LATEST NEWS

Items appear chronologically with the date when they were posted.

2 Feb 2010 Early A7 engine on Ebay

Are you looking for an early two bearing Austin Seven engine? Then have a look at Ebay and you will find one, in need of serious attention, but not beyond repair. Take a look HERE

2 Feb 2010 Midlands Events

Applications are now being invited for two classic car events in the Bromsgrove area. The first is the Webbs of Wychbold Car Show, a popular event held at a large garden centre near Droitwich. The second is the Transport Show held on 1st and 2nd May at Stoke Prior Sports Ground organized by DHL Events. Contact information can be found in the Events Calendar.

26 Jan 2010 John Coleman's Funeral

John Coleman the author of Coleman's Drive which described his adventures driving an Austin Seven from Buenos Aires to New York in 1960 died in the icy conditions at the beginning of this month at the wheel of his Morris Minor.

The A7CA has released the following details about his funeral:

Anyone wishing to attend the funeral on 29th January 2010 should contact Viv Orchard of the Austin Seven Owners Club ASAP. He can be contacted

19 Jan 2010 A new VAR Rally

Further to the news that the Vintage Austin Register Ashover Rally has been cancelled after 30 years, the VAR has announced that an Austins only rally will be held at Renishaw Hall on 1 August 2010. Renishaw Hall is 3 miles from junction 30 of the M1 and has been the family home of the Sitwells for 400 years.

Every Austin owner who attended Ashover 2009 will get an entry form sometime in March.

There will not be an autojumble but all of the other facilites; food, toilets, etc. will be on site.

For more information you can contact the VAR HERE

16 Jan 2010 Magazine Offer

Classic Car Buyer is offering a sample copy of their new weekly publication dedicated to classic cars. You can fill in the online form HERE

14 Jan 2010 On the Road Again

Sally the 1934 Austin Seven is back on the road to Cameroon - but for how long? Their next stop is Burkina Faso which is by our reckoning about 40 miles away. Should be a breeze...

Their online blog is HERE

11 Jan 2010 Chocks Away

Those two spiffing chaps David Aspinall and Ben Stevenson have encountered a bit of a problem on their Austin Seven adventure.

Their plan has been to drive the 7000 miles to Cameroon in a 1934 Austin Seven special called Sally but they have been brought to a halt by the 'clunking booming noise of despair'. Their latest report details the scene of devastation that was their engine and their efforts to revive the flagging car.

You can follow their exploits HERE

11 Jan 2010 Events Calendar

The Events Calendar has now been updated and is colour coded by event organizer.

10 Jan 2010 A7 Specials Register

Martin Field, under the auspices of the Austin Seven Clubs Association, has undertaken the Herculean task of assembling an Austin Seven Specials Register.

The Register is hoped to become a major resource for the movement as is develops but to do so it will need your help. If you have a special and have not yet been in contact with Martin you can email him 

10 Jan 2010 Cars in the Park Lichfield

This years cars in the Park will be held at Beacon Park, Lichfield on 3rd and 4th July. The Event, which is now in its 13th year will be different to last year in that there will be no admission charge! Cars will be allowed to enter the Park at any time up to 11am (but that is a strict cut-odd time) and find a space. Clubs are asked to contact the organizers if they want to book a Club space. Go to their website HERE for further details.

A sister event will also make an appearance this year; described by the organizers as a 'hibernation' event it will take place at Chasewater on 26 September 2010. More details to follow.

10 Jan 2010 Cholmondeley Pageant of Power

Austin Seven Car Clubs are being invited to attend this years Pageant of Power at Cholmondeley Castle, north of Whitchurch in Cheshire on 17th and 18th of July. The Pageant involves not only static car displays but also has its own racing circuit and displays of boats, aircraft and military vehicles. The kitchen sink event is pencilled in for next year!

The event, which has been going for two years, was very succesful in 2009 and the organizers are hoping to build upon that success this year - go to www.cpop.co.uk and get your application forms.

9 Jan 2010 Events Calendar.

We are currently in the process of assembling the latest calendar of events. The 2010 events calendar can be found HERE If you are aware of, or the organizer of, an Austin Seven related event please let us know.

9 Jan 2010 The Ashover Rally is no more.

After 36 years the organizers have decided to end the VAR Ashover Rally. Frank Smith and Mike Eggerton started the rally in the early 70's and it has been a prominent fixture in the Austin Seven events calendar but the combination of several years of bad weather and falling attendances have brought the organizers to the conclusion that it cannot go on.

