ANNIVERSARY
Celebrations aplenty for baby Austin’s hundredth birthday
Developed without the knowledge of his fellow directors, Herbert Austin’s world-changing small car broke cover 100 years ago this year. Unveiled at the 1922 Motor Show, the new ‘Family Tourer’ was a hit from the start, with The Autocar describing it as ‘a miniature car with all the attributes of a medium sized one’, a trait which allowed it to quickly kill off its cyclecar competition.
To mark the centenary of this extraordinary car, the Austin Seven Clubs’ Association held a week of festivities centred on the Fire Service College at Moreton‐in‐Marsh, Gloucestershire, between July 19-24, which was attended by over 1000 Austin Sevens. During that week, the Austin 7 Centenary Festival of Motorsport, held at Prescott Hillclimb in aid of Parkinson’s UK on Wednesday July 20th, attracted a great number of Sevens, and included demonstration runs up the hill from some incredibly rare models.
The British Motor Museum at Gaydon is also celebrating the centenary, hosting a variety of activities from July 22 to September 5 centred around their new exhibition, ‘Small car. Big history: 100 years of the Austin Seven’. Interactive activities include the chance to meet the Austin Adventurers for a tour and complete a visit by making an Austin Seven to take home with the Austin Seven Jigsaw Trail.
Museum entry is £40 for a family in advance /£44 on the day, £14.50 for adults/£16 on the day, £12.50 for concessions/£14 on the day, £9 for children (5-16 years) in advance/£10 on the day and entry for under fives is FREE.
