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Austin Seven

Also known as Austin 7, “Baby Austin”, “Chummy” (the early tourer)

Herbert Austin’s board did not want it, so he paid for it himself and had it drawn by an 18-year-old in the billiard room of his house. It became the “Baby Austin”, the car that put British families on four wheels, and it earned Austin two guineas of royalty on every one of about 290,000.

A small royal-blue open tourer with black wings, black hood and wire wheels on grass by a fence.
A blue 1927 Austin Seven Chummy tourer with its hood up at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, West Sussex, in July 2024.Photo: Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

The spec plate

Austin Seven

Seven · Longbridge

Built
1922–⁠1939Announced in July 1922; in series from 1923 to 1939
Country
BritainLongbridge, Birmingham; built under licence in Germany, France and the United States
Maker
Austin Motor CompanyDesigned by Herbert Austin and Stanley Edge
Engine
747 cc side-valve four696 cc until March 1923; water-cooled by thermosiphon
Power
about 10 hpFigures of 10 to 12 hp are given; the RAC tax rating was 10.5 hp
Length
2,794 mm
Weight
360 kg794 lb in English Wikipedia’s text; 375 kg in its table
Seats
4Two adults and two children in the Chummy; two in the sports models
Wheels
4Engine at the front, the rear wheels driven through a short torque tube
Price new
£165At launch, 1922; the bare chassis cost £112 in the mid-1920s
Production
about 290,000Cars and vans, 1923–⁠39; licence builds not included
Survives
No count foundThe Austin Seven Clubs’ Association keeps a register
Top speed
84km/h84 km/h48–52 mph (77–84 km/h)

How big is it?

True proportion

2.79 m

It is 176 mm shorter than a Fiat 500, about 1.6 adults laid end to end, and twice the length of a Peel P50.

  • 360 kg: about five adults
  • Four seats in 2.8 metres
  • Wheelbase 1,905 mm (75 in)
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 Austin made his name at Wolseley before founding his own company at Longbridge, Birmingham, and before the First World War his cars were mostly large and of high quality.12 (The single-cylinder Austin 7 hp of 1909–⁠11, built for him by Swift of Coventry, is no relation.23) In the war the works made everything from aeroplanes to artillery shells.1 Peace went badly. Austin staked the company on one model, the Austin 20. It failed, and in 1921 the company went into receivership.12 The same year, a new Horsepower Tax began to favour cars with a small RAC rating.2

Austin had been thinking since 1920 of a small car for young families, people who could otherwise afford only a motorcycle and sidecar or a cyclecar. What he wanted was a big car in miniature.123

Drawn in the billiard room

His board and his creditors were against it, so Austin carried on privately. He hired Stanley Edge, an 18-year-old draughtsman from Longbridge, and the two worked on it from 1921 into 1922 in the billiard room of Lickey Grange, Austin’s house; Hagerty says Edge spent eight months there.245 Edge said later that he had talked Austin into a tiny four-cylinder engine instead of a twin, and that he designed the gearbox and the clutch. The styling was largely Austin’s.2 Both are among the designers. The Seven is often said to owe something to the Peugeot Quadrilette, but it has never been shown.23

Austin put a great deal of his own money in and patented many of the features in his own name. In return he took a royalty of two guineas (£2 2s) on every Seven sold.24 Three prototypes were built in a special area of the Longbridge factory.2

A big car in miniature

The Seven was announced in July 1922.245 Hagerty gives its price at launch as £165, and £167 for 1923.5 What it offered for the money was a proper car, scaled down. The frame was shaped like the letter A, with the engine held between the channels at the narrow front, a single transverse spring for the front axle and quarter-elliptic springs cantilevered out behind.2 The engine was a water-cooled four with side valves, cooled without a water pump, and it drove the rear wheels through a three-speed gearbox and a short torque tube.12 The car had brakes on all four wheels from the start, oddly arranged: the pedal worked the rear brakes and the hand lever the front, until 1930.2 It was 2,794 mm (110 in) long, by Austin’s own handbook of 1925, on a wheelbase of 1,905 mm (75 in).23 The open four-seat tourer took two adults and two children, and was called the “Chummy”.2

The first engine was 696 cc. In March 1923 its bore was widened from 54 to 56 mm (2.125 to 2.2 in), which made 747 cc and raised the RAC rating from 7.2 to 10.5 hp, and an electric starter followed in November 1923, or in 1924 by Grace’s Guide.24 Series production really began in 1923. Wyatt, in his history of the firm, counts 1,936 cars that year, and from there the numbers climbed: 4,700 in 1924, 14,000 in 1926, 26,447 in 1929.3

Black and white photograph of a small open tourer on a show stand under an Austin sign, a poster beside it.
Plate I · 1924 A Seven tourer on the stand of Riemer, the Hague dealer, at the Amsterdam motor show in 1924.Photo: Spaarnestad Photo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Seven finished off the British cyclecar trade within a few years, and it turned Austin’s fortunes round.24 In France the Citroën 5HP did the same, and the cyclecar boom ended between them.2 It has been called the British Model T.23

Racing from the start

The Seven was racing within months of its launch. Arthur Waite, Austin’s son-in-law, had his first successes at Brooklands in March 1923, and on 29 April, in the cyclecar Grand Prix at Monza, he won the 750 cc class at 89.88 km/h (55.85 mph).26 Not everything went so well. At the 1923 Grand Prix de Boulogne all three Sevens retired, two with failed big ends, part of a run of failures from lubrication that could not cope with racing.26 At Le Mans on 23 September, in the 750 cc race, Waite was third and Roddis fourth.6

Black and white photograph of a small racing car numbered 3 with its driver, a crowd of men in hats behind.
Plate II · 1923 Arthur Waite in his Austin Seven, number 3, at Monza in April 1923, where he won the 750 cc class.Photo: Agence Rol, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

E. C. Gordon England took six class records at Brooklands in 1923, and on 13 October, in the JCC 200 Miles, he finished second behind Ramon Bueno’s Salmson in the 1,100 cc class, in a Seven with a two-seat body weighing 9 kg (20 lb). He took five more class records during the race.26 By 1925 he held 19 class records for 750 cc cars.2 In January 1924 Austin put replicas on sale, the Sports and the Brooklands Super Sports; each Super Sports came with a Brooklands certificate for 129 km/h (80 mph).2

Black and white photograph of a dented streamlined racing car numbered 69, its driver smiling, onlookers behind.
Plate III · 1924 E. C. Gordon England in his Seven, number 69, at Montlhéry in October 1924.Photo: Agence Rol, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The class wins kept coming. Zubiaga won the 750 cc race at Miramas on 27 June 1926, and Francis Samuelson was sixth overall at Boulogne that August.7 In 1928 Waite won the 100 Miles Road Race at Phillip Island, later counted as the 1928 Australian Grand Prix, and at the 1929 Tourist Trophy at Ards Archie Frazer-Nash was third and S. V. Holbrook fourth, which is how the sports model came to be called the Ulster.2

Black and white photograph of a driver in a leather coat sitting in a streamlined racer with GB and number plates.
Plate IV · 1926 Zubiaga in his Seven before the 750 cc race at Miramas, June 1926, which he won.Photo: Agence Rol, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In the 1930s the works cars ran with superchargers and chased records. Malcolm Campbell took a class mile at Daytona at 151.3 km/h (94.03 mph) in 1931, and Leon Cushman went past 100 mph at Brooklands the same year. Gwenda Stewart set records from 5 km to 10 miles at Montlhéry at about 175 km/h (109 mph), and Pat Driscoll lapped the Brooklands outer circuit at 180.1 km/h (111.92 mph) at Easter 1934. In 1936 came Murray Jamieson’s twin-cam single-seaters, and at Shelsley Walsh a side-valve Seven driven by Baumer beat all three of them. Charles Dodson won the 1938 Empire Trophy at Donington in a twin-cam, and Kay Petre set the ladies’ record at Shelsley Walsh in a works Austin.8 In 1947, with the twin-cams standing idle, Bill Boddy pleaded for them in print:

We earnestly beseech the Austin Motor Co. Ltd., to run them in this season’s races and sprints, that British prestige may receive the uplift it so badly needs.

W.B. (Bill Boddy), “The Development of the Racing Austin Seven”, Motor Sport, April 1947.8

Closed cars and coachbuilders

Gordon England was also an aircraft builder, and he built bodies on aircraft principles, in Rexine over a wooden frame (more on the aircraft makers page). His fabric saloon, often called the Doctor’s Saloon and said to be the smallest closed car in the world, showed in 1926 that people wanted a Seven with a roof.12 Austin’s own saloon followed in September 1926 at £165, steel-panelled by English Wikipedia’s account, though the same article’s table of body types lists the first R and RK saloons as aluminium or fabric. A fabric saloon stayed in the catalogue at £20 more until fabric went out of fashion in the early 1930s.12

In 1927 William Lyons of the Swallow Sidecar Company bought a Seven chassis from Parkers of Bolton and had Cyril Holland build a two-tone open two-seater on it, the Austin Seven Swallow, at £175. A Swallow saloon followed in 1928. About 3,500 Swallow bodies were made until 1932, and the demand forced the firm to move from Blackpool to Coventry in 1928, a step on the road to SS and Jaguar.2 Compton Sons & Terry built a sports coupé body called the Arrow.3 In Australia, Sevens arrived as rolling chassis and were bodied locally, Holden’s Motor Body Builders the largest of the firms.2

The first BMW, and others

The Seven was built under licence in Germany, France and the United States, and emulated in Japan (see built under licence). In Germany, Dixi of Eisenach began building it in September 1927 as the Dixi 3/15; the first 50 were right-hand-drive cars made from Austin parts, the rest left-hand drive. From 1929 it was built as the BMW 3/15, the first BMW car, until March 1932: 9,307 Dixis and 18,976 BMWs.129 In France the Rosengart LR2 followed from 1928, the LR4 in 1931 and the Supercinq in 1935; François Lecot drove a production car 900 km a day for more than three and a half months, 100,000 km in all.10 In the United States the American Austin of Butler, Pennsylvania, with a body styled by de Sakhnoffsky, made about 20,000 between 1930 and 1934.11

