New Austin 7 owner - with much to learn!

[Jeff Taylor]

Welcome to the Forum. This could be your car listed on the Austin 7 Clubs Association Chassis Register - link to the Chassis Register below. Note that the Chassis Number B 6298 quoted on the Chassis Register page would appear to be the Car Number.
R.J. Wyatt's book 'The Motor For The Million' shows Car Number B 6230 Chassis Number 103458 being completed in early January 1930. It doesn't appear as if your car is included on the Boat-Tail Register - if it was, then it would be would shown as such on the Chassis Register alongside the section 'Register' - third line from the bottom of the page shown below. Presumably a previous owner wasn't aware it was known as a Boat-Tailed Two-Seater and described it as a 2-seat sports on the Chassis Register. You can use the online Notification Form - link below to amend the details of your car when you have all the relevant numbers and information to hand.

http://a7ca.org/chassis-register/

http://a7ca.org/chassis-register/notification-form/

Boat Tail 2 Seater Register - email address: chris@gchubb.plus.com

Austin 7 Owners Club Canada - email address: roywilkins@hotmail.com


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[JonE]

Interesting, but they were of course never referred to as Boat tails by Austin. That would be another thing to correct in the Identifying leaflet, and just refer to them as two seaters?

[Hugh Barnes]

You'll be wanting us to stop using the term 'Chummy' next!

[John Mason]

Hugh, Call them what you want but officially they were not called Chummy's. However when you use the term chummy in Austin Seven circles everybody knows what you are referring to. It's a bit like calling any vacuum cleaner a Hoover.

John Mason.

[Mike Costigan]

Sometimes it can be more convenient, and even more accurate, to refer to a model by its generic if unofficial name. A chummy can be referred to as a chummy, without the need or knowledge to distinguish whether it's a B, C, D, or whatever; similarly a boat-tailed two seater is easily distinguished from, say, a PD Opal without the need to identify whether it's a PA, PB or PC. If the precise detail is not known, it's surely better to describe a car as a long-chassis box saloon, rather than guessing that it's an RP and then finding one is wrong?

[Rogerfrench]

My father never used the identifying letters. He always used model year and type, so a 32 Saloon, or 37 Ruby, or whatever. Never confused!

[Chris KC]

tbh the system of using factory code letters was completely unfamiliar to me till I started using the forum. Personally I much prefer the (appropriately) vague pet names.

[Bob Culver]

I gather that regular body type classification by letter code is a reasonably recent common practice, usefully established by one of the older Club stalwarts. My father owned his car from 1940 and would have been surprised to learn it was an RP. But when did the term box become common useage? I always understood it to distinguish lwb from Rubys esp in 1934 when both apply, but generally applied to swb also.

[Mike Costigan]

My father never used the identifying letters. He always used model year and type, so a 32 Saloon, or 37 Ruby, or whatever. Never confused!

I dropped out of the Austin Seven world in the mid-1980s, and at that time I had never heard of the lettering identification; it was quite a surprise when I returned about five years ago to find it now in common usage,

[jpsmit]

Thank you all for this conversation - and for the warm welcome. Yes, I believe it is the same car, though when I click on the links all I get is the page to submit info, I can't seem to call up the information - is this correct. When I picked up the car, the PO showed me this printout which seemed to indicate that the chassis number B 6298 is not actually the "VIN" - Is there another number and where would any number be listed? (Jeff you reference car B6230 in the body of your post - is that just a reference to give an indication of when mine might have been built or a typo?)

Likewise, I have two engines - is there a way of knowing which would have actually been in the car?

Finally, you all jumped into a etymology conversation, almost none of which I actually understand. So, to recap, I own a:

1930 Austin 7 PA Tourer.

It was never called a Boat tail
It was never called a Chummy

but if I call it a chummy or a boat tail people might correct me but they will know what I am talking about.
Is this correct?

so much to learn - thanks all!