We purchased this Austin Seven RK saloon from Orchid Cars in Amesbury in 2009 after seeing it advertised and bought it to celebrate my wife's 60th birthday. Over the last 14 years we had a lot of fun with it joining the local 750 Club.
I am an aircraft engineer by trade with a hobby for classic cars, so over the period of ownership I have rebuilt the engine, rear axle, brakes, steering, suspension and retained the 6V system and have fitted LED lighting in the original equipment. The car as per Heritage Certificate was manufactured in duel grey, but the owner in the 1950s changed the colour to yellow with black wings. This was the nephew of Roland Emett who painted the cartoon picture on the rear panel. The car has been repainted since retaining the yellow and preserving the cartoon. I have preserved the trim and paintwork in good condition.
This version of the RK saloon came with aluminium body panels. When I bought the car the original 3 speed crash box had already been replaced with a 4 speed box with syncro on 3rd and top. The 3rd gear in this box was very noisy and I managed to source another 4 speed box, this time with syncro on 2nd, 3rd and top, which makes it much easier to drive. The standard Zenith carburetor had to be replaced as the material used in manufacture was poor and cracked. The tyres and wheels are good and the 6V battery is new.
This Austin Seven RK saloon has been called over the years: The Emett Car, Artistic Seven or Meppacrin by the artist Roland Emett. It has featured in 'The Automobile' magazine twice, once in 2009 and again in 2022. These articles will be provided with the car along with other provenance relating to Roland Emett OBE.
