1937 Austin Seven Nippy
Current registered keeper since 1966

Registration No: JC 4435
Chassis No: A/EB263186
MOT: Exempt

• Current registered keeper since 1966
• 1 of only c.800 made and a rare survivor
• The subject of much past restoration work and comes with a bench seat for three-up motoring!

PLEASE NOTE: The chassis number for this lot as it appears on the accompanying continuation logbook is A/EB263186 (with the ‘AEB’ prefix identifying it as a ‘Nippy’ model). However, the chassis number which is listed on its V5C Registration Document has been transposed to AEB963186. The engine currently fitted is a three-bearing crank unit and not original to the chassis

The stampings on the accompanying continuation logbook are a little indistinct but it appears that the current registered keeper acquired this delightful Nippy in 1966. A true Seven enthusiast, he fitted a bench seat for three-up motoring but the past fifty-five years have only seen 10,000 miles or so added to the odometer! First registered in Caernarvonshire on 12^th March 1937 (or so its ‘JC 4435’ number plate would imply), the Austin had migrated to Yorkshire by the 1960s. Fitted with a replacement engine that same decade, it is nicely detailed throughout with a badge bar, wooden dashboard, carpeted boot and rear-mounted spare wheel. The snug hood is complimented by sidescreens and wind deflectors. A rare survivor coming from long-term ownership, this wonderful Nippy is described by the vendor as being in ‘good overall’ condition with regards to its engine, gearbox, electrical equipment, interior trim, bodywork and paintwork. Offered for sale with continuation logbook, V5C Registration Document and bucket seats.

Brainchild of Herbert Austin and Stanley Edge, the Austin Seven looked almost impossibly small when launched in 1922. Occupying the same 'footprint' as a motorcycle and sidecar combination, it nevertheless boasted all the advantages of a 'full-size' motor car. Responsible for helping motorise Britain while simultaneously sounding the cyclecar industry's death knell, the baby Austin was brilliantly yet simply engineered. Based around an 'A-frame' chassis equipped with all-round leaf-sprung suspension, four-wheel drum brakes and a spiral bevel back axle, it was powered by a sewing machine-esque 747cc sidevalve four-cylinder engine allied to three-speed (later four-speed) manual transmission. An evolution of the Type EB ‘65’ which itself had been inspired by the legendary Type EA Sports ‘Ulster’, the Type AEB ‘Nippy’ arrived during 1934. Visually near identical to its immediate predecessor with the same low-slung stance and distinctive rounded tail, the newcomer was predominantly bodied in steel over an ash frame (though, early cars utilised the same aluminium panelling as the Type EB ‘65’). Powered by a tuned engine allied to four-speed manual transmission and benefiting from a lowered centre of gravity, the Type AEB ‘Nippy’ proved an amusingly brisk and chuckable sports car. Phased out in 1937, total ‘Nippy’ production is thought to have amounted to just c.800 cars.

PLEASE NOTE: The chassis number for this lot as it appears on the accompanying continuation logbook is A/EB263186 (with the ‘AEB’ prefix identifying it as a ‘Nippy’ model). However, the chassis number which is listed on its V5C Registration Document has been transposed to AEB963186. The engine currently fitted is a three-bearing crank unit and not original to the chassis.

For more information, please contact:
Damian Jones
damian.jones@handh.co.uk
07855 493737