Costa Rican Gipsy

Interesting how this leaf-sprung Gipsy seems to sport a Landrover rear tub!

Austin Gipsy driving movie clip

On holiday on Vancouver Island Glenn Kemp took me for a ride in his Austin Gipsy on the Old Nanaimo River road! A cool guy, driving a cool truck!

Gipsy Targa Coupe de ville

This Gipsy lost the front part of the hardtop roof. Effectively turning it into an easily convertible Targa top. How about that?
And when the heatwave hits us, the whole hardtop will come off!

Testdriving a series one Landrover

The article in the previous post compares the Austin Gipsy and the Landrover. Really interesting and it made me look into Landrovers some more. It seemed to me the Series one is the one to go for, so when a nice 1954 Series one was advertised I decided to try it and see if I they would make a nice pair.
The first thing that struck me was how small the Landrover seemed compared to the Gipsy. Was the Gipsy aimed at the series one or the series two? Or was the series two Landrover a response to the larger Gipsy? I was always under the impression that Rover was hardly worried by the Gipsy and never feared it's competition.
But looking at the series one Landrover and comparing it to the Gipsy one could think otherwise.
Off course the Gipsy has a steel body and the Landrover's "Birmabright" fixes some of the ugly rust problems, but looking at various Landrovers I would think rust still is a big problem, although not as visible. Worse, as I have only seen one holed chassisframe on a leaf sprung Gipsy and never on a Flexi, the Landrover-owners I spoke to seemed to think nothing of changing outriggers and rear members and all Landrovers I saw had repairs to the chassis. Also fixing the bulkhead seems to be a regular issue.
The ride of the series one was really harsh compared to the Flexi and mechanical noise was also much more obvious too. The Landrover is clearly an older concept compared to the independent and rubber setup on the Gipsy. The steel body on the Gipsy is more like a car and feels stiffer and rattles less. Changing gears on the Gipsy is also smoother, though engaging 4wd on the Landrover seems more refined with that smooth yellow knob to push. The Gipsy feels like a heavier car and the Landrover is definitely bouncier.
Articulation, well that is much better on the Landrover where the Gipsy lifts a wheel as soon as there's a ridge to cross. The turning radius on the Landrover is also a pleasant surprise compared to my Flexitor Gipsy(and later series Landrovers too..). The later leaf sprung Gipsies have the same great articulation as the Landrover and the turning radius has also been improved beyond the Landrover's. But really the Gipsy is all about that crazy independent suspension, so changing that to a leaf sprung setup seems to chane it into something other than a Gipsy.
But really I can't choose. They are both great vehicles aimed at the same market by two very different companies. If only the Gipsy would have had better articulation and that little thing with the wheels would have been sorted before production I think the Gipsy could have given the Landrover some real competition, before the Japanese rode into town.

Yes, trying out an old landrover was very useful in learning to appreciate the innovations of the Gipsy, though the craving to add a series one Landrover has not yet dulled....
What can I say? A couple of weeks later I was driving this Landrover home to park it in my shed. Right next to my faithful Gipsy. What a way to solve a dilemma!

Austin Gipsy versus Landrover test 1959

Here's an article from an Australian magazine in 1959 comparing the Austin Gipsy and Landrover.
" As I see it, the Gipsy suffers from over-simplification, which knocks it a bit from the point of a pure work vehicle. The Landrover suffers from a stupidly complicated engine and also costs more...."
Read the article here!

Austin Gipsy in "Paperback Hero"

This is a movie we need to see! "Paperback Hero" has an Austin Gipsy and shots of beautiful Australian scenery! Look at that left front wheel and how she's fighting the steering wheel. Looks so familiar!

reporting snow in Canada

Our correspondent in Canada reports a foot of snow. After a sunny
spell winter has suddenly returned to Vancouver Island.

