HMC architecte britannique

[Matty]

59 minutes ago, HMC said:

Boom

Country pub transportation : ENGAGED

 

2 hours ago, Matty said:

Much as I'd like to see you buy an Austin 7, crown Vic all the way

Reverse psychology. Knew it would work

[Marm Toastsmith]

Yes! Wood 100% daily that. I'm glad about the £2k I saved by not buying the Porsche now. 

[HMC]

Thanks to @LightBulbFun’s research it appears it’s on its original reg. Cxv***  block was issued in London from may 1936 and this was first registered 1/6/36 - really happy about that as I initially thought it was a latter day replacment (it has that slightly crappy look of un sought after characters that the dvla tend to dish out as a replacement where there is no incentive to peddle it at an auction for their piggy bank) .
 

Plus lots of regions in the 30s were still on the 2 letter prefix whereas London had hammered through those already, which confused my eye. I guess there are not many people with initials C.X.V. - so it has evaded plate hunters’ radar.
 

To my eyes I think it’s got a set of later plates with smaller characters, so I will source either some cast aluminium larger character  plates, or even some hand painted ones.  In your face BS 145au!

 

[LightBulbFun]

23 minutes ago, HMC said:

Thanks to @LightBulbFun’s research it appears it’s on its original reg. Cxv***  block was issued in London from may 1936 and this was first registered 1/6/36 - really happy about that as I initially thought it was a latter day replacment (it has that slightly crappy look of un sought after characters that the dvla tend to dish out as a replacement where there is no incentive to peddle it at an auction for their piggy bank) .
 

Plus lots of regions in the 30s were still on the 2 letter prefix whereas London had hammered through those already, which confused my eye. I guess there are not many people with initials C.X.V. - so it has evaded plate hunters’ radar.
 

To my eyes I think it’s got a set of later plates with smaller characters, so I will source either some cast aluminium larger character  plates, or even some hand painted ones.  In your face BS 145au!

 

yeah its really nice to see its not been robbed of its mark! in my continuous  DVLA research I will often find vehicles that are 100 years old have been robbed of their number plate for a quick buck, its very disheartening!

indeed it looks to have lost its original physical plates for a set of modern "reproductions" but thankfully there are much better options out there

Tippers vintage plates is who I recommend, however if if a cast plate is what your looking for @barrett might be someone to talk to I seem to recall he got a cast plate for his Palladium cheaper then what Tippers could do

 

tis a lovely thing! ill have to resist the urge to do something stupid when it comes up for sale in a few weeks time

[HMC]

The other option is to remove the bling badges,  front bumper and irons and get some appropriate font  self adhesive digits to go in a curve below  the radiator grille. Racy! Weight reduction FTW. Not sure It suits. 

[cort16]

Love it funnily enough there’s one in my local garage just now , they’re so tiny !

[Matty]

Go on then, whats it like to drive? Always wanted a go in one

[timolloyd]

How does it compare to the Boxster? 😂

[grogee]

9 hours ago, HMC said:

Boom

Country pub transportation : ENGAGED

Are they filming All Creatures Great & Small on Dartmoor now?

Seriously, that is an amazing piece of history. Hope it brings you (& onlookers) many smiles

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I can't get my head around the fact this little old dear is 86 years old. I spotted the listing and thought this was pretty special too:

[barrett]

2 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

yeah its really nice to see its not been robbed of its mark! in my continuous  DVLA research I will often find vehicles that are 100 years old have been robbed of their number plate for a quick buck, its very disheartening!

indeed it looks to have lost its original physical plates for a set of modern "reproductions" but thankfully there are much better options out there

Tippers vintage plates is who I recommend, however if if a cast plate is what your looking for @barrett might be someone to talk to I seem to recall he got a cast plate for his Palladium cheaper then what Tippers could do

 

tis a lovely thing! ill have to resist the urge to do something stupid when it comes up for sale in a few weeks time

We had one original plate, so did a DIY cast off that to create a replica. It's not perfect, but it didn't cost anything, so... In any case, I don't think a 1936 car would have cast plates, it should be pressed aluminium, but obviously in the correct font/size. I think Tippers is your best bet for that sadly.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Tippers is about a mile from our place. I've used them a couple of times for Lambretta plates and on my most recent visit I took some photos of their range for LBF to perve over for general perusal. 

Worth considering? 

More here:

 

[HMC]

26 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

I can't get my head around the fact this little old dear is 86 years old. I spotted the listing and thought this was pretty special too:

IIRC that bottom plaque is from a trip through France, a few years ago

[Vantman]

Well fancy buying that a couple of weeks after i had disposed of my collection of Austin Seven spares!  I've had 3, two 7s and one Big 7 so i had amassed a fair few spares,i couldn't give them away,wrong era for most people  i guess.

Great fun to drive as i was brought up with them. My personal preference is that they should always be all black!

[HMC]

This old ruby is being delivered on Sunday. I prefer the earlier styling but the coupled front and rear brakes and supposed synchros on the 3 highest speeds and having a mostly steel roof means a later car, plus they are generally less expensive and a basically a bit more forgiving of an idiot (me) at the wheel.
 

