Well, this will be my last posting for the weekend, and i wanted to make it one of the more talked about postings. I have been doing a series of Showdowns, like the Buick vs Buick, the Citroen vs Citroen, the Rambler vs AMC, the Datsun Z vs Datsun ZX, the Shelby vs Shelby, and now for something quite unconventional. These cars are separated by at least a decade in age, and were built in different continents. The only thing they share is the fact that both countries drive on the left side of the road… other than that, there is absolutely no relationship. So which of these two foreign cars would you want to own?

Let’s start with the senior statesman, the 1957 Austin Cambrian. The A55 Austin was named the Cabridge in Europe, but was re-badged the Cambrian because Plymouth had the rights to the Cambridge name here in North America. This is the first year for the restyled A55 over the previous A-50 and featured a larger boot, and a much larger rear window. Two-tone Paint was now optional, and the car had a lower stance than the A50 due to the substitution of 13″ road wheels.

According to the listing for this gem:

One rarely finds a car with this type of pedigree and documentation, let alone such a sweet and unusual ‘British Heritage Industry Certificate Trust’ vehicle like this one! The Austin Cambrian sold as a A40, A50, A55 and A60 was sold by the Austin Motor Company for several generations between September 1954 through to 1969 as cars and in 1971 as light commercial vehicles. It replaced the A40 Austin Somerset but was an entirely new model with modern unibody construction. The range had two basic body styles with the A40, A50 and early A55’s using a traditional rounded shape and later A55’s and A60’s using ‘Farina’ styling. Initially the Austin Cambridge, as it was known in Europe, was only offered with a 4-passenger, 4-door sedan body, although a few pre-production 2-door models were also made. It had a modern body design for its time with integrated wings and a full-width grille. Independent suspension was provided at the front by coil springs and wishbones but a live axle with anti-roll bar was retained at the rear.

This particular example was ordered new by its original owner in Maryland and brought to southern California where it has remained for the rest of its life. The car was obviously always garaged and covered and is in quite remarkable condition throughout. It has absolutely zero rust and always has. The car has every gas record written down in a small book with the number of gallons and the cost written in pencil. The car has had one lacquer repaint in its original ‘Palm Green’ color with a subtle and beautiful hand painted accent stripe which enhances the cars appearance is the only repaint that the car has received in its whole life according to the previous owner and it still shines and looks like it must have when it left the showroom floor over 55 years ago. The interior has been refreshed with some new seat material and carpet in its original specifications and the car has an original 51, 742 miles and this is also documented on the California title.

There are quite a few images of this car in the listing, so why not go over and take a look for yourself. The top bid so far is $4,151.01, with an unmet reserve. The Buy-it-Now price for this car is an absurd $19,500. The car is nice, and it is exceedingly rare to find one in this condition, but please, almost $20,000 for a 55 year old British Common Car?

From the Land of the Rising Sun comes this 1969 Toyota Corona, a car that has been described as a 2/3 Chevrolet Impala at the time. Introduced in 1964, the Corona was becoming the largest selling Toyota, and was very popular here in North America as well as parts of Western Europe. It was sturdy, reliable, and went on to cement Toyotas reputation as a builder of reliable cars and trucks.

According to the listing:

Super Rare 1969 Toyota Corona. This vehicle is in great condition. Turn key and drive. Starts right up and runs great. The first generation to feature the Toyoglide transmission. The paint is in great condition. Completely wet sanded and buffed. No rust. Complete replacement of window seals and door weather strips. The interior is in excellent condition. Owner’s manual included. Brakes in great shape. Steering is like new. New Idler arm just installed. Own a piece of Toyota History.

With about a day to go, the high bid on this Corona is $6,700, with an unmet reserve. The Buy-it-Now price is listed as $7,995, which is much more affordable than the Austin, but is a very plain Toyota Corona with a 2-Speed Toyoglide Automatic really worth almost $8,000? See the listing, and make that decision for yourself.

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