Maybe it's just me, but doesn't the driver look a bit sheepish slouching in this undersized car? When the simple little Austin 7 was unveiled in July 1922, it was priced at just £165, when an Austin 20 was between £600 and £700. It was even cheaper than a model T. The average British worker earned around £5 per week so car ownership became a lot more accessible. The body bolted to a simple frame so it could be a 4 seater, a coupe or even a race car. It sold well and was built under license by BMW and also Nissan in Japan. It showed up in the US as the American Bantam.
A year after it was released with sales doing well, Sir Herbert Austin started an official competition department to develop the car and to promote the cars reliability and performance. It became a popular racing car, winning races and setting records through the rest of the decade. The car went out of production in WW2 when the factory was converted to defence work.
1 comment:
Did John O'Groats to Land's End in a late 20s Chummy; took us 20hrs 20mins. Quite a warm engine.
Then did historic Monte Carlo Rally in an Ulster and almost fell out! D.
Post a Comment