16 Oct 2009 Practical Restoration

This month's Practical Classics Magazine announces that their next restoration project will be not one but two Austin Sevens.

The cars that they have acquired are a 1934 Box Saloon and a 1936 Ruby. Both are in a bit of a state but they will be aiming to preserve as many of the original parts and as much of the patina as possible.

The restoration starts in earnest in 2010 but the measuring up and preparation is covered in the November magazine.

We will be following their progress here but for the original articles you will need to get Practical Classics. Their website can be found HERE

14 Oct 2009 Chocks Away!

In two months time on the 13th December two intrepid young chaps in a 1934 Austin Seven Special will be adventuring their way from London to Cameroon in aid of Charity. The chaps in question David Aspinall and Ben Stevenson will be travelling about 7000 miles through France, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Niger and Nigeria in support of two charities; SOS Childrens' Villages and Send a Cow.

We will monitor their progress on this site but you can also visit their site HERE

12 Oct 2009 Insurance Regulations

There is a change to the way that Car Insurance is monitored contained in the provisions of Section 22 of the Road Safety Act of 2006. The law has been in place since 2006 but, to date, hasn't been enforced. Next year this will change as the authorities marry up the information in the DVLA database with that in the Motor Insurers Database (MID).

At present, it is only illegal to use, or keep, an uninsured vehicle on the road. If it is kept off the road, it doesn’t matter whether it is insured or not. Once Section 22 commences, however, it will be an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle unless it is SORNed (or has been off the road since before the SORN system began in January 1998).

To avoid hassle it may be a good idea to check if you appear on the MID. You can do so HERE but it will cost you £3:50.

12 Oct 2009 FBHVC Website

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, of which the OA7C is a Member, is officially launching  its new website at their AGM on 17 October.

The FBHVC carries out important work on behalf of the historic vehicle community monitoring the legislation coming out of Brussels and Whitehall and lobbying to support their Memberships best interests.

You can find their website HERE

11 Oct 2009 Summer Events

After a short hiatus in updating the website due to a rather more hectic than expected summer we have now updated the photo galleries with images from the car gatherings at Whittington, Webbs of Wychbold, Catton Hall, Yeatsall, Solihull Festival and Lavenham Rare Breeds Show. Some of the images are in the gallery section and others are in the Members Area.

Reports from these events will be posted shortly.

24 Aug 2009 A Change of Venue

The September meeting of the Lichfield Group of the OA7C will be held at the Swan PH at Fradley Junction due to the sudden demise of the Crown at Elford.

For more details and a map go HERE

27 July 2009 Adrian Flux Classic Car and Bike Show

This show has had more than its share of misfortune this year having seen two moves of venue at short notice. The event finally touches down at the Beaulieu Motor Museum on 2nd August. For details of this and other upcoming events go to our Events page.

26 July 2009 Hiring your car for Film and TV

Are you interested in seeing your car on TV, on the big screen or in a magazine? if so you will find an article of intrerest HERE

25 July 2009 Headlights for Sale

Are you after a pair of headlights for a Nippy, sports special or 12/4? Then go HERE

25 July 2009 Event reports and photos

Reports and photographs of the events held in Ashover, Cofton Park and Kings Bromley are now posted in the Members Area.

We have now collected photographs of a further 150+ cars which are being added to the Austin Seven Register in the Members Area.

15 July 2009 Sevens in the Movies

Talking to one of our Members, Bob Champ, he mentioned that his car had appeared in the Douglas Bader biopic 'Reach for the Sky'. Doing a little research on the internet I came upon a site that aims to identify cars that appear in films called the 'Internet Movie Cars Database'. On this site a quick search finds that Sevens have  appeared in a number of films and TV programs. If your car has been an extra in a film or TV show let us know. The site can be found HERE

15 July 2009 Car Scrappage

2009 is the year that the word 'scrappage' came into common parlance but what affect has this initiative by the UK government had on classic cars?

One of the inevitable companions of any news item these days is a hefty portion of urban myth and there are many cars that are said to have met, or nearly met an early end in the interest of saving £2000 on a new silver box. These include:

• 1960s Singer Vogue
• 1980s RMB Gentry kit car
• 1971 Morris Minor Pickup
• Hillman Minx
• 1966 Austin 1100
• 1968 Morris Minor
• 1954 Riley RME

Whether this is true or not there will doubtless be many cars, unrecognized for their significance, that disappear for short term gain that will be regretted in years to come. What would have happened to your Austin Seven if a scheme like this had appeared in the fifties?

