Giving the diminutive Austin a shot in the arm.

The A35 has been described as the most unlikely race car ever but its big brother the Farina-styled A40 comes a close second. Based essentially on A35 underpinnings, the A40 can also take advantage of the vast tuning industry which serves the A-Series BMC cars.

One of the foremost campaigners of the A40 in motorsport is Rae Davis Racing and RDR-prepared A35s and A40s are a familiar sight at Goodwood, where they exhibit giant-killing pace.

Key to making the A40 hustle reckons Rae is addressing the old-fashioned lever arm dampers. You can convert to telescopics but RDR can supply an elegant solution in the shape of a modern valve for the original lever arms which allows you to adjust the damping characteristics. Significantly lowering the car will see the damper running out of travel, a problem which can be solved by repositioning the arm on the damper body. Once the damping is sorted out, Rae suggests uprated springs and an uprated front anti-roll bar too, while poly bushes are a smart move.

All the A40s used drum brakes all round and Rae points out that upgrading to a disc-based set-up using the 1275 Midget parts makes a “big, big difference.”

PRODUCED: 1958-1967
ENGINES: 948cc SOHC 4-cyl
PRICES: £500 to £5000
UPSIDE: Simple engineering
DOWNSIDE: Simple engineering...
WHY YOU WANT ONE: It’s not an A35
CLUBS: A40 Farina Club www.a40farinaclub.co.uk/
SPECIALIST:
Rae Davis Racing - 020 8750 8858
www.raedavisracing.com
PARTS PRICES:
New lever arm damper: £37
Midget disc conversion: £365
Lowered springs (pair): £50
Exhaust manifold: £200
Uprated halfshaft: £150

 Read the full article in the June 2011 issue of Classic Car Mart - back issues available to buy here.