1929 Austin Seven Wasp Sports

The Austin Seven may come from humble origins, having been conceived by Herbert Austin as cheap transportation for the masses in the early 1920s, but over 17 years of production - and in the many decades that followed - developed a loyal following around the world. The first Seven rolled off the line in January 1923 with a 650cc engine, although later models used a larger 750cc unit, and was available in a remarkable number of variants. Production had reached almost 300,000 units when the last Baby Austin rolled off the line on the 3rd of March, 1939 and a good number of these were exported to Australia, where local coachbuilders fitted a range of body styles. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, one particular sports model, known as the Wasp, was offered in Sydney. For Herbert Austin, who spent his formative years working with various engineering firms in Melbourne, Australia was seen as a key export market. With its favourable power to weight ratio, the Seven enjoyed remarkable success in competition and became the inaugural winner of the Australian Grand Prix after Arthur Waite piloted a supercharged example around the Phillip Island circuit at the average speed of 56.25 mph.