Hello, Brum here again – I just wanted to pop up between all these super Austin Seven posts to give you a warning. I was sent this picture, taken in Bournemouth a few days ago. I have evidence (see my ‘Bookface page’ – I think that’s what it is called) that it is NOT me! Beware of imposters!
On the other hand, I’m told that someone called Oscar Wilde said, a long time ago:
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness”
He must have had me in mind. Oh well, bye for now Toot, Toot
We have mentioned in previous posts that the Austin Seven design was licensed to enable manufacture and sale outside of the UK. Examples exist from Australia, Germany, France, Japan and the USA. The Austin Seven Bantam in the museum collection was produced in 1934 by the American Austin Car Company. A Bantam rooster was adopted as part of the radiator name badge.
It was also in 1934 that the American Austin Car Company filed for bankruptcy before being re-born in 1935 as Austin Bantam.
Up until 1934, mechanically, the Bantam was very similar to the British built models. As is immediately obvious from the accompanying photo however, the styling, designed to appeal to the American market, is considerably less ‘box-like’ than the British models of the Austin Seven.
1934 Austin Seven Bantam in the Cotswold Motor Museum
Once the company re-formed in 1935, the engine design departed from the British version and around 6000 Bantams, in various body styles, were produced during the period 1937 – 1941. In part, because of the Great Depression, and maybe the fact that the American car-buying public were not really that keen to adopt a small car, production of the Bantam ceased in 1941.
One final credit to the American Bantam – and a further example of the formative role that, 100 years ago, the Austin Seven played in launching the fortunes of several global motor manufacturers – is that a few thousand American Bantam vehicles were produced as pre-production models for the World War II Jeep, with around 1000 going to the British army.
Previous posts have looked at the story of the Austin Seven and the variants that evolved from that basic 1922 design. This post goes back to the very early days of the Austin Seven and the Austin Seven Chummy, a model that started life in the early 1920s.
As a route back from receivership to profitability, Sir Herbert Austin wanted to produce a small, affordable, 4-seater car that was an alternative to the motorbike and sidecar.
The first prototype of the Austin Seven was announced in July 1922, and the production version was released at the London Motor Show in November of that year.
The Chummy, believed to be so named because of the inevitable proximity of passengers (interior width is only just over 3 feet) started production in 1923.
The 4-cylinder engine started out as a 696cc unit but was soon enlarged to 748cc. Given that most small cars at that time were powered by a 2-cylinder engine, the 4-cylinder engine made for a more refined driving experience.
Austin Seven Chummy in the Motor Museum
The ramp-up in production numbers was relatively slow with 26,000 being reached in 1929 and peaking in the mid-1930s.
Improvements were made until production ceased in 1939. In 1924, an electric starter motor was added, an ignition coil in 1927, a stronger crankshaft in 1930, a 4-speed gearbox in 1933, followed by synchromesh a few years later. At the same time power output increased from 10.5bhp in 1923 to 17bhp by 1936.
Staying with the early Chummy however, a volunteer at the Cotswold Motor Museum and Toy Collection is an experienced owner of a 1930 AE Series Chummy and has offered the following commentary on what it is like to live with an Austin Seven Chummy. Over to Jason:
What’s an Austin Seven like to drive?
It was said it was easy to drive badly but hard to drive well. The following personal reflections are based on the author’s experience.
Space – Not as cramped as it looks. The Austin Seven can accommodate two very comfortably built adults in the front and three small children on the bench back seat. However, very tall adults may have problems getting in and out. Austin Sevens were regularly overloaded. One or more adults regularly carried in the back would cause the rear of the tourer body to droop over time, as earlier cars did not have adequate support in this area. This was no longer a problem by the time the Ruby was introduced [in 1935]: it was a full four-seater.
Starting –The Austin Seven, even though it only has a six-volt electrical system, will normally start using the electric starter, though it’s not a bad idea to give the manual starting handle a few turns to get the oil circulating, especially if the vehicle has been standing for some days
Noise – The engine is fairly quiet if it is in good condition and is not really noticeable above the noise made by the gearbox, particularly the earlier ‘crash’ (no synchromesh) gearbox, which had straight cut gears. The differential also gives out a whine toa greater or lesser extent depending on how worn it is. Couple that with wind noise and the noise from overtaking traffic and earplugs become a serious consideration for the open touring cars.
Handling – One of the affectionate names for the Austin Seven is ‘the road dinghy’. This stems from the way it reacts to undulations in the road, which causes the length of one of the rear springs to increase as the car goes over a bump, giving a degree of uninvited and unexpected rear wheel steering. If the driver over-compensates for this, the car can wander a bit. Once you get used to this little quirk however, and relax, driving becomes great fun and a straight line can be maintained easily.
