{"id":9,"date":"2025-12-01T22:24:58","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T22:24:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/a30.club\/?page_id=9"},"modified":"2025-12-01T22:34:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T22:34:35","slug":"the-story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/a30.club\/index.php\/the-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
1956<\/div>\n
\n

The Retirement Present<\/h3>\n

In May 1956, Reginald Lang, just turned 60, purchased a brand new 2-door Austin A30 Saloon as a retirement gift. The car was finished in its original Spruce Green<\/strong> with Green Upholstery. Documents show the total price, including purchase tax, overriders, and wing mirrors, was \u00a3567 8s 3d.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
1977<\/div>\n
\n

Service & Longevity<\/h3>\n

More than two decades later, Reginald (now 81) was still having the car’s MoT (Ministry of Transport test) done at his local garage in Newcastle. The recorded mileage at that time was 40,552.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
1979<\/div>\n
\n

Global Journey Begins<\/h3>\n

In November, ownership passed to Reginald Lang’s daughter, Mrs. J Bridger. She arranged for the A30 to be shipped to join her in South Africa<\/strong>, marking the beginning of the car’s well-traveled history.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
1986<\/div>\n
\n

Via Portugal<\/h3>\n

In July, the A30 left South Africa and followed Mrs. Bridger to Portugal<\/strong>. By December, the car was shipped back to Southampton, UK, passing ownership to Mrs. S.L. Bridger (her daughter). Shipping costs were a “tiny fraction” of the car’s low market value, demonstrating its status as a “treasured possession”.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
1994<\/div>\n
\n

The Long Sleep<\/h3>\n

The car, still wearing its S. African number plates, followed Mrs. S.L. Bridger (now Mrs. Sue Pritchard) to Selborne, Hampshire, and was placed “to bed” at the end of the garden beneath tarpaulins, beginning a long period of damp storage.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
2016<\/div>\n
\n

The Irresistible Challenge<\/h3>\n

The current owner, recently retired at 60 (coincidentally the same age as the original owner at purchase), discovered the A30. Despite its poor condition, the rich history made restoration an “irresistible challenge”. Refurbished wheels were fitted, and the A30 was moved to a dry farm barn.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
2017<\/div>\n
\n

Strip, Spit, and Scour<\/h3>\n

Work commenced at the Winslow Men In Sheds Group workshop. The car was stripped to a bare chassis and mounted on a ‘spit’ to allow easy access for scraping away rust and dirt. In August, media blasting (using ground bottle glass) revealed the brutal truth: panels that looked okay were now a “mass of pinholes”.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
2017\u20132023<\/div>\n
\n

The Craftsmanship<\/h3>\n

This period was devoted to extensive welding and sheet metalwork, using MIG and oxy-acetylene techniques. Repair panels were hand-made from mild steel, with occasional use of salvaged body-cuts from scrapped cars. The original 803 engine was re-built, and an unused 948cc recon engine was acquired for sensible upgrades, including hardened valve seats.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
2023\u20132024<\/div>\n
\n

Rebirth and Refinement<\/h3>\n

Paintwork began in May 2023, applying multiple coats of epoxy primer, zinc primer, undercoat, and gloss coach enamel. Assembly followed, incorporating sensible upgrades like 8-inch Morris-Minor front brakes. A bespoke wiring loom was designed to include modern features like an alternator conversion, LEDs, and electronic ignition.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
2024<\/div>\n
\n

The Interior<\/h3>\n

Since no original material survived, the interior was rebuilt using green leather seats from an ’80s MGF as a starting point. Traditional woolcloth was used for the headlining, all sewn up using a hand-cranked Singer machine.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
2025<\/div>\n
\n

The Nickname is Earned<\/h3>\n

Between October ’24 and May ’25, the car was finally driven under its own steam, culminating in a memorable maiden voyage at the Winslow Rotary Club\u2019s Classic Car Run. The little Austin\u2019s character demanded an exception to the rule of not naming cars, and so, the restored Austin A30 officially became \u2018Reggie\u2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1956 The Retirement Present In May 1956, Reginald Lang, just turned 60, purchased a brand new 2-door Austin A30 Saloon as a retirement gift. The car was finished in its original Spruce Green with Green Upholstery. Documents show the total price, including purchase tax, overriders, and wing mirrors, was \u00a3567 8s 3d. 1977 Service & […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Story - Reggies Adventures<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Story - Reggies Adventures\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"1956 The Retirement Present In May 1956, Reginald Lang, just turned 60, purchased a brand new 2-door Austin A30 Saloon as a retirement gift. The car was finished in its original Spruce Green with Green Upholstery. 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