Austin 7 video review by autocar.co.uk

With the anniversary of Autocar's 5000 road tests, we thought we'd wind the clocks back to the very first test we carried out in 1928. Here, Matt Prior re-tests the Austin 7 just to see how far the 'Autocar' has come.

[@peteacher52]

In 1963, I was 16 and my dad bought me one of these, in worn condition, for general use. I set 30mph as its cruising speed everywhere as its engine was worn and leaky. I had the old girl for over 3 years, when the city authorities got officious about issuing fitness warrants for older cars. So, very reluctantly, "Oscar" had to go, after giving about 15000 miles of oil-leaky, draughty but thoroughly reliable service. Fond memories!

[@weepingwarboy]

Wow your old

[@56squadron]

@@weepingwarboy - At least he knows how to spell you're.

[@saxongreen78]

I wanna go back to the '50s and buy all the pre-war goodies that were being scrapped then. I bloody LOVE Austin Sevens!

[@lascar48]

A motoring programme presenter who isn't a pain in the arse, a refreshing change.

[@RivieraByBuick]

i like how calm this pal is

[@notnilzab1]

Took my driving test in my 1936 Ruby at 17 in 1963. The examiner was somewhat amused. He asked me to do an emergency stop when he applied his book to the 'glove box'. At the appropriate time I pulled up using both the foot brake and the handbrake. The test proceeded calmly in Woofford Green Essex. When we arrived at the Testing Office, I noted him getting the Pink Slip, which indicated I had passed. Then he said, you performed an interesting move on the emergency stop, you took one hand off the steering wheel and went for the hand brake, why? and what would you have dine if you went into a skid? I replied, that because the hand brake and foot break were connected you got much better breaking power through the leverage of the hand break and I don't think you would be able to get much of a skid in the old girl! Oh, he replied, you live and learn. Well done!

[@peteacher52]

Great little cars with their "Jam tin" brake drums! I had a 1937 model in my youth, and it was a fortnightly ritual to jack the car up. apply the grease gun and adjust the mechanical brakes to keep them up to their potential. Mine was pretty clapped out when I got it, so cruising speed was 30mph because I wanted it to last; engine 750cc sv, 17bhp when new. And as the man so rightly said, in those days performance didn't matter; it meant the all-important independence for a 17yr-old boy!

[@jeffallinson8089]

Britain's original car for the people! Give me that over a Beatle any day!!

[@AndrewLohmannKent]

Raleigh bikes were the people's transport. Both wonderful vehicles of cause.

[@fredneecher1746]

Nah, give me Ringo. I could trade him in for a million quid!

[@stuarthall2180]

Which one ? John, Paul, George or Ringo ? Oh I see , a Beetle 😯

[@jeffallinson8089]

@@stuarthall2180 Ha ha, indeed!!

[@Roger.Coleman1949]

Utter nostalgia, my first car I rebuilt whilst still at school in the mid 60s, a ' 38 Ruby , DCE 463.That grille script needs moving though, centrally near the top.( chrome radiator models had it in that place.Really hanker after another, lovely car !

[@Priest57man]

Beautiful, love Austin 7s & Austin Specials

[@kartkidchun]

Happy 5000 Autocar.

[@Fushpud]

Great review Autocar!

[@Replevideo]

Some friends of ours had an Austin 7, and one night we went out in it for a meal, with 4 of us in the car. This would have been around 1962, so the car was quite old then., We were going up one of the steepest hills in town when a cyclist overtook us, causing great hilarity. Our only excuse is that it was one of those road racing type cyclists who today would be wearing Lycra.

[@DJStereoTypical]

Great vid, thank you for taking the time to film it, Happy 5000th issue :o)

[@mrsneaky2010]

A perfectly good little peoples car. Simple, rugged and oozes character.

[@gilhunt663]

There were grease nipples all over the place and we had to spray the springs with oil to stop them from squeaking that was all part of a service with a grease and oil change.

[@juliehill6959]

Wow, Roger bet your chuffed with Ruby what a super car, and restored by you x

[@themorganator]

excellent vid

[@EdisonGuerrasr]

Happy 5000th issue!!

[@jusb1066]

thank god for a review that is in context and not complains its not like a ferarri and spins the wheels (clarkson)

[@rogeringle2618]

happy new year ruby. priceless

[@SpottingWithSam]

Wow gotta love em..I love the 1936 Austin 6

[@sydsyd]

Beautiful car!

[@jamesanderson8229]

They should have tested a really good Ruby like mine! Incidentally, all these later models have coupled brakes (foot and handbrake work both front and back brakes) and set up correctly can stop in half the illustrated distance. In summary not a very good advert for Austin 7s that are terrific but have to be looked after and serviced regularly.