Japan is a different case. The Lane museum and English Wikipedia say Nissan based the first Datsuns, the Type 10 and the Datsun Type 11 of 1931–⁠32, on the Seven, although not under licence; other authors call them licensed copies, and the question is disputed. Their engine was a 495 cc DAT, sized for Japan’s licence-free class of 1930, up to 500 cc, not the Seven’s 747 cc. Herbert Austin is said to have imported a Datsun in 1935, examined it and decided not to complain.1212 Nissan’s agreement to build Austins came later, in 1952, and is a separate story.2

Ruby, and the end

The Seven kept changing. Coil ignition came in 1928 and coupled brakes in 1930. Late in 1931 the chassis was lengthened by 152 mm (6 in), with a wider track at the back, and a four-speed gearbox followed in 1932, with synchromesh on third and top in 1933 and on second in 1934.2 The definitive 1930s Seven, the Ruby saloon, came in 1934, with a cabriolet, the Pearl, the Opal two-seater and the Nippy sports car; in 1936 the engine got a three-bearing crankshaft, and the Ruby became the New Ruby.23 Output peaked at 27,280 in 1935.3

Black and white photograph of a small open tourer with uniformed men aboard on a wide street of modern buildings.
Plate V · 1938 A Seven tourer on Kings Way, Haifa, during a patrol in 1938.Photo: American Colony Photo Department (Matson Collection), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Then it fell away: 8,500 in 1938, 1,000 in 1939, and production stopped.3 The Big 7 and the Austin 8 took its place.2 The engine lived on, at first in a derivative and then in a copy that Reliant built for its three-wheelers until about 1962–⁠63.23 Austin brought back the name twice, for the A30 in 1951 and for the Mini, sold at first as the Austin Seven, in 1959.2

The 750 Motor Club

Even before production stopped, the Seven had found its next life. In February 1939 Bill Boddy proposed in Motor Sport a club for owners of Austin Sevens and other 8 hp cars, and 19 replies came within a week.1314

The obvious cure seems to be to found the Seven-Fifty Club exclusively for Austin Seven owners, and run sensible trials for these fascinating babies.

Bill Boddy, Motor Sport, February 1939, as quoted in the same magazine in September 1989.13

The 750 Motor Club held its first rally at Virginia Water on 16 April 1939, with 28 cars, all but four of them Sevens.13 After the war the Seven’s chassis, cheap and plentiful, became the standard base for amateur specials. In 1949 the club’s chairman, Holland “Holly” Birkett, wrote the 750 Formula for Seven-based sports specials, with limits on tuning to keep the costs down. The first race, at Silverstone in June 1950, drew 16 cars and was won by Charles Bulmer in Tom Lush’s Ulster, and the formula is called the oldest for sports-prototypes in the world.1315 Colin Chapman’s first Lotus was built on a Seven, and Bruce McLaren’s first racing car was a Seven Ulster, in 1952. Eric Broadley of Lola, Derek Bennett of Chevron, Jem Marsh of Marcos, Gordon Murray and Adrian Reynard all came through the same world.251315 By 1956 the club had more than 2,000 members.13

A grey fabric-covered small saloon with black wire wheels on a wooden museum floor.
The Lane Motor Museum’s 1929 fabric saloon: fabric over a wooden frame, so few originals survive.Photo: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A cream two-seater with maroon wings, a polished radiator cowl and wire wheels on grass, marquees behind.
A 1928 Swallow two-seater, the body with which William Lyons set out on the road to Jaguar.Photo: Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A green early open tourer and a cream later tourer side by side in a garage hung with signs.
A 1922 Seven tourer beside a tourer of 1934, in a private collection in Norfolk in 2025: twelve years of the same car.Photo: Steve Knight, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pictures

More photographs, old and new

The car 38

  • A yellow open tourer with black wings and hood on a show stand, blue lights glowing on its wheels. Opens a larger view

    1 A yellow 1924 Austin Seven Chummy tourer under show lighting at the British International Motor Show, Farnborough, in August 2022.

  • A small blue open tourer with worn, faded paint, a black hood and wire wheels against a white wall. Opens a larger view

    2 A weathered blue 1926 Austin Seven Chummy tourer with its hood up at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, West Sussex, in July 2023.

  • A bright blue open tourer with black wings and wire wheels in a car park among other classics. Opens a larger view

    3 A blue 1927 Austin Seven Chummy tourer at the Goodwood Revival, West Sussex, in September 2023.

  • A dark blue four-seat tourer with its hood up, a cowled grille and black wheels on grass. Opens a larger view

    4 A blue 1936 Austin Seven AAL Open Road tourer at Salon Privé, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, in September 2022.

  • A dark blue open tourer with a grey hood up, black wings and wire wheels on grass beside other cars. Opens a larger view

    5 A blue 1928 Austin Seven AD four-seat tourer with its hood up at the Catton Hall Classic Car Show, Derbyshire, in May 2014.

33 more picturesFewer pictures
  • A small green open tourer with black wings and wire wheels on grass, a man in a cap behind it. Opens a larger view

    6 A green 1929 Austin Seven AE tourer with its hood up on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia, in January 2013.

  • A small tan open tourer with black wings and wire wheels on a concrete floor in a hangar. Opens a larger view

    7 A tan 1929 Austin Seven AE tourer with its hood folded at Wanaka, New Zealand, in January 2017.

  • A cream open tourer with brown wings, its hood up and wire wheels, parked on grass in a park. Opens a larger view

    8 A cream 1925 Austin Seven Chummy tourer at the National Motoring Heritage Day, The Entrance, New South Wales, in May 2013.

  • A small red open tourer with black wings, a black radiator and a yellow plate, its driver in the seat. Opens a larger view

    9 A maroon 1927 Austin Seven Chummy at the Bridgehampton Cars & Coffee, New York, in September 2019.

  • A red open tourer with a black hood up, black wings and wire wheels on a lawn by a hedge. Opens a larger view

    10 A red and black 1928 Austin Seven Chummy with its hood up in the gardens of Easton Lodge, Little Easton, Essex, in July 2019.

  • A small dark tourer seen head-on with a purple-faced radiator and its windscreen up, a placard in front. Opens a larger view

    11 A 1928 Austin Seven Chummy tourer in the Auto World Vintage Car Museum, Kathwada, Gujarat, India, in September 2017.

  • A maroon coupé with a fabric upper body, black wings and wire wheels on grass beside a red car. Opens a larger view

    12 A maroon 1930 Austin Seven Type B coupé at the Cheshire Steam Fair in July 2014.

  • A pale green open utility car with a spare wheel at the front, cream wheels and a black hood, on cobbles. Opens a larger view

    13 A pale-green 1932 Austin Seven with a Mulliner military body at the Hampton Court Concours of Elegance, Surrey, in September 2022.

  • A blue open tourer with a tall black folding hood, black wings and wire wheels on grass at a show. Opens a larger view

    14 A blue Austin Seven Chummy tourer with body type C and a pram hood, first registered in July 1924, photographed in August 2019.

  • A small dark green tourer with a raised hood frame and aerials on top, men in suits behind it on grass. Opens a larger view

    15 A 1930 Austin Seven radio car with roof aerials at Goodwood, West Sussex, in June 2022.

  • A dark green four-seat tourer with its hood folded and a cowled grille on grass among cars. Opens a larger view

    16 A green 1938 Austin Seven Ruby Mk 2 open tourer at the Burley in Wharfedale Classic Vehicle Show, Yorkshire, in August 2014.

  • A dark green open tourer with its hood up and wire wheels on a brick floor, other cars beyond. Opens a larger view

    17 A green 1923 Austin Seven tourer in the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire, in June 2011.

  • A dark open tourer with its hood up and wire wheels on a brick floor beside a white wall. Opens a larger view

    18 A 1923 Austin Seven tourer with its hood up from the left front in the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire, in June 2011.

  • A bright blue open tourer with a black hood, black wings and wire wheels on grass, visitors beside it. Opens a larger view

    19 A blue Austin Seven Chummy tourer at the Hampton Court Concours of Elegance, Surrey, in September 2022.

  • A green open tourer with its hood up, black wings and wire wheels on a turntable before a photo mural. Opens a larger view

    20 A green 1923 Austin Seven tourer from the front quarter in Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, in March 2015.

  • A small maroon open tourer with its hood folded and muddy wheels parked by a kerb. Opens a larger view

    21 A maroon Austin Seven tourer parked in The Square, Portaferry, County Down, Northern Ireland, in October 2009.

  • Side view of a green open tourer with its hood up on a round display platform, period photographs behind. Opens a larger view

    22 A green 1923 Austin Seven tourer in profile on a turntable in Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, in April 2013.

  • The rear of a cream open tourer with its fabric hood up and a spare wheel on a luggage rack. Opens a larger view

    23 A cream 1925 Austin Seven Chummy tourer from behind, its spare wheel on the tail, at the National Motoring Heritage Day, The Entrance, New South Wales, in May 2013.

  • A red open tourer with black wings and its bonnet raised on grass, display cards on the windscreen. Opens a larger view

    24 A red 1930 Austin Seven Chummy with its bonnet open at the All British Field Meet, Vancouver, Canada, in May 2010.

  • The rear of a green open tourer with a fabric hood, a spare wheel and number plate XO 4133. Opens a larger view

    25 A green 1923 Austin Seven tourer from behind, its spare wheel on the tail, in Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, in April 2013.

  • A small dark open tourer with a brass radiator and rally number 8, its driver at the wheel on a grass field. Opens a larger view

    26 A 1922 Austin Seven tourer driven in the Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally in Kolkata, India, in January 2013.

