Basically the email I have is :-

Speaking to my father, who is in his mid-seventies, conversation got round to old cars, and why we could remember our old car registrations. He mentioned the first car he ever owned, an Austin 7 Nippy, registration ST 8593.

I wondered if there was any way of tracing whether the car is still around today? If so, is there any way I could make contact (either directly or through the Club) with it’s current owner and maybe get a photo of it.

First of all it is 'active' on the DVLA web site, secondly I do not have it against any Club on The Register, just the 'Sports Register' and that's from a pre year 2000 listing.

Any help would be appreciated. If lucky, email me with detail(s) please.

Sandy Croall

I think ST is an Inverness reg.Scottish Club or the Inverness council MAY be able to help.

Thats interesting Sandy, It appears in your May 2005 register. Club reference 12,I cant find a list in it to show which that is? I am sure you will know.

Hi

Sorry to bring this thread back after so long. My father sadly passed away in November 2012.

I'd still love to find out more about his car if anyone can help. I know it was still registered when I first started looking, but doesn't seem to be at the moment (possibly SORNed for the winter?).

Thanks

Guy

Guy,

Well it does show up on mycarcheck.com as an Austin (sports) which is encouraging, at least the registration doesn't appear to have been transferred to a modern vehicle - however bear in mind that the registration of my 1936 Morris 8 Tourer also shows up on this site and it hasn't been taxed or on the road since 1980 and although currently dismantled undergoing restoration, I still own it and it's also on the DVLA database.

It's also worth pointing out that vehicles that were off the road before SORN was introduced on January 31st 1998 and haven't been taxed and on the road since, legally won't / can't be SORN'd. So the fact that it doesn't show up as being SORN'd doesn't necessarily mean it's taxed and on the road. My '36 Morris for example isn't / can't be SORN'd.

ST 8593 also shows as an Austin on cartell.ie

On the latest February 2014 online chassis register it's listed under club no. 63 - The Sports Register. The Registrar's email address would appear to be peter.relph@btconnect.com

Both Highland Council Archive, Inverness and The Kithead Trust, Droitwich Spa hold the vehicles records for ST registered vehicles when they were new - so you could find out the first owner and possibly other details - there's usually a charge for this - I see on a similar post today re a car registered UD 3391 , Oxfordshire County Council charge £9.40p for this information.

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Jeff

Many thanks for your response - much appreciated

I've emailed Peter Relph.

I already have a copy of the entry in the registration records from Inverness - it was initially registered to a lady by the name of Miss Margaret Brown on 25th April 1936, a month before my father was born.

He bought the car in c. 1953.

Guy

It is not on the PWA7C Register but I am checking with the Sports Register details which are presently held by Chris Dickinson in Bradford Will try my best Peter

Location: Church Stretton

Guy,

That's interesting as my late 1936 Morris 8 Tourer, an Oxford registered car was similarly bought new by a Miss and by the use of Google Street View I've even seen the house and street - all still there, from the comfort of my armchair !

Apologies to Peter Relph - however Peter your email address is still on the latest A7CA website contacts page as being the Sports Registrar, perhaps Chris Dickinson may wish to update the S.R. email address to save you being contacted in the future - apologies again.

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

its still coming up on mycarcheck - down as yellow and black, April 1936.

come on, someone must have seen it!

Having seen quite a few of these postings about seeking the whereabouts of a car and indeed posted a handful myself, I find it intriguing that the majority of those sought are not known to anyone within the usual Austin 7 circles. In saying this, I am excluding any instances where there is no evidence that a car still exists in some form.

Anyone else noticed this?

A lot of cars were scrapped with the introduction of the M.O.T. - initially known as the 10 year test 1n 1960.
Mass produced cars like the Austin 7 etc would have been regarded as semi disposable back then and not worth spending the money needed to get it to pass the test.
So on reflection it is perhaps not surprising that a lot of cars can't be traced / no longer exist and perhaps something of a miracle that so many have survived at all.
Steve V.

Location: Polegate, East Sussex, United Kingdom

Yet they still keep turning up. Rotting away where they were first stored to avoid the Nazi occupation a hoard of French cars have been found in a french quarry. A lot of them look past redemption, but who knows. Looks like a Rosengart roadster next to the HY van...

Here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/28/treasure-trove-abandoned-1930s-era-cars-discovered-france/

Not near me sadly.

Location: Gard, France 30960

You may well be right - the rad surround and the bend in the front axle look very similar to a photo of a Ford A I have on the computer.

Location: Gard, France 30960

I don't think the second world war thing rings true. OK, I accept the cars would deteriorate, but the description suggests that parts had been removed... and why add more after the war if theyd been forgotten? I bet some poor bloke was just to scared to admit to his Mrs that he'd bought another old car project, then another, and another... and he had the perfect place to hide his collection from her! Well perfect apart from the corrosive atmosphere.

I'm off to dig a basement in my garage!

Location: Essex