my children. We all got to sit next to Val in the car. It's one of my strongest memories of Infants school. He often cameos as background characters in the books.

That gear whine is absolutely sublime!

I’ve got two, a 1923 tourer (it wasn’t called a Clifton when mine was made), with rear wheel brakes only and a 1928 fabric Burnham saloon. Glad to see you’ve been introduced to the joys of Austin motoring!

Lucky man. I drive a 1932 Riley Nine DHC, which I took to the Hubnut gathering at Brooklands last year.

The motor museum is about 10 miles from where I live and it never bores me,as it’s such a fantastic place to visit;with the variety of cars and motorbikes etc,but the grounds is an eye opener and palace house…the Late Lord Montagu was a fantastic person,who deeply loved his home and worked hard to get the museum the way it is;since the 50s…he was a peoples person and very well loved and very missed by many 🙏🏻

That's brightened my Sunday Ian, the look of joy on your face was wonderful, the way you kept turning round was like you had someone in the car who you just had to see the grin on their face as well 😊 Love the colour as well, cars were made by engineers back then and as a result were much simpler to keep on the road.

As soon as it appeared on screen my first thought was 'that's Gumdrop!' - looking back, they were probably the books that helped fuel my interest in cars as a child. Very distinctive looking machine especially in that sky blue paint, all it needs is the wings on the radiator cap and a big brass horn complete with squeezy rubber bulb!

Despite being born in 1937, My Dad knew all his twenties and thirties cars. We'd go to the odd motor show together and he could always instantly recognise makes and models. Lost him in 1986. Such things remind me. 🙂 In a good way. Thanks.

Magnificent is definitely the right word to describe that motor vehicle

Lovely old car 🚘🚙🚗⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍👍👍👍

They adapted the Gumdrop books into a TV series in the 90s. It was as simple as showing the illustrations whilst a narrator told the story. I loved it as a kid though. Nice to see a Heavy 12 again :)

What a lovely experience! Open top touring - that is so much a luxury nowadays - appears to be almost commonplace back then. Being of the Austin bent myself, but never having experienced the pre or post WW1 vehicles, this was an absolute treat - and like you, reading Gumdrop and seeing / experiencing one in motion, is just fantastic. Who needs a car stereo when you have an engine and gearbox that play such beautiful music anyway? Many thanks to you and the museum for bringing the big beast out to show us.

I also loved the Gumdrop books as a kid. I met Val Biro and sat in Gumdrop once. I remember that my parents had found his address and we just dropped in. That poor man was probably just looking forward to a nice quiet day. A key memory for me though.

I rode in this very car many years ago. Glad to see it's still being used. It's great. So much passenger room, it's like a London Taxi back there. Mechanical, but smooth.

My Lord, what a treat! You spoil us, Mr Hubnut!

Ian, what a brilliant video and a truly exceptional car. The instrumentation looks the business and there’s something magical about cars without all the electronic gadgetry you get nowadays. You must do more of these!

I learnt to drive on the same vehicle, 1927 vintage, without an electric starter... 🤭

Lovely old car Ian.

The well chuffed look on your face, brilliant.

Oh yes, an Austin like that is always going to be 'Gumdrop'!

In the rain, not so much a triangle of doom as a rectangle of resignment

What a beautiful sound that car makes when underway

That was a great video. You forgot another tidbit of information about feeding the wheel when turning. That would be that you never grip the wheel with your thumb around the wheel. The reason is that manual steering on those cars would give a nasty kick on the wheel when you went over a large bump or pothole and if your thumb was in the way of the spokes, it would hurt a whole lot. We used to have a truck like that at work and you learn about that rather quickly after a short drive. That was a lovely ride in a beautiful car. Thanks for taking us along.

What a lovely episode Hubnut.......all you needed was the flat cap and goggles.....and a tweed jacket and plus fours to complete the look!!! Please send my best to Miss Hubnut the Hublets and Hubmutts too.

8:48 My parents were big fans of the Secret Army TV series and we went to an exhibition at the RAF Museum at Hendon some time around 1978. It included various evasion equipment, eg compasses concealed in buttons, silk maps etc, as well as sets from the TV series.

That is one beautiful motor car! I just love the sound of the gears, just has something modern cars don't have. I think it's called style! The way things are going, modern motorists soon won't be able to drive a manual car, just push a button and hopefully the thing will work! Enjoy these lovely cars while you can! Brilliant video.

