Complete Catalogue of the Austin Seven

The Austin Seven was a hugely important arrival on the British motoring scene in 1922, its low price making car ownership available to a section of the public for whom this had earlier been a cost too far. It was cheap to run thanks to its small engine, and its simplicity did not frighten those new to the mechanics of a car.

The Seven heralded the demise of the cheap but flimsy cyclecar, and in the longer term it also attracted buyers away from the motor-cycle-and-sidecar combinations that had been the only way into motorised transport for those of limited means. A century after the Seven’s introduction, the cars have a world-wide following. Part of the attraction is much the same as it always was – simplicity of maintenance and the low cost of ownership. Yet the sheer variety of Sevens produced between 1922 and 1939 as Austin gradually developed the model is also a source of fascination – and of some bewilderment and confusion.