Brakes – It pays to anticipate with Austin Seven brakes. The front and rear brakes were not coupled until 1930, so cars had quite good rear braking operated by the handbrake and an indifferent footbrake that operated on the front wheels only. Both brakes were cable operated and the single front cable exerted its force at 45 degrees, which reduced the efficiency and caused the braking effort to increase as the steering wheel was turned. Front brakes themselves were not commonplace in 1922, so this quirk would have been overlooked by many.
With careful adjustment and regular maintenance, the front brakes can be made to lock if required, so despite the design, the modern VOSA test (MOT) is not usually a problem. The Semi-Girling braking system used on later cars, was more effective, and offered individual adjusters on the brake backplates.
Lighting – Early cars had lamps produced by CAV Ltd, mounted at the side of the windscreen. The problem with these was that the beam did not project far beyond the front of the car, so they could best be described as position indicators rather than headlights. There was also a warning in the early handbooks not to clean the electric light reflectors with brick dust [Jeweller’s Rouge?]. Later headlamps were mounted at the front of the car and gave a much-improved beam.
Spares – There are still about 7,000 Austin Sevens left. So many were built that most spares are still available from specialist dealers or clubs. Some parts, like early carburettors and body panels, are becoming more difficult to find, but overall, the situation is still amazingly good, with a wide range of new components being made in the UK and abroad.
Fun – The Austin Seven is, above all, tremendous fun to drive. It seems to make people smile when they see one on the road, and other drivers will often give a cheery wave or toot on overtaking you, even if you have inadvertently held them up!
No, that is not a typo in the title to this post. As we will see, there is a strong connection between these two car makers. 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the launch of the Austin Seven and this post continues the story of the car and the variants that evolved from that basic 1922 design.
We have already seen that Austin were quite happy to sell the rolling chassis of the Austin Seven to other manufacturers for them to add their own body. Indeed, they sold around 125,000 chassis compared with 291,000 complete Austin Sevens. As well as supplying UK based coachbuilders, chassis were sold to France, Germany, the USA and Australia. Several subsequently global manufacturers started their businesses with the Austin Seven platform. As we saw in the last post, less than 5 years after the launch of the Austin Seven, the chassis, engine, transmission and other running gear were being used in Blackpool, then Coventry, by William Lyons and Swallow Sidecars Ltd as the basis of the stylish and successful Austin Seven Swallow.
Sir William Lyons (1901 – 1985) Photo credit: Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust
The success of the Austin Seven Swallow convinced Lyons that his approach of using a high quality, coach-built body was commercially viable. It meant that he had to look beyond the Austin Seven chassis to a custom-made frame and brought-in engine. A chassis was produced by Rubery Owen and a 16hp Standard engine and running gear were chosen. In 1931, the Austin Swallow name changed to SS and the SS1 was launched at the Motor Show of that year. Manufacturing started in 1932 with a fixed head coupé and was followed by an open tourer in 1933.
In the years up to WWII, the SS1 was joined by the SS2 with both being replaced by the SS90 and SS100 sports cars and 1½, 2½ and 3½ litre SS saloons. By that time SS Cars were building their own engines, initially using upgraded Standard components.
It was at the 1948 Motor Show, the first following the end of WWII, that the stunning Jaguar XK120 was displayed – for obvious reasons, SS had been dropped as a name towards the end of the war. The XK140 was introduced in 1955 and the one in the museum collection is a 1956 coupé. All the XK models, played their part in the post-war export drive, particularly to the USA. Over 90% of the XK120 production was exported.
The Museum’s 1956 Jaguar XK140
So, can we claim that Jaguar would not have existed without the Austin Seven providing the basis of the first of William Lyons’ coach-built bodies? Well, probably not, as we have seen, the Swallow Sidecar Company went on to build on the chassis of other manufacturers such as Standard, Morris, Fiat and Wolseley.
Can we claim however, that the Austin Seven Swallow was in fact the first Jaguar? That is a much more valid assertion since, although not bearing the Jaguar name, the Austin Seven Swallow was the first of William Lyons models to be built in significant numbers and led to a succession of brands through SS and SS Jaguar that culminated in the Jaguar brand.
This year, 2022, marks the 100th anniversary of the launch of the Austin Seven and this post continues the story of the car and the variants that evolved from the basic 1922 design.
As we saw previously, by 1921 the Austin factory at Longbridge was in receivership. To try to achieve economies of scale, as Ford had with their successful Manchester-built Model ‘T’, the factory had cut their model range to just one car, the large and expensive, 3.6 litre Austin Twenty.
Austin Twenty Price list
Sir Herbert Austin wanted to produce a small car as an alternative to the motorbike and sidecar and, largely at his own initiative, embarked on the design of what became the Austin Seven.
