Austin Sevens galore will gather at Beaulieu for the 60th National Austin Seven Rally, to take place on Sunday 3rd July…
Run by the Pre-War Austin Seven Club, this is the largest annual gathering of Austin Seven cars and enthusiasts in the UK and is unique in that every one of the 60 rallies since 1963 has been held at the same venue – the grounds of the Beaulieu Estate next to Palace House and the National Motor Musuem.
Each year the rally features a special display of vehicles. This diamond jubilee year will feature pre-war commercial and military Austin Sevens. Also on display will be a number of ‘Big Sevens’, the final design of the production run at Longbridge which began in 1922 and lasted until 1939.
The Austin Seven was not only built in England. In France, Lucien Rosengart obtained a licence to use the Austin design and his company produced a successful range of similar vehicles. One delightful rarity that will be at the National Rally is Derek Sheldon’s beautifully restored Rosengart van dating from 1930.
Many people attend for the whole weekend as camping is available on-site and activities are taking place on both the Saturday and Sunday.Entry forms are available on the PWA7C website: https://www.pwa7c.co.uk
The event is open to all Austin Seven owners regardless of whether or not they are club members. Pre-1982 vehicles of all other makes are welcome to attend and will have a designated parking area on the rally field.
More about the Austin Seven…
The Austin 7 was the first truly mass-produced British car. In the 1920s and 1930s it changed the lives of ordinary people by giving them the opportunity to buy an affordable motor car for the first time. It is one of the most enduring and endearing of all pre-war British cars. Between 1922 and 1939 some 290,000 were built and more than 12,000 survive worldwide today.
The ‘Big Seven’ – a featured model at this year’s National Austin Seven Rally – was introduced in 1937 and produced until 1939. It featured a larger engine than the normal Sevens (900cc instead of 747.5cc) and a longer wheelbase.