late RP Standard and De Luxe / Stock Colours / definition of "black top"

[Frank Stoll]

Hello everyone,
We have been enjoying our Austin Seven for more than 33 years and although the car was perfectly restored by Mike Jarret 28 years ago, I still wonder which colours could have been used on the either the Standard and De Luxe version. Our car is certainly one of the very late RP models and therefore I referred to the lists "Stock Colours - Publication No. 924F 11/33" and "Stock Colours - Publication No. 924J 9/34" and there are some questions that come to my mind.
First question: Do the numbers "11/33" and "9/34" stand for November 1933 and September 1934?
Second question: When list says "top black" does this include the top of the bonnet or was the bonnet painted in the colour of the main body?
Third question: The differences (concerning exterior) between the Standard and De Luxe RP version in 1934 were the sliding roof and the chromed headlamps and of course the colours? Nothing else. Right?
Thank you very much in advance
Frank

[Ivor Hawkins]

Hi Frank, as Reckers pointed out in a post yesterday, the DeLuxe also had a higher spec interior trim, including things such as the three door pockets.

[Frank Stoll]

Thank you Ivor, good to know, but I am interested in the differences of the exterior.

[David Stepney]

Frank,

There were a number of differences between the standard and deluxe RP saloons, most of them minor. Most of the internal differences have been listed by Reckers save for the fact that the standard cars had Rexine or cloth trim instead of leather.

Externally, they had black painted headlamps instead of chromed ones, and the body was one colour, with the moulded line along the centre and across the back painted a slightly different shade of whatever the body colour was. My own car was Light Royal Blue with a cobalt moulding line. Although my car was repainted nearly 50 years ago in light royal blue and black top, the original cobalt blue moulding and yellow coachline was retained. There was no sunroof, just a small smokers hatch behind the front seats and many cars had black windscreen surrounds instead of chrome plated ones (my own car has a chrome windscreen surround).

Hope this helps!

[Frank Stoll]

Hello David,
Thank you for your response. That's interesting to read and helps a bit. I have checked the colour combinations (body / top / lines) in the Stock Colour brochures and that is all very clear. The main problem is that sometimes you see RPs with a black bonnet (the horizontal parts) and some with the horizontal parts painted in the body colour. Which one is correct for the late RP?

[Mike Costigan]

Frank, as a general guide I would suggest that RNs retained the body-colour on the bonnet with just the waist moulding in black, whilst RPs continued the black across the whole top of the bonnet, although the 1934 sales brochure might suggest otherwise:


  1934 RP sales brochure.JPG (Size: 137.24 KB / Downloads: 575)

[Henry Harris]

All Austin de-luxe models from 20hp to 7hp followed the same rules in 1933.

De-luxe paintwork was available as "Black top" in which case the lower part of the body, the bonnet top and the window reveals were  painted in a contrasting colour. 

The only time a black bonnet top was used was with an all black de-luxe.

from p16 of the June 1933 catalogue.
   

From the A7CA archive.....

June 1933 catalogue
http://www.archive.a7ca.org/wp-content/u...R_930C.pdf
October 1933 catalogue
http://www.archive.a7ca.org/wp-content/u...R_1030.pdf

[David Stepney]

On my car the whole of the top including the bonnet has been painted black above the coachline, which is actually the wrong colour scheme. However, as it has been this way for nearly 50 years and is in reasonably good condition, I see no reason to change it.
From the photos attached, one can see the darker moulding.

   

   

[Reckless Rat]

With the caveat that a customer could order his car painted any colour scheme he liked, outwith the basic catalogue, for a fee of course.

My "Standard" saloon is black top (and bonnet) with  maroon and was like that when I bought it in the 1980s. No doubt, repainted by a former owner but it looks fine to me.

[Mike Costigan]

Always treat brochure illustrations with caution! Note the RP illustration used in both 1933 and 1934 catalogues show a body-colour border round the windows - this was a feature of some RLs and RMs which the Publicity Department obviously thought would enhance the illustrations in later catalogues, but I have never seen an original RN or RP with such a colour scheme - but I have certainly seen original RPs with black bonnet tops over coloured lower bodywork.