Sir Herbert Austin - Such Generosity - et al

[Colin Morgan]

Saw the programme the other day where Guy Martin takes a turn in a Lancaster bomber.  It is very snug - much smaller than you might expect.  But the average height of the crew back then was 5'6", apparently.  This makes me think that Austin Sevens are surprisingly generous inside - accommodating 6' plus without a problem?  Even room for a trilby?

From what I have read, it wasn't like Sir Herbert to be overly generous when it came to decisions that would affect business, so I wonder what led to his offering more space for the driver than many of his competitors?  Perhaps Ford was a design influence that helped in this respect?  

Of course, with the height of many owners are nowadays, this helps towards keeping Austin Sevens on the road?  

(However, from the one time I have sat in a Swallow, this generosity didn't extend to their saloons, which are tiny inside, unfortunately.)

[Mike Costigan]

There's plenty of room in a factory saloon, it was William Lyons' obsession with style over function that resulted in the cramped cockpit of a Swallow.

But I agree, Austins tend to have more generous accommodation than their competitors: I owned a flat-nose Morris Cowley for a couple of years, and that was much more cramped than the equivalent Austin Twelve.

[Chris Garner]

Yes, and pre War Morris Minors are much the same as compared with a Seven.

[squeak]

there are probably forumists conceived in a seven. Any revelations?

[Tony Press]

I seem to remember when cavorting in the fabric saloon the horn button tooting was a problem so I unscrewed it , which then gave rise to small black circles on my shirt .

[jpsmit]

I seem to remember when cavorting in the fabric saloon the horn button tooting was a problem so I unscrewed it , which then gave rise to small black circles on my shirt .

I would agree that tooting while cavorting is generally frowned upon - glad you could unscrew it. 

[Howard Wright]

Hi All

Should probably be in the jokes thread but….

I remember a story about a couple cavorting in an Austin Seven saloon when the poor guy cricked his back.  He couldn’t move and the only thing the poor woman could do was to toot the horn repeatedly. Eventually the fire brigade was called and they managed to cut off the roof of the seven and lift the poor guy out and off to hospital.  The woman was inconsolable but the ambulance man tried to comfort her by saying the gentleman would probably be fine in a week or two.

“*******” him what am I going to tell my husband about the car.

Cheers

Howard

[Lance Sheldrick]

Cavorting aside, I think people, particularly men, were considered only partly dressed if they did not wear a hat. Perhaps this is why there is plenty of headroom.

[Colin Morgan]

It is the 'arm room' that is more impressive? Too many older cars seem to have the steering wheel right in your chest? Certainly true of a Jaguar XK120, which I found I couldn't drive.