A lot of nice things coming out of this thread.

Robert's pictures:

I just looked on the Register: YB7720 is there, YB7220 is not; maybe things have been corrected recently.

Location: Cottenham, Cambridge

Ian, Gran didn't make me sleep under the hedge, it was very late and I didn't want to wake anybody - plus I just dropped down asleep - It was only in the morning I found out the bit under the hedge was also over the cess pit....
I had lived in Gran's house in the early 1950's too.

I had a much wider view of the sheds, from the Probate sale, but it seems to have disappeared...
This is CG 7241 ready for sale - a week after the sale it had passed it's MoT and the Reg. Number sold on, it very quickly reverted back to this state a month later when it was sold on again as WSJ 455.

CG 7241 was (and is) my first car from 1961, it is now back with me.

Location: Very edge of Europe, west of just about everybody.

Location: Herefordshire, with an E not a T

Location: Very edge of Europe, west of just about everybody.

I have advised Jim, so the anomaly should disappear soon.

Location: Cottenham, Cambridge

Hi Ruairidh,

One of the longest trips I did in my Box saloon was with Ray Walker in 1978 or 79. I had been working at his garage all day one Saturday and we had retired to the Six Bells for a few pints where it was decided that we would attend the rally at Berkley Castle the following day. Making sure we had enough fags for the trip, we set off late in the evening driving through the night. Ray spent quite alot of the journey fast asleep against the passenger's door and I remember worrying that if the catch gave way he would have fallen out! When we arrived at Berkley Castle in the early hours, I was absolutely knackered even though I was only 18 at the time.
I might add that Ray's wife Mary was driving another Box which we were following and thought nothing of it, making us all breakfast when we arrived.

Driving the same car now, I find that after fifty miles or so my bum is completely numb and when I get out of the car my toes point inwards!!

Here is a photo of my sister and me at the 1978 Berkley Castle Rally beside the family Pearl in usual workhorse mode...

It's so reassuring to see properly brought up children.

following this thread I am reminded of a popular rally our club would run to the state boundary, or a little beyond, over the weekend.
It was always begun Friday at midnight with great fanfare. The supporters and participants would sqirt each other with fire hoses and flour bombs, and we'd be off in a cloud of blue smoke. Then it's flat out into the dark, you know I mean dark. Many of you must have experienced a semi coming up behind at twice your speed, lights on high beam, single lane highway. It's like entering a black hole isn't it? Bear in mind some of us (me) hadn't slept for 2 days 'cause we were tinkering with our steed to ensure it made the journey.
It's the journey, not the destination. Everybody had their own tale to tell, we'd arrive about lunchtime on Saturday and those lucky enough not to be fixing their Austins would crash in the Motel. Up Sunday early but not so bright, wipe the frost off the steed and head for Melbourne and home.
Because of this thread I was curious to check up on the mileage after our 12hour stint in the saddle. Pathetic really, really pathetic. We must have been spending all our time eating burgers at the truck stops. Well I wasn't, they were often on their 2nd by the time I pulled up. Enough of this you want to know the mileage, 280. cheers Russell

Location: oz

Location: The very edge of Europe - West.

Squeak,

Location: oz

Some pics of Robert Leigh's Ulsteroid at 750 Beaulieu

Location: On the way to the VSCC goodwood sprint

A trip to the village of Hope in the Hope Valley,Derbyshire from Colchester. Mileage of about 190 miles with no problems. Did the trip with my wife and son in the late 80's. My wife thinks we left at 5am and arrived there at about 11am. Stayed with my wife's parents and also attended the Chatsworth A7 rally with the Ruby.

Stephen

Location: Colchester

Nothing to compare with some of the epics listed here but, my regular "longest trip" is Shropshire to Portsmouth -190miles, 6 hrs on the ferry to Caen, then 90 miles to our French destination. 280 miles total but with a welcome 6hrs break on the ferry.

Ian Mc.

Location: Shropshire

I maybe should have added that we organise the crossings so that it's always at the French end that we are driving in darkness - much easier on almost empty French country roads than in the UK. This means that we cross to France on the afternoon boat and return on the morning boat. A recommended process to anyone contemplating a similar trip. Those with a longer journey at the UK end would benefit from taking the night boat on the return leg but, this is rather more expensive.

Ian Mc.

Location: Shropshire

The longest and most "exciting" journey in my Austin 7 was from Aberdeen Scotland to Crowborough in Sussex.