With the first prototype of the Austin Seven emerging in July 1922, and the production version released at the London Motor Show in November 1922, it gave an opportunity for the ordinary family to purchase a simple, small, but perfectly practical vehicle in which they could travel in comparative comfort and safety, come rain or shine. The previous option of a motor bike and sidecar had meant being unable to hold a conversation, getting wet and cold, and coping with the inherent instability of a three-wheeled vehicle.
Also, in 1922, William Lyons and William Walmsley (we will come across these names in a future post) went into partnership to produce motorcycle sidecars. Their company name was Swallow Sidecars Ltd. They moved their business from Blackpool to Coventry in 1928. Just prior to the move, in 1927, the company started to produce both an open tourer and saloon coach-built body for the Austin Seven chassis with the resulting cars being known as the Austin Seven Swallow and Austin Seven Swallow Saloon.
Austin Seven Swallow Saloon in the Cotswold Motor Museum and Toy Collection
Their design was less box-like and more stylish than their main competitors. It included two-tone paint and a quality interior. All for just £175. (By 1932, even this price had only increased to £187).
The example in the museum, shown above, was built in 1929 but production continued until 1933 with a total of around 2,500 two-seaters and saloons being made.
Many further examples of Swallow cars exist. The Swallow company not only built on the Austin Seven chassis but examples can be found on Wolseley, Morris, Standard and Fiat chassis. Irrespective of which manufacturer provided the basis of the coach-built Swallow, the distinguishing features of the resulting car were the high build quality and the exceptionally good value for money: features that would stand Swallow in excellent stead for what was to follow.
This year, 2022, marks the 100th anniversary of the launch of the remarkable Austin Seven. Why it was remarkable and how widely it influenced the world of 20th century motoring is illustrated by the recent banners that have appeared in the museum. These hover over eight cars in the collection and highlight the obvious and, in some cases, not so obvious connections between the Austin Seven and manufacturers and models that became household names over the last 100 years. Throughout the remainder of this year, this blog will examine the background story to these cars.
So how did the Austin Seven come to be? Was it a product of market research and a vast development team assessing marketing needs? Well, not really – more the case of one man with a vision and a desire to get his company out of receivership, a brilliant young engineer and a billiard table!
In 1922, the brief post-WW1 boom had evaporated and the beginning of a depression was on the horizon. The huge Austin factory at Longbridge, south of Birmingham, was one of many in trouble. In fact, it went into receivership in April 1921, having gone from employing 22,000 people in 1919 to just 8,000 in 1922. So, it was not surprising, therefore, that the board initially refused the Managing Director Sir Herbert Austin (later Lord Austin: 1866-1941) any funds for the development of a new small car, as they feared that the additional expenditure could result in the demise of the Austin factory.
Having been refused the necessary finances by the directors, Sir Herbert Austin decided to do it anyway, and enlisted the services of a talented designer, Stanley Edge (1903-1989), who was at the time only 18 years old, and a draughtsman at the factory. Sir Herbert drew up the initial concept on the billiard table at his home in Lickey Grange, near the factory, and he and Stanley Edge worked there to complete the design.
As we will see in the next few posts, there were many variants of the Austin Seven. Between 1922 and 1939, it is estimated that 290,904 Austin Sevens were manufactured. If you include those made overseas and chassis provided to other manufacturers, the figure goes up to about 416,000.
The Austin Seven Nippy from the Museum Collection
One of the popular variants was the Austin Seven Nippy. The one in the museum collection (shown above) is a 1935 model. Although it was not an out-and-out racer, it was an attractive, low-cost entry into the sports car market. Its 21bhp engine, it was claimed, would propel the car to speeds of 65mph and return around 40 to 45mpg (although probably not simultaneously).
Whilst not aimed at the serious racer, its big attraction to anyone wishing to enter the sports car market was the price tag of just £142.
Anyone visiting the museum during the last 3 years will undoubtedly have met and heard the blacksmith and the wheelwright chatting about “… these new -fangled motor cars …. “. Well, if you have visited recently, you will know that they have been joined in the blacksmith’s shop by three chatty newcomers who are moving the discussion on to the merits of the internal combustion engine, the ease of refuelling from a pump (albeit a hand-operated pump) and the exciting prospect of a trip in a motorcycle sidecar.
Our three chatty newcomers
The other day, there was a group of visitors standing in between the three characters, swivelling around in unison to look at the one who was ‘speaking’ and watching them move. And, by the way, on the day that fuel duty in the UK was reduced by 5p per litre (around 23p per gallon) have you seen the price per gallon of BP in the blacksmith’s shop? Unbelievable at 7½p per gallon including tax – a bargain, even if you have to pump it yourself. As I heard one of the men in the flat cap say, “ … it is better than buying it in 2 gallon cans from the chemist”.
