Early Sports

[Mike Costigan]

Hedd, OL 3443 started life as a standard Sports model and was developed and upgraded during its competition life, but stayed basically the same car. If you look at it in the 1932 photos, at first glance it looks like an EA, but in fact it still has the original scuttle and doors of the original 1924 Sports.

Edit: and the wings in the photo are not bent, that's the shape of the standard Sports wing:


  1924 50mph Sports.jpg (Size: 281.54 KB / Downloads: 395)

[JonE]

Jon. I am technologically challenged at the moment and am out of the country. Perhaps you could approach Bonhams, explaining the background and ask if they could forward your note onto the consigned asking them to contact you to continue the discussion?

Cheers

Hiugh

I've sent them an email...

[JonE]

Bonhams... "I have spoken to the seller of this lot and they assure me there is no link from their family to to any of the people included in the photograph". Pity.

[Hedd_Jones]

Edit: and the wings in the photo are not bent, that's the shape of the standard Sports wing:

They certainly are. 

The front wings have different profiles at the front. Left vs Right

[Mike Costigan]

We'll have to agree to differ on that, Hedd 

[Colin Morgan]

Looking at the covers as pictured with the photo on ebay, there are feint scribblings and numbers in various places on what appears otherwise as a blank cover? Unfortunately, I can't see a date or reg no. These might be more readable on the original? There also might be something written on the back of the photo itself?

[Tony Press]

Reply from Bill Sheehan in Oz:

Bill Sheehan writes.

Guessing time is over, Friends.  I believe the number is OL 7305, and the Sports 50 was used by Harold Hastings who was a motoring writer for Light Car & Cyclecar.  Suggest you can detect a spare wheel mounted on the tail top.  (Although Source claims that this was an option at the factory I can find no evidence, nor have I seen photos of any other Sports 50 fitted so.  Would be grateful if anybody has evidence of others). In addition to the shot included here I have other photos of OL 7305.  I have other photos of Sports 50s.  One of the early ones was driven in a Trial by Orford (from memory a local Chemist) for the Austin factory in Oct. 1924.  It"s number was OL2443 and I believe he had competed with the same car in February 1924 -  months before Wyatt, Source etc claim the first 50 was produced.  Orford competed  in the same or another car OL3443 in another Trial  Feb 1925.  Curious similarity.   Cheers,  Bill

   

[Mike Costigan]

Nice try, Bill, and I would be interested to see your other pics of OL 7305, but I don't think that's our car. I'm convinced there is a 'tail' to the top of the last number, making it a 6, not a 5; the spare wheel mounting you can see is, I believe, the handlebars of the motorcycle, and the design of side-screen is totally different.

OL 3443 occurs in several photos, it had a hard competition life lasting well into the 'thirties. OL 2443 doesn't ring a bell with me, any chance of seeing your Orford photo?

Incidentally, yes, I have seen photos of other Sports with the spare mounted on the tail; I'll have to start digging to see if I can find them.

[JonE]

Is that - or is that not - a drivers side mirror in the same place though? Has anyone got a better copy?

[JonE]

aha - side screens are different pattern!!!