KR9277

[PeteG]

I owned Austin 7 Chummy, registration KR9277, when I was a student in 1959/1960, and drove it from Dover to Birmingham and back, as well as local trips.  I was surprised to find out from the DVLA that the car is still licensed.  I am keen to talk to the owner of KR9277 to find out its recent history and discuss how it has changed from the heady days of my youth when I owned it - I do know the colour has changed from red to black.
So if you own KR9277, or know the person who does, could you please get in contact.

[Timothy P]

It was still red in 2016 as per this photo, in the orchard at VSCC Prescott. Hopefully it will bring back some fond memories.
   

According to the chassis register, the owner belongs to the 750MC, so if you don't get a result on here, it may be worth contacting the club to see if they have the owners details.

All the best.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Ken Kimber writes:

"KR 9277.
This car was bought in about 1970 by an American called David Reilly who was living in this country. He restored what was a fairly rough car and the restoration was written up in the 750 MC Bulletin under the title of ‘What it costs to restore an Austin Seven today’,
I thought I had a copy but have not found it yet !
After about ten years the car was in need of a rebuild again and the work was carried out by someone known as ‘Nasty Peter’ who I think was based in Essex somewhere.
Soon afterwards David returned to America and left the car in the care of Henry Harris, whilst in his care the car was used for a scene in the film A passage to India . You would need to be told which shot it was because the camera was actually in the car looking forward through the windscreen.
I bought the car in about 1985 and used it quite extensively. Whilst I owned it the engine was rebuilt and I fitted a lower ratio diff. which was helpful in trials and driving tests, at which the car was fairly useful. In fact it was in the winning team at one Beaulieu National Rally and won the Shield that previous owner David Reilly had presented to The the 750MC before he returned to America
By the mid nineties I had become quite heavily involved in Historic Rallying and was not using KR 9277 so parted company with it via The Lenham Motor Company
With regard to colour it was a fairly pale colour in photographs before David restored it but I think since then it has always been maroon and black.

Regards Ken"

[Tony Press]

Ken Kimber writes:

"KR 9277.
This car was bought in about 1970 by an American called David Reilly who was living in this country. He restored what was a fairly rough car and the restoration was written up in the 750 MC Bulletin under the title of ‘What it costs to restore an Austin Seven today’,
I thought I had a copy but have not found it yet !
<snip>
Regards Ken"

I had email correspondence with David in America around March 2014, when I bought some Austin Seven literature he was selling on eBay.

He also sent me a 5 page article called 'Remembering S.C.H "Sammy" Davis' which he wrote when editor of The Newsletter of the International Jaguar 'S' Type Register. 

Bill Sheehan later kindly gave me a few articles, one from The A7CA newsletter (I think) by written by David in 1978 with a picture of KR 9277 in which he had covered about 12,000 miles in 12 months and some pictures of David from the 750 MC 1987 year book and another May 1978 article.

I will add the colour picture of KR 9277 to this collection.

Cheers, Tony.

[austin]

Dad, (Henry Harris) hasn't signed up to the new forum so may not see this.

In the Passage to India film it appeared very briefly and was only a shot form inside looking out through the windscreen, you wouldn't know it was this car let alone an Austin 7.

It also appeared in a Children's Film Foundation film called Big Wheels & Sailor.

Amazingly there is a still of it on IMDB, (that's me sat in the car!)