Austin 7 Pearl Cabriolet

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The Austin 7 conquered the word of family motoring in the 1920s and 1930s and democratised motoring for the masses. The early spindly cars gave way to a more mature, fuller-bodied look in the late ‘30s with the later cars being given the names of semi-precious stones: Ruby, Opal, Pearl.

First registered in October 1937, the early history of this Pearl is not known, but has been owned by the same family since 1991. It was bought in that year as a present by a very generous husband for his dearly beloved, who, however, did not share her spouse’s enthusiasm for the car. (We at Brightwells wish to make no comment on this situation other than to point out that this is, we believe, a rare occurrence. Incredibly rare. Never heard of before. Or since.)

Nothing daunted, the husband handed the car over to Worcester Classic Cars Ltd and spent over £13,300 on its restoration, which was completed by the turn of the century. There is a file of invoices, photographs and details of the work carried out at this time.

The car was then given to the owner’s twin grandsons in 2015, as a 21st birthday gift, but has seen little use in the past four years and has been kept in storage for most of that time.. It is now offered for sale having covered virtually no mileage since its restoration. It will need a thorough recommission, but is believed to need no serious work.

The home mechanic should have little difficulty having this Austin 7 back on the road for this summer. The car is simple and easy to work on and it has been carefully stored since its restoration. New tyres are advisable, but that, perhaps, is the new owner’s decision to make. The car is, of course, tax and MOT-exempt.