﹒Vehicle spent 24 years in California

﹒Body and trim restoration in 1992

﹒Recommissioned on its return to the UK in 2016

﹒Close to original condition

The Austin Seven has a strong claim to being the most important car ever made. Originally designed as a small car to provide an inexpensive way to get families moving, the Seven was undoubtedly successful. It dominated the market for small vehicles, moving around 300,000 units in 17 years in production, and effectively shutting down the “cycle car” sector for cheap motoring.

Sir Herbert Austin’s own creation, along with a young engineer called Stanley Edge, the Seven was much smaller than anything Austin had previously built. It originally came with a 700cc engine good for 7hp, though this became larger and more powerful over the years.

However it wasn’t just the Seven’s effect on Austin that gives it such importance. Austin licensed production to other brands too, and the Seven became the first car in many other automotive portfolios - Jaguar, BMW, and even Nissan all started off building Sevens. The very first Lotus was a Seven too, modified by Colin Chapman for trials racing.

This particular Seven, an aluminium-bodied RK saloon, has one of the most unusual histories we’ve seen. Originally built in late 1929, not much is known about the car’s early life, right through to 1985. That was when Philip Chew bought the car. Chew prepared the car and, as he had done with an earlier Seven, exported it to his uncle Niels, a well-known businessman and philanthropist in Sonoma, California.

Landing in California in 1992, the Seven stayed with the Chew family for over 20 years, used largely for events, parades, car shows and the like, before Niels’ death in February 2013. His wife, Susan took ownership of the car, and eventually chose to sell it in 2016.

That led to the car - along with the Chews’ earlier Seven (an open top AG tourer) and an MGTD - ending up with the current owner back in the UK, in a rather brave unseen purchase!

Like the history, the paperwork is unusual. There’s little record until the transatlantic export, but from that point on it’s a lot more comprehensive.

The current owner notes that there’s a lot of documentation from its time in the USA, including the export certificate, historic vehicle registration, and insurance documents. You’ll find the Californian Historic Vehicle ‘license plates’ in the car too. 

Philip Chew also provided his uncle with some instructions and technical advice, hand-written, on looking after this Seven, presumably as his previous one was a little worse for wear.

There’s UK documentation too, since its return home, and a copy of the Austin Seven handbook, known as 619c.

It's something of a time capsule in the cabin, with almost everything in-period for the original car. 

All four seats, covered in black vinyl, are in good condition, and the front seats both tip – for rear seat access – and adjust both forward and backward. On its return to the UK, the owners replaced bolts and trim screws with period-correct items too.

You'll find some lap belts, as the only obvious anachronism, though they're not for UK use. There's also rubber floor mats. Both the winding and sliding mechanisms on the door windows are fully functional, and the windscreen also opens.

The front panel is entirely in-period too, with all appropriate instrumentation. Although the odometer doesn't show the correct mileage, the speedometer and replacement - but period-correct – oil pressure gauge both function properly.

Prior to the export to the USA, the Seven benefitted from a restoration. That included repainting, but also replacement of the much of the glass and rubber, and the roof covering.

Naturally the Californian environment has been kind to the car, and it hasn't needed work since, but it is still a nearly 30-year old finish. While in good condition in general, there are some areas where it has aged more, but there's no rust and no obvious damage.

Much of the car is original, or close to it. That includes the steel wings and floors – and even the original riveting. Again, there's no rust underneath – another benefit of Californian living.

The exterior lights all function appropriately, though with a car of this vintage there's neither brake lights nor indicators. There's a new set of 19-inch Blockley tyres and tubes, fitted since its return to the UK.

There has been an extensive effort to bring it back into period condition mechanically after its time in the USA. The seller tells us that that the engine is probably original by virtue of the closeness to the chassis number.  It also is remarkably leak free - for a Seven.

All the vehicle wiring has been replaced with the correct “armoured” pattern, core plugs, water manifold gaskets, and hoses were replaced, and there's even a period fuel filter.

There's a more up-to-date carburettor, after the original updraft model was an issue – although in this case “up-to-date” still means 1940s. You'll also find a new battery with an isolator switch.

The car drives, steers, and brakes well, with no issues starting. There's no problems with the three-speed gearbox – or reverse – which operates smoothly, and while it uses a little water and oil (around half a litre per 100-150 miles) it doesn't smoke. Something to note is the mileage. Although the odometer currently reads 3092, it can be considered to have done far more than this, considering the odometer only goes up to 9,999! The seller has advised us that it is also a little sluggish on clocking its miles, having bought it on 3087 miles and doing several hundred in it since, however only increasing on the odometer by 5.

This very well-travelled example of the Austin Seven has been well cared-for by three owners on two continents across the last 30 years. An exterior restoration in the 1990s preceded a more recent mechanical overhaul to period standards, to produce an excellent example of an important motoring icon.

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