It was in the winter of 1980. I was working for an American company and was assigned to Houston Texas so i left Aberdeen to go to my house in Sussex. the beginning of the rip was OK but as I approached Sheffield it began to snow heavily. The temperature had been dropping and so i stopped and put on more cloths and a pair of women's tights. ( a trick I learnt on the oil rigs in the North Sea)
After a while on the M1 I noticed no other cars and the A7 was beginning to have trouble with traction in the snow. I stopped and put ropes on the rear wheels (like chains) and carried on.
South of Sheffield I was stopped by a police Land Rover. They were amazed I was still going. They let me carry on. Apparently the M1 had been shut down but I guess I did not "get the memo". Driving in these conditions was slow going. I remember doing around 30 MPH on the M1

Anyhow I finally arrived in Sussex at about 2 in the morning for a total of 19 hours

Good story Pat

Location: oz

Talking with Bill Sheehan about long journeys in an Austin Seven reminded him of a trip in the mid 70's to South Australia for a national rally.
In his 1925 Chummy he did the 800 miles round trip in a weekend, then repeated this the following weekend for another Adelaide event. He found the Chummy bucket seats more comfortable than seats in his then 'modern'.
Isn't there a story about the fellow who designed the bucket seats for the Austin Healey basing them of the seats in his Chummy??

Tony.

Location: Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Funny - I've only just remembered another epic. 1974, my then g/f and I in the company of Sue and Gerald Walker, holidayed in the hamlet of Tomich near Drumnadrochit, just south of Inverness, both couples in 1933 Box Saloons. We had traveled up over a couple of days, stopping at the end of day 1 at a BnB in Jedburgh. We had a delightful holiday in a rather basic little cottage which we rented in a rather remote spot. The whole place was so far back in time, the local Post Office still had a poster up encouraging you to buy War Bonds with an image of MV San Demitrio on it (if you don't know, look it up)

Anyway, quite why now escapes me, but we did the return journey in one hit, leaving the Cottage at 8am and eventually getting back to Cambridge at around 3 the following morning - a journey of about 530 miles. I can remember that my feet seemed to have become slightly detached from my legs and felt as if they were pointing inwards by the time we got home..

Location: Cambridge

I had a similar experience to Pat in a snow storm in about 1979, having been down to Cornwall in the Ruby and returning to my home in Somerset. I managed to get as far as Honiton on the A30 but the road was closed by the drifts, and I ended up spending the night in a Roman Catholic seminary which had opened its doors to freezing waifs and strays.
The next morning the roads were still closed but I managed to make it back to the deserted M5 at Exeter and having wrapped the cables from my jump leads around the rear wheels, set off. I too was stopped by the police and given 'appropriate advice' and told I was the only car that had made it that far. I was allowed to continue the few miles to the Taunton junction where I turned off and continued, slipping and sliding all the way homewards through Langport and Somerton. I got to within a mile of home before being brought to a halt and walked the rest of the way, returning to collect the car when the thaw began.
My longest ever journey was a weekend trip up to Glasgow from Somerset to visit my cousin, the late Iain Banks, in about 1976. For some reason I went up the M1, which seemed a reasonable thing to do in those days... On the way back it took me 12 hours, stopping only for pees and petrol - the Ruby behaved faultlessly all the way but broke its crank a week later on my way to work.
I recall getting lost in Glasgow and stopping in the Gorbals to ask directions (nothing like living dangerously), ending up with a gang of half a dozen kids in and on the Ruby showing me the way!

Alastair, even further south these days but still east of Sandy, Roger, Brian & co

Location: Port Isaac, Cornwall

Alastair,

Whilst driving thro' Glasgow in the Chummy in 1973 I was approached at traffic lights by a "wee scallywag" who enquired"are you the original owner Mister?"
I hadn't realised that you were related to Iain Banks by the way,I have all his books on the shelves at here Dunford Towers ,my absolute favourites.

Hugh,whilst at Tomich I wonder if you met my elderly relatives,Alice and Willie MacDonald?
That's a lovely part of the world.

Location: Wessex

Longest journey for me so far - 10 miles. And the carb jet only blocked up once :)

This weekends job, remove and flush fuel tank and fit a filter.

Next week I might get brave and go for 12!

Simon

Location: Auckland

Talking of long journeys I have just been given a PDF of the report in an Australian newspaper from 1938 covering the story of an Australian and a Canadian, Cameron and Kidd, who travelled 17000 miles in six months from England to Australia driving an 1937 Austin Seven Tourer.
Not heard of this trip before- I don't think I can post a PDF here, but if anyone is interested I will send a copy.

