Description

1934 Austin Seven 65 Sports

From a deceased estate; rare aluminium-bodied sports Austin; only 100 miles on rebuilt engine; new Blockley tyres; a very usable example ready for the 100th Anniversary next year; scope for cosmetic TLC

Launched in June 1933, the aluminium-bodied Austin Seven 65 Sports replaced the Ulster and was in turn replaced by the steel-bodied Nippy in late 1934, a very short production life which makes it one of the rarest Seven variants. Named the 65 after its top speed, it cost £152 which made it by some margin the cheapest mass-produced sports car available.

Its low-slung stance and distinctive rounded tail had many upgrades over the standard Seven including: revised lowered sports suspension; close-ratio 4-speed gearbox; downdraught Zenith 30 VEI carburettor; high compression Chromidium cylinder head and block; special inlet manifold; plugs positioned over the valves; high-lift camshaft; extra-large sump with cooling ribs etc. The net result of all these modifications was to raise the power output from 12bhp at 2,600rpm as standard to a heady 23bhp at 4,800rpm.

As a dating certificate from the Midlands Austin 7 Club confirms, this is a genuine Type 65 EB Sports which was first registered in Birmingham in March 1934. Nothing is known of the car’s subsequent history and its existence was not even known to the A7CA Surviving Austin 7 Register until the current owner discovered it in 2014, languishing on axle stands at a property near Ludlow where it had been for perhaps 20 years or more.

Coming from the same stable as the Austin 7 RP Box Saloon elsewhere in this sale (Lot 26), it has been the subject of some sympathetic restoration to get it into good running order including a rebuilt engine; recored radiator; new clutch linings; new wiring; new seat covers; five new Blockley tyres and tubes plus various other minor items. We are told that it has only covered some 100 miles since.

On offer here from a deceased estate, it comes with various invoices and notes for work carried out to date; a 95-page ‘Guide to the Austin 65 and Nippy’ by CSW Gould published in 2004; a December 1933 copy of The Light Car with a road test of a 65 Sports; an original Austin Seven handbook and an original parts list plus other technical literature relating to the model.

As you can see in the photos, it appears to be in largely original condition and would benefit from some further tidying. The paintwork is tired and the hood and side screens will need to be recovered although the frames are present. The wheel-changing kit and tryre pump are also still present in the boot.

An extremely rare survivor of what has always been a rare model, it is being offered here at a modest guide price which leaves ample scope for the remedial works still required.
For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com