Austin 7 

GENERAL ADVICE

Austin 7s were, and are, the ubiquitous entry level vintage car, for many members of the VSCCA.  Many members started their vintage experience in the 1940s and 50s with Austin 7 Chummies, roadsters and specials

There are a number of members who actively use their Austin 7s and several others who are either working on them or have them languishing in sheds to be dealt with “next year” or perhaps the year after.

The cars are simple, take up little space and can be made to perform well with reliability after modest modifications.  

Original parts are still available

Many new parts are available through the Austin 7 Club (Vic) and several UK parts suppliers.  These suppliers are readily accessible on the internet and their contacts are set out below.  Because of the high demand from owners of surviving cars, replacement parts are comparatively inexpensive compared to other marques. 

The majority of cars are bodied in Australia.  

There are comparatively few English bodied cars here, although several have migrated from New Zealand where they are still reasonably plentiful.  

The Australian Chummy is steel-bodied, usually with a moulded waistline around the top of the body.  The later Australian cars adopted more American features.

The English-bodied cars are aluminium bodies, and some enthusiasts prefer their aesthetics and they are marginally lighter in weight.

The other body styles that were common in this country are the:
•    saloons
•    roadsters (often Holden-bodied) 
•    pointed tailed Meteors (made by a couple of manufacturers with slightly different styles).  

Useful Books

There are a number of good books on the Austin 7.  The following are recommended reading.  An asterisk denotes the book is available for loan to financial Club members.

General Background

1.    Wyatt – The Book of the Austin 7
2.    Purves B – The Austin 7 Source Book

Special Building

1.    Gould C – The Reproduction Ulster *
       A useful guide to the creation of a reproduction Ulster, with a focus on fibreglass-bodied cars.
2.    Williams – Austin 7 Specials *
3.    Stephens – Building my Austin 7 Special
4.    Gould – Basic fitting for Austin 7 Owners *

General Repair/Restoration/Engineering

Woodrow D – The Austin 7 Manual * -
THE workshop manual for the Austin 7, with exploded diagrams of all major mechanical components with variations between years

Austin 7 Motor Club – The Austin 7 Companion

Mills, R – “The Original Austin 7” *
The textbook for original details on production cars, but with an English focus

Harvey C     “The Austin Seven” *

Austin 7 Travelogues

Ball C – Seven Years with Samantha

Macquarie H – Round the World in a Baby Austin * 
A great book by two New Zealanders about the driving of an Austin 7 from Australia around the world in 1930. Previously they had driven an Austin 7 from Victoria to the tip of Cape York.