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American Austin

Also known as American Bantam, Bantam 60, Bantam Riviera

On New Year’s Day 1929 Sir Herbert Austin sailed for New York with four Austin Sevens, looking for someone to build his small car in America. He found them, and the orders came, a reputed 184,000 of them. Then cheap petrol and a taste for big cars caught up with it.

A small red coupé with black wings and red wheels on grass, a placard before it.
A red 1932 American Austin coupé at the Old Car Festival in Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan, in September 2013.Photo: F. D. Richards from Clinton, MI, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

The spec plate

American Austin

Austin Seven · Butler

Built
1930–⁠1941The American Austin from 1930 to 1934; the Bantam from mid-1937 to 1941
Country
United StatesButler, Pennsylvania; bodies by Hayes of Detroit
Maker
American Austin Car CompanyReorganised as the American Bantam Car Company in 1936
Engine
747 cc side-valve fourThe Austin Seven’s, built as a mirror image of the British unit
Power
15 hp13 hp in one auction catalogue; the Bantam 20 hp at 4,000 rpm
Length
3,086 mm
Seats
2Coupé and roadster; the later Bantam Speedster had four
Wheels
4Engine at the front, the rear wheels driven
Price new
$4451930; $475 by the Lane museum
Production
about 20,000American Austins to the end of 1934; about 6,000 Bantams followed
Top speed
80km/h80 km/h50 mph

Not yet recordedweight.

How big is it?

True proportion

3.09 m

It is 116 mm longer than a Fiat 500, about 1.8 adults laid end to end.

  • Wheelbase 75 in (1,905 mm)
  • 28 in shorter and 16 in narrower than any other American car, by the Lane museum
Drawn at true proportion. The track is 3.6 metres long; the adult stands at the same scale. The Peel P50 is the smallest production car, on every page for comparison.

The story

History

Herbert and Lady Austin sailed on the RMS Berengaria on 1 January 1929, with four Sevens to show a possible licensee, by the historian Kit Foster’s account.1 On 23 February the American Austin Car Company was incorporated in Delaware, and its factory was set up at Butler, Pennsylvania, in premises the Standard Steel Car Company had used.234 English Wikipedia names the Austin Motor Company as its parent; how the licence was arranged, by royalty or by a share in the firm, has not been found.2 Germany had its own licence-built Seven, the BMW 3/15, and France the Rosengart LR2 (see built under licence).

A Russian count’s suit

The bodies came from the Hayes Body Company of Detroit, whose art director was Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, a Russian who had styled luxury cars such as the Packard 1108 Sport Phaeton.41 He gave the Seven horizontal louvres in the bonnet, fixed disc wheels with detachable rims, larger headlamps, bumpers and generous wings, and Foster adds a “sweep panel” borrowed from Duesenberg.41 Underneath, The Henry Ford calls it mechanically identical to the British car, but Foster says the engine was built as a mirror image of the British unit, and that the battery under the bonnet was a first for an American car.51 The brochures were drawn by the Esquire artist Lawrence Fellows.1

It was a small car by any measure, and in America a startling one. The Lane Motor Museum puts it plainly.4

16″ narrower and 28″ shorter than any other vehicle built in America at the time

From the Lane Motor Museum’s page on its 1930 American Austin, Nashville.4

The Henry Ford measures its 1930 roadster at 121.5 in (3,086 mm) long, on the Seven’s 75 in wheelbase.5 The 747 cc side-valve four gave 15 hp, about 40 US mpg (5.9 litres per 100 km) and 50 mph (80 km/h).4236

Boom and bust

Production began in 1930.23 The coupé cost $445, and that was the trouble: the same money would buy a full-size Ford. The Henry Ford says the Austin cost $10 more than a Ford roadster, English Wikipedia slightly less than a Ford V8 roadster, and the Lane museum gives $475 against the Model A’s $435.524 A reputed 184,000 orders were taken; German Wikipedia says the company had expected to build 100,000 a year.13 By the end of 1930 it had delivered 8,558, or sold 8,448 by English Wikipedia’s count.4312 Cheap petrol cancelled the economy, and Americans preferred big cars.4 In 1931 only 1,279 were built, and the company went into receivership.21