  • A racing driver in a cap waves from the back of a small blue open tourer on a race track. Opens a larger view

    27 Lewis Hamilton driving a blue Austin Seven Chummy on the drivers’ parade at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone, in July 2022.

  • A small red open two-seater driving along a grass-verged road past a 40 speed-limit sign. Opens a larger view

    28 A red Austin Seven two-seat tourer on a country road, photographed in May 2020.

  • A yellow open tourer with black wings and lettering on its door before old fuel signs in a museum. Opens a larger view

    29 A yellow 1924 Austin Seven tourer in the transport hall of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, Dunedin, New Zealand, in November 2016.

  • A red open tourer with black wings behind a chain in a museum, an information board on the floor. Opens a larger view

    30 A red 1926 Austin Seven tourer in the California Automobile Museum, Sacramento, in August 2016.

  • A dark red open tourer with a black hood up, black wings and wire wheels on a pale museum floor. Opens a larger view

    31 A maroon 1923 Austin Seven Chummy in the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in June 2018.

  • A green open tourer with a tan hood up, black wings and wire wheels on a tiled museum floor. Opens a larger view

    32 A green 1924 Austin Seven Chummy tourer in the Toyota Automobile Museum, Nagakute, Japan, in November 2025.

  • A worn black open tourer with its hood up and wire wheels in a dim museum display. Opens a larger view

    33 A 1925 Austin Seven Chummy in the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire, in June 2011.

  • A small black open tourer with its hood up and wire wheels on a wooden museum floor beside a display stand. Opens a larger view

    34 The 1925 Austin Seven Chummy in which John Coleman drove from Buenos Aires to New York, in the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in 2023.

  • Head-on view of a small dark saloon with a narrow radiator in a museum, blue cars behind. Opens a larger view

    35 An Austin Seven shipped to Japan as a bare chassis and given a Japanese-built body, in the Toyota Automobile Museum, Nagakute, in May 2015.

  • A blue four-seat tourer with its black hood up and wire wheels on a white plinth before a yellow wall. Opens a larger view

    36 A blue 1933 Austin Seven Open Road tourer in the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in April 2018.

  • A blue open tourer with its hood up next to a yellow and black small saloon on a show stand. Opens a larger view

    37 A 1925 Austin Seven AC tourer beside a 1928 Austin Seven Type B saloon at the Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham, in November 2025.

  • A small dark grey open tourer with its hood up and wire wheels on grass, a display card in front. Opens a larger view

    38 The 1923 Austin Seven works publicity car, a Chummy tourer, at Goodwood, West Sussex, in June 2022.

The car: Sports models 48

  • A bright red open two-seater with flowing wings and wire wheels on a white floor before a red wall. Opens a larger view

    39 A red 1933 Austin Seven Ace Sports two-seater on display in Melbourne, Australia, in April 2015.

  • A dark green two-seater with flowing wings and a chrome radiator on grass, other cars behind. Opens a larger view

    40 A green 1933 Austin Seven Arrow at the Llandudno Transport Festival, Wales, in May 2014.

  • A red two-seater with sweeping wings, a chrome radiator and wire wheels on grass before a hedge. Opens a larger view

    41 A red 1933 Austin Seven Arrow Sports at Capel Manor, Enfield, London, in September 2015.

  • A grey two-seater with black wings and wheels and its hood up on a wooden museum floor. Opens a larger view

    42 A grey 1929 Avon-bodied Austin Seven two-seater in the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in April 2018.

  • An orange two-seater with a black hood, black wings and wire wheels on grass. Opens a larger view

    43 An orange 1934 Austin Seven boat-tail two-seater at the Hoghton Tower Classic Car Show, Lancashire, in June 2015.

43 more picturesFewer pictures
  • A polished aluminium sports two-seater with its bonnet raised and wire wheels on grass. Opens a larger view

    44 A silver 1925 Austin Seven Gordon England Brooklands with its bonnet open, photographed in May 2010.

  • A polished aluminium two-seater with a long bonnet, wire wheels and a show board in front, on grass. Opens a larger view

    45 A silver 1925 Austin Seven Gordon England Brooklands from the front quarter, photographed in June 2013.

  • A red sports two-seater with a chrome radiator and wire wheels in a pit lane, people behind. Opens a larger view

    46 A red 1935 Austin Seven Brooklands at the Nationaal Oldtimer Festival, Zandvoort, Netherlands, in 2010.

  • A white doorless two-seater with a black radiator, cycle wings and a Dutch number plate. Opens a larger view

    47 A white 1931 Austin Seven Brooklands sports two-seater at the Nationaal Oldtimer Festival, Zandvoort, Netherlands, in September 2009.

  • A red pointed-tail racing two-seater numbered 58 on a dark floor in front of a sponsor wall. Opens a larger view

    48 The red Austin Seven Ulster, No. 58, with which Bruce McLaren began racing, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, West Sussex, in July 2023.

  • A small doorless sports two-seater with a polished aluminium bonnet and black wings on a wooden floor. Opens a larger view

    49 A 1928 Austin Seven E Super Sports, the doorless aluminium two-seater, on display in Melbourne, Australia, in October 2018.

  • A red two-seater with a cowled radiator, black hood and wire wheels on grass, other cars behind. Opens a larger view

    50 A red 1934 Austin Seven Type EB “65” Sports at the Chatsworth Classic & Performance Motor Show, Derbyshire, in July 2023.

  • A silver-grey sports two-seater with a pointed tail and cycle-type wings in a paddock with spectators. Opens a larger view

    51 A 1930 Austin Seven Standard Sports with an Australian Latrobe body at Winton, Victoria, Australia, in May 2016.

  • A red pointed-tail racing two-seater with the number 58 and wire wheels on a white show floor. Opens a larger view

    52 The 1929 Austin Seven Ulster that Bruce McLaren raced as a youth in New Zealand, at the London Classic Car Show in February 2020.

  • A cream and silver two-seater with flowing wings, louvred bonnet and wire wheels before a brick wall. Opens a larger view

    53 A 1929 Austin Seven Meteor sports two-seater bodied by A. Robinson & Co in Australia, photographed in 2007.

  • A dark green speedster with a chrome radiator and wire wheels in a sunny paddock beside red cars. Opens a larger view

    54 A green 1929 Austin Seven Meteor speedster at Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek, Australia, in August 2013.

  • A red sports two-seater with black wings and a cowled radiator in a gravel courtyard. Opens a larger view

    55 A red 1934 Austin Seven Nippy at Motorclassica, Melbourne, Australia, in October 2017.

  • A green sports two-seater with a cream radiator and wire wheels on grass under trees. Opens a larger view

    56 A green 1935 Austin Seven Nippy at the Prins Bertil Memorial meeting, Sweden, in June 2008.

  • A dark green two-seater with a cowled radiator, cream seats and wire wheels on grass in a tent. Opens a larger view

    57 A green 1933 Austin Seven “65” offered for sale at the AACA meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in October 2019.

  • A maroon low two-seater with a pointed tail, red seats and wire wheels in a car park. Opens a larger view

    58 A maroon pointed-tail Austin Seven sports two-seater, shown as a 1928 Speedy, at the Lytham Classic Car and Motorcycle Show, Lancashire, in August 2015.

  • A maroon sports two-seater with black wings, a radiator cowl and wire wheels on grass, a display card in front. Opens a larger view

    59 A maroon 1934 Austin Seven “Speedy” sports two-seater at Goodwood, West Sussex, in June 2022.

  • A yellow open tourer with black wings, a folded hood and wire wheels parked on grass among other cars. Opens a larger view

    60 A yellow and black Austin Seven tourer first registered in March 1931, photographed in July 2013.

  • An orange two-seater with a cream radiator, wire wheels and rally plates among people on grass. Opens a larger view

    61 An orange and grey 1931 Austin Seven sports two-seater at the Prins Bertil Memorial meeting, Sweden, in June 2007.

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

    62 A light-blue 1933 Austin Seven sports two-seater at the Lytham Classic Car Show, Lancashire, in September 2016.

  • A maroon sports two-seater with black wings, a black hood and wire wheels on grass. Opens a larger view

    63 A maroon 1933 Austin Seven Sports Type 65 at the Burley in Wharfedale Classic Vehicle Show, Yorkshire, in August 2014.

  • A bright blue open two-seater with black wings and wire wheels in a car park, men standing behind. Opens a larger view

    64 A blue 1934 Austin Seven sports two-seater at Simply British, National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, in September 2023.

  • An orange two-seater with a black radiator and black wings parked close among other cars. Opens a larger view

    65 An orange Austin Seven sports two-seater at the Nationaal Oldtimer Festival, Zandvoort, Netherlands, in September 2009.

  • A black doorless sports two-seater with wire wheels on a show stand, display boards behind. Opens a larger view

    66 A black 1928 Austin Seven Super Sports at the Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham, in November 2025.

  • A muddy grey sports two-seater numbered 128 on a blue show floor beside a sign reading Trials. Opens a larger view

    67 A grey 1930 Austin Seven Ulster prepared for trials at the Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham, in November 2025.