My dad read the Gumdrop stories to me at bedtime, lovely memories. So odd to think this car was only 11 years old when he was born.

In about 1996 we visited Beaulieu and they let you drive that very car around a small car park circuit! Luckily my wife had her driving licence with her (unlike me) so she drove. It was fantastic until she caught that steering wheel accelerator and the car sped up and scared us both to death as she was trying to keep on course until I realised what had happened. Our very young toddlers thought this was all part of the fun 😄.Thanks for bringing back a wonderful memory.

What a very nice looking car. It looks like somebody that knows how to drive a manual trans could get right in and have no real trouble driving it. The pedal layout is just like modern cars. Contrast that with a Ford Model T where you have 3 pedals and none are the gas pedal (On a USA Model T the pedal on the far left is clutch, the middle is reverse and the pedal on the right is brake (CRB) ). The thing i like most about these old cars is the dash or mirror clock.

Love the old dials,must have thought they were captain Nemo back in the day.

That was joyous to watch, and a reminder how far cars have come in the intervening years. I can't help but feel that even though we've gained a lot, some of the charming and clever simplicity of these old cars feel so right! It's a real marvel of a video, thank you for having us along.

Love the whine of the straight cut gears. Neat old car.

How marvellous! And yes, I am glad to use that word! lovely video, really liking how it repesents a different way of living. It makes me think of the song of Eagles, Peaceful Easy Feeling. Back in the days, time was as precious as it is now, but everything needed its attention and time. Now there is much more rush going on. How those cars represent that is just so fascinating. Concerning the double declutching: don't rush it ( ;) ) You can be faster by not rushing it! On my father's GT6, I always do the double declutch with downshifts as once again the bloody circlip of the intermediate shaft is gone... again... Very cool that this car has 4 speed!

I have to say, I immediately thought 'Gumdrop' when I saw the video image. Great books and amazing car. Thanks for the video 🙂

This is fabulous… thank you. 😊

Something very special Ian to be able to drive that in such a magnificent setting. As you say, ‘Huge thanks to Beaulieu.’ Loved it.

Leave Betty at the museum and bring the 12 Heavy home. Just imagine it towing Bob around Wales, what fun that would be.

What a awesome vehicle. I love British cars, great video. Thank you very much from Fresno California.

It sounds very much - the starter, the idle, the gear whine - like a vintage bus. About the same size as one too

Lucky man, a very delightful car. Love the wonderful whine of the transmission.

Such a very simple piece of engineering, even i could work on it, and im still a teen!

Modern motorists still use hand signals, but not connected with motoring.

It is indeed a splendid motor car

People would usually get in via the passenger door and slide across. This would prevent your spats being splashed with horse muck by passing traffic!

Gumdrop! OMG! Blast from the past I've not thought about for many years. I'm a couple of years older than you Ian, so Gumdrop was a part of my early childhood too.

"The conciderable sound of the motor car". Level of Britishness 11/10. ;-)

How exciting it must have been back in the day to own one of these.

As soon as I saw it in your video yesterday I thought Gumdrop! Still have the book, one of the few childhood books I kept.

Congratulations on your period-appropriate description: "a splendid motor car."

Gumdrop - that brings back some memories. I never had the books but I had some of the stories on tape, which ended up sounding muffled in places because I'd listened to them so much. Seems like I'm on an unplanned vintage car binge too, as I've only just finished watching Mustie1 try to start a 1930 Plymouth.

Fascinating museum to visit - even without the added extra of use of some of the exhibits lol

I seem to remember a Gumdrop sroryline that featured a visit to Beaulieu to get spares. It might have been in a TV annual that were often Christmas presents for my generation. Good video

Smashing 💥 Thank you Ian. 🤓

What an interesting feature Ian. It's just occurred to me that less than 30 years later Citroen introduced the DS. What an amazing thought!

How delightful! Motoring around the grounds at Beaulieu is the stuff of dreams, to be sure. I’d love to visit the place, but getting there from central USA takes some doing. At least I’ve been to Gaydon…

The smile on your face!