The FBHVC in their latest newsletter asks that everyone in the historic vehicle movement do their bit to promote the preservation of classic cars by education and example. You can read their latest newsletter on their site and in the Members area of this site.

12 July 2009 Beaulieu

A report form the 47th National Austin Seven Rally at Beaulieu organized by the 750 Motor Club. There are numerous pictures from the Event in the Members Section. For the picture and video report go HERE

11 July 2009 Cars in the Park

The Cars in the Park event in Lichfield Staffordshire saw it's biggest ever attendance. The effects of 'staycationing' and a good weekends weather meant that late entrants had to be shoehorned into the park. For the picture and video report go HERE

10 July 2009 Site Updates

This is a busy time of year on the Austin Seven front with multiple events taking place over most weekends. We have been concentrating on scanning and writing technical articles in the Members section for the last few weeks but photographs and reports of the latest events will appear here over the next few days.

19 May 2009 Site Updates

We have updated the events calendar with new events taking place in June and July. Meanwhile Ian McGowan is on a roll and has written an article on Austin Seven little end failure in the Members Area.

17 May 2009 Handbook 619d

Austin Seven Handbook 619d for the RL body saloons published in August 1929 has now been uploaded in the Members Area. Handbook 1182 published  in December 1934 and the parts list for chassis numbers 249701 onwards will appear soon.

16 May 2009 Members Area updates.

There has been a short pause whilst yours truly has been swanning around Puglia and Istanbul sampling the local beer and donner kebaps (their spelling) but new articles are now being uploaded in the Club, Technical and Articles sections in the Members Area. Apologies for the short interruption in service mid week the web server's internet connection had obviously figured out that I was out of the country and wanted to amuse itself.

16 May 2009  Lowestoft to Lands End

We have posted a report from Dianne Taylor on the Lowestoft to Lands End run in the Events section.

28 Apr 2009  Photo Galleries

Only April and we have already added another 450+ photographs and 4 videos in the Members Area! If you have photographed any Austin Seven events please send them to us and you will gain access to the Members Area.

27 Apr 2009  Drive It Day

Yesterday, Sunday 26th April, was 'Drive It Day' an event promoted by the FBHVC to raise the profile of vintage and classic cars by getting as many of them as possible out on the road on the same day. Our local Group took part by organizing a Scenic Run into the Derbyshire Dales and the southern end of the Peak District National Park and, judging by the number of other classic cars that we saw, the event is gaining momentum. We have video and pictures of our run in the Members Area.

25 Apr 2009  A7CA Archive Open Day

The A7CA threw the doors to their new Archive open on Saturday 25th April. This is what we found inside. For the article go HERE

21 Apr 2009  Is Your Distributor out of alignment?

The replacement parts that we can get today may not always match the originals. If you have a DJ4 distributor this technical article will be of interest to you. You can find the article HERE

21 Apr 2009  Austin Seven Register

The Register has now been uploaded to the Members Area. All photo contributions gratefully received.

20 Apr 2009  Gordon Englands

There is work underway at the moment to create a comprehensive Gordon England Register. If you have any information on surviving cars please contact Damian Gardner-Thorpe here:

We will be posting an article on the history of these widely admired cars shortly.

19 Apr 2009  Austin Seven Register

The Surviving Chassis Register is a wonderful thing. It allows you to find if a specific car still exists and tells you its date and type - well most of the time. Unfortunately both the printed and web-based versions are rather out of date and about a third of the 10,245 Austin Sevens currently known to exist are not listed. The A7CA are planning to put this right but meanwhile we are undertaking our own, slightly different version.

 Ours, like the Chassis Register, won't list personal details of the owner and it also won't go into the technical details but what it will do is provide you with a photograph of each car and, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. So, watch this space - the first 520 cars will be uploaded soon.

19 Apr 2009  Longbridge

The 'Pride of Longbridge Rally took place on 18th April at Cofton Park but what of the future of the Austin Motor Works site? See the report HERE

14 Apr 2009  Austin Seven Handbooks

Scans of the original handbooks 352i, 352P, 715D and 1400D are now available in the Members Area.

14 Apr 2009  OA7C Drive It Day Scenic Run

See the Ad panel in the right hand column for details of our Drive It Day run.

14 Apr 2009  Starting an Austin Seven

Just bought a Seven and scratching your head trying to figure out how to start it? Help is a hand in our technical section HERE

14 Apr 2009  London to Brighton in Three and a Half Minutes

You fix a video camera to the side of a Chummy aiming to film the London to Brighton run from the car's point of view and guess which gives up first?

