Rare 'all brass' Austin 7

[Nick Lettington]

   

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255123026352?...Swr7thNQGi

A real rarity... or did someone polish a bit too hard..!

Still... got to admire the positive spin.

I have the rare 'all rust and filler' version

[Tony Betts]

hi nick,

i have seen and talked to a few owners who have done this.

yes there are more than one out there.

i dont think its from over polishing.

the owners reply is usually, they would pay the price of chrome. 

im guessing they would pay what it costs to get the brakes working properly either, which is were the nonsense of austin 7s having poor brakes come from.

tony

[Mike Costigan]

I call it fake! It's still got chrome door-handles, window winders and instrument bezels!

[Dave Mann]

I didn't realize the original wiring was cotton braided.

[Edgar Lowe]

The description mentiones a congestion zone exempt, surely that's not true I am sure.

[Hedd_Jones]

When I threw the AE I had together, I had the choice of a freshly rechromed cowl or its original, in brass. Not being a fan of polishing brass and the car being as rough as a dogs arse, I opted to paint the original black. I left the chromed one in the wardrobe where it remains.

However once I put the headlights on it, I hated it. Looked awful to me. So I stripped the paint and went brass. I did however make the brass weathered using vinegar. Thats how I left it. Looked much better. The scuttle vents and the screen were brass too. unpolished.

[Nick Lettington]

I have no issues with it at all, but was amused by the spin on the lack of plating. It is clearly not as rare as the funds available for restoration (for most of us parsimonious 7 owners tbf). Chrome and leather seem to be the two big ticket items that are hard for the average home restoration. You can get a presentable finish on the paint with time and effort with a gloss roller, wet and dry and cutting agent. Chrome plating however  is just a little bit too toxic to do in the bathroom 

...but why suggest it's meant to be that way?

When I played with A35s in my youth I was never much surprised by the number of people who had an A30 or A35 with the wrong V5, probably after the original number plate was sold previously and an alternative V5 sought. The fact the chassis plate screwed into the passenger A-post didn't help. New owners seem to think they have an unusual prototype...