Reuben O. Gill was made president and general manager. In 1932 Butler built 3,846 cars, and 80 per cent of them went to Roy Evans, a Florida dealer, who cleared some for as little as $275.21 There were 4,726 in 1933 and 1,057 in 1934, and production stopped on 1 December 1934 by English Wikipedia, while German Wikipedia says the company was dissolved that June.23 About 20,000 had been built.42

The Bantam

On 21 August 1935 Evans bought what was left, for $5,000 in cash and $214,099.83 of debts, and in June 1936 the American Bantam Car Company was incorporated.23 Bantams were built from mid-1937. They were restyled, with the headlamps in the wings and a rooster mascot, and the engine was reworked with an aluminium inlet system and head, 7:1 compression and better bearings, for 20 hp at 4,000 rpm, which English Wikipedia calls 50 per cent up on the Austin.17 The Model 60 came as a roadster, coupé, convertible and four-seat Speedster, with the Riviera, the Hollywood, the Boulevard Delivery and a station wagon besides. In 1938 Bantam sold it as the better buy, and in 1939 prices ran from $399 to $565.17 About 6,000 Bantams of all kinds were made.17

Bantam’s best-known work came last. In 1940 the US Army called for a light reconnaissance car, and the chief engineer Harold Crist and the freelance designer Karl Probst drew Bantam’s answer; the prototype was delivered to Camp Holabird, Maryland, on 23 September 1940. It was the first jeep. Bantam built 2,675 of them up to 1943, more than half for Britain and some for the Soviet Union, but lost the large contracts to Willys and Ford, and turned to military trailers. Car-making was formally halted on 18 August 1943, and the American Rolling Mill Company took the firm over in 1956.71

Side view of a small black coupé with cream wheels, dwarfed by the modern cars parked behind it.
A 1930 American Austin coupé in profile at a British car show in Oxnard, California, in 2009.Photo: Rex Gray, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A pale blue-grey open car and a yellow and black roadster side by side on green carpet in a display.
An American Austin of about 1931, behind, and an American Bantam of about 1937–⁠38, with its headlamps moved into the wings.Photo: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A small open military car with three soldiers aboard airborne over a mound, towing a light gun.
Plate I · 1941 A Bantam reconnaissance car, towing a 37 mm anti-tank gun, leaves the ground in US Army testing at New River, North Carolina, in 1941.Photo: U.S. Army Signal Corps, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Pictures

More photographs, old and new

The car 6

  • A small black two-seat coupé with cream wheels, large headlamps and bonnet louvres in a car park, a man beside it. Opens a larger view

    1 A black 1930 American Austin coupé at a British car show in Oxnard, California, in July 2009.

  • A small pale blue coupé with black wings, white-wall tyres and a chrome bumper on red carpet in a museum. Opens a larger view

    2 A pale-blue 1933 American Austin coupé on display in Reno, Nevada, in August 2015.

  • A small two-tone coupé with a dark green top and cream body, white-wall tyres and chrome bumper indoors. Opens a larger view

    3 A green and cream early American Austin coupé at an auction in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, about 1990.

  • A small purple coupé with black wings and white-wall tyres in a show field, visitors behind. Opens a larger view

    4 A purple American Austin coupé with white-wall tyres at the AACA Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 2009.

  • A small red coupé with black wings and red wheels on grass, other cars and visitors behind. Opens a larger view

    5 A red and black American Austin coupé in the judged show of the AACA Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in October 2010.

