Faults:

This car was absolutely reliable and I maintained it myself.

When I first purchased this car, I rust-proofed it with underseal, a messy job but worth the effort. This was a car with a Farina designed body, not your average styling for a 1961 British car.

The Countryman had what they would call a hatchback nowadays. Replacing the brake pads was relatively simple, since I had done many jobs on my previous car.

These cars were popular with driving schools.

General Comments:

Reliable transportation plus economy.

Faults:

Had to replace the exhaust.

General Comments:

My late father's first car after a lifetime of enthusiastic motorcycling.

Reg: 264 DOG, each digit one less than that of the price he paid (£375).

Blue with a black roof, I used to wash it for him every week, & had a waxing regime with tops of front wings one week, bottoms next week, bonnet next, roof etc; until everything was done & then start again. Just like painting the Forth Bridge; it looked brand new!

The A40 saloon had 520/13 tyres, but the Countryman had 560/13's for the extra loads. This gave it a much sportier look.

I was in my teens then, and had driven a Morris Minor & a Mini, which both had rack & pinion steering. The A40 had worm & gear (I think that was what it was called) which had a "slack" feel at the straight ahead position. (ie: you could move the steering wheel slightly from side to side without affecting the direction of the front wheels), After experiencing rack & pinion, which did not have this play, I always found the A40 a little disconcerting in a straight line! I drove an almost brand new MkII, which was just the same. It probably wouldn't worry me now that I'm long in the tooth & more experienced!

Despite its boxy shape, the A40 was quite a streamlined car with a cd of 0.31, which was very good for the time (better than the comparatively sleek Ford Anglia). When it reached 60/70mph, it would cruise easily with very little wind noise.

My father made the mistake of swapping the A40 for an MG1300, which seemed a great step forward at the time, but which proved to be a disaster!

Faults:

Radiator burst in '89, cost £20 from breakers.

Engine mountings needed replacing when I bought the car, cost £16 from local motor factors.

Floor needed welding when purchased, local garage charged £35.

A few minor things like bulbs, points, plugs e.t.c. when purchased. But considering I only paid £60 for the car which was almost in A1 condition.

General Comments:

Very reliable and cheap car which returned almost 40mpg! Very slow, but had lots of charm.

Obtaining spares was the only problem, but luckily most parts could be sourced from older BL cars such as A35s, Minis and Morris Minors.

It was probably also the World's first hatch-back!