I am starting to get hampered by my lack of knowledge of A7 model types, (for my site of photos).

A few mistakes are starting to slip through and although some are picked up I am worried a few are not being spotted, obviously I want to be as accurate as possible. For instance the "box saloon" category is starting to be a catch all for all saloons.

The question is, what is the best way of knowing a GE Brooklands from a Boyd Carpenter? Is there and Observer guide to Austin 7s?

I have the "Source Book" but it has hardly a quick reference guide!

So far I have this lot, (the links work), ("named" specials are included and 1 photo / car can have more than one classification.)

ulster

TT cars

racers

super sports

Almack Ulster

Boat Tail

Box Saloon

Chummy

Ducks

Gordon England Brooklands

Gordon England Cup

Gordon England Stadium

grasshopper

Mystery Car

single seater

specials

Swallow

Taylor

Tiger Kitten

Tourer

Twin Cam

Austin, you just have to get your head round the way the Source Book works, and then sort of learn the categories by dint of looking.
I noted that you showed the finest picture I've seen of the Burghley Sport rear decking and someone picked up the Burghley bit under Mystery cars.
Some of the modern slang [eg Chummy] seems fine - we all know what to expect. Some of the Ulsters are tricky to divide and so on.
As a rule, the Source uses dates. The date is when the idea first appeared or evolutions gave them new titles [eg AC's changed a lot to become AD].
Boyd Carpenter seems worth looking for for the Jo-Jo developments [but Beatrice puts them in the new Competition book].
Telling features are worth picking up. Such gems as the shape of the bottom edge of the windscreen on a Chummy. The distance from screen to bonnet esp on AD to AE, for instance.
Look for scuttle vents and filler caps [esp on TT cars]. The length of bonnets and the number of hinges makes an ID on early cars interesting.
Endless fun!

I think you may be right about the source book... (I have my dad's copy here - complete with pencil "additions & comments").

The Ulsters I am happy about, (it's where the hunt started), it's when I get into the saloons and tourers that things get a bit hairy.

So far I have spent my time just getting the images but now I need to get them categorised properly so that they are findable as the numbers increase. Model types seems one good way of going about that.

Here's a few more - some already sorted.
UW8481 looks like a 26-28 Cole & Shuttleworth. I need a day at Chipping Norton to check the files.
UW7155 looks like a KC Austin Special see p568 for the 1929 KC pictures.
The Mysteries begins with the Burghley Sports and then the Ulsterish job with wings might best fit as a model EA sports, if you elect to run with that taxonomy.
Our trials special was based on a Burghley sports body rather similar to the showroom shot found with the Autocar publicity shots of the Taylor fabric Semi-Sports.

I think I know the answer, but what do you make of the chrome rad shell on OJ6321?

This is where it gets really time consuming! I think I need some sort of "basic" taxonomy to start of with.

It's a difficult question to answer, and as more photos get added it's going to become more important to get it right.

The rest of the taxonomies I have got sorted, it is just the identification of the cars that is proving tricky.

Austin,

I am happy, and interested, to help you identify the cars in your pictures. Please get in touch via the e-mail above.

Cheers

Ruairidh

Re plated radiator cowl on OJ 6321.This is a short chummy type cowl and some coachbuilt cars and the Super Sport were fitted with cowls made of brass rather than steel to facilitate nickel plating.I agree the cowl on OJ 6321 does look like chrome not nickel but it could have been replated.

Ruairidh, you are very kind. I'll try and get an email off today at some point...

Almost to prove a point I have just found the photo below...

Now I would categorise it as GE? (Stadium / Cup??) and also a special.

Great photo though!



The LAT database* tells me that it is from the October 1927 200 Mile Race at Brooklands.

*That makes it sound glamorous! It's just a spreadsheet that isn't that accurate.

The 1927 200 Mile Race had 7 entrants in the 750cc Class:

Hendy, Walther, Wilson, 'El Bolivar', Boyd-Carpenter and Chase in Sevens and Samuelson in a 746 Ratier (Jim Wood, Stuart Ulph and David Howe will have read about these recently 'in another place' I suspect
)

Hendy and 'El Bolivar' were in Brooklands models, Boyd-Carpenter, Mrs. Jo-Jo, and Chase was in Mr. Jo-Jo with B-C engine and a Cup like tail - I suspect that it is this that is in the photo.

It finished 2nd in Class to Boyd-Carpenter and these two cars were put up for sale at the finish.

STEVE (with thanks to WB)

Austin
A sub-division of saloons could be 'top hat saloon', of which YX8084 is an example

Martin

Autocar Glass Plate B3008 appears to show two GE's leaving the Shell fuel stop through some sort of factory gates... In front of the Morris Minor (brand new 1929!) is a Cup model. However the other car is not a Cup model. The GE Cup cars had narrower, low-profile wings with a long sweep to the very short running board. The screen is GE, but unless it is a very early 1925 car with the early 4-piece bonnet... etc.
The other characteristic alloy rubbing strip is missing on the scuttle. And then, the lights: the brackets....
For my money, it's a Stadium. The Stadium was introduced in 1928 with a fabric body and later saw a few alloy skinned cars.

Austin
A sub-division of saloons could be 'top hat saloon', of which YX8084 is an example
Martin

Austin,

Mulliner's produced a variety of body types, they should, I think, come under "Coachbuilt" bodies, then a sub heading, "Mulliner", then sub headings, "Sports", "Saloons", "Vans" and "Military", etc.

Give me a ring on 0141 942 8037 tonight if you have a moment.

Cheers

Ruairidh

Austin.
I should have looked closer at the photo. Further inpection reveals a one piece windscreen and dummy hood irons so you are probably right.
Martin

After a fair bit of fiddling and head scratching there is now a working taxonomy in place.

It will allow for a lot of expansion including adding different manufacturers.

The reg. numbers are also listed, all I need to do now is get them cross referencing with each other and things will start to get really interesting!

I am now in the process of going back through the 300 odd photos and updating them all properly, once that is done all my time can be spent finding the photos and "tagging" them rather than doing the boring manual coding for each one. It will also mean that following one event / year / driver / car will be a lot easier.

Apologies for the addition of the Google ads at the top of the page but they help to pay for the hosting, (and may allow me to buy a 35mm scanner!)

Forgot to say that I have also now got the list of people working as well.

As I tag up the remaining photos this list will grow and should be very helpful!

Austin, Well done, a great index.

I am not sure about the identity of the Gordon England Stadium on plate B3008. The doors are hinged on the trailing edge, windscreen does not appear to open and is too tall compared with width, Windscreen pillars are straight and not shaped where they meet the body. Bonnet looks too short (a standard bonnet?). Compare with car WK3976, plate B1737 which I think is a Gordon England Stadium. What do others think?

This is impressive stuff Austin, more power to your elbow.

Cheers

Ruairidh

Reading B.Norfolk's good observations: the 'Stadium' is more like a Mulliner Sports.

Finally! I have now got all of the pages converted to the new type and things are starting to work very nicely.

Each image has been "tagged" under various taxonomies, we now have cars, dates, locations, events, people etc.

A nice by-product of this is the ability to search a particular event, (eg the Colmore Cup), if you then look on the left a list of years that there are photos of that event appears, magic!

It works in reverse as well so if you view 1932 a list of events from that year appears.

The list of cars has now grown to include none Austin makes, (my knowledge really is shaky here though!) If you see a car you know and it isn't in the list below please leave a comment and I will add it in.

There are a few tweaks left to sort out to get the listing of events by year to work properly and then it is nearly there. I have looked through most of 1927 already and they will start going up soon.