  • A silver doorless sports two-seater with black wings and wire wheels on a village green. Opens a larger view

    68 A silver and black 1931 Austin Seven Ulster at the Hatfield Heath Festival, Essex, in June 2017.

  • An orange doorless sports two-seater with black wings and wire wheels in a paddock, people behind. Opens a larger view

    69 An orange 1931 Austin Seven EA Sports “Ulster” at Winton, Victoria, Australia, in May 2015.

  • A pale blue doorless sports two-seater with black wings and wire wheels on a dark museum floor. Opens a larger view

    70 A blue 1932 Austin Seven Ulster in the Moretonhampstead Motor Museum, Devon, in August 2024.

  • A dark green doorless sports two-seater with a tonneau cover and wire wheels on a lakeside quay. Opens a larger view

    71 A green 1936 Austin Seven Ulster at Morges, Switzerland, in October 2013.

  • A low red open two-seater with black wings, a chrome mesh radiator, wire wheels and a placard on the grass. Opens a larger view

    72 Red Austin Seven Ulster replica, a sports two-seater built on a 1929 chassis, on the grass at a show in May 2013.

  • A dark green doorless sports two-seater with wire wheels and a Dutch plate on paving. Opens a larger view

    73 A green 1932 Austin Seven Ulster special at the Nationaal Oldtimer Festival, Zandvoort, Netherlands, in 2010.

  • A red doorless sports two-seater with black wings, a black radiator and wire wheels on grass before a brick wall. Opens a larger view

    74 A red 1934 Austin Seven Ulster-type sports two-seater at the Bicester Heritage Scramble, Oxfordshire, in January 2024.

  • Front quarter of a light blue doorless sports two-seater with a black radiator and rally plate on grass. Opens a larger view

    75 A blue 1930 supercharged Austin Seven Ulster at the Prins Bertil Memorial meeting, Sweden, in June 2007.

  • The rounded orange tail of a two-seater with a black hood up and a number plate. Opens a larger view

    76 An orange 1934 Austin Seven boat-tail two-seater from behind at the Hoghton Tower Classic Car Show, Lancashire, in June 2015.

  • The pointed white tail of a sports two-seater with a Dutch number plate and a fin-like headrest. Opens a larger view

    77 A white 1931 Austin Seven Brooklands sports two-seater from the rear quarter at the Nationaal Oldtimer Festival, Zandvoort, Netherlands, in September 2009.

  • The rear quarter of a silver pointed-tail two-seater with maroon wings on grass among cars. Opens a larger view

    78 A silver 1926 Austin Seven Gordon England Brooklands from the rear quarter, photographed in July 2005.

  • A red sports two-seater with a black hood up, a cowled radiator and wire wheels on grass. Opens a larger view

    79 A red Austin Seven Nippy of about 1934 with its hood up on a Dorset tour, England.

  • The pointed black tail of a sports two-seater with a strap across it and a number plate. Opens a larger view

    80 A black 1928 Austin Seven Super Sports from behind at the Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham, in November 2025.

  • A dark blue open two-seater with a white bonnet stripe, wire wheels and a spare on its side, in a car park. Opens a larger view

    81 A dark blue 1936 Austin Seven sports two-seater with a white stripe at the international oldtimer meeting in Konz, Germany, in July 2016.

  • Head-on view of a pale blue two-seater with a tall radiator, large headlamps and twin aero screens. Opens a larger view

    82 A pale-blue Austin Seven Ulster seen head-on at the Goodwood Breakfast Club, West Sussex, in May 2008.

  • A red sports two-seater driven past a sign, its driver in a dark jacket. Opens a larger view

    83 A red 1935 Austin Seven Brooklands driven in the paddock at the Nationaal Oldtimer Festival, Zandvoort, Netherlands, in 2010.

  • A pale yellow doorless sports two-seater driven fast on a hill-climb road by a helmeted driver. Opens a larger view

    84 Stephen Jones’s 1934 Austin Seven Ulster Sports on a timed run at the VSCC hill climb at Prescott, Gloucestershire, in August 2015.

  • A maroon two-seater with its hood up and wire wheels behind a rope in a museum. Opens a larger view

    85 A maroon 1936 Austin Seven Nippy in the Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum, Halland, East Sussex, in June 2016.

  • Head-on view of a dark two-seat sports car with a black radiator cowl, cycle wings and a tall windscreen. Opens a larger view

    86 A 1929 Austin Seven Ulster seen head-on at an open day at Copped Hall, Epping, Essex, in August 2020.

The car: Saloon 18

  • A pale green square-roofed saloon with dark green wings and wheels on grass under trees. Opens a larger view

    87 A green 1931 Austin Seven box saloon at the Tewin Classic Car and Craft Show, Hertfordshire, in August 2024.

  • A black square saloon with red wheels parked in a cobbled yard beside a brick wall and crates. Opens a larger view

    88 A black Austin Seven box saloon in a yard on Heynstraße, Berlin-Pankow, Germany, in January 2013.

  • A maroon square-roofed saloon with black wings and wheels on a gravel yard beside other cars. Opens a larger view

    89 A maroon 1933 Austin Seven box saloon at the Autumn Transport Rally in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, in October 2025.

  • A black and varnished-wood upright saloon with a brass radiator and a front bumper, on grass at a show. Opens a larger view

    90 A 1927 Austin Seven saloon in Mayhorn & Son livery at Goodwood, West Sussex, in June 2022.

  • A cream square saloon with black wings and wheels on a grass field, motorcycles and people beyond. Opens a larger view

    91 A cream 1931 Austin Seven RG fabric saloon on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia, in February 2017.

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  • A dark blue square saloon with black wings and wire wheels on grass beside a sign board. Opens a larger view

    92 A blue 1932 Austin Seven RL box saloon at the Ashley Hall Traction Engine Rally, Cheshire, in May 2015.

  • A maroon and black square saloon with wire wheels and a notice on its window, on grass. Opens a larger view

    93 A maroon 1932 Austin Seven RN De Luxe box saloon at the Heskin Hall Steam Fair, Lancashire, in May 2014.

  • A blue and black square saloon with black wheels and a notice on its window, on grass. Opens a larger view

    94 A blue 1933 Austin Seven RP box saloon at the Heskin Hall Steam Fair, Lancashire, in May 2014.

  • A dark blue square saloon with black wings and wire wheels on a dry grass field, its driver inside. Opens a larger view

    95 A blue 1931 Austin Seven saloon at the Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally in Kolkata, India, in January 2013.

  • The rear quarter of a maroon saloon with a luggage grid and a spare wheel, parked on grass among cars. Opens a larger view

    96 A maroon Austin Seven saloon at the motor-history day at Lojsta, Gotland, Sweden, in June 2024.

  • A yellow saloon with black roof and wings, its driver’s door open and a sunflower on the dashboard, on grass. Opens a larger view

    97 A yellow and black 1933 Austin Seven saloon at the National Microcar Rally, Somerset, in September 2019.

  • A tall, narrow pale blue saloon with black wings and wire wheels on grass before a grand house. Opens a larger view

    98 A blue 1926 Austin Seven “Top Hat” saloon with its tall roofline at Goodwood, West Sussex, in June 2022.

  • A tall maroon saloon with black roof and wings and wire wheels on a white show floor. Opens a larger view

    99 A maroon and black 1927 Austin Seven “Top Hat” saloon at the NEC Classic Motor Show, Birmingham, in November 2017.

  • Side view of a black upright saloon with black wheels parked on grass, a cloudy sky behind. Opens a larger view

    100 A black 1932 Austin Seven saloon in profile at the Haynes Motor Museum Breakfast Club, Sparkford, Somerset, in April 2017.

  • A small red saloon with a black roof driving on a sunny road lined with palms and a low wall. Opens a larger view

    101 A red Austin Seven saloon driven along a coast road in Tenerife, Spain, in May 2022.

  • A pale yellow saloon with a black roof and wings behind a rope beside a display card. Opens a larger view

    102 A yellow and black 1927 Austin Seven saloon in the Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum, Halland, East Sussex, in June 2016.

  • A dark blue and black square saloon with red wire wheels under spotlights against a dark wall. Opens a larger view

    103 A blue 1932 Austin Seven saloon in the Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile, Turin, Italy, in May 2026.

  • Head-on view of a dark small saloon with a nickel radiator in a crowded museum shed. Opens a larger view

    104 A 1928 Austin Seven fabric saloon in the Amberley Museum, West Sussex, in June 2012.

The car: Van 17

  • A maroon van with its back doors open on trays of loaves, a visitor at the left edge. Opens a larger view

    105 A 1924 Austin Seven bread van with its rear doors open at the Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham, in November 2024.

  • A small dark blue van with a gold-lettered panel side, wire wheels and black wings on grass. Opens a larger view

    106 A blue 1928 Austin Seven van built on the Chummy chassis at Goodwood, West Sussex, in June 2022.

  • A pale green van with gold lettering parked outside a shop with timber-framed windows. Opens a larger view

    107 An Austin Seven delivery van outside the Original Maids of Honour tea rooms, Kew, London, in May 2011.

  • A camouflaged green van with Home Guard lettering parked on gravel by army tents. Opens a larger view

    108 A 1933 Austin Seven van in wartime Home Guard markings at Tankfest, Bovington, Dorset, in June 2012.

  • A dark red van with white lettering for pasteurised milk and a triangle sign on its side, on a show stand. Opens a larger view

    109 A red 1938 Austin Seven van in Solleys Safety First pasteurised milk livery at the Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham, in November 2025.

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  • A small blue pick-up with a cab, black wings and black wheels on grass among other vehicles. Opens a larger view

    110 A blue 1939 Austin Seven pick-up at the Heskin Hall Steam Fair, Lancashire, in June 2013.

  • A green van with black wings and wire wheels in a car park, other green cars beside it. Opens a larger view

    111 A green 1924 Austin Seven van at Winton, Victoria, Australia, in May 2016.

  • A dark green van with gold lettering, black wings and wire wheels in a car park. Opens a larger view

    112 A green 1929 Austin Seven van in a Halkirk trader’s livery, photographed in June 2012.

  • A dark red van with gold lettering and red wire wheels behind a rope barrier in a museum. Opens a larger view

    113 A red 1931 Austin Seven van in the Moray Motor Museum, Elgin, Scotland, in September 2026.

  • A brown van with trade lettering on its side, black wings and wire wheels on grass beside a red lorry. Opens a larger view

    114 A brown 1934 Austin Seven van at the Aldham Old Tyme Rally near Colchester, Essex, in June 2014.

  • A pale green van lettered P. Smith Painter and Decorator on grass by red London buses. Opens a larger view

    115 A pale-green 1935 Austin Seven van in a decorator’s livery at the Abergavenny steam rally, Wales, in June 2012.

  • A yellow van with black roof and wings and lettering on its side, parked in a brick museum hall. Opens a larger view

    116 A yellow 1938 Austin Seven van in the Caister Castle Car Museum, Norfolk, in June 2023.

  • A yellow van with black roof and wings and lettering on its side, parked outdoors behind a chain. Opens a larger view

    117 A yellow Austin Seven van at the Caister Castle Car Museum, Norfolk, in June 2023.

  • A maroon van lettered Shepherd Neame Faversham with black wings and wire wheels, its driver leaning out. Opens a larger view

    118 A maroon Austin Seven van in Shepherd Neame brewery livery at Faversham, Kent, in May 2006.

  • A camouflaged grey-green van with H.G. on its side parked outside a corrugated shed. Opens a larger view

    119 A camouflaged Austin Seven van with Home Guard markings at the Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset, in August 2011.

