Austin 3-Litre Estate
The Crayford Company converted eleven cars into estates, the cars pictured here are the only two of these cars that have survived, XKT 710J is pictured in the 90's when in the ownership of Neil Kidby. A new owner aquired the car in 2023 and restoration is now underway. Look carefully on the left of the tailgate and you can see the "Crayford" badge. A nine seater version was available which had two seats each side facing each other in the rear area. The roof was raised and fully insulated throughout. Taller laminated glass was fitted to the rear doors and an Austin 1100 tailgate was used to complete the transformation. The rear floor was trimmed in rubber or carpet depending on customer specification. The rear seat is a cut down version to allow it to fold flat, this gives an enormous load area. The price list and picture below are taken from Crayfords own promtional material at the time of conversion.
BMC Estate Car price list
| Estate car conversion Austin 3 litre models | £ s d | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete conversion – including leather trimmed roof as standard | 595 | 0 | 0 |
| Custom rack – Specially built full length custom rack with six roof installation points built into the roof and full length timber slatting | 39 | 0 | 0 |
| Custom rack – If fitted to a car at any later date after the conversion has been carried out | 59 | 0 | 0 |
| Interior-only conversion – This is available on the 3 litre model and can be executed either leaving the parcel shelf in place or removing the centre section. The original boot-lid is left in place and the seats either fold forward or can also be completely removed | 115 | 0 | 0 |
| Airflow extractor kit – Fitted during conversion. Twin air exit grilles to increase heater/cooler efficiency: assist rear window demisting, keep car fresh and thus reduce travel fatigue | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Children’s rear seat – A special folding bench seat which can take three or four children is available. This seat is instantly removable and is trimmed to match the interior of the car | 19 | 10 | 0 |