Wadham-Stringer Austin Gipsy Ambulance FCG 74D

For quite a few years now, we have seen an old Gipsy Ambulance dumped
in a field, near to a steam rally we attend, as we have a Fire
Appliance, we ( my daughter, son & son in law) thought it might be
nice to have this, making up a fleet of emergency vehicles, also with
me being a retired ambulanceman a good project, we have tried to
purchase this vehicle before, but not having much success, until it
came up on eBay a few months ago, I had to pay a lot more than its
true worth considering its condition.

Well now I have it home, and have done some research it has turned out
that it is the Proto-type of the Wadham Stringer Ambulance's built on
an Austin Gipsy, what a rare vehicle indeed! "Also now cheap at the
price," The Ambulance body has not suffered too much from the UK wet
weather, but the Austin Gipsy front end has really taken a beating.

The Austin Gipsy owners Club (UK) Mike Gilbert's has even managed to
send me a copy of the original drawings for our Ambulance, what a
scoop,
I have had members of Hampshire Ambulance Service contact me as this
is where it First worked, giving me all sorts of information, and I
have spoken to one of the original body builders.
So I'm more determined to get this restored and back on the road.

Though after a weekend of finding how bad the metal work is I don't
think it will be ready for a year or so. Though if I can find a good
front end, I might do a swap, bringing forward our re-build.
The wings on our Ambulance have been modified – well in truth they
have been made by the Body builders as they are more like a Landrover
style having square sharp edge to them and no vents, but this is
correct from some of the information people have told me, they still
have the Gipsy front curve!

I know I'm mad but I think a nice "Police" Gipsy could be the next
project? Then we would have a true emergency Fleet. I will keep an
eye open just in case one turns up. But this one must be completed
first.

Alan Dunderdale

All for the Love of an Old Gipsy

For my sins I have fallen in love with an "Old Gipsy" she is wonderful
so sweet and easy to get along with ----- also being an
Ex Cornwall Austin Gipsy LWB Fire Appliance very easy to keep clean
and garage, after running and cleaning steam engines for years……..

"Pip" as she is affectionately known is the forth member of our team
she joins three Austin champs, all ten years older than her, a A35 Van
- our love is "Austin vehicles"

Her static's:-
1st registered in June 1963 as 995 SAF(this has been sold), to
Cornwall County Fire Service and was given the fleet number 504, first
based at Bodmin (B1) Fire station, she then went onto Helston(A7) The
county being two divisions A and B at that time.

How it all came about? - "Drinking," not drunk mind you, just mellow
ha the sins of drink, We were sitting one evening talking about a
newish rally near home "Newby Hall" 2007 near Ripon where we had been
asked if we would take our Austin Champs, someone said we needed
something else as three vehicles did not balance, so a quick look on
"eBay" for another champ in green or a MP model for a change, when
this vision of loveliness appeared on the screen, further talks and
emails went around and I was soon on my way to North Devon – How come
I was on my way????? Ahh well it was a lovely day, to see if this
Austin was as nice as she looked "she was" and was quickly loading it
up and a drive back to North Yorkshire - not home note, we were
booked into Newby Hall rally that same night.
Many very nice comments were made, someone said "boy it looks nice how
long you had it"twenty four hours' just did not seem right some how!

After the weekend a planned maintenance/work schedule was done
including someone to start working on the history, I am still trying
to piece together details of her life. At sometime she was fitted
with a towing jaw to pull a trailer pump? I was told this by a former
crew member.

We, my daughter, Kerrie, son in law Colin, two good friends Bob and
Becky and myself are hoping to get her back to "as was" condition,
when she first went into service, we've had a lot of help from the
Cornish Fire Museum, and the Fire Service Preservation Group's
members, to get details and equipment list correct, to all we are
extremely grateful.

We found this strange shape cut out and fitted onto the rear bulkhead
into which we could not fathom out what was fitted, even the fire
service people we spoke to did not know? when a builder friend came
over and said "Bolt croppers" now I have looked on the auto-jumble
and junk stalls, oops sorry valuable tool deposits, if you listen to
the stall holders, . Modern bolt cutters are not shaped like the old
models so these would not look right. I have now found an old Record
18" set and they look right..