  • The rear quarter of a small black coupé with cream disc wheels and a rear-mounted spare, visitors behind. Opens a larger view

    6 A black 1930 American Austin coupé from the rear quarter at a British car show in Oxnard, California, in 2009.

The car: American Austin roadster 7

  • A small light-blue open two-seater with dark blue wings and light blue wheels in a car park. Opens a larger view

    7 A blue and black 1931 American Austin roadster at a car show in Grove City, Pennsylvania, in July 2025.

  • A small orange roadster with black wings and its hood folded in a busy show field, people and parts around it. Opens a larger view

    8 An orange and black American Austin roadster at the AACA Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 2009.

  • A small black roadster with tan side panels, cream wheels and a rumble seat open, parked on grass under umbrellas. Opens a larger view

    9 A black and tan 1931 American Austin roadster at a car show near Santa Rosa, California, in May 2011.

  • The rounded blue tail of a small roadster with a spare wheel on the back and a chrome rear bumper. Opens a larger view

    10 A blue and black 1931 American Austin roadster from behind at a cruise-in in Mercer, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.

  • Head-on view of a small black roadster with a tall radiator, two large headlamps and a yellow California plate, on grass. Opens a larger view

    11 A black 1931 American Austin roadster seen head-on at a car show near Santa Rosa, California, in May 2011.

  • A small red open car with black wings and a black hood up, a display card before it, on red carpet. Opens a larger view

    12 A red and black 1932 American Austin roadster with its hood up in the Nethercutt Collection, Sylmar, California, in October 2024.

  • A small grey-green roadster with black wings, red wheels and a display card in a museum hall. Opens a larger view

    13 A 1930 American Austin roadster in the Stahls Automotive Collection, Chesterfield, Michigan, in December 2021.

Inside and details 6

  • Close view of a black dashboard with three round cream dials, an ignition switch and a spring-spoke steering wheel. Opens a larger view

    14 The dashboard of a black 1930 American Austin coupé at a British car show in Oxnard, California, in 2009.

  • Looking into an open car over tan pleated leather seats to a black steering wheel and a row of small dials. Opens a larger view

    15 The cockpit of a black 1931 American Austin roadster with tan leather seats near Santa Rosa, California, in May 2011.

  • A small maroon coupé with white wings, its bonnet side raised to show the engine, parked on grass by a fence. Opens a larger view

    16 A maroon 1934 American Austin coupé with its bonnet open at a car show near Santa Rosa, California, in May 2011.

  • Close view of a worn oval badge reading American Austin on a corroded radiator shell. Opens a larger view

    17 The enamelled radiator badge of an unrestored American Austin in the Mallalieu Motor Collection in November 2011.

  • A chrome rooster mascot on a radiator cap above a round red enamel badge and a chrome grille shell. Opens a larger view

    18 A rooster radiator mascot and enamel badge on a black 1930 American Austin coupé at a British car show in Oxnard, California, in 2009; the rooster may be a later fitting.

  • The rusty front of a small car with peeling paint, its wings lifted away from the chassis, in a workshop. Opens a larger view

    19 An unrestored American Austin with its front wings detached, awaiting rebuilding in the Mallalieu Motor Collection in November 2011.

Variants and relatives 25

  • A small cream coupé with brown wings and white-wall tyres parked on grass by a wooden fence. Opens a larger view

    20 A cream and brown 1939 American Bantam coupé at a car show near Santa Rosa, California, in May 2011.

  • A steering wheel in front of a wood-grain painted dashboard with two round dials and a key. Opens a larger view

    21 The wood-grain dashboard of a 1939 American Bantam at a car show near Santa Rosa, California, in May 2011.

  • Head-on view of a black car with a tall ribbed grille, round headlamps on the wings and a chrome bumper. Opens a larger view

    22 A black 1939 American Bantam seen head-on, showing its grille and faired headlamps, near Santa Rosa, California, in May 2011.

  • A weathered red and cream roadster with its bonnet up and a show board in front of it, on tarmac. Opens a larger view

    23 A red and cream 1939 American Bantam roadster special with its bonnet raised at a show in Greeley, Colorado, in June 2024.

