21-12-2021, 06:47 PM
I understand that the engine from 166 still exists, it was in my Chummy for a while. The following is from John Sutton who owned my car for many years, he tells the story....
One day Bill Lansley rang me to say that he had been offered an early Austin 7 engine, which had been running a circular saw, and was I interested. I replied in the affirmative and duly collected it a week or so later. When I studied it more closely I was amazed to see that it was a very early one with the engine number 166 stamped on the crankcase. Some years later I was asked by an old man from Streatham, South London if I could help with an engine for his 1924 “Pram Hood” Austin Chummy which he had owned since new, I sold him the early engine and he went away quite happy. The story did not end there as about 30 years later I went on holiday to Devon with a caravan behind my Daimler Majestic Major. Whilst we were away on holiday I had let the house in Harpenden, Hertfordshire to a young couple of Austin 7 owners who were between properties. When I arrived home they asked if I had seen the latest Austin 7 magazine where an early Austin Chummy was listed for sale, which I had not. There was a phone number and so I called it and spoke to a teacher named John O’Neil who said that the car was still for sale but that he had someone visiting the following day and it would be best if I were to come down to Swindon the same day and see it or it might be sold. So I unhitched the caravan and put my race car trailer on the tow bar of the Daimler in it’s place and set off for Swindon.
When I arrived at John O’Neil’s I found that the Austin was a very early car and very complete, it even had it’s original hood and sidescreens. He told me that it had belonged to an old man from Streatham and that he had been promised the car would be his if he coached his grandson through his “A” level exams. He had achieved this result and the old man duly made the car over to him. It took me no time at all to decide to buy this Austin and I loaded it onto my trailer and drove home. When I finally arrived back in Harpenden I was completely exhausted having driven from Devon to Harpenden and then back to Swindon and then back again to Harpenden. I simply left the whole equipe parked in the front drive and went straight to bed.
In the morning I got up and started to have a good look at what I had purchased and was staggered to find that it was fitted with the very same engine which I had bought from Bill Lansley 30 years before. Is this what is known as “getting your own back”.
The engine was sold by David Lucas, to someone building a replica, but I can not remember the name...
One day Bill Lansley rang me to say that he had been offered an early Austin 7 engine, which had been running a circular saw, and was I interested. I replied in the affirmative and duly collected it a week or so later. When I studied it more closely I was amazed to see that it was a very early one with the engine number 166 stamped on the crankcase. Some years later I was asked by an old man from Streatham, South London if I could help with an engine for his 1924 “Pram Hood” Austin Chummy which he had owned since new, I sold him the early engine and he went away quite happy. The story did not end there as about 30 years later I went on holiday to Devon with a caravan behind my Daimler Majestic Major. Whilst we were away on holiday I had let the house in Harpenden, Hertfordshire to a young couple of Austin 7 owners who were between properties. When I arrived home they asked if I had seen the latest Austin 7 magazine where an early Austin Chummy was listed for sale, which I had not. There was a phone number and so I called it and spoke to a teacher named John O’Neil who said that the car was still for sale but that he had someone visiting the following day and it would be best if I were to come down to Swindon the same day and see it or it might be sold. So I unhitched the caravan and put my race car trailer on the tow bar of the Daimler in it’s place and set off for Swindon.
When I arrived at John O’Neil’s I found that the Austin was a very early car and very complete, it even had it’s original hood and sidescreens. He told me that it had belonged to an old man from Streatham and that he had been promised the car would be his if he coached his grandson through his “A” level exams. He had achieved this result and the old man duly made the car over to him. It took me no time at all to decide to buy this Austin and I loaded it onto my trailer and drove home. When I finally arrived back in Harpenden I was completely exhausted having driven from Devon to Harpenden and then back to Swindon and then back again to Harpenden. I simply left the whole equipe parked in the front drive and went straight to bed.
In the morning I got up and started to have a good look at what I had purchased and was staggered to find that it was fitted with the very same engine which I had bought from Bill Lansley 30 years before. Is this what is known as “getting your own back”.
The engine was sold by David Lucas, to someone building a replica, but I can not remember the name...