Austin 7 - The Model T of Europe

Bob Peterson of Cedar Rapids is the only person in Iowa and among just a handful in the United States who own an original British-made Austin 7. (The American Austin and Austin Bantam were manufactured in the U.S. in the late '20s until 1941.) 

The original Austin 7, manufactured from 1922 to 1939, became known as the Model T of Europe for its popularity and versatility.

The Austin 7 helped spawn Jaguar and became an integral part of the development of automobiles by BMW and Datsun, the forerunner of Nissan. (See today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette.)

So, when Bob offered to show me his 1934 Austin 7 and to take me for a spin, I jumped at the chance.

As you might expect, like with any old car, it can be cantankerous and hard starting. "With an old car, every day is an adventure," Bob laughs. But, once you get her going it's a fun, if not fast, ride.

Bob's Austin 7 is only 10 feet long and 4 feet wide. The 750cc 4-cylinder engine puts out a whopping 10 horsepower. Even though it weighs just 900 pounds and has a 4-speed manual transmission, the car was never meant to be a speed demon. It can, however, get 50 miles per gallon which is good since it only has a 5-gallon gas tank.

"This will never hit 50 mph with me sitting in it," Bob laughs.

Bob, 67, wrote to Tad Burness of California about his Austin 7 and Tad has included it in his "Auto Album," a weekly syndicated column about old cars that appears in newspapers around the country including Tuesdays in The Gazette classified ads section. (The Austin 7 column is scheduled for May 11, 2010, in The Gazette.)

The car is also slated to appear at Cruisin' for Camp Courageous this Sunday (May 16, 2010) at the camp near Monticello, Iowa.

Bob bought his right-hand drive Austin 7 earlier this year from a man in Minnesota who spent the last 42 years working on it. Since it's 95 percent restored, Bob feels it's the perfect car for him, requiring only weekend projects to repair latches or install a new windshield wiper motor.

"Should somebody offer me enough money for it to change hands, I would go out and look for another one," Bob says.

He loves it that much.

If you're interested in reading a brief history about the Austin 7 and its builder, Henry Austin,

click here.