A small, affordable and simple people's car that got England on wheels in the interwar period – a concept that lived on in newer models as well.
"How small it is!", I thought when I spotted this Austin 7 at the Ekebergmessen earlier this fall. The fact that it was parked among classic American cars didn't make the car bigger. Quite the opposite. According to the vehicle registry, it measures 289 cm in length and 127 in width. It weighs 540 kg and can take a payload of 387 kg – about the same as a compact electric car can today. The engine is 4-cylinder, probably 747 cc with 10,5 horsepower. Enough to drive at 80-90 km/h, but probably thrives best on country roads at 60-70 km/h.
Model history
The Austin 7 was produced in Longbridge, UK, from 1922 to 1939. The model was produced in several variants, such as 2-door saloon, coupe, convertible, racing car and van. Several coachbuilders offered their own bodies. The Austin 7 was also produced under license as the BMW Dixi in Eisenach, Germany and in France by Rosengart. It was also produced in the USA as Austin og BantamIn Japan they were produced by Datsun.
Austin Bantam
Austin didn't let go of the "Seven" model name after the war. When they launched the A30 in 1951, it was under the name Austin A30 Seven and in 1959 the Austin Mini was presented to the public as Austin SevenThat was the model's name until January 1962, when the official name became the Austin Mini,
-Require half the road width, please!
My father-in-law told me about his friend who asked the following question after a drive on narrow country roads: "You Asbjørn! I have a right to half the width of the road, don't I?" Yes, my father-in-law thought so, and added to his story that his friend drove an Austin 7. Then it wasn't so easy to claim half the width of the road 🙂
About the pictures
The pictures of the green car were taken at the Ekeberg market in the fall of 2025. The red car participated in the Veteran Car Day in Skien 2026 and probably belongs to a member of the Grenland Veteran Car Club. The blue Austin Bantam is on display at the Cotswold Motoring Museum.
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