7 and Mini

[chornedsnorkack]

Precisely how big is an Austin 7?

I think the size of the Mini is fairly well established. Exactly 305 cm long, with 204 cm wheelbase.

I hear that 7 has 190 cm wheelbase and is as short as 269 cm!

Did Austin really get two seat rows (and engine hood) into 269 cm length? How? How comfortable is the backseat of the 7?

[Hagar]

You seem obsessed by size.

There were several different versions of the original Austin 7. All you wanted to know about it here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_7

Did Austin really get two seat rows (and engine hood) into 269 cm length? How? How comfortable is the backseat of the 7?

The "Baby Austin" could be described as the first true Mini. The average British family car has always been much smaller than its US counterpart & comfort was not an issue when it was introduced. My father-in-law had an Austin 7 Ruby like this one.


He regularly took his family of four from Sussex to Yorkshire in it. This was long before the first motorway was built so it would have been quite a journey.

[Hagar]

Austin 7 Ruby 1935-37 specifications:

Wheels & Tyres
17in Magna detachable wire
400 x 17in crossply

Dimensions & Weight
Wheelbase: 6ft 9in
Track - front: 3ft 4in
Track - rear: 4ft 7in
Overall length: 10ft 7in
Overall width: 4ft 3in
Overall height: 5ft 3in
Ground clearance: 6in
Turning circle: Left 38ft 2in
Kerb weight: 1358 lbs
Tank capacity: 5 gallons
Sump capacity: 4 pints

Price new

[ozzy72]

My maternal grandfathers first car was a 7 8-)

[chornedsnorkack]

The whole point of Austin 7 was that a cycle with a sidecar is a stupid and ineffective arrangement of vehicle, and that a real car does not need to be much bigger or heavier. I have heard that Austin 7 was as light as 360 kg?

A BMW "Mini" which is, like, 363 cm long and weighs 1132 kg (sic) kind of betrays the point.

[Hagar]

The whole point of Austin 7 was that a cycle with a sidecar is a stupid and ineffective arrangement of vehicle, and that a real car does not need to be much bigger or heavier. I have heard that Austin 7 was as light as 360 kg?

Metric weights & measures don't mean a lot to me. These old cars were built in feet & inches. You probably know more about this than me & you're as capable of converting them as I am.

From the specifications I've already quoted the kerbside weight of the Austin 7 Ruby is 1358 lbs or 616 kg. The average weight of the Tourer range was 9 cwt or 457.2 kg. The 1929 - 30 RG Saloon (Fabric Bodied) was 2 cwt lighter at 355.6 kg.

The Austin 7 was the first small family car but two other British-manufactured cars are worth mentioning.
The 1928 Morris Minor (Morris saloon comes out at 9 ft 10 in (299.7 cm) long. I can't find a weight for it.
The 1932 Ford Model Y (Ford was slightly bigger & heavier. Length is quoted at 11 ft 9 in (358 cm) & as low as 1540 lbs (698.5 kg) kerb weight. The two-door model was the only fully-equipped car ever to be sold in Britain for just