Mathewsons December 2026 sale
Lot 42: 1956 Austin A40 Cambridge at the Mathewsons December 2026 auction
By Jon Cosson · Last checked
Part of our Bangers & Cash guide.
Listing checked
What the listing says
Mathewsons' listing, based on information from the vendor, states that the vehicle has been shown at events, garaged and regularly maintained; electronic ignition has been fitted and the brakes refurbished; and many spares and manuals are included.
What to check on any Austin A40, A50 or A55 Cambridge
- Rust is the main enemy, and it is the reason so many Cambridges disappeared. The bodyshell is load-bearing, so corrosion matters structurally, not just cosmetically.
- Check the sills, floors, bulkhead and door bottoms, and look closely at the rear wings, which one owner quoted by Classic & Sports Car calls a serious rust trap.
- Take a magnet to the lower panels to find filler, and look for rippled or bubbling paint that hints at rot beneath. Assess the quality of earlier repairs as much as fresh corrosion.
- Repair panels are scarce, so a car needing extensive panel work is a much bigger project than its mechanical simplicity suggests.
- Confirm the body matches the claimed model. An A55 has the longer tail and larger rear screen; an A40 or A50 has the shorter, rounded rear.
- The B-series is robust and widely shared across BMC, so rebuild parts are plentiful for the 1.5. Specific 1200 parts are harder to find.
Checks for this car
- Check the sills and floors.
- Check the spares list against what is present.
Questions to ask before you bid
- Can I see the V5C, and do the chassis and engine numbers match it?
- What history file, invoices and MOT records come with it?
- When was it last used on the road?
- Which spares are included?
- What maintenance records come with it?
Viewing and bidding
Viewing at the Pickering saleroom runs Wednesday 25 November to Tuesday 1 December 2026: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 12 noon, closed Sunday. Entry is £5 per person, which includes admission on the day and a donation to one of Mathewsons' chosen charities. The sale is Wednesday 2 to Friday 4 December 2026, held behind closed doors, with bidding online, by telephone or by commission.
Every lot is sold as seen. Read Mathewsons' terms (opens in a new tab) before you register.
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