Phew!

[e-richard]

I was just perusing the new Gov.UK website and was pleased to note that my A7 is probably quite safe to drive.



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[David Stepney]

Prompted by your link, I checked my Seven. It is shown as an Austin Unknown! Does this suggest that my car was once in the Secret Service? Perhaps kept in the boot of James Bond's Bentley 'just in case'.....

[Bob Culver]

I am sure I could draw up a page or three of Seven features which could/should be the subject of safety recalls. Steering arm top of the list. In fairness until reasonable mileage, little that was not evident to the driver. A colleague claims to have rolled his when one front brake grabbed whilst turning. Has anyone flipped a front right hand shackle?

[Steve Jones]

Has anyone flipped a front right hand shackle?

Oh yes! It's a potential hazard when trialing and does disable the steering somewhat. It's why you'll see many A7 Trials Cars with a loop of bike chain around the spring/axle adjacent to the shackle to restrict its ability to go over centre. 

Steve

[Nick Salmon]

As a relative novice at A7 trialling - and not having noticed it on other cars -  I'd be very interested to see a photo of the chain arrangement.

[Chris KC]

I dare say there are a fair few features of the A7 which would not meet modern design standards, conversely few cars built in the last decade will be capable of even running 30 years from now, never mind 90....

[dickie65]

Hi all
My dad was always rolling his front spring shackles upside down on his 1933 box saloon, either side he was not fussy !!
He used to do this on the road, his cornering technique was to go round corners with a back wheel bunny hopping.
Much fun with roll steer from the back end as well.
I remember chasing him through traffic when I was in a Mk 1 Mexico and failing to keep up as he flicked the Box through the traffic.

The Type 65 is not as exciting with its flat springs and panhard rod shock blade on the front axle.

[Bob Culver]

The handling of a stock RP is by most standards somewhat diabolical but in certain conditions ideal. Narrow very winding roads etc. And U turns and the moose avoidance maneouvre can be executed with a flick of the wrist. I found it handy for dodging pedestrians who used to completey misjudge approach speed, esp with the lights on the secondary bulbs at a time when very few other cars had the arrangement.

[Roland Alcock]

My RN makes sudden avoidance moves unbidden. 
It’s only a problem if I’m not concentrating.......

Roly

[Hedd_Jones]

ha ha. The access road to our local morrisons seems to be surfaced with a limestone aggregate and has polished and is very slippy in the wet. As it goes round the petrol station I can usually get the mondeo to 4 wheel drift at about 15mph. The arse end came out on the RL the other day. I very nearly shit myself!