A client - Gavin Mcguire has done a little piece on one his Austin Seven racecars he has for sale. Either on the circuits or on the hills - you get to share space with heavy vintage tin - such as old Bugatti's, Bentley's and the like - for approximately the cost of a crankshaft on one of the exotic competitor cars....
Fast, furious and affordable.
Those of you not familiar with Austin 7 racing cars might be forgiven for thinking it is some kind of gentle motoring event for your great aunt Flo and her crochet circle friends - well you would be very wrong. The Austin company were producing serious racing versions of their ubiquitous little 7s as far back as the 1920s and putting up very creditable performances in the process. They also produced competition and fast road cars for customers, the much replicated Ulster sports being a very good example, indeed many famous post war racing and sports car producers like Colin Chapman of Lotus and Jem Marsh of Marcos got their early designing and racing experience building and driving Austin 7 racers.
Austin 7s are very popular in the 750 Motor Club and the VSCC with a wide range of professionally produced and home built cars doing well across the board.
A good example is this 1936 Austin 7 single seater racer (dated as such on its unblown 7,000 rpm 750 cc engine and chassis) which in the hands of its owner/driver Paul Lawrence can put the serious willies up some much more exotic and expensive machinery. It can't be much fun going round the club circuit at Brands in your megabucks car with a bargain basement Austin 7 only a couple of seconds a lap behind you or overtaking you while you are not looking!
The racing is terrific fun and these guys really mean business, just zoom in on the tyre-walls being tortured by the opposite lock cornering in the picture to see what I mean.
If you want to see more have a look at the Austin 7 racers on www.gavinmcguire.co.uk or to view this car - just click on the link below:
http://www.gavinmcguire.co.uk/car-sales-details/Post-Vintage-Cars/Austin----/Seven-Racer--/15.htm