 Well on this occasion it was the camera which ran out of memory but we nearly filmed it all. Maybe next time the cameras will have improved. See the video HERE

13 Apr 2009  Weston Park Festival of Transport

We have a report from the event HERE and pictures in the Member's Area

12 Apr 2009  Photograph Galleries

It's only the beginning of the new season and we already have over 380 new images in the Members Area galleries. Is your car there?

10 Apr 2009  Lowestoft to Land End

This event, organized by the  750 Motor Club, sets out from Ness Point in Lowestoft tomorrow (11 April 2009). For more details go HERE

9 Apr 2009  London to Brighton

Last weekend's A7OC rally was a great success with over 350 Austin Sevens taking to the road between Epsom and Brighton on a close to ideal driving day. We have an article about it HERE and 289 photographs of the event in the Members section. Videos from the event will appear shortly.

9 Apr 2009  Technical articles

We have added new articles about windscreen sealing and half shaft nut tightening in the Technical section. To read the articles click on the Technical button in the menu to the left.

9 Apr 2009  Help needed

Can anyone help to identify a gear change? It's owner John Holden would like you to get in contact if you can. To see some pictures of the gear change in question go HERE

1 Apr 2009 A7OC London to Brighton

This coming Sunday,5th April, will see a large number of Austin Sevens on the road between Epsom and Brighton. the event, organized by the Austin Seven Owners Club has 353 entries to date and will start from the newly refurbished Epsom Racecourse two weeks before its official opening.

The weather is looking promising at 13 degrees with sunny intervals so it looks set to be a great day out. we will have a full report on the event with photographs and video early next week.

1 Apr 2009 A 12 Seater Chummy

It has been 6 months in development but at last we can unveil our latest project for the new motoring season. For more details go HERE

31 Mar 2009 A7CA Breakdown Register

Gordon Phillips who runs the A7CA Breakdown Register would like to hear from anyone who is willing to help others who car trouble whilst on the road. For details go HERE

31 Mar 2009 Anniversary Events

The air is thick with Anniversaries this year. The VSCC celebrates its 75th, the Austin Seven Owners Club its 40th, the 750 Motor Club its 70th and the Montagu Motor Museum its 50th Anniversary amongst others.

There are two new events related to this burst of anniversarial (the spell checker didn't like that one!) activity now listed in our Events calendar care of the A7CA. Click on the 'Events' link to the left.

31 Mar 2009 A7CA Archive Open Day

The Austin Seven Clubs Association Archivist Phil Baildon has been busy. After many years of the A7CA archives being somewhat mobile he has now found them a home in a rented area of the Triumph Sports Six Club's premises in Leicestershire. To more widely publicise this resource there is going to be an open day in April. For more details go HERE

30 Mar 2009 Jimmy Blanche's Barn

Jimmy Blanche moved to Long Stratton in Norfolk with his parents but when they died 25 years ago he became a recluse and his collection of vintage vehicles lay decaying and undiscovered until he died earlier this year. The Auction takes place on 4th April 2009. For more details go HERE

10 Mar 2009 OA7C Lichfield Group Start of Season Run

Details have now been released of our start of season run into the Peak District. You can find details of the run HERE. The run is open to all so Come and join us

10 Mar 2009 6 volt Easy Start

Ron Kendall reports that he no longer has stocks of his 6 volt Easy Start unit but is still happy to provide assembly instructions to anyone that wants to build their own. Email anyone in the Contacts section for details.

7 Mar 2009 Drive in the Park

We have now launched the Drive in the Park, our Austin Seven Convention to be held in Buxton on 3 October this year. The Drive in the Park website can be accessed through the panel on the right. Registration for the Event is £25 per head.

7 Mar 2009 Site Search

We have added a Search facility to the site! Anyone out there who has worked on asp.net websites (don't ask) will know that it is not as straightforward as it should be but we have finally beaten it. There are two buttons on the Search page; One will search this site only and the other will search a selection of other Austin Seven sites. If you are aware of a useful site that doesn't make an appearance in the search results please let us know. You can find the Search page HERE

25 Feb 2009 Austins to Argentina

If everything has gone to plan the intrepid Argentinean adventurers in their four rather battered Austin Sevens should be arriving in Buenos Aires today having completed their 5000+ mile tour around Argentina and Chile. See our report HERE

25 Feb 2009 Website Features

At long last we have jumped the final programming hurdle and this website is now visible to the rest of the 'electronic interweb'. This means that it is now findable by search engines, our little icon will appear in the browser address bar, our privacy policy is now findable meaning that anyone who has experienced logging on problems should have them no more and our search facility will be available soon - Phew!

