Chris Dean, a longtime reader from Australia sent us a wonderful story: This may seem like a bit of a yarn but it is actually real. About a year or so ago in Australia a friend who had always wanted to buy an Austin Healey 100/4 heard of one that might be coming up for sale. There was a whisper that there may have been one coming up for sale as an old Guy had fallen off the perch – an Estate sale could be about to occur in a small rural town in South Western New South Wales.
The climate in this area is a very dry heat with little rain and low humidity so we were confident that if there was such a car there then it would be rot free. The fact of the matter is that it wasn’t just down the road, across the creek, over the hill and around the corner. The town was 1002 kilometers away – 10 hours 52 minute non stop – quite a drive just to chase a car. Few overseas people realise the vastness of distance and space and the massive size of the Australian continent which makes chasing special cars can be quite a mission. Anyway – in a barn – as part of a deceased estate – we indeed found the Austin Healey 100/4 – but there was more – a Goggomobil. Quite rare in it’s own right. But even more – really rare and special. Under a dust cover – a 1908 /1910 Enfield Sportster complete with brass radiator badge with a logo – “Build Like A Gun” and lots and lots of other brass – radiator, headlights, side lights,windscreen monocle, edges to running boards, acetylene generator, fuel tank, taillights and still more. When stripped of its dust cover the car was just sitting innocently with a very thin mist of dry dust – the tyres full of air – it really was exciting stuff – like entering a time warp from another era. You may recognise the name Enfield.
These are the people who not only built and indeed still build the famous Enfield guns and rifles but also Royal Enfield motorcycles. In the early days of the Company they were motor vehicle manufacturers – all be it for a short period. What a find – an early car manufactured by the same World renown Company who still exist and operate to this day – some116 years latter and this car – still there in amazing condition. It is indeed a very rare car – so much so that we can’t find another one existing anywhere in the World or indeed find much information on this one but in those days the build volumes were minute comparative with even a decade or so latter. It was the beginning of the automobile industry as we know it – a most interesting car from the Brass Era.
It is an Enfield automobile – the same famous company that makes motor cycles and guns. Before manufacturing these, Enfield was an automobile manufacturer. This barn find Enfield is in remarkable unmolested condition. It is suggested that it is 1909 – 1910 but could be earlier. It was registered in New South Wales until 29th November 2007 and we have the registration certificate – beyond that we have scant history on this car. We understand that the original owner of this car was a Grazier and he purchased it from the Importer in Sydney. It has been difficult to get any local history in that there is only a small population in the area that it was found and many of the old timers in that farming community have long passed and the stories have passed with them. The car is unmolested other than the seat has been reupholstered and the rear wicker basket appears to be relatively new. The paint is very good. There is the odd stone chip here and there but overall very good. When found, it had the mandatory coating of dust which has probably given it some protection – silly as that might sound. The brass work is excellent and has been polished.
The radiator badge “Made Like a Gun ” appears to be attached with the original rivets. When we found the Enfield it was not running but a Veteran and Vintage expert mechanic soon found what the problem was – a broken gear on the magneto shaft had jammed. A new gear was machined and it was replaced. The car now runs and drives as it should and is amazing condition for a vehicle of this age. It is rust free – the result of the environment that it lived in Western New South Wales, Australia for so much of its life. We have searched high and low to find another but of course this is now a very old car and manufactured probably before any real volume of manufacture was achieved.
Most people probably don’t even know that in its early years in Britain, Royal Enfield built automobiles – nice looking ones – not motorcycles In our research – we have found that sales were slow and the Enfield automobile business was sold to the interestingly named Alldays & Onions – car makers in 1909-’10. Alldays moved production from Redditch to Birmingham, but continued to call the cars Enfields, and even used the “Made Like A Gun” motto in advertising! Enfield cars eventually became the same as Alldays designs and Enfield cars did not reappear at all after World War I. A 1909 Alldays & Onions car looking similar to this barn-find went to auction in the UK in 2018 but we haven’t unearthed the price achieved. That car would seem to answer some questions about this Enfield except: the auctioned Alldays had a two-cylinder motor. This car has a similar looking, but four-cylinder, motor as you will see in the picture gallery. As you see the brass work on this car has been polished and the car is looking beautiful – complete with “monocle windscreen”. The acetylene generator has also been polished and refitted to the car to power the gas lights. Unfortunately, the granules used to go into the generator to mix with water and to make the acetylene is no longer available for “domestic” use in Australia.
If it was, the gas lights would be shining brightly. The rear mounted brass fuel tank sets the Sportster off beautifully. The original Enfield engine has “Enfield” cast into the block – you can see it from the picture gallery – it is unmolested and is a rare piece of motoring history – “Built Like A Gun” by Enfield Just to wind up and finish this story – the answer is yes – we did indeed buy the three vehicles in the barn that day. The Austin Healey100/4 was reluctantly sold shortly afterward as was the Goggomobil to fund the Enfield purchase. It had always been the intention to keep the Enfield – rare car – with a historic story and value but as sometimes happens in this life – situations can change. It is with great sadness and regret that we have decided to part ways with this lovely car but in doing so hopefully we will give a Veteran enthusiast the joy and opportunity to regularly participate in Veteran events – perhaps in Europe, the UK or the US where there are many regular events where it can be seen and enjoyed by the Veteran community at large as opposed to if it stayed in Australia where there are few Veteran Event opportunities. Simply size of population – Australia 24 million versus Europe – 749.9 million – a tad different! Pricing this car has been most difficult. Various International experts have presented valuations which in our minds which were quite high but we have made our decision to move on and feel that we would accept an offer circa Euro 58,000 which is at the low end of estimates that have been submitted by various knowledgeable people. The car is currently located on Queensland’s Gold Coast – the premier holiday resort destination in Australia. We are happy to assist the buyer to arrange land transport and booking shipping which would be out of the Port of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and to assist with the completion of the necessary export documentation. Just a footnote. This barn-find Enfield is a nice looking vehicle – a very sporty roadster rather than one of the dreadnoughts typical of its era.
Report by Chris Dean
