ebay sale ??

[rogerelias]

112553284651  ebay listing number  I smell a rat Roll Eyes  sure it's been on before

[mikeC]

The seller regularly lists interesting cars in France, always without reserve; I can only assume he has someone on hand to up the bidding if needed, as several cars have 'sold', only to reappear from the same seller some months' later ...

[Sliding Pillar]

Pity there are not more pictures.
It looks like an early flat rad saloon, with later grille, the correct wheel on the spare, but early series Aprilia solid disc wheels.

[Charles]

I smelt a rat as well, but fortune favours the brave thought I so I made a bid which I didn't expect to win - but it did.  So Jennie and I drove down to Bourg-en-Bresse only half expecting to find an Augusta there but it was and now it is back in Wiltshire.  It is a flat side model but with the later sloping rad and the later front wings. The VIN plate reads 31 3777 ( I presume the "31" shows it's an Augusta rather than a Belna)  so I'm guessing that it was built at just the time they were changing to the later style body which means that either an earlier owner updated it or it came off the line like that. Anyway. I fitted a new battery, coil and plugs and she runs! The clutch works, the brakes work etc. The body as in excellent condition with no rust or welding apparent so it looks like we have, indeed, been favoured by fortune. Obviously, it has the wrong wheels but I quite like them and I see them as part of the car's history.  It now needs at least one new tyre, a pair of new front indicator lamps and some mirrors.  I'm still waiting for the "Import Pack" to arrive from DVLA so will not have plates for a few weeks.  I'm going to need some help with the technical side as I have no workshop manual or other tech docs and things like the partial flow oil filter are a complete mystery to me. I'm not even sure how the sliding pillars get oil on these early cars but I'll get under it today and have a good look.

[Parisien]

Fortune does indeed favour the brave, well done and congrats on both finding that the car existed and then that its more or less as described!


P

[lancialulu]

Lovely!

[the.cern]

Brilliant Charles. Your first port of call is Morris Parry!! He and James know all there is to know about Gussies!!!!

                          Andy

[simonandjuliet]

Excellent - looks like a great car !

I would second the Parry's (Morris and James) as your first call, they have the knowledge , experience and a lot of the bits

[rogerelias]

I am very pleased for you Charles, and will hold my hands up that I was wrong. No offence intended. Roger

[Sliding Pillar]

Charles, your Augusta/Belna looks very smart in your photos.... much better than it looked in the ebay ones!
Augusta and Belna chassis numbers both started with 31-XXXX although Belna production was approximately only 2500 cars, so your car would be beyond this number. What you need to look for is the prefix to the chassis number, perhaps this is on the number stamped on the body, rather than the one on the plate.
Augustas were from 231-1001 whereas Belnas were numbered F31-1001 onwards.
Engine numbers were type 88 for Augustas and type 88F for Belnas
I hope this helps working out if you have bought an Augusta or Belna!

[JohnMillham]

The radiator surround shows that it's an Augusta, not a Belna, as do the headlights. Looks like a fine car to me.
 Regards, John

[chriswgawne]

What a nice looking quality purchase. Much fun to be had in the future I suspect.
Chris

[Charles]

I have now sorted the electrics, got it registered with the DVLA and fitted the plates, sorted the Weber 30 DO carb (which was a bit of a mystery) and have finally got it on the road with encouraging results.  However, when I got the car I noticed that the propshaft was only held on to the gearbox forks by one nut and bolt.  I found two more suitable ones and thought "job jobbed"  but then I looked at the workshop manual which says (see attached picture) that when reattaching the prop shaft to the gearbox you should not forget to install the centralising forks.  Unfortunately, whoever last had it apart did indeed forget the centalising forks as they are missing (but are present on the shaft to Diff coupling).  So I need a centralising forks unit; can anyone help please?  Charles

[donw]

Charles.
Try James Parry for the centring plate TAV 11a 34, -1716.

Interesting car late radiator shell & wings but no waist line moulding on the body & bonnet also  disk wheels as on early cars.

Don

[Charles]

Thanks Don, I will try James.  Apparently the car came out of the factory in February 1934 around the time that the switch from the flat body ocurred.  This begs the question, was the car upgraded by one of its owners at some time or was the factory in the middle of the switch over and happend to send it out like this.  The wheels are not actually the early Augusta disc wheels but are, I believe, early Aprillia wheels which perhaps indicates an owner upgrade at some point. In any case, my attitude is that the car is what it is - history and all - and I will not seek to restore its "originality".