  • A cream van with an open-sided cab, black wings and wire wheels on grass by a brick building. Opens a larger view

    120 A cream 1929 Austin Seven C-cab van at the Bicester Heritage Scramble, Oxfordshire, in April 2024.

  • A cream open delivery car with a tall milk churn in the back and its door open, on a show stand. Opens a larger view

    121 A 1932 Austin Seven milk delivery car with its churn at the Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham, in November 2023.

The car: Special 17

  • A red open two-seater with a louvred bonnet strapped down and wire wheels on grass beside a red sports car. Opens a larger view

    122 A red 1934 Austin Seven Cambridge special two-seater at Capel Manor, Enfield, London, in September 2015.

  • A grey and silver boat-tailed two-seat special with wire wheels on grass among parked cars. Opens a larger view

    123 A silver 1937 Austin Seven Hurricane special at the Bicester Heritage Scramble, Oxfordshire, in January 2024.

  • A white bodiless trials special with wire wheels on a brick floor beside a display stand. Opens a larger view

    124 The 1954 M & L Trials Special, built on Austin Seven parts, in the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire, in June 2011.

  • A stripped Austin Seven chassis with a radiator, seat and four wheels but no body, parked on grass. Opens a larger view

    125 The bare-chassis 1929 Austin Seven special that was Peter Brock’s first racing car, at Berwick, Victoria, Australia, in October 2017.

  • A narrow black open racing car with cycle wings, wire wheels and the number 99 on concrete among visitors. Opens a larger view

    126 A black 1927 Austin Seven racer with cycle wings at the Bicester Heritage Scramble, Oxfordshire, in April 2024.

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  • A grey single-seat racer with wire wheels in a car park, visitors around it. Opens a larger view

    127 A grey 1927 Austin Seven racer with a pointed tail at the international oldtimer meeting in Konz, Germany, in July 2017.

  • A grey two-seat special with a louvred bonnet, leather straps and red wire wheels on sand. Opens a larger view

    128 A grey 1936 Austin Seven sports special, photographed in May 2018.

  • A red rounded two-seat special with a grille and wire wheels on a gravel yard, people behind. Opens a larger view

    129 A red Austin Seven special based on a 1935 car at the Autumn Transport Rally in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, in October 2025.

  • The rear of a cream rounded coupé with a spare wheel on its tail and wire wheels in a dark hall. Opens a larger view

    130 A cream Austin Seven special with a coupé body in the style of the Nash Metropolitan at the Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham, in November 2013.

  • A red rounded two-seat special with a mesh grille and wire wheels in a car park. Opens a larger view

    131 A red streamlined Austin Seven special on a 1929 chassis at the Rare Breeds show, Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset, in September 2016.

  • A green two-seater with an aluminium bonnet, brown seats and wire wheels on grass. Opens a larger view

    132 A green 1934 Austin Seven special sports two-seater at the Burnley Classic Car Show, Lancashire, in June 2016.

  • A red single-seat style special with an aluminium bonnet, racing number 17 and wire wheels among motorcycles. Opens a larger view

    133 A red 1936 Austin Seven special with a Speedex body at the Bicester Heritage Scramble, Oxfordshire, in January 2024.

  • A white open two-seat special with cycle wings and wire wheels in a paddock among old cars. Opens a larger view

    134 A white Speedex 750 special on a 1936 Austin Seven chassis at a VSCC meeting at Brooklands, Surrey, in January 2017.

  • A long narrow special with a polished bonnet and a timber tail driven fast on a road course. Opens a larger view

    135 The 1924 Austin Seven Salamander special racing at the Solitude Revival near Stuttgart, Germany, in July 2019.

  • A green racing two-seater with the number 58 driven by a helmeted driver past spectators behind a barrier. Opens a larger view

    136 Graham Beckett’s 1930 Austin Seven ‘Simplicity’ on a timed run at the VSCC hill climb at Prescott, Gloucestershire, in August 2015.

  • A red open special with two crew climbs a muddy slope, exhaust smoke behind it and autumn trees beyond. Opens a larger view

    137 An Austin Seven trials special climbing a section of the VSCC Welsh Trial at Cwmwhitton Farm, Wales, in October 2015.

  • A dark single-seat style racer with a helmeted driver cornering on a hill-climb road by grass. Opens a larger view

    138 A dark-green 1936 Austin Seven racing on the Würgau hill climb, Bavaria, Germany, in September 2019.

The car: Gordon England 4

  • A silver pointed-tail two-seater with maroon wings and wire wheels on grass, a display card in front. Opens a larger view

    139 A silver 1926 Gordon England-bodied Austin Seven sports two-seater at Goodwood, West Sussex, in June 2022.

  • A polished aluminium two-seater with black wings and wire wheels before a painted racing mural. Opens a larger view

    140 A grey 1928 Gordon England Cup Model Austin Seven in front of a mural, photographed in February 2009.

  • The rear quarter of a dark green pointed-tail two-seater in a paddock, people and cars behind. Opens a larger view

    141 A green 1929 Austin Seven Gordon England Stadium sports two-seater, photographed in April 2005.

  • A maroon fabric-bodied small saloon with a sunshine roof and wire wheels on grass beside a cream car. Opens a larger view

    142 A maroon 1928 Austin Seven Gordon England Sunshine Saloon with its fabric body, photographed in June 2006.

The car: Ruby and Pearl 16

  • A cream-bodied cabriolet with black wings and its hood up, on grass beside marquees and visitors. Opens a larger view

    143 A black and cream 1936 Austin Seven New Pearl cabriolet at the Keynsham Festival, Somerset, in July 2015.

  • Head-on view of a red car with a cowled grille, chrome headlamps and a poppy on its bumper. Opens a larger view

    144 A red 1936 Austin Seven Pearl Mk I cabriolet seen head-on, photographed in September 2024.

  • The rear quarter of a red cabriolet with a black hood up and black wheels, parked on grass. Opens a larger view

    145 A red 1937 Austin Seven Pearl cabriolet with its hood up at the Haynes Motor Museum Breakfast Club, Sparkford, Somerset, in September 2019.

  • A dark rounded saloon with a cowled chrome grille and wire wheels on grass beside a cream car. Opens a larger view

    146 A black and maroon 1935 Austin Seven Ruby saloon at a show in Suffolk, England, in June 2024.

  • A green rounded saloon with a cowled grille and wire wheels on tarmac before a hedge. Opens a larger view

    147 A green 1935 Austin Seven Ruby saloon at the Dunton Vehicle Enthusiasts Day in July 2009.

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  • A yellow rounded saloon with black wings and a cowled grille on grass among other cars. Opens a larger view

    148 A yellow and black 1936 Austin Seven Ruby saloon at a show in George, South Africa, in February 2014.

  • A dark green rounded saloon with a cowled chrome grille and black wheels on grass beside other cars. Opens a larger view

    149 A green 1937 Austin Seven Ruby saloon at a show in Suffolk, England, in June 2024.

  • A red rounded saloon with black wings and wheels behind a Bonhams sign among other cars. Opens a larger view

    150 A red 1938 Austin Seven Ruby De Luxe saloon at the Bonhams sale in the Grand Palais, Paris, in February 2014.

  • A black rounded saloon with a cowled grille on a gravel yard, a steward in a high-visibility vest behind. Opens a larger view

    151 A black 1937 Austin Seven Ruby saloon at the Autumn Transport Rally in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, in October 2025.

  • A maroon saloon with black wings and a chrome radiator shell on gravel, a man in a high-visibility vest beside it. Opens a larger view

    152 A maroon and black Austin Seven saloon at the Autumn Transport Rally in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, in October 2025.

  • A black rounded saloon with a cowled grille and wire wheels on paving in a city square. Opens a larger view

    153 A black Austin Seven Ruby saloon in Exchange Flags, Liverpool, in February 2020.

  • The rounded rear of a dark saloon with a wicker hamper strapped to the luggage grid, people and cars around. Opens a larger view

    154 An Austin Seven Ruby from behind, a picnic hamper on its luggage grid, near Manchester, England, in May 2023.

  • The rounded rear of a dark blue saloon with a spare-wheel cover and number plate, in a car park. Opens a larger view

    155 A 1936 Austin Seven Ruby saloon from straight behind at the Haynes Motor Museum Breakfast Club, Sparkford, Somerset, in December 2016.

  • A dark cabriolet with its hood up and spoked wheels inside a glass-walled foyer. Opens a larger view

    156 A 1935 Austin Seven Pearl cabriolet in the foyer of the Museum of Liverpool, England, in May 2018.

  • A black rounded saloon on a museum floor beside a blue display stand. Opens a larger view

    157 A black 1938 Austin Seven Ruby in the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, in April 2009.

  • A green and black rounded saloon behind a rope in a museum, a display card beside it. Opens a larger view

    158 A 1937 Austin Seven Ruby Mk II in the Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum, Halland, East Sussex, in June 2016.

