Austin 7 Opal two seater tourer 1937

This delightful little car was first put on the road in May 1937. It is an Austin Seven APE two seater tourer.  The registration is the original number which I believe was a London registration.  I don't know much about its early history but do have the registration book issued in 1949 at which time the car was based in Bath.  It spent the 1950s being passed between owners in the Bath and Bristol area before being taken off the road for a long period. I have included a photo of the car just before it was restored. The car was restored by the owner before me in the 1990s and put in a roadworthy condition, although some aspects were incomplete – notably there was no hood or side screens, windscreen wiper (not a legal requirement on a car of this age with an opening windscreen but I don't recommend it!), nor a working dynamo.  He had fitted a new wiring loom and upgraded to 12 volt electrics.  Some things are not quite the same as the original – he fitted a couple of lockers accessible behind the seats for hidden storage of tools etc. The door internal trim does not match the original.  Most of the bodywork framework has been replaced with steel rather than the original wood (which should make it stronger).

I have fitted an original hood frame and had a hood and side screens fitted by David Nightingale.  I fitted an original style windscreen wiper and a 12 volt dynamo and solid state regulator (in original case).  The king pins were replaced, with the front axle holes being shrunk to fit these properly.  The car was in good running order, albeit with a few non-working ancillaries  and minor cosmetic blemishes.

Unfortunately at this point a protracted house move and other interests meant that the car has hardly been taken out for the past few years.  It still runs (and almost always starts first time thanks to the 12V electrics) but it deserves to be used and looked after. 

Things that don't work – the fuel gauge (I use a bit of old broom handle to dip the tank…), the trafficators (semaphore indicators)- the arms are there but no mechanisms.   I do have some parts for restoring these if I can find them.   The ammeter only seems to show a discharge, but I believe it is actually charging – at least the charging light goes out – so I think that is a fault with the meter.

For anyone who is new to Austin Sevens, there is a great community of enthusiasts (I can recommend the Bristol Austin Seven Club) and traders supporting them.  The cars are great fun to drive providing you are not in a hurry. Every journey is an adventure. They are certainly not comfortable, but I was impressed I could squeeze behind the wheel despite being over 6 foot tall, and no lightweight.

I would prefer cash on collection, other methods of payment can be discussed.

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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