Changing topic, this year marks 100 years since the Austin Seven first went on sale in the UK. From Easter this year, each of the museum’s Austin Sevens – there are a couple shown here – will be highlighted to show how they are linked to that original Austin Seven.
Two of our resident Austin Sevens
Keep an eye on the blog for the latest news: better still please call in, we would be delighted to see you.
Yes, the museum re-opens for the 2022 season this coming Saturday and we are all looking forward to welcoming our first visitors of the year.
What is new, what has changed? Well, on entering the first and largest of our seven galleries there is so much to see. Eighteen cars, vintage caravans, motorcycles, numerous display cases with all sorts of motoring and social memorabilia and of course, Brum, our ever-popular star of children’s TV. It is unlikely therefore that many visitor’s eyes will focus on the floor!
The floor, however, has been our major project during the closed period. The entire gallery was cleared for the old, cracked and lifting tiles to be removed and a new floor laid. Cars were trailered to off-site storage, cabinets were emptied and safely moved away from the gallery. Now everything is back in place and gleaming ready to greet our visitors. It has been a major project which has been made possible through the help of our volunteers – for which we are ever grateful – and our good fortune that neither Covid nor winter weather caused disruption to the very tight timescale.
New to Paved Paradise, our 1970s gallery, is a rare ice cream vendor’s vehicle, powered, not by pedal power but by a motorcycle engine. Complete with its own umbrella it evokes images of those summer days, basking in the warmth of the sun and licking an ice cream cornet.
In Jack Lake’s Garage, we have an immaculate 1930s New Imperial motorcycle. Even if motorcycles are not your thing, it is impossible not to be impressed by the perfect condition of this ninety-year-old machine.
Windrush Alley has its focus on the social history of Bourton, as well as the 1911 Alldays and Onions example of Edwardian motoring at its finest. In the Forge, watch out for the blacksmith and wheelwright, they still like to chat with each other about the ‘new fangled motor cars’ and, of course, the two toy galleries provide endless fascination for children and grown-ups of any age.
Do come and say hello, maybe during this half term, and keep an eye open for events throughout 2022 (Oh, and please at least glance at the floor – it’s really good!). We look forward to seeing you.
Yes folks, Brum here again and today is my birthday. It was exactly 30 years ago today, 26th September 1991, that I first appeared on the TV in the UK. The programme was called “Brum to the Rescue” and was narrated by Toyah Willcox with Mike Cavanagh, who owned the museum at the time, and a lot of West Midlands Firemen. I starred in over 60 programmes over 10 years and you can see most of them on BBC iPlayer. I watch them all the time – but don’t tell Graham – I don’t think he has noticed.
Anyhow, about my birthday. I have been so excited since Graham first told me that this was a special year and to be fair to him, he has treated me like a proper celebrity. I have a red carpet, lots and lots of lights, a cake and loads of cards – well, quite a few – well, at least some. I’m going to let the pictures tell the story while I work out how to get to that cake – I dipped my starting handle in it the other day and it was delicious.
Just look at those cards!
Well, I was told that I could share this blog to celebrate my birthday, once it’s over I’m not sure when I will be back. I do, however, have a bit of a scoop (I think that’s what it’s called) because I happen to know that there is more than one Brum! Ssh, keep it to yourself! Yes, I saw a really old photo the other day of my ancestor. Here it is.
One of my ancestors?
I also would like to reveal a few things about me that not many people know … not only can I steer myself, forward and reverse, I can flash my headlights and move them to see what was going on, I can jiggle on my suspension, twirl my starting handle, flap my doors and my bonnet (although not all at the same time – that would be showing off).
I’m keeping my ears open for more news about my ancestor so, maybe, one day I can tell you another story. Bye for now.
Hello again – Brum here – I’m so excited that I just had to blog again – I think that is what you say! No, no it’s not Tokyo or the Olympics, but I have some fantastic news. You remember those awards that I told you about just the other day, well, coming right up to date, a website called money.co.uk has just published the results of a survey of the best value tourist attractions in the whole of the UK and this is what it said:
“The second-best value attraction in the UK is the Cotswold Motoring and Toy Museum; located in the picturesque village of Bourton-on-the-Water, visitors are promised a nostalgic experience thanks to the great collection of vintage cars for the reasonable price of £6.75. Visitors who remember him will be delighted to see Brum, the little yellow car from the classic children’s TV show”.
Wow, what a brilliant early 30th birthday present – it really is just like winning a silver medal! With that stunning news, I’m almost lost for words. I need to rest. Keep safe, toot, toot.
The Cotswold Motoring Museum 