17 Feb 2009 Online Membership Applications

After what seems like a lifetime of wrestling with the intricacies of manipulating the Membership Database we are at last able to offer the facility to join the OA7C online. To do so please go to the Membership area in the menu to the left and fill out the form.

15 Feb 2009 The Argentinian Adventurers

Reports from the four Austin Sevens touring southern Argentina are becoming more sporadic. The cars are taking a lot of punishment from the roads and weather. To see the latest reports go HERE

14 Feb 2009 Repatriating Ruby

If you have considered getting involved in one of the events that take place on the continent but have been afraid of the consequences of a breakdown then this article could be of interest. The Richardson Hosken insurance cover available to the Members of Clubs that are part of the A7CA (like this one) includes European breakdown recovery so read on... HERE

14 Feb 2009 Site Maintenance

Apologies if you experience any difficulty accessing the site this weekend.

We are undertaking maintenance work on the site that will involve the site being off-air for short periods. At the end of it we are hoping to have a lot more features available on the site.

13 Feb 2009 Austin Sevens in print

There have been many books about the Austin Seven and many more that mention it in passing. We have an article about some of those books and where you can get them HERE If you can add any to the list please let us know.

10 Feb 2009 Sevens for Sale

Fancy a 1928 Mulliner Fabric Saloon? If so there is one for sale in Surrey on Car and Classic that has just been listed. It was apparently restored in the early 80s and looks very tidy. For more details go HERE

Meanwhile, on Classic Cars for Sale they have a 1924 Pramhood Chummy. For details of that go HERE

We have a section in the Members Area dedicated to tracking cars that come up for sale in the auctions and on classic car sales websites. We plan to include an Austin Seven Sales and Wants section on this site later in the year.

6 Feb 2009 Body Panels

There are a number of companies that make replacement body panels for Austin Sevens many of which are listed in our Parts and Services Directory in the Member's Area. Keith Marriner of Metalwork Developments in Hinckley has been making these panels for a number of years, for a breakdown of the panels available from him go HERE

1 Feb 2009 Austin Seven Gifts

We have expanded our Shop! We can now offer a wider range of Austin Seven themed items. So if you are after the right mouse mat to enhance your surfing pleasure, or need a gift for a Seven enthusiast then go HERE. We will be adding to the range over the next few days. The Members Area shop will shortly be offering a range of OA7C regalia. Remember, all profits from the Shops will go to Children in Need.

31 Jan 2009 Austin Seven Clubs

We are currently compiling a directory of Austin Seven Clubs both in the UK and worldwide. If you can help with information on your Club please get in contact. For more go HERE

30 Jan 2009 Do you have a valid driving licence?

There is an email currently doing the rounds pointing out in no uncertain terms the dangers of assuming that your photo driving licence is still valid. The reality is that the photos on Driving Licences have to be replaced every ten years. For more go HERE

30 Jan 2009 Austins to Argentina

The Argentinian adventurers have reached the southernmost point on their epic trip, Ushuaia and, after a rest break are now heading north again. For a report on their progress go HERE

16 Jan 2009 Feature Event

We are featuring a charity classic car event held in the Midlands. Rotary Cars in the Park. The event, now in its 12th year, has grown progressively under the skilful guidance of the Rotary Club of Lichfield St Chad. To see details of the event go HERE

16 Jan 2009 Engine oil and classic cars

The latest FBHVC newsletter contains an interesting letter from Castrol on the use of anti-wear additives in oils intended for classic cars. You can find the article in newsletter 6-2008 in the Members section HERE

15 Jan 2009 Events Calendar 2009

Are you planning your motoring year ahead? Our Calendar of Events is filling up rapidly so if you want to save yourself some time trawling the internet for A7 related events go to our Events page. It is in the menu to the left.

13 Jan 2009 Austins to Argentina 2009

A band of seven Austin Seven enthusiasts are currently on a 5000 mile trek around Argentina, Chile and Patagonia. We will be tracking their progress HERE

12 Jan 2009 Technical Articles

We are keen to receive any Technical Articles  that you may have in you. The Maintenance section now sports it's first article from Alan Billington on the cleaning of Chummy fuel tanks so, if yours is in a state go HERE

10 Dec 2008 Book Hunt

OA7C Club Member Rex Grogan is looking for a copy of 'Around the World in a Baby Austin' by Hector MacQuarrrie. The book was published in 1933 and recounts the adventures of two New Zealanders in their Austin Seven. According to some old minutes of the A7CA there was also a film of this (!) so it would be interesting to know if this has surfaced. Anyone who can give Rex any help should contact us and we will put you in touch.