The car: Opal two-seater 5

  • A red open two-seater with black wings and wheels on a lawn by flower beds. Opens a larger view

    159 A red 1936 Austin Seven Opal two-seater in the gardens of Easton Lodge, Little Easton, Essex, in July 2019.

  • A dark blue two-seat tourer with its hood folded and a cowled grille on grass among cars. Opens a larger view

    160 A blue 1938 Austin Seven Opal two-seat tourer at the Cheshire Steam Fair in July 2013.

  • A dark green open two-seater with black wings and wheels on grass, its windscreen up. Opens a larger view

    161 A green 1936 Austin Seven two-seat tourer at the Capesthorne Hall Classic Car Show, Cheshire, in May 2014.

  • The rear quarter of a dark green two-seater with its beige hood up and a spare wheel, on grass. Opens a larger view

    162 A green 1937 Austin Seven New Opal from the rear quarter on Long Island, New York, in July 2015.

  • The rear quarter of a green open two-seater with a folded black hood and a spare wheel on its tail. Opens a larger view

    163 A green 1936 Austin Seven two-seat tourer from behind, its spare on the tail, at Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire, in May 2014.

The car: Factory racer 4

  • A pale blue streamlined single-seat racing car with wire wheels on a white museum floor. Opens a larger view

    164 A blue 1935 Austin Seven works side-valve single-seater in the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in June 2018.

  • A pale blue single-seat racer with wire wheels and a cowled radiator on gravel. Opens a larger view

    165 A blue Austin Seven single-seater racing car at the Hampton Court Concours of Elegance, Surrey, in September 2021.

  • A dark green single-seat racer, number 10, with its engine cover raised and a display panel beside it. Opens a larger view

    166 A green 1936 Austin Seven twin-cam single-seater racing car with its bonnet raised in the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in 2023.

  • The rear of a pale blue single-seater with a long rounded tail and wire wheels. Opens a larger view

    167 The streamlined tail of a blue 1935 Austin Seven works side-valve single-seater in the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in June 2018.

The car: Swallow 16

  • A cream two-seater with maroon wings, a polished radiator cowl and wire wheels with its hood up. Opens a larger view

    168 A cream and maroon 1928 Austin Seven Swallow two-seater in the Coventry Transport Museum, England, in January 2018.

  • A cream saloon with a brown roof and wings, a polished radiator cowl and wire wheels. Opens a larger view

    169 The 1929 Austin Seven Swallow saloon shown by the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, as the earliest surviving Swallow saloon, in April 2018.

  • A cream saloon with a brown roof and wings, a polished radiator and wire wheels on a wooden floor. Opens a larger view

    170 A cream and brown 1931 Austin Seven Swallow saloon in the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in June 2018.

  • A white saloon with a blue roof and wings and white wire wheels on grass, other cars behind. Opens a larger view

    171 A blue and white 1932 Austin Seven Swallow saloon at the Wessex Car Show, Lulworth Castle, Dorset, in June 2013.

  • A silver saloon with a maroon roof and wings and a polished radiator cowl in a museum. Opens a larger view

    172 A maroon and silver 1929 Austin Seven Swallow Mk I saloon on display in New Zealand in February 2019.

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  • A two-tone cream and maroon saloon with a chrome radiator shell and wire wheels on grass, visitors beside it. Opens a larger view

    173 A maroon and cream 1932 Austin Seven Swallow Mk II saloon in Victoria, Australia, in January 2019.

  • A cream two-seater with dark blue wings, a polished cowl and wire wheels on a stone floor. Opens a larger view

    174 A cream and blue 1929 Austin Seven Swallow two-seater in the Coventry Transport Museum, England, in January 2018.

  • Side view of a weathered grey and brown saloon with red wire wheels and a label in a museum. Opens a larger view

    175 An unrestored 1931 Austin Seven Swallow saloon in profile in the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire, in May 2025.

  • The rear of a cream saloon with a brown domed roof and a spare wheel on its tail. Opens a larger view

    176 A cream and brown 1929 Austin Seven Swallow saloon from behind in the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in April 2018.

  • The rear of a weathered brown saloon with faded paint, orange wheels and a spare wheel. Opens a larger view

    177 An unrestored 1931 Austin Seven Swallow saloon from the rear quarter in the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire, in June 2011.

  • The rear of a cream saloon with a brown roof and a spare wheel on its tail, on a wooden floor. Opens a larger view

    178 A cream and brown 1931 Austin Seven Swallow saloon from behind in the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in June 2018.

  • The rear quarter of a green saloon with cream wings, wire wheels and a GB plate on the spare wheel. Opens a larger view

    179 A green and cream 1931 Austin Seven Swallow saloon from the rear quarter, photographed in September 2008.

  • The rear quarter of a white saloon with a blue domed roof and wings and a spare wheel at the back. Opens a larger view

    180 A blue and white 1932 Austin Seven Swallow saloon from behind at the Wessex Car Show, Lulworth Castle, Dorset, in June 2013.

  • The rear of a cream two-seater with a long rounded tail and blue wings in a museum. Opens a larger view

    181 The long rounded tail of a cream and blue 1929 Austin Seven Swallow two-seater in the Coventry Transport Museum, England, in January 2018.

  • Head-on view of a yellow saloon with blue wings and roof and a polished radiator cowl. Opens a larger view

    182 A blue and yellow Austin Seven Swallow saloon seen head-on in the Coventry Transport Museum, England, in September 2020.

  • A green two-tone saloon with wire wheels on a white floor in a large exhibition hall. Opens a larger view

    183 A green 1931 Austin Seven Swallow saloon in Autoworld, Brussels, Belgium.

Inside and details 17

  • Looking over the side of an open car at pleated brown leather seats and a big black steering wheel. Opens a larger view

    184 Inside a cream 1925 Austin Seven Chummy tourer, with leather seats and its large steering wheel, at The Entrance, New South Wales, in May 2013.

  • Looking into an open tourer with blue paint at a large black steering wheel, a small dashboard and black seats. Opens a larger view

    185 The dashboard of a 1927 Austin Seven AD tourer in the Motor Museum of Western Australia, Perth, in November 2019.

  • A large cream steering wheel in front of a black dashboard with round dials, pedals and levers below. Opens a larger view

    186 The dashboard and pedals of a 1930 Austin Seven tourer, photographed in May 2011.

  • Looking into a small open car at a large steering wheel and a central instrument panel above the pedals. Opens a larger view

    187 The dashboard of an Austin Seven tourer parked in The Square, Portaferry, County Down, Northern Ireland, in October 2009.

  • Close view of a small side-valve four-cylinder engine with its plugs, pipes and red bonnet sides. Opens a larger view

    188 The 747 cc engine of a 1928 Austin Seven Chummy in the gardens of Easton Lodge, Little Easton, Essex, in July 2019.

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  • A green four-cylinder engine block with its valve gear exposed on a stand above an explanatory sign. Opens a larger view

    189 A 747 cc Austin Seven engine on a display stand in the Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset, in September 2016.

  • Close view of a small side-valve engine with a carburettor, exhaust pipe and spark plugs under a raised bonnet. Opens a larger view

    190 The engine bay of an Austin Seven at the Stoke Goldington Steam Rally, Buckinghamshire, photographed about 2000.

  • Close view of a small engine with a carburettor, plugs and leads beside the radiator. Opens a larger view

    191 The 747 cc engine of a 1934 Austin Seven Opal two-seater at Copped Hall, Epping, Essex, in August 2019.

  • A black rounded saloon with one side of its bonnet raised, two men looking at the engine. Opens a larger view

    192 A black 1938 Austin Seven Ruby with its bonnet side lifted at a car club gathering on Weymouth seafront, Dorset, in October 2017.

  • Close view of a small four-cylinder engine with wiring and a carburettor under a raised black bonnet. Opens a larger view

    193 The 747 cc side-valve engine of a 1938 Austin Seven Ruby on Weymouth seafront, Dorset, in October 2017.

  • A red bonnet with a winged mascot above a black mesh grille carrying the words Austin Seven in chrome script. Opens a larger view

    194 The cowled grille with Austin Seven script of a red Ruby-era Austin Seven at Detling, Kent, in April 2011.

  • A chrome radiator shell with a winged mascot above and the word Austin in script on the grille, flowers beside it. Opens a larger view

    195 The winged Austin mascot and grille script of an Austin Seven at the Goodwood Breakfast Club, West Sussex, in July 2008.

  • A black radiator top with a round cap and a chrome winged badge over the honeycomb. Opens a larger view

    196 The winged radiator cap of a 1924 Austin Seven Chummy in the Toyota Automobile Museum, Nagakute, Japan, in February 2012.

  • A chrome bird mascot with outstretched wings on a radiator cap above a polished cowl. Opens a larger view

    197 The swallow mascot on the radiator cap of a 1931 Austin Seven Swallow saloon, photographed in September 2008.

  • Looking down into a narrow cockpit at a four-spoke steering wheel and two dials. Opens a larger view

    198 The cockpit of a blue 1935 Austin Seven works side-valve single-seater in the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in June 2018.

  • A round red enamel badge with a white emblem mounted on a black and gold radiator shell. Opens a larger view

    199 The radiator badge of a 1927 Austin Seven saloon in Mayhorn & Son livery at Goodwood, West Sussex, in June 2022.

  • A nickel radiator shell with a winged cap and the words Austin Seven in script across the honeycomb. Opens a larger view

    200 The Austin Seven script across the honeycomb radiator of a tourer in Portaferry, County Down, Northern Ireland, in October 2009.

Inside and details: Sports models 7

  • Looking into a small open car over red leather seats to a cream steering wheel and a wooden dashboard. Opens a larger view

    201 The red seats and dashboard of an Austin Seven sports two-seater, Australian Capital Territory historic car 195, in April 2009.

