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AUSTIN HERITAGE |
Irene and Zeta Austin, daughters of Herbert Austin, drive a pre-production Austin touring car in 1923. |
Herbert Austin & 1922 Austin Seven prototype. |
The Austin Seven "Chummy" was "The Motor for the Millions." |
BMW's "Dixi" was Germany's licensed version of the Austin Seven. |
This sporty Rosengart was France's version of the Austin Seven. |
Mechanically, the 1932 Datson (later Datsun) was inspired by the Austin Seven, but was not similar enough to require a license from Austin. The body design--particularly the shape from the cowl forward--was more similar to the American Austin than the English original. |
American Austin was a licensed version of the Seven |
The roots of all American Austin and Bantam vehicles can be traced to a single ancestor--the Austin "Seven". Its creator, Herbert Austin, was born in Missenden, England, in 1866. By age 21, he had grown to become a talented mechanical engineer. In 1887, he gained notoriety for improving sheep shearing machine designs for Wolseley, an Australian firm that went on to market its own line of automobiles. Austin resigned from Wolseley in 1904 and launched The Austin Motor Company in England. |
Chassis design of the 1922 Austin Seven, including a peppy engine designed by Stanley Edge. |
At first, Austin built large cars. However, taxes that were levied against motorists based on horsepower caused him to introduce the 7-horsepower Austin Seven in 1922. It was to replace primitive cyclecars and motorcycles for the average citizen. The Austin Seven took Europe by storm. Licensed versions were sold in Germany as the Dixi, and in France as the Rosengart. The Austin Seven and its derivatives are welcomed at American Austin Bantam Club events. Austin hoped for even greater success in the United States. In 1929, the American Austin Car company was incorporated in Delaware and a development office was opened in Detroit, Michigan. (Continued) |
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