  • A small station wagon with a black bonnet and wings and a varnished wooden body on a lawn. Opens a larger view

    24 A black and timber 1939 American Bantam station wagon at a car show near Santa Rosa, California, in May 2011.

20 more picturesFewer pictures
  • Looking down into a yellow open car with red seats, a black steering wheel and a ribbon on the windscreen. Opens a larger view

    25 The red interior and dashboard of a yellow 1940 American Bantam De Luxe roadster in the Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, California, in May 2018.

  • Head-on view of a pale yellow roadster with a tall ribbed grille and headlamps faired into its wings. Opens a larger view

    26 A yellow 1940 American Bantam De Luxe roadster seen head-on in the Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, California, in May 2018.

  • The rear of a yellow roadster with a white-walled spare wheel and a California historic vehicle plate. Opens a larger view

    27 A yellow 1940 American Bantam De Luxe roadster from behind in the Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, California, in May 2018.

  • A cream roadster with a maroon side panel and red seats among other cars in a museum hall. Opens a larger view

    28 A cream and maroon 1940 American Bantam De Luxe roadster in the Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo, California, in May 2018.

  • A small green pick-up with its bonnet open and display cards on the windscreen, parked before a stone wall. Opens a larger view

    29 A green 1940 American Bantam quarter-ton pick-up with its bonnet raised at a car show in September 2005.

  • The rear of a small two-tone coupé with a spare wheel on its back, parked on grass with people beyond. Opens a larger view

    30 A maroon and cream 1938 American Bantam coupé from behind at the Prins Bertil Memorial meeting, Sweden, in June 2009.

  • A red roadster with white side panels, white-wall tyres and a black hood on leaf-strewn grass, people around. Opens a larger view

    31 A red and white American Bantam roadster at the AACA Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 2009.

  • Head-on view of a red roadster with a vertical-bar grille, headlamps in the wings and a white bumper behind a rope. Opens a larger view

    32 A red and white 1938 American Bantam roadster in the Gyeongju World Automobile Museum, South Korea, in August 2025.

  • Looking into a red open car over a cream bench seat to a thin steering wheel and dials in a red dashboard. Opens a larger view

    33 The dashboard and bench seat of a red 1938 American Bantam roadster in the Gyeongju World Automobile Museum, South Korea, in August 2025.

  • The rear of a red roadster with a white-walled spare wheel on its tail and a number plate below. Opens a larger view

    34 A red 1938 American Bantam roadster from behind, its spare wheel on the tail, in the Gyeongju World Automobile Museum, South Korea, in August 2025.

  • A black open car with a red side panel, white-wall tyres and a display sign on a stand, in a hall. Opens a larger view

    35 A black and red 1939 American Bantam Model 60 Speedster on display in Kansas City, Missouri, in March 2011.

  • A red open car with a yellow side panel and red leather seats under warm museum light. Opens a larger view

    36 A red and yellow 1939 American Bantam Speedster in the Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, in December 2010.

  • Looking over the side of a red and yellow open car at red leather seats and a cream steering wheel. Opens a larger view

    37 The red leather interior of a 1939 American Bantam Speedster in the Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, in December 2010.

  • A small station wagon with a grey bonnet and wings, a wooden body and white-wall tyres in a car park. Opens a larger view

    38 A grey and timber 1940 American Bantam Super 4 station wagon at a station wagon club meet in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2023.

  • The rear of a small wooden-bodied station wagon with a black roof and a tailgate. Opens a larger view

    39 A 1940 American Bantam Super 4 station wagon from behind at a station wagon club meet in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2023.

  • A maroon small coupé body on a low chassis with fat rear tyres, chrome wheels and an open engine at the front. Opens a larger view

    40 An American Austin body on a hot rod with an exposed engine at a car show in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, in June 2014.

  • A small white panel van with a narrow grille, black wings and white-wall tyres under a tent. Opens a larger view

    41 A white American Austin panel van at the Bonhams sale at the Greenwich Concours, Connecticut, in June 2013.

  • A small blue pick-up with faded, rusting paint and old lettering on its door, under a white tent. Opens a larger view

    42 A weathered 1933 American Austin pick-up in original livery at the Bonhams sale at the Greenwich Concours, Connecticut, in June 2013.