8 Dec 2008 OA7C Jewel Case Calendar

Would you like a Calendar featuring Austin Sevens? Would you like it as a gift care of the OA7C and Rex Grogan? Well, look no further because if you follow the link HERE you can print off your very own copy of the Online Austin Seven Club 2009 Calendar.

7 Dec 2008 OA7C Lichfield Group Christmas Dinner

The Members of the OA7C are mostly active Members of a number of other Austin Seven Clubs and attend their meetings when possible but in Lichfield a number of OA7C Members hold group meetings in their own right to which anyone is invited. In January the Lichfield Group have their Christmas Dinner so, if you are in the area contact David and June Smith. Details can be found HERE

6 Dec 2008 New Articles

We have included half a dozen new articles on things Austin Seven related in the Members Area as well as new videos and photographs.

28 Nov 2008 Jim Shelley's Magic of the Midlands

Jim Shelley's book is now available in the website shop. An excerpt from it appears in the articles section.

27 Nov 2008 A7OC London to Brighton Run

The London to Brighton run organized to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Austin Seven Owners Club in April next year is open to all pre-war Austins (!)

The closing date for applications is 28th February so contact the A7OC now for details.

27 Nov 2008 OA7C November report

Notes from the November meeting are available now in the Member's area.

23 Oct 2008 More Trouble with Annie

The latest installment of Brian Shaw's adventures in his Seven; Annie sees him experiencing a little difficulty. You can find the article HERE

4 Oct 2008 Looking for a Chummy?.

If you are interested in acquiring a Chummy in good condition then you could do a lot worse than look at Ebay where Ray Edge's old 1928 A7 is currently open for bids. You can find it HERE

4 Oct 2008 Latest FBHVC Newsletter released.

The FBHVC Newsletters contain important and interesting articles about the effects of the latest legislation on vintage car owning and running. We provide abridged versions of the newsletters containing the items that may be relevant to Austin Seven owners in the Members Area.

3 Oct 2008 New articles by Brian Shaw.

We are pleased to welcome Brian Shaw as a contributor to the website. Brian will be well known to readers of the PWA7C Magazine to which he contributed 'The Sure Spot' for a number of years. He starts with the first of three articles as he heads north in Annie, his 1931 Austin Seven HERE. 

2 Oct 2008 Austin Seven Handbooks.

The original Austin Seven handbooks are a veritable mine of information but it can be a bit tricky to find the one for your particular model. Never fear - we are undertaking a mass scanning of the handbooks, oil stains and all and will be making them available in the Members Area.

 The first to appear is 1400D from April 1937 but 352i, 352p and 715D are hot on it's heels.

18 Nov 2008 Happy Anniversary

2009 sees the 70th anniversary of the 750 Motor Club and the 40th anniversary of the Austin Seven Clubs Association. One event to mark the occasion is an Austin Seven 'Demonstration Run' from Lowestoft to Lands End (Furthest east to furthest west in the UK) at Easter. (April 10th to 13th) Details in January 2009 from Janet Edroff on 01438 723779 or via email HERE

28 Oct 2008 6 Volt Easy Start

Club Member Ron Kendall has a stock of units to assist the starting of 6volt coil engines. Contact us for details.

24 Oct 2008 Motorsport and Planning Laws

The petition raised on the number 10 website has now ended after attracting over 13000 signatures and the government has responded. To see their response go HERE

1 Oct 2008 Help! My bonnet won't fit.

Rex Grogan's article on the restoration of his Top Hat Saloon will be appearing soon. Meanwhile here is a taster for anyone who has had to deal with a 'difficult' bonnet. For the report go HERE

1 Oct 2008 Brueton Park

The Solihull Festival took place during the last week in September and a group of Austin Sevens attended. For the report go HERE

30 September 2008 Members Area updates

In our continuing effort to keep our Parts and Services Directory the most up-to-date resource for Austin Seven owners we have added a number of new suppliers. Please keep your suggestions coming.

