After I had my tea and crumpets this morning (I joke), I stumbled upon this gem: a 1949 Austin Atlantic with Vanden Plas trim. This car was created by the designers at Austin to largely appeal to the North American market, and had stylings similar to the Pontiac or Mercury designs at the time. The reason this was aimed at our market, was because of the British Government decree to “export or die,” in efforts to beef up their economy following WWII. Enough history, what the heck does Vanden Plas mean? Vanden Plas was a company responsible for creating luxury bodies for high-end automobile brands, and its brand quickly became associated with producing top-end luxury vehicles.

This particular model is a hard top 2 door coupe, complete with power windows (this was a HUGE deal in 1949). The car is a 3 speed manual (with overdrive) with a top speed of 91 mph, and able to go from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 16.6 seconds. A pretty cool little toy more than half a century old!

1949 Austin Atlantic with Vanden Plas Trim

Today’s car inspired the following ‘Brit picks’ from our sites across Canada. Pictured above, left to right:  five gallon can from British America Oil Company ltd. via UsedOttawa, 1977 Commemoration Jug for Elizabeth II via UsedVictoria, rare photo of the Queen with only daughter Anne via UsedRegina, Wedgewood Wyndham Bone China 22 piece tea set via UsedPei