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Swift 7hp De Luxe

Swift 7hp De Luxe

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Swift 7hp De LuxeSwift 7hp De LuxeSwift 7hp De LuxeSwift 7hp De LuxeSwift 7hp De Luxe
Swift 7hp De LuxeSwift 7hp De LuxeSwift 7hp De LuxeSwift 7hp De LuxeSwift 7hp De Luxe
Swift 7hp De LuxeSwift 7hp De LuxeSwift 7hp De Luxe
Lot number 96
Hammer value £13,500
Description Swift 7hp De Luxe
Registration F 4126
Year 1910
Colour Blue
Engine size 1,100 cc
Chassis No. 7371
Engine No. 199A
Documents V5C; old style log book; buff logbook; history of owners; photos etc

The Coventry firm of Swift Motor Cars started its existence as the Coventry Sewing Machine company under the guidance of James Starley.

Graduating to bicycles which were marketed under the Coventry Machinists brand, the first Swift bicycle arrived in 1896 shortly followed by a range of motorcycles and their first car in 1900. This used a single-cylinder MMC engine and was deemed to be a success. A Swift-engined twin-cylinder 7hp light car followed in 1904, the range developing over the next few years to include a top-of-the-range three-litre by 1913.

The baby of the range was updated in 1909 and was one of the first miniaturised large cars, most small cars of the period using a combination of motorcycle and bicycle components. A commercial success, the Swift 7 used a single cylinder engine with a long 127mm stroke and 105mm bore. This 1,100cc unit was mated to a conventional three speed gearbox which drove the rear wheels through a rear axle incorporating a differential.

A number of body options were available, the De Luxe, as on offer here, selling for 140 Gns complete with windscreen, doors and hood. The little Swift 7 remained in production until 1911 and was also sold by Herbert Austin badged as the Austin 7hp.

This delightful early Edwardian was first registered to Mr Rockford Sperling of Sperling Castle in Essex on 20th September 1910. He kept it until 9th June 1913 when it passed to its second owner, Mr George Philips of Braintree, Essex. It changed hands once again in late 1917, remaining in nearby Buntingford before being registered for ‘Private and Government’ work in January 1918, passing via Mrs C Bailey in Cambridge to another Colchester owner, and then to a Mrs Crowse of The Park, Cheltenham in 1920.

The car returned to Colchester in 1925, ending up in the hands of Charles Tufnell in the 1950s when it was seen on the VCC Edge Trophy Rally at Bexhill in 1954 before being retired in 1955. Some time afterwards it was acquired for the Sharpe Collection in Rayleigh, Essex where it rested until the collection was dispersed in 2005.

The vendor had fallen for the car at the dispersal sale and despite its rather sad condition had persuaded the auctioneers to get the car firing. Once safely back in his garage, he took the engine to his local restorer who stripped the unit and fitted new rings to its original piston, a new little-end and new valves and springs. The mains and big-end were in good condition and needed no remedial attention.

During the rebuild, the vendor repainted the car in its attractive blue livery, leaving the upholstery well alone as it remained in good, aged condition. New brake shoes were made for the rear, which completed the work needed to get the car back on the road.

Once completed, it has proved reliable and great fun and would be an ideal machine to use on events such as the VCC Pioneer Rally and the Snail-Trail. Its comprehensive history, which dates back some 106 years, adds to the pleasure of ownership immeasurably and its diminutive size means that it takes up very little space in the garage.

 


 

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