An off-road vehicle produced by Austin from 1958 to 1968. It was designed as a lower-cost replacement for the Austin Champ, to compete directly with Rover's Land Rover. Like the Land Rover, it was aimed at both the civilian and military markets. The Gipsy was a reaction to both the failure of the Champ, and the success of the Land Rover. Both the Champ and the Gipsy were significantly different from the American Jeep, the Gipsy being much closer in design, appearance and price to the Land Rover.

Unlike the Land Rover, the Gipsy's bodywork was steel. The suspension was sophisticated, independent suspension all round using "Flexitor" rubber springs developed by Alex Moulton, giving the Gipsy the ability to travel at high speeds over rough terrain. In due course, later models offered leaf springs as an option on the front and rear.

When BMC merged with Leyland to form British Leyland, the Austin Gipsy and the Land Rover were being produced by the same company. Production of the Gipsy was stopped after some 21,208 vehicles had been sold. The Austin Gipsy was assembled from CKD packs in New Zealand at the Austin distributor's Petone factory which was directly opposite Todd Motor's assembly plant for Rootes Group and Chrysler Australia's products. 

AUSTIN

GIPSY 1958

Condition – Restored