Austin 7 Chummy

By 1920 the Austin Motor Company was heading for trouble, its range of high quality but staid and expensive cars were not what the market needed. In 1921 Herbert Austin saw the answer and against the wishes of the Board of Directors set about designing a new small car.

He famously took Stanley Edge from the drawing office at Longbridge, in secret, and placed him in the Billiard room at his home, Lickey Grange, to get on with the job in hand - designing the new generation of small cars. Much to the Board’s consternation, the design was pushed into production thanks to Herbert Austin's threat of taking the design to Wolseley, a move which probably saved the company from bankruptcy and virtually destroyed the British cyclecar industry at a stroke.

Herbert Austin himself had a number of personal patents in the car and took a £2 royalty on each 7 sold. Designed as a “big car in miniature” it offered excellent performance, reliability and big car comfort at a price that the working man could afford. It genuinely was “motoring for the millions”. Drive an Austin 7 today and you will receive more waves and smiles per mile than in any other car.

By 1928 the car was in its prime and for many, this period represents the pinnacle of 'cuteness', retaining the short black radiator surround, scuttle-mounted lights, gate gearchange and dainty wings. They were also lighter than the later models, the taller 4.9:1 back axle ratio ensuring that a well driven Chummy performs better than the later heavier cars, maintaining a genuine 45-50mph on the open road.

Described by the vendor as running well, this nicely patinated 1928 Chummy was subject to a comprehensive restoration some years ago. Photographs on file show that most, if not all, of the bodywork was replaced along with new woodwork. At some point it has been fitted with a later engine fitted with coil ignition, retaining the correct up-draft carburettor and working generator.

The vendor has recently removed the bowdenex front brake conversion and returned the front brakes to original specification, albeit with the wider brake shoes to aid stopping – never one of the Austin 7’s strong suits. It also has the later, stronger open-centre type wheels. Its last MOT expired as recently as September of this year and the car comes complete with a hood and sidescreens as well as a useful petrol gauge which can be dipped into the tank to see how little it has used!

Taking up very little in the way of storage space and usable across a wide variety of events, a Chummy must rate as the most useful, fun and easy to own vintage car there is - no doubt the reason why they have remained so much in demand since their launch 90 years ago.