Almost 300,000 Austin Sevens were sold throughout the car’s 16-year production run – big numbers for the early days of motoring when cars were very much luxury items.
The Seven, though, was a bit different. It was low-priced and the most accessible car in the UK for most of its life, meaning it appealed to the masses – even more so on the second-hand market later in its life.
This one, though, is a bit more unusual. It’s a B-Type Coupe, also known as a Doctor’s Coupe, as is one of only 529 Sevens of this body type made, and one of only 12 known to still exist. In other words, a very rare car – you’re certainly not likely to see another coming the other way!
It has been in the vendor’s family for over 30 years, having previously belonged to his brother. While this car was subject to a Cat B insurance claim in 2006 we have reliable evidence that this car has since been fully repaired and is now both comprehensively insured and road worthy.
As you might expect from an Austin Seven, the cabin is pretty basic. It's also a bit of a squeeze. The owner recommends that tall drivers need not apply!
The seats are the originals but appear to have been reupholstered at some stage. The rear seat is matching black leather and sits atop a concealed storage area for tools.
Depending on what angle you view it form, the Seven is a quirky little car, the upright coupé bodywork appearing almost truncated at the rear, as the doors open pretty much right back to the rear pillar. It’s different and really quite cute.
It’s not immaculate – the car is an older restoration and the black paint is faded and cracked in places, whilst the owner believes that the upper bodywork should have some form of vinyl covering – certainly other B-Type Coupes appear to. Nevertheless, it’s very smartly presented with all the correct brightwork and trim. jnmZAHZGZiF12aQxXdptyT3DlpRqBS80xXJ54gX9.jpeg1.75 MB
THE MECHANICS
855cc side-valve four
Starts and runs well
All running gear in good order
Under the bonnet you’ll find the traditional 855cc Austin Seven sidevalve powerplant, of which millions were built over a production run spanning more than 20 years. It hasn’t been used much in recent years but the vendor says it’s in running condition, and that the steering, suspension and cable brakes are in decent working order. 6yNp9Rnjpua0mzi8YLDxMwVA0dLYqjRoAyjSX43G.jpeg1.12 MB
SUMMARY
As Britain’s own ‘people’s car’ the Austin Seven is well-loved and is still a fairly common sight at shows and events despite production ending over 80 years ago. This one will appeal in particular to Seven collectors as it’s such a rare derivative, in complete condition and with all of the correct parts. It’s a car with bags of period charm.
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