Launch of electric Austin

[Andy Bennett]

Dave: I wasn't saying that these were my opinions of an Austin 7. I did say 'most see as', which I believe is true.
They are opinions which we see as at the very least based on poor information (but not all wrong, apart from neither, would you rather face a head on in an Austin 7 or a brand new hatchback?). This use of limited info is the point I was making. Some of us, as owners of cars most people are scared of (I have had more than one person at a show horrified to hear we drove it there rather than took it on a trailer), are making equally dismissive comments about the Arrow.

Also remembering that Issigonis called the first mini the Austin 7, presumably to gain some marketing traction for a new unknown small car. Plus ca change...

[Dave Mann]

I'd get out of the way as I did a couple of years ago when approaching the brow of a hill and confronted with a car on my side overtaking another, the Seven is small enough to do that., the hatch wouldn't have fitted in the gap.

[Stephencrisp360]

Out of interest - I've been looking at small EV prices.. Honestly this is not far off the cheapest anyway and its quite pretty

EV is currently the way forward though none of us can justify the huge price of change. I def cant afford to chop my 19 year old 2.7 V6 diesel in for an equivalent hybrid at £50k plus (2nd hand)  no amount of man-maths can make that work.

[Reckless Rat]

I've cracked it - all I have to do is to keep my venerable Citroen C15 van going until the end of the year and then I can get it re-registered as a "Véhicule de Collection". The insurance will be less, it only needs a CT (French MOT) every 5 years and I can go wherever I like in it, especially into all those ZFE (Zone de Faible Emissions) areas that many more modern diesels or petrol cars can't.

It's just nicely run in now, just over 275,000km on the clock... I can't see any of these overpriced, overweight and oversized EVs ever likely to last that long.

Or I could just use the Austin...

[Colin Bromley]

There has always been a place in the market for people who want a toy, I was working for Penbleton recently, who make brand new lightweight cars, using Moto Guzzi V Twin engines. While there we were discussing the next move for the company, due to the tiny number of cars they make a year (currently 15 cars) they can continue to make ICE cars even after the new legislation comes in, as it only affects mass production, homologated cars, nevertheless they can see that there is a gap in the market, for a small, fun, lightweight electric car. Companies like Pembleton (I can not speak for this outfit) do not need to sell thousands of cars to make money, so if people can survive making a handful of cars a year, for the handful of people that want them, it is a good thing. Would I swap my '30s Morgan for one? No, even if the value is similar, nor would I swap the Chummy... But if I were not mechanically minded, did not enjoy tinkering and still wanted a Vintage feeling and looking machine, this kind of vehicle would probably be quite appealing.

[Stephencrisp360]

Even being mechanically minded. I personally think its nice (If you can afford such an expensive toy) To have one ALONGSIDE the Original Seven and other useful modern.

[Duncan Grimmond]

The mention of Pembleton (I have built two, a four and a three-wheeler) reminds me that about 8 ? years ago a builder did a fully electric version of the Brooklands model, a discontinued Pembleton 4 wheeler. IIRC the motor came from a fork-lift truck and used lead/acid batteries some of which were mounted on running boards. It was a bit heavy but seemed to work quite well and passed the IVA examination. He has since vanished from the "Pembletons Are Go" forum so I don't know if it's still running...