During our searches we have found that all the Cornish Fire stations
used to have a small appliance based on them so that they could get
down the narrow streets, backed up by a large pump(s) or trailer pump
as necessary,

We have also turned up information on a Cornish Austin Champ fire
appliance now this has got our interests, having got three champs a
fire model would look nice in the collection, there are, it seems a
few different models of the "Austin Champ Firefly/Fire Armour"
appliances out there some being aircraft fire/rescue models, some
being built for the railways others for small factories. I must admit
to having a lot of enjoyment and fun trying to piece the bits together
and following up leads.

"Pip" is progressing well most of the work has been done; it's just
the getting of equipment and permission to use logos etc.

I didn't know how difficult it would be to get permission to put "Pip"
back into her old working clothes, We wanted to put the old brigade
badges back, ok using modern methods (vinyl) I wrote to the brigade to
get the ok and was refused on the grounds it might be miss used -
i.e. used as a fire appliance to gain access to properties for illegal
acts. (We might use it to rob buildings etc). This is the advice
from the police – what a sad world we live in now.
Our aim was as a mark of respect to those who served with her to save lives.

Further nights spend researching on the computer has had me driving
around the country looking at trailer pumps, and even buying a old AFS
Brockhouse trailer as I was advised this was the type! "our" gipsy
would have had?

Until I came across a Godiva Iso-speed trailer pump photo, and just
knew this was right,well over year has gone by and at The Preston Park
event 2008, a chance mention of wanting this pump type was made and a
few day's later I received a phone call from Kenny, to say he had a
pump for sale, he's only ten miles from home, a quick trip to look, it
was the correct type, so a deal was made, now we have a complete
Austin Gipsy Fire Appliance. It seems that the trailer was used by the
Army at Catterick, only 2 miles from home, so all my travels around
the country, could have been saved if I had looked on my doorstep, but
I did meet some very good, interesting and helpful people.

I have been out a few times now and what a head turner the unit is,
So, a very heart felt thanks to all of you in the FSPG, without your
support and great assistance, I would have been stuck.

I am planning to take a week's holiday in Cornwall, to look through
the archives and see if there are any photos of "pip" caught at work.

Alan Dunderdale

Footnote,

Further to this I have been informed of a wrecked swb Gipsy , I have
been to view it, "wow" its in a right state they say that it is
intended to get it back to working order! It has not been moved for
years and is almost rotten – such a shame, but good luck to them.
Whilst I was being guided around I found five more fire pump trailers
and two of these were of the type I have been after, just rotting
away. I was told that as it's a National Museum they can't sell them,
Its such a shame many people would love to look after these items
rather then see them rot.

A Weblog For Austin Gipsies?

Why would we need another weblog? Why for Austin Gipsies? Well, there are only so many Gipsies left! We already have a Austin Gipsy Register in the UK and an Austin Gipsy website and a great newsgroup. This weblog should add value to these. In the newgroup members from all over the world can talk about technical problems and exchange information. Members of the Register can read the magazine ad attend events in the UK, but it is quite a task to publish a magazine for a relatively small group of members adn quite a few Gipsy-owners live in far away places. This weblog is available to anybody using an internet connection. I hope we can get a few Gipsy-owning people to write articles on a regular basis. I also hope interested Gipsy owners will subscribe to this weblog or return regularly to read new articles and add their knowledge and stories.
This weblog is an idea that grew from discussions between me and Glenn Kemp, the owner of the Austin Gipsy website and the moderator of the newsgroup. Glenn is in Canada and I live in the Netherlands. So we are connected by the internet too. I own a modified 1961 Gipsy and am the moderator for the Dutch Austin Morris Riley Wolseley Register newsgroup and Website, so you can call me a bit of an internet-blog-hog, so I expect I'll be writing too. So here is the first post.
I hope there will be many more and that we can work together to enjoy another worldwide Gipsy feast

Kind regards,

Christiaan Linford