This is Britain's second front-drive car and one is practically with it the leader in Europe of that time. Although it is not become as famous as the Mini but actually more importantly, because it has a reasonable size for a family of four. The question remains why the British car industry has not enforced with such vehicles in export, too.

It is interesting to look at the manual of a vehicle in those days. It is much thinner than todays, with 56 pages and gives still a lot of DIY advices. Not all are currently still considered useful, e.g. the diagonal exchange of tyres including the spare wheel every 5,000 km.

A few details really attract attention. That for example a vehicle of 1962 has already a very easy way of locking the rear doors as child protection. Or that you can pull at permanent lighting of the oil pressure warning light after checking the oil level a plug on the oil filter, to see if there is perhaps a necessary filter replacement or has more serious reasons.

The cooler still has an extra drain screw and the necessary antifreeze proportion for certain temperatures is predetermined. It is also recommended no specific antifreeze. In the battery you can still mess with the acid and the static setting of the ignition is also described. Of course, for the schematic diagram is sufficient an A5 page.

Also interesting the lubrication instructions. Oil change every 5000 km. In intervals twice as large the distributor is to be lubricated and even the coolant pump with renewed doubling. But not too much, because otherwise, the belt drive slips through. Here the technical skills of the customer is still taken seriously. One gets even shown how to maltreat a tyre with a pry without regard to the rim finish.

Those were just the days. One can even adjust the idle speed on the carburetor as well the mixture ratio. However, the manual is also strict. Every day should you check the oil and weekly tyre pressure and battery. At the SU carburetor in addition as maintenance the checking of the oil level for the piston damper.

You will not believe it, you may at this car, according to the operating instructions even adjust (drum) brakes, may be somewhat problematically if you do not check the brake pads at the same time. Since readjustment of the clutch and the adjustment of the contact distance of the spark plugs clearly less critical as well as the valve setting. That, given these descriptions anyone still drove for maintenance in the workshop!

But at some point the manual also draws a line rigorously, namely with the Hydrolastic spring system or damping. Here should in no case be opened not even one screw plug. Namely the system is under high pressure and therefore dangerous. Here the trip to the appropriate workshop is even explicitly called in bold type. 07/13