Oil tight Austin Seven?

[Tony Press]

Perhaps you could enlighten me Bob as to why the owners case is so good, I fails to stack up for me but maybe I just lack the intelligence to understand the fractured logic.

Yes....but why would one want an EV MGA....the website mentioned back in this thread was fascinating, forgotten it now, now doubt an electric MGA is a phenomenal price! I suspect we'll look back at all of this in 10 years time when we're surrounded by silent electric cars. Take a look at the Talk Morgan forum, a chap in Ukraine is making  an electric copy of a 1909 Runabout Morgan 3 wheeler, even with a dummy engine....it looks superb though!

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Perhaps you could enlighten me Bob as to why the owners case is so good, I fails to stack up for me but maybe I just lack the intelligence to understand the fractured logic.

Yes....but why would one want an EV MGA....the website mentioned back in this thread was fascinating, forgotten it now, now doubt an electric MGA is a phenomenal price! I suspect we'll look back at all of this in 10 years time when we're surrounded by silent electric cars. Take a look at the Talk Morgan forum, a chap in Ukraine is making  an electric copy of a 1909 Runabout Morgan 3 wheeler, even with a dummy engine....it looks superb though!

1910....http://www.talkmorgan.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/507396/Morgan_1910_Runabout_Replica_-#Post507396

Maybe I am slow on the uptake- but why ??

[vintage_racing]

So once this pretend Austin Seven is finally cobbled together I imagine there will be a long queue of Austin Seven enthusiasts wanting to own it...?

Thought not.

Why on earth is there so many negative comments on this thread.

I'm fascinated, and look forward to hearing more as the project develops.

Has there ever been another make or model of car that has been / can be so modified, raced, trialled, polished...enjoyed?

There's room for us all - crikey there's more spare parts out there than will ever get restored to standard spec'.

You don't all have to like or want such a project, to admire or appreciate another persons approach and opinion.

[Dave Prior]

So once this pretend Austin Seven is finally cobbled together I imagine there will be a long queue of Austin Seven enthusiasts wanting to own it...?

Thought not.

Why on earth is there so many negative comments on this thread.

I'm fascinated, and look forward to hearing more as the project develops.

Has there ever been another make or model of car that has been / can be so modified, raced, trialled, polished...enjoyed?

There's room for us all - crikey there's more spare parts out there than will ever get restored to standard spec'.

You don't all have to like or want such a project, to admire or appreciate another persons approach and opinion.

We always end up on the same discussion here. But to be clear- I don't think anyone objects to people trying new things, building specials or being generally inventive. The objection comes at the disassembly of a largely original and in my opinion lovely car (I was very sad to see it go). You have almost made the argument yourself- "crikey there's more spare parts out there than will ever get restored to standard spec". This includes chassis and abandoned special projects that would be perfect as a basis for this sort of project. From my perspective that would have been a much better starting point. As it is, I'm sad to see what has happened to this car. To use a well known phrase-"if you want to go there, why start here?"

As a side note, I think phrases like "the vastly inefficient engine" on the blog winds people up because it's simply not true.

[Martin Prior]

My biggest objection to this project is the car selected for it. If it had been put together from readily available parts, I wouldn't mind. If the linky thing works, judge the condition of the car for yourselves (The front wing and bonnet had been temporarily removed): https://www.facebook.com/147347700630958...593725787/

[Ray White]

The whole point of the old car hobby is that we enjoy old cars. It is our motoring heritage. What ever this car is going to be, it is not an Austin Seven and as such will have no historical value or status. To my mind it is like buying a Tudor cottage and ripping out all the original fixtures and fittings and installing new u.p.v.c. double glazed windows. I see it as a form of vandalism. Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD!

If someone doesn't like old cars then turning them into some kind of freak show will not improve them.

I like modern petrol/electric cars. I have a Lexus hybrid. I also have my Vintage Austin Swallow. The two things are completely different.

I would add that everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I make no apologies for mine.

[John Mason]

You don't need to appoligise to me Ray I agree with everything you have said.

John Mason

[Reckless Rat]

I went back to page one and started to read the link originally posted. I got about half way through the article before I got bored with it. This to me (IMHO) looks like the emasculation of a perfectly serviceable albeit not quite original (how many of them are) RP saloon. The report is full of inaccuracies and if the proponent of the scheme is so against Austin Sevens it begs the question "Why on earth bother?"

The colour scheme is shyte too. Whatever it turns out like, it will be a bastard. Pure and simple.