  • Looking into a doorless sports car over red seats to a wooden dashboard with dials and a large steering wheel. Opens a larger view

    202 The cockpit of a 1929 Austin Seven Ulster, with red seats and a wooden dashboard, at Copped Hall, Epping, Essex, in August 2020.

  • A wooden dashboard with round dials and a steering wheel in a grey-trimmed open cockpit. Opens a larger view

    203 The wooden dashboard of a 1928 Austin Seven Avon Sportsman two-seater in the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, about 2008.

  • A black dashboard with dials behind a large cord-wrapped steering wheel in a small open car. Opens a larger view

    204 The dashboard and steering wheel of a 1930 Austin Seven Brooklands special at the Prins Bertil Memorial meeting, Sweden, in June 2007.

  • A maroon dashboard with a row of round dials behind a black four-spoke steering wheel. Opens a larger view

    205 The dashboard of a maroon pointed-tail Austin Seven sports two-seater at the Lytham Classic Car and Motorcycle Show, Lancashire, in August 2015.

  • Looking into a narrow cockpit at a black steering wheel, round dials and grey leather seats. Opens a larger view

    206 The cockpit of a blue 1930 supercharged Austin Seven Ulster at the Prins Bertil Memorial meeting, Sweden, in June 2007.

  • An orange doorless two-seater with its bonnet sides raised on grass, visitors behind. Opens a larger view

    207 An orange 1931 Austin Seven EA Sports Ulster with its bonnet raised on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia, in April 2011.

Inside and details: Special 4

  • A worn aluminium dashboard with dials behind a large steering wheel in a green open racer. Opens a larger view

    208 The cockpit of a racing Austin Seven at the Würgau hill climb, Bavaria, Germany, in July 2017.

  • An engine-turned aluminium dashboard with many dials behind a cream steering wheel. Opens a larger view

    209 The engine-turned dashboard of a grey 1936 Austin Seven sports special, photographed in May 2018.

  • A grey rounded tail with a filler cap, 1927 painted in black script and a winged badge. Opens a larger view

    210 The year 1927 painted on the tail of a grey Austin Seven racer at Konz, Germany, in July 2017.

  • A brass winged badge on a dark green cowl above a radiator grille, a filler cap above it. Opens a larger view

    211 The Austin winged badge on the radiator cowl of a racing Austin Seven at the Würgau hill climb, Bavaria, Germany, in July 2017.

Period photographs 8

  • Black and white photograph of four small racing cars side by side in front of a large crowd. Opens a larger view

    212 The Austin Seven team cars lined up at Montlhéry for the French 750 cc cyclecar championship, France, in October 1924.

  • Black and white photograph of a bespectacled driver in a low streamlined racer numbered 30 in the pits. Opens a larger view

    213 Francis Boyd-Carpenter in the supercharged Austin Seven racer, No. 30, at the JCC 200 Mile race, Brooklands, in October 1927.

  • Black and white photograph of a small tourer with its hood up on a garden path, a man walking beside it. Opens a larger view

    214 An Austin Seven saloon arriving at an old-car rally in Capel Curig, Wales, in July 1964.

  • A man in a white helmet with goggles seated low in a smooth white streamlined body, a large wheel beside him. Opens a larger view

    215 Pat Driscoll in the cockpit of the streamlined Austin Seven record car at Southport, England, in 1934.

  • A long white streamlined single-seater with enclosed bodywork and exposed wheels racing across flat wet sand. Opens a larger view

    216 Pat Driscoll’s streamlined Austin Seven record car on the sands at Southport, England, in 1934, Austin script on its tail.

  • A sepia winter street: a tall upright small coupé with wire wheels beside a two-tone 1950s saloon before baroque buildings. Opens a larger view

    217 Austin Seven fixed-head coupé of about 1933, S‑5100, parked in the slush beside a 1955 Ford on Castle Square, Maribor, Slovenia, in February 1960.

  • Black and white photograph of three people holding bouquets beside a small open racing car, a grandstand behind. Opens a larger view

    218 Bland, Parker and Chase with their Austin Seven 750s at Montlhéry, France, in June 1928.

  • Black and white photograph of a dark upright saloon in a street, a tall building behind it. Opens a larger view

    219 Samson, Topsy Christie’s Austin Seven saloon, in a street in Bangor, Wales, in April 1966.

Picture credits (219)
  1. 1 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. 2 Calreyn88, CC0
  3. 3 Calreyn88, CC BY 4.0
  4. 4 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  5. 5 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  6. 6 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  7. 7 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  8. 8 sv1ambo, CC BY 2.0
  9. 9 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  10. 10 Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0
  11. 11 Shaunak Modi, CC BY-SA 4.0
  12. 12 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  13. 13 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  14. 14 Charles01, CC BY-SA 4.0
  15. 15 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  16. 16 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  17. 17 sv1ambo, CC BY 2.0
  18. 18 sv1ambo, CC BY 2.0
  19. 19 MrWalkr, CC BY-SA 4.0
  20. 20 Mike Peel, CC BY-SA 4.0
  21. 21 Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0
  22. 22 ell brown, CC BY-SA 2.0
  23. 23 sv1ambo, CC BY 2.0
  24. 24 dave_7 from Lethbridge, Canada, CC BY 2.0
  25. 25 ell brown, CC BY-SA 2.0
  26. 26 Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0
  27. 27 Jen Ross, CC BY 2.0
  28. 28 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  29. 29 Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0
  30. 30 Dariusz Jemielniak, CC BY-SA 4.0
  31. 31 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  32. 32 Coolalabright, CC BY 4.0
  33. 33 sv1ambo, CC BY 2.0
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  36. 36 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  37. 37 kitmasterbloke, CC BY 4.0
  38. 38 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  39. 39 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  40. 40 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  41. 41 Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0
  42. 42 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  43. 43 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  44. 44 Graham Robertson, CC BY 2.0
  45. 45 Graham Robertson, CC BY 2.0
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  49. 49 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  50. 50 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  51. 51 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  52. 52 MrWalkr, CC BY-SA 4.0
  53. 53 Christopher Killalea, CC BY-SA 3.0
  54. 54 sv1ambo, CC BY 2.0
  55. 55 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  56. 56 Liftarn, CC BY 3.0
  57. 57 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  58. 58 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
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  61. 61 Liftarn, Public domain
  62. 62 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  63. 63 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
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  65. 65 Alf van Beem, CC0
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  67. 67 kitmasterbloke, CC BY 4.0
  68. 68 Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0
  69. 69 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  70. 70 kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
  71. 71 Akela NDE, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr
  72. 72 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  73. 73 Alf van Beem, CC0
  74. 74 Calreyn88, CC BY 4.0
  75. 75 Liftarn, Public domain
  76. 76 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  77. 77 Alf van Beem, CC0
  78. 78 Clive Barker, CC BY 2.0
  79. 79 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  80. 80 Andrea Boano, CC BY 4.0
  81. 81 Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0
  82. 82 Brian Snelson from Hockley, Essex, England, CC BY 2.0
  83. 83 Alf van Beem, CC0
  84. 84 Dave_S. from Witney, England, CC BY 2.0
  85. 85 Daderot, CC0
  86. 86 Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0
  87. 87 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  88. 88 Alter Fritz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  89. 89 Aethonatic, CC0
  90. 90 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  91. 91 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  92. 92 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  93. 93 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  94. 94 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  95. 95 Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0
  96. 96 Bene Riobó, CC BY-SA 4.0
  97. 97 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  98. 98 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  99. 99 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  100. 100 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  101. 101 Mike Peel, CC BY-SA 4.0
  102. 102 Daderot, CC0
  103. 103 Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart, CC BY 4.0
  104. 104 Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  105. 105 Phil Parker from Leamington Spa, UK, CC BY 2.0
  106. 106 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  107. 107 Stefan Czapski, CC BY-SA 2.0
  108. 108 Simon Q from United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
  109. 109 kitmasterbloke, CC BY 4.0
  110. 110 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  111. 111 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  112. 112 Graham Robertson, CC BY 2.0
  113. 113 Steve Knight, CC BY 4.0
  114. 114 kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0
  115. 115 Andy Dingley, CC BY-SA 3.0
  116. 116 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  117. 117 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  118. 118 Jon’s pics, CC BY 2.0
  119. 119 David from Bristol, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
  120. 120 Calreyn88, CC0
  121. 121 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  122. 122 Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0
  123. 123 Calreyn88, CC BY 4.0
  124. 124 sv1ambo, CC BY 2.0
  125. 125 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  126. 126 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  127. 127 Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0
  128. 128 BlueBreezeWiki, CC BY-SA 3.0
  129. 129 Aethonatic, CC0
  130. 130 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  131. 131 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  132. 132 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  133. 133 Calreyn88, CC BY 4.0
  134. 134 Clive Barker, CC BY-SA 2.0
  135. 135 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  136. 136 Dave_S. from Witney, England, CC BY 2.0
  137. 137 Peter Evans, CC BY-SA 2.0
  138. 138 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  139. 139 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  140. 140 Stuart Chapman, CC BY 2.0
  141. 141 Clive Barker, CC BY 2.0
  142. 142 Clive Barker, CC BY 2.0
  143. 143 Hugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
  144. 144 Mark Morgan, CC BY 4.0
  145. 145 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  146. 146 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  147. 147 Brian Snelson from Hockley, Essex, England, CC BY 2.0
  148. 148 Bob Adams from George, South Africa, CC BY-SA 2.0
  149. 149 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  150. 150 Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 3.0
  151. 151 Aethonatic, CC0
  152. 152 Aethonatic, CC0
  153. 153 The Silver Novice, CC BY 2.0
  154. 154 Gerald England, CC BY-SA 2.0
  155. 155 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  156. 156 Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0
  157. 157 David Merrett from Daventry, England, CC BY 2.0
  158. 158 Daderot, CC0
  159. 159 Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0
  160. 160 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  161. 161 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  162. 162 Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  163. 163 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  164. 164 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  165. 165 MrWalkr, CC BY-SA 4.0
  166. 166 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  167. 167 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  168. 168 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  169. 169 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  170. 170 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  171. 171 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  172. 172 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  173. 173 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  174. 174 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  175. 175 Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0
  176. 176 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  177. 177 sv1ambo, CC BY 2.0
  178. 178 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  179. 179 Redsimon, CC BY 3.0
  180. 180 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  181. 181 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  182. 182 Michael Gaylard, CC BY 2.0
  183. 183 stephanemat, CC BY-SA 3.0
  184. 184 sv1ambo, CC BY 2.0
  185. 185 ZidaneHartono, CC BY-SA 4.0
  186. 186 David Berry, CC BY 2.0
  187. 187 Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0
  188. 188 Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0
  189. 189 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  190. 190 Timitrius, CC BY-SA 2.0
  191. 191 Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0
  192. 192 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  193. 193 Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0
  194. 194 Les Chatfield from Brighton, England, CC BY 2.0
  195. 195 Brian Snelson from Hockley, Essex, England, CC BY 2.0
  196. 196 Iwao from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0
  197. 197 Redsimon, CC BY 3.0
  198. 198 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  199. 199 Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
  200. 200 Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0
  201. 201 Peter Ellis, CC BY-SA 3.0
  202. 202 Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0
  203. 203 Clive Barker from Selsey, West Sussex, U.K., CC BY-SA 2.0
  204. 204 Liftarn, Public domain
  205. 205 SG2012, CC BY 2.0
  206. 206 Liftarn, Public domain
  207. 207 Sicnag, CC BY 2.0
  208. 208 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  209. 209 BlueBreezeWiki, CC BY-SA 3.0
  210. 210 Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0
  211. 211 Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
  212. 212 Agence Rol, Public domain
  213. 213 Agence Rol, Public domain
  214. 214 Geoff Charles, CC BY-SA 4.0
  215. 215 Agence Rol, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Public domain
  216. 216 Agence Rol, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Public domain
  217. 217 Dragiša Modrinjak, Večer, Public domain
  218. 218 Agence Rol, Public domain
  219. 219 Geoff Charles, CC BY-SA 4.0

