Tracing history of a UK BN1, advice please!

[smuudge]

Hi everyone, posting on behalf of my Dad really but wanted to start the ball rolling in terms of tracing back some of the history of his 100/4 BN1.

It is a 1955 100/4 BN1.

We have recently received a heritage certificate which confirms its numbers, original build date, colour, factory extras and where it was originally registered new (Brighton) but i wanted to know if there are any other avenues we can go down to trace the history of it. What is the significance of Brighton for instance!?

The reg document (V5) Date of registration states: 09/07/86 (DECL MANUF 1955) which ties in the with heritage certificate of its date of build 13/01/55 but it does mean that we have little to go in terms of owners before 1986, i guess as the DVLA do not have anything prior to that date.

We know the car spent a long time off the road having a major restoration that went into the 80s which ties in with the ownership document but it would be good to know what went on before!

Thanks in advance.

 

[simon1966]

My UK home market car was from late 1954. I also can only go back so far with previous owners because as I understand it the old log books were usually turned in and destroyed when the computerized system came into play back in the 80's. I do no believe that any records are kept prior to that time. I was fortunate to have one of the owners log book for my car, but have a 10 year gap from 1954 until the mid 60's when I have no clue as to the ownership, just the original location it was registered based on the number plate. (Manchester in my case). I don't think that there is any significance to Brighton, other than that there was an Austin dealer there.

 

[smuudge]

Thanks Simon. Yes that sounds right about the transfer to the new style V5. A quick google and found a brilliant brochure from the 1954 Brighton Speed Trials. Had this advert in it Cant find any visual reference to the Dreadnought Garage other than this painting. There doesn't appear to be anything left of the garages now...

 

[catfood]

You could try contacting the Brighton Council archives (if one exists). They may have the original registration record and subsequent road tax renewal records. Cars were originally registered locally before it was centralised and some councils archived the original documents, some destroyed them. You may be lucky. If they exist it may give you some previous owners names. I've taken the same approach with Warwick Council archives. The original registration 'documments' were a hand written book with dates, registration and owner so I found the original owner (which in my case was the Donald Healey Motor Co). However in my case the subsequent road tax records were incomplete and didn't contain my car so I don't know who the first real owner was.

 

[pan]

I have been doing similar research on my 100. A volunteer researcher spent a lot of time studying the Warwickshire County Records for me but drew a blank unfortunately. I then shifted my focus to Surrey, because the first owner lived in that area, but the County Records office there did not keep old information relating to cars. I'd give the records office in Brighton a call, though. They might be able to help.