  • Side view of a small orange open car with orange wheels in front of a white tent with a yellow club banner. Opens a larger view

    43 An orange American Austin roadster below an American Austin Bantam club banner at the AACA Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 2009.

  • Close view of a red curved bonnet with a tall chrome grille of vertical bars and a small badge. Opens a larger view

    44 The waterfall grille of a red 1938 American Bantam roadster in the Gyeongju World Automobile Museum, South Korea, in August 2025.

Period photographs 1

  • A small military car hanging in a rope net from a crane arm above dark water. Opens a larger view

    45 A Bantam BRC-40 reconnaissance car slung in nets and lowered onto a Higgins boat at New River, North Carolina, in August 1941.

Picture credits (45)
  1. 1 Rex Gray, CC BY 2.0
  2. 2 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  3. 3 JOHN LLOYD from Concrete, Washington, United States, CC BY 2.0
  4. 4 JOHN LLOYD from Concrete, Washington, United States, CC BY 2.0
  5. 5 JOHN LLOYD from Concrete, Washington, United States, CC BY 2.0
  6. 6 Rex Gray, CC BY 2.0
  7. 7 MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0
  8. 8 JOHN LLOYD from Concrete, Washington, United States, CC BY 2.0
  9. 9 David Berry from Rohnert Park CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
  10. 10 MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0
  11. 11 David Berry from Rohnert Park CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
  12. 12 Jeremy Thompson from Los Angeles, California, CC BY 2.0
  13. 13 Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
  14. 14 Rex Gray, CC BY 2.0
  15. 15 David Berry from Rohnert Park CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
  16. 16 David Berry from Rohnert Park CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
  17. 17 allen watkin from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
  18. 18 Rex Gray, CC BY 2.0
  19. 19 allen watkin from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
  20. 20 David Berry from Rohnert Park CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
  21. 21 David Berry from Rohnert Park CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
  22. 22 David Berry from Rohnert Park CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
  23. 23 BUTTON74, CC BY-SA 4.0
  24. 24 David Berry from Rohnert Park CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
  25. 25 Daderot, CC0
  26. 26 Daderot, CC0
  27. 27 Daderot, CC0
  28. 28 Daderot, CC0
  29. 29 dave_7 from Lethbridge, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0
  30. 30 Liftarn, CC BY-SA 2.0
  31. 31 JOHN LLOYD from Concrete, Washington, United States, CC BY 2.0
  32. 32 Damian B Oh, CC BY-SA 4.0
  33. 33 Damian B Oh, CC BY-SA 4.0
  34. 34 Damian B Oh, CC BY-SA 4.0
  35. 35 Russ Davis, CC BY-SA 3.0
  36. 36 Daderot, Public domain
  37. 37 Daderot, Public domain
  38. 38 MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0
  39. 39 MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0
  40. 40 JOHN LLOYD from Concrete, Washington, United States, CC BY 2.0
  41. 41 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  42. 42 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  43. 43 JOHN LLOYD from Concrete, Washington, United States, CC BY 2.0
  44. 44 Damian B Oh, CC BY-SA 4.0
  45. 45 U.S. Army Signal Corps, Public domain

Variants

Austin, then Bantam

The American Seven and its successor
VariantYearsWhat differsHow many
American Austin coupé1930–⁠34De Sakhnoffsky’s body, built by Hayes; a business coupé among the versionsIn about 20,000
American Austin roadster1930–⁠34The open two-seaterIn about 20,000
Van and pick-up1930–⁠34Commercial bodiesIn about 20,000
Bantam 601937–⁠41Restyled, the headlamps in the wings and a rooster mascot; roadster, coupé, convertible and four-seat Speedster; 20 hpAbout 6,000 Bantams of all types
Bantam Riviera, Hollywood, Boulevard Delivery and station wagon1938–⁠41Further body stylesIn the 6,000