Variants

Tourers, saloons, sports cars and licence builds

The Seven family, in outline
VariantYearsWhat differsHow many
Tourer AB (“Chummy”), then AC–AE1922–⁠29The open four-seater; the AB aluminium-bodied; 696 cc, then 747 ccNot found
Saloons R and RK1926–⁠27; 1927–Austin’s first closed cars: aluminium or fabric bodies in the type table; English Wikipedia’s text calls the 1926 saloon steel-panelledNot found
Gordon England fabric saloonc.1926–⁠30Rexine over a wooden frame, built on aircraft principlesNot found
Box saloons RL–RP1930–⁠32Steel or fabric, some on the long chassisNot found
Ruby and Pearl1934–⁠39The 1930s saloon (ARQ, then the New Ruby ARR) and its cabrioletNot found
Sports models1924–⁠37Brooklands Super Sports with an 80 mph certificate; Ulster; 65; Nippy; SpeedyNot found
Vans1923–⁠39Built from the tourers, the saloons and the RubyNot found
Swallow two-seater and saloon1927–⁠32William Lyons’s coachwork, two-tone paintAbout 3,500 bodies
Dixi 3/15 and BMW 3/151927–⁠32Built under licence at Eisenach, left-hand drive after the first 509,307 Dixis and 18,976 BMWs
Rosengart LR2 and successors1928–1930sBuilt under licence in FranceNot found
American Austin1930–⁠34Built under licence at Butler, Pennsylvania, with a body by de SakhnoffskyAbout 20,000

Specification

The short-wheelbase Seven, 1923–c.1931, unless noted

Engine and drive

EngineFour cylinders in line, side valves, water-cooled; aluminium crankcase, cast-iron block and detachable head2
Capacity696 cc (54 × 76.2 mm) until March 1923; 747 cc (56 × 76.2 mm) after24
RAC rating7.2 hp, then 10.5 hp2
PowerAbout 10 hp2512 bhp (8.8 kW) for the later engine, in German Wikipedia3
CrankshaftTwo bearings, ball at the front and roller at the back, until 1936; three after2
CoolingThermosiphon, no water pump2
IgnitionMagneto; coil from 19282
GearboxThree speeds and reverse, in unit with the engine; four speeds from 1932121933 in Grace’s Guide; synchromesh on third and top in 1933, on second in 1934
Final driveSpiral bevel, 4.9:1 the commonest ratio; short torque tube2

Body and chassis

FrameA-shaped, the engine held between the channels at the narrow front2
Front suspensionBeam axle on a transverse semi-elliptic spring2
Rear suspensionQuarter-elliptic springs cantilevered from the back of the frame2
SteeringWorm and wheel2
BrakesOn all four wheels from the start: the pedal for the rear, the hand lever for the front, coupled from 19302

Dimensions

Length2,794 mm (110 in), by Austin’s handbook of 192522,870 mm for 1922–⁠32 and 3,023 mm for 1933–⁠39 in German Wikipedia3
Wheelbase1,905 mm (75 in); 2,057 mm (81 in) on the long chassis23
Track1,016 mm (40 in)2
WidthNot settled46 in (1,168 mm) in English Wikipedia; German Wikipedia’s 1,588 mm looks wrong for a 40 in track
Weight360 kg (794 lb)2375 kg in the same article’s table; the chassis alone 249 kg3

Performance and running

Top speed77–84 km/h (48–52 mph), the 1929 fabric saloon1
Price new£165 at launch; £167 for 19235The bare chassis £112 in the mid-1920s2

How many were built?

Every figure, with its source

About 290,000 builtAbout 290,000 cars and vans, 1923–⁠39, the figure every source gives. Wyatt’s year-by-year table, as German Wikipedia prints it, totals 290,806, though its yearly figures add up to 290,861; several of his later years are round numbers, so treat the last digits as estimates. The licence builds abroad are not in the total.

  1. 290,806cars and vans, 1923–⁠39: the table’s total; its years add up to 290,861One source

    Wyatt, The Austin 1905–⁠1952, as tabulated in German Wikipedia3

  2. about 290,000cars and vansTwo sources agree

    The Lane Motor Museum, English Wikipedia, Grace’s Guide and Hagerty1245

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

Famous for

Three points

  1. Motorising Britain

    A big car in miniature for families who could otherwise run only a motorcycle and sidecar, it finished off the British cyclecar.124

  2. The first BMW

    Built under licence at Eisenach, the Dixi 3/15 and BMW 3/15 were BMW’s first car.129

  3. The nursery

    Its specials and the 750 Motor Club started Colin Chapman, Bruce McLaren and a generation of designers.21315

Racing and records

Class wins and records, 1923–⁠34

A 747 cc family car became a record car within months of launch (see racing and rallying and records and feats).

89.88 km/h
to win the 750 cc class of the cyclecar Grand Prix at Monza, 29 April 1923, by Arthur Waite.6
19 records
in the 750 cc class held by E. C. Gordon England by 1925.2
1928
Arthur Waite won the 100 Miles Road Race at Phillip Island, later counted as the 1928 Australian Grand Prix.2
197.5 km/h
(122.74 mph) over the flying kilometre, a two-way mean, by Pat Driscoll on Southport Sands in March 1934.8

On screen

Confirmed appearances only

Survivors and collecting

Today

No count of surviving Sevens has been found. The Austin Seven Clubs’ Association keeps an archive and a register of surviving cars. Other clubs include the Pre-War Austin 7 Club, the largest for the Seven alone, the Austin Seven Owners Club for London and the Home Counties, the Austin Seven Special Register, and the 750 Motor Club itself.215 A 1929 fabric saloon belongs to the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, a rare thing, because so few fabric bodies lasted.1 English Wikipedia shows a 1922 car in the Shanghai Automobile Museum and a 1931 Swallow saloon at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, and a photograph of 1993 of what remained of the Dalai Lama’s Baby Austin in Lhasa.2 The railways borrowed the nickname: the LMS’s Class 7F 0-8-0 locomotives were called Baby Austins after the car.2 No dated auction result from a major sale has been found.

Sources

Numbered as in the text

No period road test, survivor count or dated auction result has been found. Sources are given as plain text; the links are on the Credits page.

  1. Lane Motor Museum, “Austin 7 ‘Fabric Saloon’ – 1929”, collection page, read in full.
  2. English Wikipedia, Austin 7, read in full. It cites Wyatt, The Austin 1905–⁠1952 (David & Charles, 1981); Mills, Original Austin Seven (Bay View, 1996); Cheetham, Vintage Cars (2004); Baldwin, A–Z of Cars of the 1920s (1994); and Austin’s Austin Seven handbook of 1925.
  3. German Wikipedia, Austin 7, read in full; its production table is from Wyatt, p. 287.
  4. Grace’s Guide, “Austin: Seven”.
  5. Hagerty UK, “Austin Seven: power to the people, 100 years on”.
  6. teamdan.com race-results archive, 1923, archived copy; the relevant parts read.
  7. teamdan.com race-results archive, 1926, archived copy; the relevant parts read.
  8. W.B. (Bill Boddy), “The Development of the Racing Austin Seven”, Motor Sport, April 1947.
  9. English Wikipedia, BMW 3/15.
  10. English Wikipedia, Automobiles L. Rosengart.
  11. English Wikipedia, American Austin Car Company. It cites Popular Mechanics, September 1930.
  12. English Wikipedia, Datsun Type 11, read in full. It cites the Nissan Heritage Collection and Ken Togo, “Infant Industry Policy”.
  13. “Grass roots”, Motor Sport, September 1989.
  14. “Joined the forces”, Motor Sport, May 1945; partly read.
  15. English Wikipedia, 750 Motor Club, introduction read.