Car Anniversaries in 2023

Happy New Year!

Here is our now traditional look forward to which notable car anniversaries we will celebrate in the coming year!

Some really interesting cars celebrating significant anniversaries this year!

I’ve tried not to make it all cars I love and spread the appreciation round a bit but some of the models celebrating 60th & 70th birthdays this year are ‘right up my street’ (links at the end of the article)

The 100th Anniversary of MG Sportscars

There has been some confusion over when the Anniversary should be but it is now generally agreed that the famous octagon and the birth of MG Sportscars was 1923 – you can read an interesting article on the anniversary by clicking ‘HERE’

The 65th Anniversary of the Austin A40 Farina

2023 also celebrates the 65th Anniversary of the Austin A40 Farina, the classic small family car presented at the London Motor Show in 1958 and designed by Pininfarina of Italy. A year later Austin introduced the A40 Countryman that featured the then revolutionary ‘hatchback’

The 65th Anniversary of the Austin Healey Sprite

2023 celebrates the 65th Anniversary of the Austin Healey Sprite. BMC announced the launch of this distinctive sports car to the press in 1958 in Monte Carlo, just before the Monaco Grand Prix. The Austin Healey Sprite Mk1 was a compact economic 2 seat sports car which was often referred to as the ‘Frog Eye’ or ‘Bug Eye’ Sprite’.”

The 75th Anniversary of the Morris Minor

Morris Minor celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2023, the first model was unveiled at the London Earls Court Motor Show in September 1948. The Morris Minor symbolised Britain’s emergence from the 1940’s austerity and reportedly over 1.3 million were manufactured in the UK alone’ Morris Minors were manufactured between 1948 and 1971. The distinctive wood framed ‘Traveller’ was introduced in 1953.

The 50th Anniversary of the Austin Allegro

The Austin Allegro is a small family car that was manufactured by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1973 until 1982. The same vehicle was built in Italy by Innocenti between 1974 and 1975 and sold as the Innocenti Regent. The Allegro[2] was designed as a replacement for the Austin 1100 and 1300 models. In total, 642,350 Austin Allegros were produced during its ten-year production life, most of which were sold on the home market, less than a third of 2.1 million 1100s and 1300s sold in the previous 11 years.