Tony.

Location: Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Yes please.

R,
Done!
Tony

Location: Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Me too Tony thanks, Russell

Location: oz

Russell,
Done.
Tony.

Location: Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Thanks for passing that on Tony, I think the vehicle looks to be an Austin 10.

R,

Right as usual- I should have looked at the picture- the wheels are a giveaway!
Sorry all

Tony.

Location: Malvern, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

'25 body Chummy on a '27 chassis (lighter body, better brakes, very good combo) - completed 360 miles in 11-12 hours in northern France in August 2014. I drove from near Calais to Pegasus Bridge and back again with a 1980 Citroen 2CV. The car ran like a watch all day, just about keeping up with the 2CV! It was very happy sitting at 50mph most of the time apart from on extended uphill sections when 2nd gear was necessary.

The final 4 hours of the trip were in continuous heavy rain at night. I hadn't packed the side screens so that wasn't an option, but I didn't get at all wet, there wasn't water gushing through the windscreen, I just remember feeling invincible in the dark and the rain, car running perfectly etc. I rigged the lights up to a large 80aH 12v battery because the scuttle mounted 6v mood lighting isn't really sufficient for night driving as I'm sure you all know. On the 12V battery it worked perfectly! I focussed the off side lamp so that my long range lighting was improved and if necessary I could move it to where I wanted, and the other I dispersed - worked really nicely, and I arrived back at my campsite at 0200 to find that a drunk idiot had fallen over my tent and ruined it, filling it with water! I still need a new one if you're reading this, you know who you are... Apart from a soggy sleeping bag, the only thing that went wrong was that I forgot to put my extra gallon of fuel in when it was needed and consequently came to a spluttering halt, but thats on me.

Great drive, great company, great moules and most of all great car. Well done little car.

Location: Salisbury

Sorry to read about the tent flattening!

Slightly outside your specification but here it is :-

In 1967 I accompanied by my girlfriend at the time drove my RP Box Saloon down to Beaulieu Rally on Saturday (303 miles one way) Slept in our tent at the roadside - did the rally and drove back Sunday straight after the rally and was at work 9am Monday morning.
Bloody barmy !
We had 10 p left with an empty tank on our return - talk about cutting it fine.
The only issue was the need to use the headlamps sparingly to keep the battery charged, could be done then.
Would not be too sensible now.
It was a great adventure for us at the time, which is why I still am a big advocate of using the cars now.

Location: The Centre of the Universe

In 1966 I went to Beaulieu for the first time, there and back in the day, about 440 miles in my RN saloon. I had to pull into a layby near Lichfield for a cat nap, the eye lids were getting heavy. More recently in 2003 Falmouth to Stockport, 360 miles in 9 hours, but I cheated and used the M5 leaving it just before the M6.

Looking back, I cannot believe that we lived life like we did - Alice was our only form of transport for three years ....

Now I worry if I use the car for the 25 mile round trip to work.

The trials this week has made me less apprehensive and I have resolved to do more miles this coming year.

Back in those years in the 70's I was working in Wellington (Somerset) and Jan finishing her education in Loughborough, so I would drive up the Fosse Way on Friday night and leave at 4am Monday in order to get to work on time.

That went on for nearly a year, and I always made it.

Bonkers!

Simon

Not precisely in keeping with the theme but, as mentioned elsewhere, the NZ VAR mag recently ran an account of a 1925 stunt by an agent with a Seven “Tiger” (?? like chummy) with two (contemporary sized) occupants. Auckland to Wellington return 1,000miles “non stop” in 47 hours, 20 minutes. Via Taranaki, not the most direct route but probably the one with the least empty country, least major climbs, least unmetalled road and fords, and with the bonus of a few miles of seal. Maximum altitude only about 800 ft but numerous repeat climbs involved. 50 mpg, 6 pints of oil (which proclaimed!). The trip was done in May when sunset about 6pm so presumably with a full moon! Then about the only regular through motor traffic for much of the route would be service cars; American tourer cars adapted to provide an occasional passenger and mail service.
Not to be outdone a SI agent conducted a circular tour of the northern half of that island in 1927. Route involved two saddles over 3000 ft, other serious climbs, and several unbridged rivers, either forded or crossed on a horse drawn wagon. 680 miles in 24 hours, 45 mpg.
Could have been grand experiences, depending on the weather! At least they had no traffic lights or hidden speed cameras to contend with. Or oncoming dazzle! Or tourists on the wrong side.
If only travel in old (or any) cars was so interesting today.