14 Sep 2008 Beaulieu Autojumble

This weekend saw the staging of the massive autojumble at Beaulieu. For the report go HERE

14 Sep 2008 London to Brighton 2009

The Austin Seven Owners Club have announced that they are planning a London to Brighton run to celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2009. The run is scheduled to take place on 5 April 2009 and will run from Epsom Racecourse, home of the Derby via a pleasant country run and finish at Madeira drive, Brighton. The event will be open to all pre-war Austins and is sure to be a popular event. Entry forms will be sent out soon and will also be published on their website which can be found HERE

11 Sep 2008 1000 Smiles for May

David Leigh has completed his epic 1000 mile fund-raising journey around Britain in a Chummy. The journey ended up being more like 1500 miles but he did raise more money than expected. Congratulations to David for raising so much money for a very worthy cause. You can see his letter to supporters of the event HERE

The new Directory of Austin Seven Parts and Services Suppliers has now been installed in the Members Area. As it has only recently been compiled it is, by definition, the most up to date and verified listing and we hope to keep it that way. The only way that we can is with your assistance so, if you are aware of any companies or individuals that should be included in the Directory or spot any errors please let us know. If you are a Member you can find the Directory HERE

27 Aug 2008 Drive in the Park

We have been working on the Drive in the Park website but opportunities to get out to events in the Sevens have kind of got in the way so the launch of the site has been put back to September. At the same time we will be accepting paid membership online and will become findable by search engines.

27 Aug 2008 Weather

Planning to attend a classic car event? We have now added a link to the Met Office in our Events area that gives complete long range forecasts for the UK and links through via the WMO to give global forecasts. Either click on the menu button to the left or click HERE

26 Aug 2008 Lupin Farm and Webbs of Wychbold

The summer weekend car gatherings continue and we have reports and pictures from one in Staffordshire and another in Worcestershire. For the reports go HERE. We have also added another 90+ pictures in the Members Area.

13 Aug 2008 The threat to motor sport.

You may be familiar with the 10 Downing Street petition site, a website that became known to most when a petition started by Peter Roberts attracted nearly 1.8 million signatures and actually managed to crash the Downing Street website for a time. There is now a petition on the site to fight a lower key but equally insidious threat to leisure motoring activities. For more go HERE

13 Aug 2008 Milford Hall Picnic

David Leigh is due to reach Milford Hall in Staffordshire on his epic 1000 miles for May run in his chummy 'Rocket'. There will be a fundraising picnic so give it your support - a number of OA7C Members will be there. you can find more details HERE. If you would like to make a direct donation you can do so HERE

27 Jul 2008 Baxterley Wings and Wheels

Members of the Club attended with their Sevens but the highlight of the day had to be the Spitfire and Hurricane Displays. For more details go HERE

26 Jul 2008 1000 miles in a 1927 Chummy

Between the 9th and the 19th August David Leigh will be making a 1000 mile trip from Glasgow to John O' Groats and then on to the Royal Marsden Hospital to raise funds for  the hospital's Clinical Trials Program. The run is being made in memory of his wife May who died of cancer in February this year aged 50. you can find more details HERE. If you would like to make a direct donation you can do so HERE

26 Jul 2008 Kings Bromley Show

The forecast was not good for the Kings Bromley show, a characteristic of this summer's weather, but the seaweed was wrong and it was a hot sunny day without even a hint of rain so the Sevens were out and about. (personal note: must fashion a sun cream holder for the chummy). For photos of the event go HERE for a report of the event go to the Member's Area HERE

19 Jul 2008 Cars for Hire

Austin Sevens are used in film and television productions and for wedding hire. We are currently assembling an interactive map of vehicles that are available for hire so that owners and potential hirers can get in touch directly. If you would be interested in putting your car on the map contact us

19 Jul 2008 Videos in Member Area

We have fixed the videos in the Member Area that were refusing to play. You can now see videos of a growing number of events HERE

10 Jul 2008 Internal Combustion Engine video

We have just been sent the link to this. If you have ever wondered what a running engine looked like from the inside go HERE

9 Jul 2008 Parts and Services Directory.

We are currently working on a directory of companies and individuals who offer the supply of parts or services that are of relevance to Austin Sevens. If you have any suggestions please let us know.

As part of the same exercise we would like to put together a listing of garages that can handle MOTs on old cars, particularly those that can accommodate cars that aren't wide enough for many modern pits and ramps. If you can recommend any please let us know and we will add an interactive map of them to the site.

