Austin Model Names / Nick Names

[Douglas Alderson]

I may be wrong but I believe that Austin did not name their car an Ulster but it was a "Sports Model", and the Ulster name came about due to the success in the Ulster TT.  I am reasonably happy that the above is correct but in looking for car dealer adverts I have not come across an Austin add using the name "Chummy" only "Tourer"  is this another car that has a nick name.  I suppose "Boat Tail" is a nick name as well.  

All very confusing even with out looking at the letter codes.  Are there any other modles with nick names?

But I have found a dealers advert for a Morris "Chummy" from 1924, so who had the nick name first Morris or Austin?

  Morris Chummy.jpg (Size: 56.84 KB / Downloads: 290)
1924 Burnley News - Saturday 26 April 1924 Image © Johnston Press plc. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD

[bystander]

'Chummy' was a generic body style of the time, a small four seat open tourer, all seated under the hood. It has become particularly associated with the Austin Seven, but the cars were never marketed with the name.

[Mike Costigan]

Chummy was used as an official model name by Morris, but not by Austin. I believe Jowett also used Chummy as an official name, but I may be wrong about that... Austin was not in the habit of giving models 'names' until the Nippy, Speedy, Ruby, Pearl and Opal came along, and if the sales brochures are to be believed, the Opal name was only applied to the 1935 chrome-rad 2-seater and not to the cowled-rad version!

[Martin Prior]

"Top Hat" and "Box Saloon".

[Parazine]

"Top Hat" and "Box Saloon".

Hmm, what's a "Top Hat"??

[Timothy P]

I believe the Humber 8-18 tourer of 22-25 was  also called a 'Chummy'.
I generally use the term 'Top Hat' for the R Type only, but many use the term for all pre 'Box' Austin Saloons. Don't know what is correct on that front.

[Martin Prior]

"Top Hat" and "Box Saloon".

Hmm, what's a "Top Hat"??

Somewhat debatable!  Certainly the early R-type saloon, also once widely used for the later RK.

Ignore urban myths about Austin trying to sell to the gentry!

30-plus years ago, hardly anyone was aware of the Works' letter classifications and these nicknames were much more common - SWB Box (RL/RM), 3-speed Box (RN), 4-speed Box (RP) and so on.