Even modern EVs have their plus and minus points. A pal of mine delivers cars for BMW and he tells me of the time he had to take a BMW i3 with range extender from their Depot in Thorne (South Yorkshire) to a potential customer sopmewhere in the Bristol area. Apparently the i3 is available as pure electric, or the range extender (which apparently is being phased out because the new model will have bigger batteries to give it a better range but still less than 300 miles). The range extender is a small petrol engine which doesn't drive the car, it just cuts in when battery levels become critical. The car is still a "plug-in". Anyway, not having the time to stop for several hours while it charged itself up somewhere, he had to rely on the donkey engine to keep it going. Unfortunately the fuel tank only holds 9 litres of petrol (yes, NINE litres) so between Thorne and Bristol he apparently had to stop to top it up no less than four times! How cool is that. These vehicles have still got a long way to go (sic).

I just did here to Stuttgart in my 17yr old diesel uber barge (900km) and got there with 1/4 tank still remaining. When they can beat that in a sparky I might be interested.

[DazeOff]

"What is the big deal about weight reduction" ????? .......See if the electric last for 90 years? Are we all on the same page? You have been following???
I too like driving an OLD car - especially the A7, that's why I've had 14 or 15, and that's why I've chosen an A7 to power from electric - you know!!!! - that fangled Nikola 'Tesla' invention that will never catch on.... My RP bodywork resorted back to factory metal - already looks unmodified (apart from the 1933 catalogue colours). The only difference will be battery power. And WHEN petrol is limited - and it will be... 1/because the arabs need more and more money to waste on fighter jets... 2/ America consumes 25% of all the OIL on the planet - yet only has its own reserves amounting to 2% in their own ground - AND - they have to import oil from Countries that actually HATES their guts... 3/China's BILLIONS (of people and cash) and Asia (with its billions of peasants wanting to 'put-put' around on 'Tut-Tuts' and millions of mopeds - want to own 'The Car' and as such will corner the OIL market to do so. It's a finite source of excellent power and WE may not be able to afford it. My new Volvo XC60 5D is a monster that I don't wish to own - but have to - but it is hugely economical for what it does. However, my daily run-around WILL cost £2.50 to travel 50-75 miles and I have SOLAR on the house (and on the A7's roof) . It WILL look like I'm driving a lovely old car and as yet - nobody can shut up about it when they see it - and then are AMAZED when I tell them it will be electric.......AND after all is said and done - I'm an electrician, I like electric - and that's another story.

[Ian Williams]

Stop trying to justify your actions, it smacks of someone who is doing something they know is wrong, people would have a lot more resect for you if you simply said you are doing it because you want to. There are many who will think what you are doing is ill advised or even worse, and that is their prerogative as it is yours to proceed. But be honest and you will get far more respect than trying to come up with half baked justifications, which quite frankly offends most.

[DazeOff]

My biggest objection to this project is the car selected for it.  If it had been put together from readily available parts, I wouldn't mind.  If the linky thing works, judge the condition of the car for yourselves (The front wing and bonnet had been temporarily removed): https://www.facebook.com/147347700630958...593725787/

My my, how loudly the drums beat.............Martin, the car was and INTERNALLY still is - a rusty LEAKING wreck, and I have dozens of photo's to prove that fact.  Don't ever forget - YOU broke the clutch ;-) and you SAY it "was working" and I can see that from the video exactly one year to date, but it doesn't matter to me. The inside of this lovely £6000 wreck is STILL a shocking rust box and many have commented as to what will I do about it...... however - moving on..... when you delivered it - the FIRST thing I did was to start it - but had to stop it quickly as there was no water ANYWHERE - not in the radiator or the block and new water just pissed out of at least three or four places, that's BECAUSE - YOU left it to FREEZE SOLID in the -5c frost the whole country suffered, so THAT IS DOWN TO YOU (I have the video on the water pissing out but the engine running OK)  YOU put the wheels on, so why would anyone run around with a massively oversized wheel on the same back axle and say "There's something wrong with the suspension" ???  - but the back axle is of no consequence yet because the 'wreck' has only moved 200 yards at the most by pushing it - I still have the pleasure of seeing what the electric motor will make out of the back axle.  So, when you SEE the photos' of this lovely little find, you will see - no-one in their right mind would wish to drive around with it looking like it's just come out of a scrapyard..  
Ho Hum (says the vandal) ......6 months taking it right down to the bare metal and £2,500 later....... I'm sure this site says Austin Seven Friends......................
     
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