This will be used for local pottering semi daily In The centre of Tavistock in all weathers. it’s not going to be kept under a blanket and sat beside at shows in a fold out chair. Can’t think of anything worse to be honest. After all cars were designed to be used; and I can’t wait to park it next to an Audi Q7 or possibly a Tesla at Tesco and do a smol vs LARGE photo. Elon vs Herbert FACE OFF!

Anyway thanks to @horriblemercedes we may soon have some photos of its previous escapades. Sadly a lot of history has been mislaid, apart from the plaques Rivited to the bonnet as spotted by @Dick Longbridge so I’ve not got much to go on.

 

If I still own it at shitefest I will book a few days off and drive there avoiding motorways and dual carriageways; hopefully keeping out of the way of modern Britain with the keys chucked at anyone that wants a go 😂

[Matty]

Personally I think it's weird that I'm so excited about a car which I'll never see or drive but then I suppose I'm amongst like minded perverts. Upon delivery, we need a driving impressions write up. These things matter. Actually they fucking don't, just to me 😄

[HMC]

On 10/10/2017 at 9:22 AM, HMC said:

Many thanks for all the offers I have recieved. In the end I decided to turn it into a quest to find the most useful car for the least money with the longest mot. I came to realise a lot of interesting older stuff is simply worth more than the pittance I wanted to pay. The goal posts shift over time and it's interesting to have trawled through the very bottom of the current used car market. I came to the conclusion a ratty petrol mk3 mondeo would fit the bill well enough, and a grotty, battered 1.8 estate in a non colour with 11 months test is what I plumped for....

Collection tomorrow!

Things ain’t what they used to be at the bargain bucket level of the used car market!

[2flags]

That looks amazing!! You certainly do like to experience all types of cars! Well bought sir. Cannot wait for the write up!

[N Dentressangle]

Brilliant that you're actually going to use this.

Someone where my wife works in Gloucester actually commutes in their Austin 7 Ruby (I've seen it in the car park!). I would deffo do the same if I didn't have to piss about with the M5.

Does anyone else think 'Danny The Champion Of The World' when they see these? 😉

[GingerNuttz]

Always wanted one of these so I could put something modern under it, hilarious to hump boy racers in an old Austin.

[Matty]

1 hour ago, N Dentressangle said:

Brilliant that you're actually going to use this.

Someone where my wife works in Gloucester actually commutes in their Austin 7 Ruby (I've seen it in the car park!). I would deffo do the same if I didn't have to piss about with the M5.

Does anyone else think 'Danny The Champion Of The World' when they see these? 😉

Loved that book

[Matty]

3 hours ago, 83C said:

This really is a lovely looking old thing, would be quite comical seeing if I could even fit in it…

Needs pictures if it happens

[HMC]

LIVE update- now en-route (from somewhere near Brighton)

Occupying not a lot of load bed.

[BorniteIdentity]

13 hours ago, GingerNuttz said:

Always wanted one of these so I could put something modern under it, hilarious to hump boy racers in an old Austin.

VAG diesel.  100%.  

[Matty]

That's got to be one of the first instances of a transit beavertail being loaded correctly 😄

[Jenson Velcro]

Slightly disappointed you’re not collecting in person and driving it home.

you could be humming Chris Rea tunes to yourself all the way……

[HMC]

11 minutes ago, Jenson Velcro said:

Slightly disappointed you’re not collecting in person and driving it home.

you could be humming Chris Rea tunes to yourself all the way……

Would have liked to but I wasn’t sure how well used it’s been; it’s recently had a 7 guru service it but my comfort level wasn’t high enough. I tend to “use” an old car a bit more rigourously than most and a lot of old stuff that hasn’t been properly “used” of late can throw a hissy fit on a decent trip.  I like to think of it as fold out chair/ information board and thermos at a car show syndrome.
 

Also I would have used a 1930s map and taken all the quiet and bypassed byways, over a few days with suitable distractions, refreshments and diversions.

[Joey spud]

My first job after leaving school was at a local garage who's owner was a bit of an excentric and had various old 1930's onwards stuff scattered around including a '34 A7 box saloon (AKT45) that had to be taken in and out of the workshop everyday.

Getting it out in the mornings was easy as there was a gentle slope to roll down out onto the forecourt but at night unless there was a few pushers available it had to be driven back in.

The little 6v battery never had enough charge to start the engine off its motor so the routine (if my memory serves me right after 35 years) was to give the engine three cranks on the starting handle then set the hand throttle lever to about a quarter and the ignition advance/retard lever to full advance,not fogetting to add a precise amount of choke,switch the ignition on and go back around the front of the car and get the starting handle in just the right position to give it a good brisk swing.

Once it was running it was 'just' a case of quickly getting behind the wheel pushing the choke in and knocking the throttle and advance back a bit to get a clean idle before it stalled out. Then engaging first gear and fighting with a clutch that was very fierce with a short travel and was either in or out (more like an on/off switch). And you could guarantee that if it was raining or you was in a rush to get home you would get your take off all wrong and stall the bugger and have to start the process all over again.

 

 

[HMC]

I found a pic of its earlier life in 2014. Looks to be from a Spanish visitor to Eastbourne 2014, Google translate raises more questions than answers!

[trigger]

My friend recently won a Austin 7 on a online charity raffle and drove it home 190 miles from Cornwall to Gloucestershire, the previous owners had already driven it 18000 miles across America so it can be done!