With Christmas trees appearing in homes throughout the country this month, we thought we’d join in the festive cheer via this advert from 1960. “Get into an Austin and out of the ordinary!” suggested the simple headline, showing the latest A55 Cambridge against a snowy landscape with a decorated Christmas tree forming part of the backdrop.

This was obviously an attempt to get people into their nearest Austin showroom at a time of the year when car sales traditionally slowed down. But what did anyone tempted by an A55 get for their money if they placed an order? According to this advert, “4 cylinders, 1489ccs, 4 forward gears”, with nothing else mentioned at all. Ah well, sometimes it pays to keep things simple.

What we don’t quite understand though, is why this British advert for the A55 showed a foreign-registered left-hand drive car for the Swiss-looking scene. Wouldn’t a British-registered Cambridge have made a better choice, suggesting pan-European driving capability as a result? Just a thought…