Mystery LHD 1957 Austin A105 in Brazil – BMIHT Has No Record. Help Needed!

[Nicolau_Leo]

Hello everyone,

I’m writing to you from Brazil, hoping the experts here can help me solve a mystery with my 1957 Austin A105.

The car is a Left-Hand Drive (LHD) model, which appears to be original.

The strange part is that when I applied for a Heritage Certificate, the BMIHT (British Motor Industry Heritage Trust) informed me that they have no records for the chassis number I provided.

I’m starting to wonder if I’ve given them the wrong number (perhaps I’ve mistaken the body or engine number for the chassis number). I am going to attach photos of every identification plate I could find on the firewall and door columns.

I would be extremely grateful for any help with:

Identifying the correct chassis number (VIN) from the photos.

Any theories on why an original LHD car wouldn’t be in the BMIHT archives. (Could it be a rare European-market CKD, or am I just looking at the wrong plate?)

One final curiosity: The car also has a “London to Mexico 1995” rally sticker. To be honest, I believe this is probably just decorative—added by a previous owner “just for show.”

Still, it makes me curious. Since the car is LHD and it clearly made its way to the Americas at some point (I’m in Brazil), and the rally finished in Mexico… it just got me thinking. Is there any reason this would make sense? It’s most likely a coincidence, but I’m curious about that event regardless.

Thank you in advance for any clues or advice you can offer!

Best regards,

Nicolau

• This topic was modified 5 days, 8 hours ago by Nicolau_Leo.

[PJS]

Whilst BMIHT have many records, they don’t have a complete set – some have been lost over the years. There’s no great mystery to that.

[Author]

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