[@benreed2209]

Considering buying one for my first car, as occasional neibourhood/town transport.

[@paulbroderick8438]

And I bet it was great for the DIY enthusiast not like to-days 'sensor for everything' money pits. Nice to have a regular person giving the narration not a mouthy know it all!

[@bertmeinders6758]

Kyle: Attitudes were different then. There was a lot of class resentment. A colleague of mine, now about 60, grew up in Sheffield, in the upper working class, and unlike his mates, went to evening classes and did secondary work. When he bought his house, he was ostracised. On this side of the world (NZ) that resentment was much less.

[@rogeringle2618]

ruby was bought for 15 pounds stillgoing strong

[@ianrutherford878]

I'm pretty sure it didn't have synchro-mesh on all gears, only 2nd 3rd and 4th.Even much, much later Leylands didn't have synchro on 1st.I think some of the 3 gear Vauxhalls were the first Brits to have it.

[@bertiewooster3326]

In todays traffic these cars are quite capable of keeping up .I know

[@bwghall1]

the Austin ruby. I often wonder if my name is still in the logbook as I had one 1959 to 1962/3 then sold it to a scrap yard as the brake rods kept buckling.

[@emjayay]

I'm guessing a steering box that isn't worn would have less play, although not precise like anything modern. I think some of the old ones might have had an adjustment to make up for wear.

[@navalkishore3402]

Beautiful and cute car...I Wish to have one for myself no matter how much it will cost me

[@marcusbrown1767]

What a dandy piece of kit.

[@SomeCrazyFellow]

Nearly 400 videos as well. :D

[@infinitysearcher8858]

I am asking Father Christmas for an Austin 7 for Xmas. I remember them from then.

[@Hemulen40]

Aw... Bring ´em back , da good ole days !

[@BigFanofCars]

A true pre-war British classic!

[@jusb1066]

well done on a review that puts it into context rathter than just bashing it for not being a ferarri , anti clarkson at its best

[@fjbutch]

I'm a retro head, and I'd love to own this little gem....sigh !!

[@GrotrianSeiler]

All hail the Austin Seven.

[@user-sg1yj1yr8u]

هذه الصناعه والمواصفات الكلاسيكيه تبقى الى اخر الزمان شي راقي وتحفه نادره للشركه الذي صنعت هاذ الماصفات

[@joshbacon8241]

This is basically the British Model T.

[@paulmurphy42]

Fascinating, well done! But although you did acceleration tests, you didn't say what the top speed was?

[@sparkss4]

5000 doesn't sound so many over 83 years. It's cool to see that the first road test actually reads much like today's tests.

[@AdamS32828]

@vivalarey619 ... I see your point.

[@zenzombie72]

How much for a good condition one of these?

[@rogeringle2618]

cable brakes.and damp road .skidding the rears ,how good is that.

[@Matik1717]

It was flying through the gears :) Mannnnnnn :D

[@47ambrose42jpm]

@boy638 That is 60 tests per year or 5 per month. Sounds just right to me.

[@fordlandau]

Nice guy

[@AdamS32828]

@vivalarey619 Actually, many modern hovercrafts have a very high tendency to oversteer.

[@11carbuff19572011]

Must be the only source available which has a motoring feature that keeps it clean & safe at all times. Main shows a mite too dangerous these days.

[@Cozmcraes]

how much?

[@bwghall1]

why are comments disallowed for the ruby?

[@roydavidlivermore4664]

Had one from 1955 to 1957. CVU 289.

[@gregaperkin]

@Ghostca That would give 181,770 reviews...

[@wickiezulu]

It is a shame there was no direct prewar replacement for the original 7, basically an early prewar version of the loosely related 1950 Datsun DS with an OHV 750cc+ engine. Or better yet a new smaller 7 based on the Big 7 that again uses a OHV 750cc+ engine and like the larger Eight manages to remain in production until around the late-40s or longer, depending on how it manages to capitalize on the domestic post-war demand on cars.

[@ArtyEffem]

He should be using period pronunciation; in the 1930s you owned an "Orstin" .

[@ivanlai0225]

did you guys see how bad it collapses because of the weight of the guy on the right side

[@jusb1066]

yep , not a car if you are fat

[@quwers]

@zenzombie72 Upwards of £4k.

[@bigears4426]

A good car for eighty years ago

[@saxplayingcompnerd]

LOL 15° thats it? my car had atleast 45° of play in the steering.

[@stuartpaul9995]

The problem was always starting the damned thing in winter. Lucas electrics and a 6 volt battery.

[@JOHNINCOLUMBUS]

I would like to see a Rolls Royce of the same year tested.