Bob Culver

Location: Auckland, NZ

As many of you will know I am a great exponent of long journeys by Austin 7! My journeys are not the longest but generally make up for that with the amount of climbing involved. I believe that when you are hill walking there is a formula that every 1000 feet of ascent equates to four miles of level walking, or whatever, so presumably there will be a similar rule for Austin 7 motoring.
One of my most memorable runs was in 2001 when I decided to drive the RL saloon from Thirsk in North Yorkshire to Chepstow. The first leg of the journey was from
Thirsk to Ludlow. Looking at the atlas this seemed a daunting prospect trying to avoid the major industrial cities. Motorways were out of the question. I photocopied the large scale Philips Navigator atlas onto about a dozen A3 sheets which were held together with a bulldog clip. The Navigator atlas is too big and heavy to use in the Austin, if it is open it falls off the seat onto the floor.
My A3 copies of the atlas were in black and white so I had no idea whether the roads were red, green, brown or yellow. With a red felt tip pen I marked the most direct route across each page and ended up with an almost dead straight red line linking Thirsk and Ludlow.
I set off and had a super journey, avoiding all the major towns and using many roads that were unclassified. I remember that somewhere in the Midlands I was actually driving along a canal tow path to the astonishment of walkers, especially when I had to cross the canal on a narrow bridge only about a foot wider than the Austin! I recall that a short section of the route was a muddy track. Even so, I got to Ludlow mid afternoon which proves that if you can plod along as the crow flies, you can make good progress. The problem with motorways is that they tend to take you the long way round.
Looking forward to some more good trips in the Austins in 2016!

Malcolm - what a great effort, Congrats. And I particularly enjoyed your metaphors - plod along as the crow flies - I'm still trying to visualise it in a Seven! Cheers, Bill in Oz

Location: Euroa

Hi, wrt to OR 2996 that you mention below, I have found a short film clip of this from 1966 in my dad's Single 8 home movie archive. Driving behind us near Buckingham Palace.
I can't find the car in the A7CA register - is there another way of tracing the current owner? Thought I'd share the footage with them.

Regards

Oliver Hale

Last Thursday, 30th March 2017, I drove my 1930 RK from Tenby in south Wales to Stafford, a distance of 178 miles, in 5.5 hours ( plus two comfort stops!) with two up and a fair amount of luggage. I know many have achieved far more in one day but not bad I think for an 87 year old car and its OAP driver of 79 years!

The car ran very well despite a small issue with the nearside rear brake and averaged 32 mph and 40 mpg. The car is quite standard with Austin crank and rods, up draught FZ22 carb., and low compression head.

You will notice the speedo reading: downhill with the wind behind of course!

The Garmin GPS was pre-programmed at home before our trip to my wife’s exact and chosen route she had prepared using a map. This is then plotted on a PC and then downloaded to the Garmin. Takes a little time but it takes the strain out of navigating on the road and the voice command I like very much and can hear well in the RK despite the wonderful A7 noises and my poor hearing.

Here I hope ar three pics:

Lovely!

Have done the Lowestoft to Lands End a couple of times -- in one day -- around twelve to thirteen hours in my special. Remarkable tthat driving an Austin Seven over that sort of distance is not more tiring. Reckon I would fall asleep in a modern.
I suspect some of the Jogglers will have done greater distances.

Charles

Location: Norfolk

I've often wondered if any one has ever done Lowestoft to Ardnamurchan Point.

Location: Bristol

Now there's a thought. More interesting than jogle too, I'd imagine.
I've done it, or something like in a sailing boat but don't suppose that counts.

It would be hell of an anti-climax arriving at Ardnamurchan point after the journey from Lowestoft in an Austin 7, Amenities are somewhat limited, there might be a telegraph pole to pee against!

I know an ace pub not too far away

It would be an absolute delight compared to arriving at the appalling nightmare that "greets" you at Lands End.
Also there is a perfectly lovely tea room at Ardnamurchsn which I can fully reccomend.

Location: Bristol

My longest single trip with stops only for coffee and comfort breaks was from the 2016 Scottish Club rally site at Guildtown back to Shropshire, as near as matters, 350 miles in 10 hours. It rained every inch of the way!!!

Ian Mc.

Location: Shropshire