Scruffy specials - where have they all gone?

[Mike Wood]

Hi

Where have all the scruffy (or not over-restored or unused) but serviceable specials gone? These days ‘oily rags’?

Something built and run by an impecunious enthusiast using mostly hand tools in a shed, including painted with coach enamel using a brush.
It is inspiring reading of the exploits of Jack French, Arthur Mallock and others in the various versions of the 750MC ‘Special Builders’ Guide’, in old 750MC Bulletins, Herbert & Harvey’s ‘750 Racer’ book, Paul Lawrence’s Mallock history ‘The Lone Furrow’ and Allan Staniforth’s ‘Race & Rally Sourcebook’.

Quite fancy one as a rebuild project to turn into an occasional hillclimb car that is still capable of road use and being road registered. All I seem to see for sale is beautiful over shiny trinkets, race cars that now seem to aspire to being a museum quality miniature Bugatti T35B of ‘investment potential’, occasional tarted up rubbish, or bare chassis that have no hope of ever being registered. Any well used trials car projects out there that could be put on 15 inch wheels etc?

Hmmm what ever happened to a Bert Hadley Championship running car that was advertised in Dunfermline about 10 years ago…

Cheers
Mike

PS I do realise that I am looking through very out of date rose-tinted spectacles of 750MC days of 1950s & 1960s. And that Austin Sevens have not been in the budget category for probably at least half a century.

[Steve kay]

How to answer Mike's question. If you have, or know of a special, active or not, start making preparations to bring it to display at Shelsley on 3rd July. The VSCC meeting will be marking one hundred years of not only the Seven as a model, but the Seven in competition. Having just two completed prototypes, Sir Herbert had one on display in London, and bought the other one to enter the hillclimb. This year should see not only the usual VSCC competition Sevens, in a variety of original and special forms, but also hopefully the Bert Hadley Championship competitors will have a second day ascending the hill. We hope to see a number of significant historic competition  cars not only on display but  doing demonstration  climbs. MAC are offering reduced admission for people wanting to bring their Sevens, so as well as richly patinated trials cars, gleaming saloons worthy of concours status, and well looked after  daily users, maybe we can look forward to specials emerging from sheds.

[Hugh Barnes]

Steve - could you expand on Herbert displaying a Prototype in London, please? Do you have any more details on that?

[Mike Wood]

Steve

Thanks for the info on the VSCC meeting this July celebrating 100 years of the Seven in competition. I wonder how many and in what form the cars I snapped at Mallory Park in the 1980s are still competing: http://austinhealeyspritemk2.blogspot.co...tures.html (some great homebrewed trailers too!)

Cheers
Mike

[Tony Betts]

hi mike,

you may have already answered alot of your own questions.

the main way of looking at it, is our austins sevens were worth low prices for a long wile.

so when the banks crashed 15 years ago, and alot of money went into buying old cars. many of these rough looking specials were bought and had alot of money into them. some came out the other end as nice cars, others the money was waisted on them.

the result today is the novice tends to get cond with the rubbish, because they dont properly know what they are looking at. the really nice cars are then selling for really nice prices. to people who know what they are paying for.

ive just bought a part finished 750 being done as the 750 book, tubular frame. alloy body professionally done. 15 inch wheels. etc etc etc. original reg 3 letters 2 numbers. 

will probably auction it, as more people are likely to interest. just hope the next buyer isnt a reg number steeler.

tony

[Bob Olive]

To stretch this thread a bit further, on the vexed question of how to prevent reg no stealing, is it not feasible that the FBHVC (?) or some similar body could lobby the Government department responsible (DVLA) that cars which are exempt from road tax should have their reg nos non-transferable?
After all, if the car is considered ‘historic’ then the reg no is part of that history as much as any mechanical component. Just sayin’ …

[Hugh Barnes]

Sadly, this is ground that has been gone over many times (not to say that it couldn't be tried again) The DVLA's position is that the registration 'belongs' to them, not the car or the current owner, so they are not prepared to make numbers non-transferable upon request...

It's ok when they do it, though...

[Alan]

Steve

Thanks for the info on the VSCC meeting this July celebrating 100 years of the Seven in competition. I wonder how many and in what form the cars I snapped at Mallory Park in the 1980s are still competing: http://austinhealeyspritemk2.blogspot.co...tures.html (some great homebrewed trailers too!)

Cheers
Mike

No 38. (Red Ulster Rep) is still mine and still active. The trailer, sadly, has been replaced. Just thinking, this year it’s been an Ulster Rep longer than it was anything else. Must qualify it for something.

[Austin in the Shed]

Austin Seven specials I'd say could be the most interesting of all sevens.A good special doesn't have to conform to any originality issues and is a product of its designer/builders mind and hands,quirks and all.
Build quality and design possibly another matter,Some being brilliant as one on A7 specials now with a twin cam head and supercharged for instance,to good/ok down to really bad I'd say.
Inspiration must have come for many from P J Stephens ,Building and racing a 750 and John Haynes building an Austin Seven Special.
I found the P J Stephens book in the library at tech college and couldn't stop reading his story,building a race car for the 1953 750 mc series of races. Both of the writers becoming publishers in their own right of course.
Personally trying to keep the idea of building a model A Ford engined A7 based special out of my mind as a next project!

[Stuart Giles]

I think many of those scruffy specials from the 50s, 60s and 70s have been wearing 'Ulster' bodywork for some time now. But it is a shame when not at all scruffy specials that were wearing Speedex or Super Accessories Sportsman bodywork or similar get recast as 'vintage' cars. I feel There is a real risk that an important part of Austin Seven history will disappear because of this.