Specification

The American Austin, 1930–⁠34, unless noted

Engine and drive

EngineWater-cooled side-valve four in line, 747 cc (45.6 cu in)28
Power15 hp43613 hp in RM Sotheby’s 2016 catalogue8
GearboxThree speeds4The car RM sold in 2016 was described with four, perhaps a later fitting
Bantam engineAluminium inlet system and head, 7:1 compression, better bearings: 20 hp at 4,000 rpm7

Dimensions

Length3,086 mm (121.5 in), a 1930 roadster5
Wheelbase1,905 mm (75 in)256

Performance and running

Top speed50 mph (80 km/h)42
ConsumptionAbout 40 US mpg (5.9 litres per 100 km)42
Oil1,000 miles on a 2-quart fill2
Price new$445 in 1930215$475 by the Lane museum; Bantams $399–565 in 193941

How many were built?

Every figure, with its source

About 20,000 builtAbout 20,000 American Austins, 1930–⁠34, by the Lane museum and English Wikipedia. The year-by-year figures add up to 19,466, which supports it against German Wikipedia’s 15,000. About 6,000 Bantam cars followed in 1937–⁠41.

  1. about 20,000American Austins, 1930–⁠34Two sources agree

    Lane Motor Museum and English Wikipedia42

  2. about 15,000American AustinsOne source

    German Wikipedia3

  3. 8,558delivered in 1930Two sources agree

    Lane Motor Museum, German Wikipedia and Kit Foster; English Wikipedia says 8,448 sold4312

  4. about 6,000Bantam cars of all types, 1937–⁠41Two sources agree

    Kit Foster and English Wikipedia17

  5. 4,726built in 1933Two sources agree

    English and German Wikipedia23

  6. 3,846built in 1932, 80 per cent of them sold to Roy EvansOne source

    English Wikipedia2

  7. 2,675Bantam jeeps, 1940–⁠43One source

    English Wikipedia7

  8. 1,279built in 1931Two sources agree

    English Wikipedia and Kit Foster21

  9. 1,057built in 1934One source

    German Wikipedia3

  • Two sources agreetwo good sources give the figure
  • One sourcea good source, alone
  • Unconfirmeda lead only, not yet checked

Famous for

Three points

  1. A Seven in a suit

    The Austin Seven built under licence in Pennsylvania, restyled by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky.

  2. Boom and bust

    A reputed 184,000 orders, 8,558 delivered in 1930 and only 1,279 built in 1931.

  3. The first jeep

    As the American Bantam, the firm designed and built the jeep’s first prototype in 1940.

Survivors and collecting

Today

No survivor count has been found. The Henry Ford in Dearborn keeps a cream and maroon 1930 roadster, not on display, and the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville a 1930 coupé.54 The auction catalogues of RM add to the car’s fame: they say the Our Gang comedies used American Austins, that Walt Disney drew Donald Duck’s car from the Bantam and the Austin, and that Al Jolson, Buster Keaton and Ernest Hemingway owned one; these rest on the auction house alone (see microcars on screen).86

At auction
CarSalePrice
1933 American Austin, Cigarette Cream and blackRM Auctions, Auburn, autumn 20146$15,675
1930 American AustinRM Sotheby’s, Hilton Head, 20168$18,975

Sources

Numbered as in the text

No period road test was found; the story of the voyage, the orders and the styling rests largely on the historian Kit Foster. Sources are given as plain text; the links are on the Credits page.

  1. Kit Foster, automotive historian, “Carport” blog, post 2744, read in full.
  2. English Wikipedia, American Austin Car Company.
  3. German Wikipedia, American Austin Car Company.
  4. Lane Motor Museum, “American Austin – 1930”, collection page, read in full.
  5. The Henry Ford, Dearborn, artifact 221323, 1930 American Austin roadster.
  6. RM Auctions (now RM Sotheby’s), Auburn Fall 2014, lot 7013, 1933 American Austin.
  7. English Wikipedia, American Bantam.
  8. RM Sotheby’s, Hilton Head 2016, lot 124, 1930 American Austin.