Lot Ended
Description
Agile and lightweight Special modified for trials use; high
compression head; off-road axle ratio; WOSP starter motor; recent £3,900 spend;
original number plate; a nice Vintage Seven, ready for competitive
use
Launched in 1922
and remaining in production until 1939, the brilliant Austin Seven quite
literally put Britain on the road and has remained the mainstay of the Vintage
car movement ever since.
Right from the start,
the ‘Baby Austin’ proved hugely popular on the trials scene and gave birth to a
uniquely British ‘Special building’ culture which persists to this day. Aspiring
mud-pluggers could buy a cheap,
worn-out saloon, throw away the heavy body, shorten the chassis, tune the
mechanicals and build a competitive off-road machine on a shoestring budget.
Weighing only around 800lbs, the
ultra-lightweight construction made the Seven amazingly effective on muddy
inclines and slippery ascents, low weight being vital for maintaining traction
without digging into the turf.
The triangular
A-frame chassis with a front transverse leaf spring allowed high chassis flex
and suspension articulation, keeping the rear driving wheels pressed firmly onto
uneven ground.
The tiny 747cc side-valve engine
and basic crash gearboxes are remarkably tough, cheap, and easy to fix with
standard garage tools.
Because so many survive
and spare parts remain abundantly available, drivers aren't afraid to push them
hard up rocky, muddy hillsides. Even today there is a thriving enthusiast
community nationwide, purpose-built Specials being a dominant force in the many
events organized year-round by the Vintage Sports Car Club and the 750 Motor
Club, from Land’s End to John o’ Groats.
First
registered in Derbyshire in February 1929, the chassis number on this
Vintage-era Seven indicates that it would have been built in the Autumn of 1928
as a short-chassis model with four-wheel coupled brakes.
Nothing is known of the Seven’s early history, but our vendor
acquired the car in September 2025 from a gent in Surrey who had owned it for
over 50 years. It had already been converted into a Special with lightweight
aluminium coachwork, but was a non-runner that had been languishing in storage
for many years.
A seasoned trials competitor, our
vendor sent the car to JR Vintage Services of Oxon to be brought back to life,
the invoice showing that it cost some £3,400 including a high performance WOSP
starter motor (see last two photos for details). There are invoices for
another £400 spent on other bits and bobs and we understand that the car
also has a high compression head and a 5:25 back axle which is ideal for
off-road use.
The freshly-rejuvenated Special has
since acquitted itself well in a couple of trials, with the weight in all the
right places, but our vendor’s affections have now been stolen by a much more
highly developed trials weapon so the little Seven has to
go.
Retaining its original (transferable) number
plate, RA 7578 now seeks an enthusiastic new owner who can stamp their own
character on the car and continue to fettle it to maximise the mud-plugging
potential.
Consigned by James Dennison –
07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com