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Somewhere in rural Ontario, a builder spent years talking a 1970s Austin America out of being a front-drive family sedan. The result is this mid-engined, Yamaha-powered Austin America custom, live on Bring a Trailer until 1:19 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 31. At the time of writing, the high bid sits at $3,077.
The America was British Leyland's attempt to sell Americans something other than a Beetle. Sold here from 1968 to 1971, it was an export version of the Austin 1300 with Pininfarina-styled bodywork, a transverse 1275cc four, front-wheel drive and Moulton Hydrolastic suspension, all from the Alec Issigonis school of packaging that gave us the Mini. We've seen that school produce a classic Mini with a Ford EcoBoost three-cylinder swap and even a 1985 Austin Mini stretch limo with seating for six. This one goes in a very different direction.
From CASC Racer to Mid-Engine Special
According to the listing, this America was built into a race car in the 1980s for CASC competition, then spent years in storage before the seller bought it around 2010. In 2022, the seller started a multi-year rebuild inspired by the aero-laden BMW 3.0 CSL "Batmobile" racers, the same cars that inspired the Group 4 CSL tribute we featured earlier. The body went onto a rotisserie, steel box flares were welded in and smoothed, and a steel front air dam was fabricated. The finish is white with tricolor stripes, and the hood now tilts forward.
The bigger change is underneath. The chassis was converted to mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, and the rear roof section is removable, held by quick-release latches, with a Lexan rear window secured by Dzus fasteners. A roll cage, bucket seats, toggle-switch controls and a custom center console fill the cabin. The listing says dry weight is under 1,300 pounds, which is a seller claim rather than a scaled figure.
A Snowmobile Engine, a CVT and an Electric Reverse
Power comes from a 998cc Yamaha inline-four that the seller says came from a 2006 Apex 1000 snowmobile. The listing doesn't give a horsepower figure. Later Apex models were claimed at around 150 hp, but treat that as context rather than a spec for this car. In the comments, the seller says the complete engine weighs 105 pounds and is dry-sump.
Instead of a gearbox, there's a continuously variable transmission feeding the rear wheels through a Lotus-style rubber coupling. The axle is a live unit with an offset pumpkin from a Legends race car, located by a three-link setup with adjustable coilovers. Braking is front discs, using Airheart calipers and Ford Pinto-sourced rotors, with drums at the rear. The car rides on 13-inch Revolution three-piece wheels wrapped in Avon tires.
The cleverest piece is reverse. A modified electric winch motor drives V-belt pulleys on the driveshaft when a linear actuator applies tension, so the car can be driven in either direction, and the same setup doubles as a parking brake.
What to Know Before You Bid
Documented in the listing: the build steps, the drivetrain components, the roll cage, and an odometer reading of about 14,000 kilometers (roughly 9,000 miles). Seller statements: the engine's snowmobile origin, the dry weight, and the engine weight. Not provided: a power figure or any dyno data, and no in-car driving video. The seller says the front air dam sits about two inches off the ground, which makes testing on a dirt road impractical.
The car is located in Markdale, Ontario, and is sold on its Ontario registration, which lists it as a 1971 model, so U.S. bidders should work out import and shipping before the clock runs down. Extra body panels and other parts are included in the sale.
Bring a Trailer bidders have been enthusiastic, with the car pulling in hundreds of watchers and dozens of comments. If a snowmobile-powered, CSL-flavored Austin America is your idea of a weekend project that's already done, the auction is open on Bring a Trailer.
