Ausfod

Ausfod was a British automobile marque produced by the Ausfod Motor Engineering Co Ltd in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester. The company operated in the immediate post-war period, manufacturing the Ausfod automobile from 1947 to 1948. Its principal known product was a trials-oriented special assembled from components sourced from established manufacturers and suppliers: a Ford Model C Ten engine, an Austin Seven chassis, an LMB trials front axle, and a remote-control gearbox. The combination reflected the experimental and highly individual character of many small British automobile projects of the era. Unlike many one-off engineering exercises, the Ausfod trials car was reportedly offered for sale to members of the public. This places it among the relatively small number of post-war trials specials that progressed beyond private competition use or prototype status into limited commercial availability. Trials cars were designed for low-speed competition and challenging terrain rather than conventional road touring, so their appeal depended on light weight, mechanical simplicity, traction, and the ability to withstand demanding surfaces. The use of a Ford power unit and Austin chassis suggests an approach based on adapting readily available components rather than developing a fully proprietary platform. Ausfod also advertised an aerodynamic sports car. Available reference material does not establish whether this second design entered production or whether completed examples were built. Consequently, the trials car remains the only clearly documented Ausfod automobile, while the sports-car project should be treated as an uncertain or possibly unrealized part of the marque's history. The company appears to have been short-lived, with production confined to 1947 and 1948. No reliable information is available here about the firm's founders, production volume, surviving cars, later ownership, or the precise reasons it ceased operations. Ausfod is therefore best understood as a minor British specialist marque from the post-war period rather than as a sustained mass-market manufacturer. Its historical interest lies in the way it combined proprietary branding with components from Ford, Austin, and specialist suppliers, and in its attempt to commercialize a trials special during a period when small-scale British automotive experimentation remained comparatively active.

The Ausfod Motor Engineering Co Ltd operated in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, during the late 1940s. Its known automobile emerged in the context of Britain's post-war specialist-car scene, when small engineering firms and individual constructors often created limited-production vehicles by combining available engines, chassis, axles, and transmission components. Rather than manufacturing every major component itself, Ausfod used a Ford Model C Ten engine installed in an Austin Seven chassis. The car was further equipped with an LMB trials front axle and a remote-control gearbox. This specification indicates that the principal Ausfod was conceived as a trials special. Trials events placed unusual demands on a car, particularly on traction, durability, maneuverability, and control over rough or steep ground. A compact Austin-based chassis and a Ford engine offered a practical foundation for a specialist vehicle, while the LMB front axle and remote-control gearbox were appropriate to the car's competition-oriented character. The use of components from established manufacturers and specialist suppliers also reduced the development burden for a small firm. The trials car was manufactured from 1947 to 1948 and was one of the relatively few trials specials of its period reported to have been offered for public sale. That commercial availability distinguishes it from purely private-built competition cars, although the available reference material does not state how many were made or sold. There is likewise no confirmed information about a dealer network, export activity, pricing, or the marque's broader commercial performance. Ausfod advertisements also mentioned an aerodynamic sports car. The historical record does not make clear whether the sports car was completed, produced in series, or remained a proposal. It should therefore be regarded as an advertised project rather than a confirmed production model. No later range expansion, acquisition, successor company, or continuing operation is documented in the supplied sources. Production is generally associated with 1947 and 1948, after which Ausfod disappeared from the British automobile-manufacturing landscape. The marque's importance is consequently specialist and archival rather than commercial. Ausfod illustrates the diversity of Britain's small post-war automobile sector and the continuing use of hybrid, component-based construction in low-volume vehicles. Its documented history is limited, and important questions—including the identity of its founders, output, survival of examples, and the fate of its proposed sports car—remain unresolved.

• 1948

  Documented production period ends

  [1]Ausfoden.wikipedia.org

  The known manufacturing period for the Ausfod automobile ended in 1948. No subsequent production or successor activity is established in the supplied reference material.

• 1947

  Ausfod automobile enters production

  [1]Ausfoden.wikipedia.org

  The Ausfod Motor Engineering Co Ltd began manufacturing the documented Ausfod trials automobile in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester. The car used a Ford Model C Ten engine, Austin Seven chassis, LMB trials front axle, and remote-control gearbox.

• 1947

  Trials special offered for public sale

  [1]Ausfoden.wikipedia.org

  The trials-oriented Ausfod was among the small number of trials specials of its period reported to have been offered for sale to the public.

A small British post-war specialist marque focused on a trials-oriented automobile assembled from established proprietary and supplier components.

• Trials automobile · 1947

  Ausfod trials car

  The principal documented Ausfod model was a trials special manufactured from 1947 to 1948. It combined a Ford Model C Ten engine with an Austin Seven chassis, an LMB trials front axle, and a remote-control gearbox. The car was notable not only as an engineering special but also because it was offered for public sale, unlike many trials cars that remained private or one-off competition projects. Production quantities and surviving examples are not established in the available sources.

• Sports car project

  Aerodynamic sports car

  Ausfod advertisements mentioned an aerodynamic sports car in addition to the trials automobile. The available historical record does not confirm whether the design was completed or whether any examples were built. It is therefore best classified as a proposed or uncertain model rather than a verified production offering.

1. 1Ausfoden.wikipedia.org