・Hand-formed aluminium body

・Built to an exacting standard

・Genuine ‘aero special’

・Capable of 100mph+

First produced in 1923 as an economy car for the masses, the Austin Seven - often called the Austin 7 - was one of the most successful cars built for the British market and export market at the time, replicating the effects the Ford Model T had on the American market on British soil.

Following the second world war, many renegade enthusiasts, speed freaks and brave racers utilised the Austin Seven chassis and built custom-designed ‘specials’ around the frame, with a wide variety of cars being turned out from both long and short-wheelbase frames.

Designed to be as fast and as light as possible, these so-called Specials often made use of any machinery left lying around after the war, meaning many aero-engined cars - aero specials - were to be seen with all manner of power plants stuffed in to the diminutive confines of the Austin frame. 

There was even a market for production ‘specials’ with companies such as Luton-based Speedex thriving on producing race-proven bodies and engine components for the Seven chassis. 

 

With any home-made ‘special’ the vendor and their background is almost as important as the car’s history itself, seeing as they are the one that built the vehicle.

Well, it’s safe to say the constructor and owner of this 1933 Austin Special is qualified for the job, working around classic and modern Porsches, historic Formula 1 and Formula 3 cars and more for a living, along with currently being in the throes of building their supercharged Riley special from scratch.

Therefore, it won’t surprise you at all to learn that this project was born out of a desire to “just do something” with an Austin Seven long-wheelbase chassis that was simply lying around. 

Raiding the numerous parts supplies at work, this one-off Aero Special was constructed, featuring a hand-formed Aluminium body over a boil-proof marine ply tub. 

This is no half-measures job, either. The suspension and any safety-critical components that required welding are bronze-welded, while the common ‘rotating front axle under braking’ problem that befalls almost all Austin Sevens has been sorted thanks to a twin-radius arm front suspension setup with a panhard rod running across the frame. 

The idea was to build a pre-war special that can be used and enjoyed, with numerous upgrades such as a modern engine and synchromesh box (more on that below) a 12v power supply, electric fans, a heater… you get the idea.

Evidently, this is about as close to a ‘daily driver’ special as you can get, as proven by the vendor using the car as their commuter vehicle on several occasions, along with taking it on hunting trips and more!

Due to being a ‘home-brew’ car built using parts that were mostly already in the owner’s possession, the only paperwork present is the V5 document. However, there is a wealth of photographs from the restoration and build process available, along with a list of parts used to make sourcing spares easier when needed for future maintenance. 

At the time of the photography, the car was registered as ‘green’ on the V5, however, the owner has now sent off the V5 to be changed to the correct silver on the document. The plan was to always paint the car, however, the owner fell in love with the raw metal finish, and elected to keep it this way.

 

The interior - or should that be cockpit - is sparse as you’d expect from a ‘special’ but there are some extra amenities and comforts that aren’t usually seen on cars of this era or style.

For example, the seat folds forwards to reveal an impressive amount of luggage space in the tail of the vehicle, supplying enough space for a weekly shop, short weekend away or a sizeable picnic.

The floor is flat and with an aluminium cover built around the five-speed transmission tunnel, with a few typical marks from regular use which are to be expected.

Ahead of the occupants sits an engine-turned aluminium dashboard which looks fantastic, housing a number of gauges which have been specifically calibrated for the three-cylinder engine up front.

Despite the modern styling of the interior, along with the additional comforts in the form of a cigarette-lighter power outlet and a heater located in the passenger footwell, the handbrake remains of the fly-off type with a period-looking external handle.

The hand-formed aluminium body panels are wonderfully period-looking, and keen-eyed viewers will note that the unusual shortened ‘snout’ of the Seven has been remedied by the vendor, opting for a longer nose section and rear overhang, resulting in a far more balanced appearance.

The bodywork is in great shape, with only some minor surface corrosion noted around the rear light fixings and other contact points. The hand-formed rear section in particular displays its makers marks with pride, resulting in a pleasing patina in keeping with the aesthetics of a pre-war car.

The wheels are original Austin items, which have been refurbished with new spokes and rims before being mounted on the car using special hardened coned washers and aerotite nuts, with the wheels shed in a set of matching Blockley tyres.

All six of the light lenses on the vehicle are in great shape with no damage visible, with the front indicators being incorporated within the wing-mounted sidelights for a cleaner look, whilst the side-exit exhaust on the offside is the icing on the period-look cake. 

Often, enthusiasts are put off pre-war cars due to reliability concerns typically associated with the era, though everything is not quite as it seems with this particular Special…

Starting on the button, the three-cylinder Suzuki G10A engine fires in to life, with a surprisingly period-sounding exhaust note. This is where the ‘aero special’ title comes from, as these all-alloy engines are often used in light aircraft, thereby making this an ‘Aero Special’ by definition. Fitted with a set of brand new triple Mk1 900-series AMAL concentric carburettors and trumpets, the setup has been significantly engineered with a set of custom-machined pulleys and mounting plates, in order to ensure the slides are raised and lowered in a perfectly linear and equal fashion.

Then there’s the transmission, instead of the typical hard-to-use items often found in this style of vehicle, a regular five-speed, all-synchromesh item from a Suzuki Jimny/SJ410 has been used, as it fits directly to the bell housing of the engine, and finished with a period-looking chrome lever and timeless black shifter knob.

Underneath the bonnet, the exhaust manifold has been formed from a modified Mini long centre branch item, whilst the aluminium performance radiator has also been sourced from a mini and features a 12v electric fan to aid cooling, should you find yourself stuck in traffic. 

An electronic speedometer has been fitted with a hall effect sensor on the prop shaft, and all the gauges have been calibrated correctly for the engine, with the exception of the fuel gauge which will not display over 1/4 of a tank, though the rate at which it empties is in line with the actual fuel level going down, so the gauge can be trusted. 

As previously mentioned, the usual Austin front axle trait has been remedied, while the brakes have also been significantly upgraded, with a fully-hydraulic twin leading shoe setup on the front and semi-hydraulic on the rear, almost identical to the system used in the Austin A30. Further braking modifications have also been made in the form of running a twin-master cylinder setup and adjustable balance bar allowing bias setup.

The front axle has also been custom-forged to be lowered, which also gives this Special a wonderful stance. New wheel bearings, sealed torque tube bearings, bronze bushes all round, kingpins, cotter pins, spring shackles and pins, Hartford-style adjustable shock absorbers and correctly-tempered leaf springs have also been fitted, giving an excellent ride quality for a car of this period.

The vendor reports no known issues with the car, and regularly drives it as testament to just how usable this Austin Seven-based special really is. 

Classic looks with modern power and reliability? Count us in.

Genuinely, if you’re looking for a pre-war car with a unique ‘special’ construction and modifications with a genuinely usable engine and upgraded chassis, this is the one for you.

A one-off build that the vendor tells us would be “easy” enough to put a period-correct engine in to in order to homologate it for classic events, this 1933 Austin Seven Aero Special is ready to be enjoyed as it sits or lightly fettle for competition racing. 

Regardless of what you do with the car, it’s certain to turn a few heads - be ready to be the king or queen of your local watering hole! 

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