8 Jul 2008 Events map added.

To assist in finding the locations of Austin Seven events we have added an interactive map to the events section. Just click on the placemarkers to get directions. You can find the map HERE

6 Jul 2008 Cars in the Park Report and new Beaulieu slide show.

We have a report with pictures of the 11th Cars in the Park organized by the Rotary Club of Lichfield HERE and a slide show of images from Beaulieu HERE

29 Jun 2008 National Rally at Beaulieu and Molentocht Reports.

We have a report with video and pictures of the 46th National Rally of Austin Sevens organized by the 750 Motor Club HERE and a report from Phil Afford covering the Windmill Run HERE

20 Jun 2008 Nearly there...

The Drive in the Park website is nearing completion and should go live by the end of June. The site has a wealth of information about the Peak District in general and Buxton, the venue for the convention in October next year, in particular. When it does launch  Option 2 for joining the Club will become available so watch this space...

20 Jun 2008 Motoring Art

Have you ever considered having your favourite car captured in oils? There are a number of artists out there that specialise in painting vehicles and some of them are gathered together on the Guild of Motoring Artists website. The site has examples of the artists' work and links to their individual websites. You can find it HERE

20 Jun 2008 Ebay Auction Reports

What is coming up on Ebay  Keep an eye on this section for information on Austin Sevens and related memorabilia appearing on Ebay. The Ebay Auction listing can be found HERE

19 Jun 2008 PWA7C Website relaunch

We are pleased to note that the Pre-war Austin Seven Club has launched it's new website - a vast improvement on the previous site and a valuable resource for Members. You can find the site HERE

16 Jun 2008 Auction Report section added

What is coming up at auction? Go to the Member's area for reports on Austin Sevens and related memorabilia coming up at auction.

15 Jun 2008 Video section added

We have added a video section to the Member's area. The first videos uploaded are of the Centenary event in Cofton Park in 2005 and the London to Brighton event held in the same year.

8 Jun 2008 Members Site goes online

We have finally managed to wrestle the webserver into submission and have a functioning Member's Area. The content of the Member's Area will be updated and refined more regularly than the Public Area so contact us now about joining.

5 Jun 2008 Museums List added

We have added a page to the site listing the Museums that feature Austin Sevens in their collections. You can find the listing HERE

3 Jun 2008 FBHVC Newsletter No 3 2008

The latest newsletter from the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs has been published. You can find it HERE This and future newsletters will appear in the Member's section of the site.

2 Jun 2008 PWA7C Autokarna

Sunday 1st June marked the latest Pre-war Austin Seven Club annual gathering at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham. We have a picture report from Rex Grogan HERE

2 Jun 2008 The 21st Molentocht event 2009.

The date for next year's Windmill Run has been set for 31st May 2009. The event website can be found HERE Meanwhile there is an interesting Dutch site with a report about the event complete with pictures and video that can be found HERE (External Site Link) Members of the OA7C are prominent in the coverage.

31 May 2008 Chummy Rebuild Shocker

A chummy hot rod? More HERE

23 May 2008 Molentocht

The runners and riders have returned from another successful Windmill Run. Reports from the run will appear here when the participants have recovered but in the meantime we have the first few photos of the event HERE

10 May 2008 OA7C website launched

As of today the Online Austin Seven Club has a website. The site is in it's infancy and has a  number of sections waiting to be 'filled out' but this is in hand and you should see the site develop rapidly over the coming days.

4 May 2008 OA7C M6 Toll Road

On 10 May 2008 the operators of the M6 Toll Road will be donating their day's takings to St. Giles Hospice in Lichfield. To mark the event they are inviting owners of old cars to head for the Norton Canes services on the Toll Road for a display from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. All are welcome.

28 April 2008 Drive in the Park venue

The venue is booked and a program of talks and presentations is being assembled. Anyone who would like to submit proposals for a talk or presentation should contact Tim Griffiths on 0121 384 5830 or via email on the Contacts page.

22 April 2008 Drive it Day

Sunday 20th April was 'Drive it Day' for 2008. Every year the FBHVC encourages vintage vehicle owners to get their cars out onto the road to let them be seen by a wider audience. For those who have cars that are not currently driveable they encourage owners to have them parked on their drive. The FBHVC SITE has reports from around the country following the event and we have photos from the Lichfield Group's drive to the National Memorial Arboretum HERE. If you have any photos or reports to send us you can find details of how to on the Contacts page.

21 April 2008 Longbridge Redevelopment

Ivor Vaughan has circulated an email regarding the redevelopment of the Longbridge site and the proposed Herbert Austin Heritage Centre that is proposed as a feature of the development. As with all development proposals this one includes a number of items that are really only ideas at the early stage and need enthusiastic people to get involved to push the idea forward. Are you one of those enthusiastic people?

The email is reproduced HERE