c1928 Austin Seven Meteor Sports

Description

The Baby Austin was an extraordinarily successful design, conceived by Herbert Austin as cheap transportation for the masses in the early 1920s and it remained in production for 17 years between 1922 and 1939. The Seven, so named after the RAC rating, proved popular both in the home market and abroad, with many built under licence, including the Dixi in Germany, BMW's first ever car. The earliest Sevens were equipped with robust little side-valve engines of 650cc, each with a cast iron block and cylinder head, an alloy crankcase and three-speed gearbox that was integral with the engine. The diminutive chassis had a wheelbase of just 1905mm and early cars lacked shock absorbers, employing a beam-type front axle and cantilevered quarter-elliptic springs at the rear, while the braking system was on all four wheels. From March 1923 onwards the bore was increased slightly to raise capacity to 750cc, boosting the Seven's power output to 10.5 horsepower. Further technical developments during the Baby Austin's production life included the switch to a four-speed gearbox in 1932 (with synchromesh added to third and fourth gears the following year and on second in 1934). The Austin was sold with an often bewildering array of bodywork in Britain over the years, including many variations on the basic two-seater sports, open tourer and saloon themes, along with numerous commercials and competition specials. Indeed, the Austin enjoyed a successful racing career that stretched from the banking of Brooklands in the 1920s right up to the present day, with Seven-based specials giving many drivers their first taste of vintage racing. Production totals neared the 300,000 mark when the last Baby Austin rolled off the line on the 3rd of March, 1939. For Herbert Austin, who spent his formative years working with various engineering firms in Melbourne, Australia was seen as a key export market and a large number were sent here in chassis form to be bodied locally. Many wore tourer or roadster coachwork by Holden's Motor Bodies, while others included the Ace, Wasp and Comet sports models. One of the most popular designs was the Meteor, a stylish little sports roadster that was produced - with minor variations - by James Flood in Melbourne, Jack Lonzar in Adelaide and A Robinson & Co of Sydney. With its favourable power to weight ratio, the Seven enjoyed remarkable success in competition and an example 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.