A three wheeler Austin, really?

[Renaud]

Austin three wheeler in France.
Is it real?

[Derek Sheldon]

Radiator and script me finks

[Mike Costigan]

The steering wheel and gauges are from a bigger Austin, possibly a late-1930s Ten, and the radiator shell could also be Ten rather than Seven. Who knows what the engine and gearbox is, but there's not much else Austin there!

[Howard Wright]

Hi Renaud

It’s not unknown!

Not a great picture but this “three wheeler” was built here in Llandrindod for the 1938 International 6 day motorcycle trial.  Based on a Ruby the rear axle was narrowed so that there was only room for the diff and spring hangers. So although it has 4 wheels it conformed to “tricycle” rules.  It was called the Heywood special and is well documented in “The Source Book”.

It returns to Llandrindod most years for the Victorian festival classics car show.  In 2019 we followed it on a drive through the town.

Cheers

Howard

[Renaud]

Thanks to you all,
All right Howard but the front axle is not Ruby. And it seems there's really only one rear wheel.
By the way was it a one off or more built?

[Howard Wright]

Hi Renaud

The front axle started off as Austin Seven but was widened by 10” and made independent.  There are two rear wheels very close together with the diff and spring hangers in between.

Only one was made but apparently Austin did provide support.  There is no mention of how it got on in the trial.

Cheers

Howard

[Steve kay]

I think Howard is saying that there were a number of 3w Austins, intended to be under ACU regs for trialling. The Haywood is known to the DVLA under that name, and not as an Austin, special or otherwise. It definitely is Seven based, whereas the French machine does seem to be based on a 10. Now that is a genuinely unusual car. Anyone got snaps of it circulating Montlhery? Hang on, our photoshop specialist might be about to spring into action. The anorak monitor has just threatened to confiscate my pocket money if I mention that a single rear wheel cannot be driven by a diff, unless of course the diff is locked so that it drives at twice the usual revs, allowing very slow but possible a steady ascent of very steep hills.

[Renaud]

Ok Howard, so it's not the french car.
Steve I have no idea what an anorak monitor could be! But if you block one side of a diff you end up with twice the usual speed, not half!
Maybe the rear end of the french car is Morgan?