Larry Cogan wrote:
> Went to a British car show this weekend and saw a 1927 (I think)
> Austin 7. It was the quintessential LBC! Talk about tiny and
> sparse...I loved it!
I've had one on my theoretical "shopping list" forever.
> How long was that model
> produced?
I don't have my books here, but they had a long production
run. One of those LBCs that started out technologically
current and then kept being made until it was kind of
a rolling joke but it still sold.
(hey, that kind of includes every LBC!)
> Are they rare? Are they common "at home"?
They are not rare. You don't see many on the roads
because they aren't perhaps the best choice in modern
traffic, but there are a lot of them owned by loving
owners that drive them on carefully planned routes.
Kind of like Model Ts and Model As here, you don't
have to go far to find somebody who owns one but you
rarely see one driving.
> How much are they worth?
They were made in many different trim levels, from the
very basic transport ones, to sweet little roadsters
that would make you reach for your leather helmet. (was
it the Ruby?)
Prices are therefore all over, but affordable. Most
of the cars are the basic models, and you could get
a very usable one for about #6000. The rarer ones can
be several times that of course, but most of the owners
want and buy basic models because that is the charm.
> Do they exist on this side of the ocean?
Some have been imported, and as already mentioned
a very similar car was produced in the US. They are
fairly rare though, much like any car that only got
here by private importation.
> Are they as much fun as they look? I want one!
The driving is VERY vintage. Very low power, low
top speed, not very confidence inspiring handling,
braking has to be planned a fair bit in advance, and
so on.
So, really, a great deal of fun to drive on a back
road on a sunny day, totally hell on a busy road
in traffic.
--
Trevor Boicey, P. Eng.
Ottawa, Canada, tboicey@brit.ca
ICQ #17432933 http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
"Shamu go boom boom!" - Murk
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/// (If they are dupes, this trailer may also catch them.)
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