1934 Austin Comet 65 - owner Geoff Stevens
1934 Austin Comet - New Owner Geoff Stephens
Austin Seven Club of South Australia
Photograph by Gavin Farmer
This Austin Seven Sports, dubbed the "Comet 65", was built by William (Bill) Conoulty, a Sydney Austin agent. Nine Comets were built during 1933-34, three of which were exported to the UK. During this period the company employed up to 40 people at a number of locations in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. William Conoultys’ father-in-law Mr. Jennings, a highly skilled coppersmith, produced the prototype coachwork. Peter Resolay, a Sydney based coachbuilder manufactured the remaining bodies. Each Comet was pre-ordered for a price of £195 (or £225 with optional extras) and took six weeks to manufacture. Engines and mechanicals were as fitted on the imported rolling chassis.
This ‘Conoulty’ Comet is believed to be the only surviving car and is thought to have been his personal car, used daily in Sydney. The 747cc two-bearing motor, featuring a rare ‘Cambridge’ alloy head. The manifold, typical of the period, uses a single 1-1/8" SU carburettor.
In 1959 Alan Banister of Sydney sold the car to Rod Wells. After driving the Seven through his early university years, Rod brought it to South Australia where, in 1994, the partly restored car (boxes of bits) was sold to its current owner Bruce White. The next two years he spent restoring the Comet to its present glory. The original 1934 Comet is shown in a photograph on the William (Bill) Conoulty page of this site.
Bill Conoulty is also known for his design of:
the Conoulty Special Austin Comet - also known as "Musso"
Features Include: