http://classiccars.brightwells.com/viewdetails.php?id=3936
Austin 7 Swallow, Two Seater, 1930
- Hammer value: £14,200
- Price: 29,950 Euro Techno Classica Essen 2014
- Description: Austin 7 Swallow Two Seater
- Registration: DF 9519
- Year: 1930
- Colour: Aluminium
- Engine size: 747 cc
- Chassis No.: 104364
- Engine No.: B7136
Much of the Austin 7's success can be put down to the fact that it was designed as a "big car in miniature".
The sceptical buying public could see that it was properly engineered, and its quality of manufacture was
every bit as good as its larger siblings.
Austin had an enviable reputation for reliability and robust design which no doubt helped to persuade
the British public that a small car could survive daily use, the cyclecar competition of the time struggling
to make such a claim. Despite its size, the Seven offered remarkable performance, durability and big car comfort at a price that the working man could afford. It genuinely was "motoring for the millions".
It was common practice for manufacturers to offer their chassis’ to outside coachbuilders. Austin were no exception and the Seven became very popular with names such as Boyd Carpenter, Gordon England, Taylor, Duple and of course, William Lyons at Swallow. He produced two gorgeous designs, a tiny Saloon and an open Two Seater (the latter in much smaller numbers), both models being highly desirable today amongst collectors thanks to their wonderful looks and their Jaguar connection.
The open Two Seater arrived first, the company being so strapped for cash that they couldn’t afford a pitch inside the 1928 Earls Court Show, choosing simply to park the new car outside, hoping to catch the eye of the press. In fact it was spotted by Jack Barclay, the famous Rolls Royce and Bentley dealer from Berkeley Square, who immediately placed a significant order.
By 1929 the company had run out of space in its Blackpool factory, forcing a move to Coventry where
some 3,500 Swallows were to be produced before the company introduced their own complete car, the 'SS' which subsequently became the Jaguar post-war.
This charming Two Seater left the Coventry works in early 1930 although little is known of its subsequent
history until the 1980s. By then it was in the hands of a Mr. White from Birmingham, who understood the car to have been modified in the 1950s. The bodywork had been retained but the tail was lowered and the front spring ingeniously mounted on top of the chassis rather than underneath, in effect lowering the front of the car. The windscreen had also been removed and replaced with a most attractive ‘V’ shaped screen making the car look particularly sporty.
The current lady vendor purchased the car in 1986 and over the last 27 years has enjoyed it greatly, taking it on numerous trips abroad and entering VSCC events. Her father overhauled the engine some years ago and replaced the rather moth-eaten bulkhead. Described as going very well, normal Austin 7 oil leaks aside, the engine is fitted with a later side draft carburettor yet retains its main original components.
The interior trim is the original with the exception of the passenger seat squab, the car being used as a reference for the Swallow Two Seater which was restored some years ago for the Jaguar Collection. It even carries its original body number (1156) chalked into the inside of the door. Some time ago the Swallow Register produced a set of brass windscreen castings and a run of front ‘dummy’ dumb-iron covers which the vendor purchased at the time, and which accompany the car in the sale. It also comes with a detachable hood frame.
The vendor has always resisted restoring the car to its exact original specification, preferring the look of the
car to the standard Swallow, however that decision can now be the new owner’s prerogative. The Swallow Register records just 60 or so Two Seaters extant, making this Swallow a rare bird, with original examples few and far between. It looks to be an excellent opportunity to get your hands on a delightful, stylish, rare and essentially original coachbuilt Austin with Jaguar connections.