What a Great motor. Just love it

That's a magnificent machine. Really enjoying your Beaulieu series so far Ian

Fantastic video, Ian. Today was the day for interesting old cars on RU-vid. Twin Cam has a new video about a1948 Wolesley 10. That was a car first introduced in 1939.

Excellent. More please.

Sounds like a mini AEC bus and the London RT reminds me of a large vintage car!

Glad you can drive the cars there Ian.

Masterful Hubnut, thanks so much for this test

Great sound! Always col to see heritage motors on the HubNut channel. The house you were stood before rather nice too. Thank you very much and naturally leaving a like 👍👆

I love all yours vids but this is my absolute favourite.

Cars of that vintage have so much class designwise. Especially the 30s brought us some absolutely gorgeous cars imho. I wouldn't want to own one, too far away from what i'd be comfortable driving on a regular basis, but man.. Looking at them, in some cases hearing them, makes my day. Thanks for this Ian. Lovely car, even for those of us who haven't read the books you refer to.

Never seen you smile so much driving a car 😁👍

Beautiful machine - work of art actually! :-))

What a wonderful car and I must confess that I am green with envy that you had the chance to drive Gumdrop. Times were simpler then in the motoring world. I do wonder how many of the cars produced today will still be drivable in 100 years. A moot point for me as I'll not be around to find out.

Now this would make a very interesting daily driver for HubNut.

Fantastic !

A great video. I really enjoyed that, thanks Ian!

Great review, as always. My late mother took the, then newly introduced, driving test in one of these - and passed first time. My children were read all the beautifully illustrated Val Biro Gumdrop stories too. Wonderful to see this one running, and running so well. Thank you

I really hope to drive a car from this vintage at some point in my life

Thanks! As an older but fellow petrol-head, (these days with a guilty conscience, lol) I'd much rather watch your vids than what TG became in the end many years ago. You make it about the cars, the history and the motoring experience, not yourself.

wow. what a car.

Wot, no wipers ???? Thanks so much for showing this, you really do convey exactly what it feels like to drive something that old. Don't know why but the hood reminded me of Bob, maybe half a bob on the back would make a great vintage camper........

Brilliant Ian, demonstrating not to cross your arms on the steering wheel.

The advertising slogan used to be "You buy a car, but you invest in an Austin".

Amazing little car bet it was fun driving it

Not long finished a rear hub bearing replacement on one of these,they really are beautifully made everything is so well made properly built,motor car the sort of thing that we used to do so well,you looked like you rather enjoyed this road test .

Lovely

Splendid, utterly delightful video! It almost felt like I drove that Austin myself. I own a (currently dormant) 1934 Morris 10 so I kind of know what these cars are like to drive :) Thanks for sharing your experience! Now I think I will really have to buy a Heavy 12 some day.

Nice double-declutching Ian. Haven't had to do that since I moved on from my Austin Cambridge, you needed to double-declutch to go down from second to first and that car was made in 1960! The 12 Heavy seems very user-friendly for its day and I'm not surprised it was successful. Decent performance from a reasonable-sized engine.

That is one beautiful looking car. Just so refined looking, but probably offers a challenging drive to modern drivers. I have an automatic so it would be a massive challenge as I mash the gearbox into powder🙄.

Magnificent video Ian, thanks!

I used to have a Gumdrop video which was all of the books but narrated. I wonder if anyone has these on RU-vid. I loved it when Gumdrop got sold and did various things with its different owners. I also remember the character Reggie and his Renault.

What a trip, I love it. Thx HubNut

One of these in a near identical colour was kept in the ‘town centre garage ‘ Boards of Bridgend ‘ ( South Wales ) and up until the demolishing of the garage in recent years was in the window as you went down ‘The Rhiw’ was possibly a tad darker blue but nothing much in it

Beautifully driven Ian, and so very nearly an antique.

Oh my gosh. I loved the " Gumdrop " books as a kid. It started my life long love of vintage cars

Good job. Beautifully filmed and edited.

The triangle of doom is Replaced by the rectangle of doom. Enjoyed the video

holy smokes, Hubnut going Jay Leno!

Marvelous as usual Ian. Thank you. 👍👍

54 years old and still have a Gumdrop hardback book.

The memories of my wedding car are flooding back!!!!

Well what a bonus week it is! My two favourite RU-vid car presenters - HubNut and Twin Cam - doing vintage cars. Excellent - and more of the same, please! 🥰