[@indenturedLemon]

my great grandfather car

[@dankmcdankface]

@AudiABTr8 Yeah well tyre smoke and burnouts are cool.

[@kitno1]

I love it but may be a bit of problems going onto the motorway this days!

[@RuralStuff]

I’m just watching this now after seeing 2 on the motorway today. 2022

[@clairebannister4749]

ACE ! 0-20 IN SEVEN SECONDS LOL!

[@OneWheelMan]

@jiaweizheng1990 hovercrafts do exist and have for some time now...not only that, but we also have flying machines.

[@nomoreheroes93]

@sparkss4 none during the war..

[@boy638]

5000 road test in 83 years seemed little

[@trelimastoura]

the car tilts to the side of the driver LoL!!!

[@kyle8952]

"For the masses" is relative. At the time no working class people could afford a car, not by a long stretch.

[@BritishCommentWriter]

+KB Quinnell Be fair. Prior to cars like this, car ownership was like helicopter ownership today. Making car ownership an upper-middle class thing was a big step forward back in those days, and being able to manufacture and sell cars cheap enough for the working classes of time to afford would have been impossible, in the same way you still can't manufacture and sell autogyros for less than about £40K. The other thing is that this is one of the first cars to set the template for the modern vehicle, in the same way that the PC set the template for modern computing. Punch cards and planetary transmissions were never going to have true mass appeal.

[@kyle8952]

BritishCommentWriter I'm well aware of the economics, but it's still not a car for the masses. If you had an Austin Seven when they were current, you were probably a doctor or something. My granddad was the first person on the street to own a car, around 1964 or so. Funny to imagine it now, but none of the neighbours took it well. The way my mum tells it, that second hand Morris Thousand with god's phone number on the mileometer got a reaction out of them roughly equal to how we'd react to a toff burning bundles of money in a solid gold fireplace. Frosty reception everywhere from work to church to school for months. Different world.

[@michaelcostigan4864]

+KB Quinnell Maybe in the 1920s the Austin Seven was a car for the upper middle class, but in 1937 my grandfather bought a brand new Austin Big Seven - he was a lowly office clerk.

[@kyle8952]

Michael Costigan That's not very lowly at all. Try unskilled labour. Even in the thirties the UK had a great mass of working poor who lived in slums. People used to eat drippings for christ's sake.

[@shirleymental4189]

Nothing wrong with drippings mate.

[@ELPaso1990TX]

Could you fit disk brakes if you wanted better braking?

[@peteacher52]

ELPaso1990TX Please see my general comment about the 1937 Austin 7. Because I was young and enthusiastic about my first vehicle, I used to do as much servicing of it myself as I could. The cable operated mechanical brakes were adequate for the traffic conditions of the mid-60s, provided that you kept them adjusted for best performance. This was easily enough done when the car was up on the jack as each drum had a nut that you tightened fully to engage the shoes, then you released it a given number of clicks to obtain optimum clearance from the drum. It was simple enough to do but you still had to remember to do it if you didn't want to run into the back of another car with hydraulic brakes! I think that disc brakes on the "7" would result in wheel lock-up that would be dangerous on these very light little cars with their narrow cross-ply tyres.

[@jusb1066]

sure you can fit all kinds of mods, and brakes, and some fueling and ignition mods are probably sensible and things i did to 70's cars myself when i got them later in the 80s

[@brianknowles1727]

Why put speed first ? See the problems maby not !

[@ijg4427]

All of those gauges Not like today

[@fidelcatsro6948]

lets put in a GSXR750 motorcycle engine into it!

[@rogeringle2618]

be interesting don't no about the brakes though

[@jiaweizheng1990]

SHOULD HAVE HOVER CARS BY NOW

[@highlandrab19]

Its not a road test if it ain't on the road its a bloody track test

[@JesperKyd47]

Noisy !

[@SianaGearz]

Prevented by eel infestation.

[@PistonAvatarGuy]

@luedriver "evolution of technology is a joke..." Only to people who don't understand the first thing about technology!

[@rogeringle2618]

may part exchange for Bugatti t35 pur sang ring me

[@6.thedollar415]

A 1924 one of these is coming to forza horizon 4 lol

[@zenzombie72]

@abody348 HAHAHAHAHA, American cars.

[@BIGMEME_Retro.trance]

a model t is faster but only by 10 miles per hour

[@dirkarum9703]

What? The brakes on a Ruby works on all four wheels. On 7's from the 20's the foot brake does the rear brakes and the handbrake the fronts. This video is an example of bad journalism.

[@Scrubworks]

Just goes to show how utterly outdated and useless the highway code is today.