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1935 AUSTIN SEVEN SPORTS

Entrant number 14 Driver Christine Steven's

        Queensland         South Australia        Victoria          Tasmania         Canberra         West Australia         Northern Territory

Herbert Austin's namesake Motor Car Company which had been established prior to World War I found itself in financial difficulties during the early postwar period. The savior of the company was the Austin Seven which came about from a collaboration between the company's founder, Herbert Austin, and an innovative young designer in the employ of Austin named Stanley Edge.

The idea of the project was to design a small, reliable and economical car to compete with the cycle car and motorcycle combinations popular at the time. The Austin would offer greater comfort and superior roadability as well as low cost to purchase and operate.

The first prototypes were completed and on the road in 1922 and the little cars were produced in consecutive years thereafter until 1939. In July of 1935, Austin debuted a Seven Model AAL type open road tourer. Multiple sport models were produced featuring a wide variety of body styles. Sevens were never known for speed yet the sport models looked the part and were raced extensively after some upgrading of the engines.

The Austin Seven design was well thought of by competitors. For example, BMWs first model - the Dixi - was actually an Austin Seven built under license. The Seven which was built for the United States auto market eventually developed into the first Jeep and the Land Rover design, in turn, was based on the Jeep.

1935  AUSTIN SEVEN SPORTS

The Austin Seven's racing history has been a storied one as well. The cars were designed with a power-to-weight ratio formulated to maximize speed. Weighing less than 6-1/2 CWT and furnishing approximately 24 BHP, the Sevens earned a very respectable place in the annals of auto racing.