Whatever Became of the the Baby Austin - American Bantam

44 Pages·1965·11.122 MB·English

by  John W. Underwood

Whatever Became of the Baby Austin - American Bantam? By John W. Underwood
Whatever Became of the Baby
Austin -
American Bantam?
By
John W. Underwood
HERITAGE PRESS
Sun Valley, California
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Several individuals require my special thanks and appreciation: publisher John Bond for permission to use copy­
righted material from Car Life; R. O. Beach, The Austin Motor Company Ltd., who furnished many excellent
illustrations; Roy S. Evans, former owuer of Tire American Bantam Car Company, for providing extensive back
ground material and checking the manuscript; Larry Spindler, founder and president of the Austin/Bantam Club,
without whose advice and cooperation this volume would not have been possible; the Beagle family Roy, Betty,
Dick and Bob - for invaluable assistance; Patrick G. Mullins for historical data and pictures; editor John L. Wise
Jr. for material gleaned from the files of the Butler Eagle. I am also grateful for the assistance extended to me by
Michael E. Ware, Montagu Motor Museum; Miss M. K. Weston, Science Museum (London); Don H. Berkebile,
Smithsonian Institution; Mrs. Ruth Braun, Detroit News; Bill Pettit, Pettit's Museum of Motoring Memories,
Frederick A. Chapman, Automobile Manufacturers Association, George Bannister, Harty J. Hazzard, John Cole
man, Fran Theriot, the late Karl K. Probst, Everett Siegrist, W. A. Ward Jr., John E. Morchiser Jr., Mrs. Thomas
J. McMichan, Harold W. Landis, Forest (Iron Hat) Johnston, Walter E. Joyce, Ed Harding, Ralph Hall, Bob
Herman, Ralph Davis and Dick Johnson.
J.U.
Copyright © 1965 by Jchr. W. Underwood
All right) reserved. This bock, or parts thereof, must not be
reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number; 65 292-19
Printed in the United States of America
Long before it become fashionable to scoot around town in the family Volkswagen, a company was formed in
Butler, Pennsylvania, to manufacture a diminutive, two-passenger coupe. The Great Depression was beginning to
ravage the country when, in January 19)0, the first American Austin made its debut at a private trade showing in
New York's plush Hotel Shelton. Prospective dealers and distributors flocked to see the amazing little car which
promised to introduce a new era in personalized transportation. The baby Austin was an immediate sensation and,
within the week, more than four thousand dealer franchise contracts were signed.
Here, at last, was a vehicle which seemed to offer so much to such a large segment of the American motoring
public. It was just the car for the suburban family heretofore unable to afford a second car. To the busy salesman
it was the solution to the frustrations of big city driving—a vehicle which could maneuver through congested
traffic and be parked in otherwise impossible spaces. Ideally suited to the college student requiring low-cost
transportation, the Austin could be driven one hundred miles for seventy-five cents. Owning a baby Austin made
sense to a lot of motorists.
More than 2½ million people crowded Austin show rooms during its public presentation and salesmen were
jubilant over prospects which appeared to be without lim it. Company officers spoke of 100,000 deliveries by the end
of the year and it began to look as though the day might come when there would be an Austin in every other
garage.
fEW consumer products ever received more spontaneous publicity and the first Austins were in constant dan­
ger of being upset by curious crowds. Smart merchants, quick to recognize a perfect advertising medium,sent them
cruising the streets ns motorized billboards. Gag men never missed an opportunity to write an Austin into the
script and it was probably the most widely filmed automobile in Hollywood. Syndicated cartoonists depicted
Austins in every conceivable comic situation. Paradoxically, it was the free publicity which hastened the company's
early demise and made the baby Austin an orphan of the road.
If the American Austin had been an ordinary car, it would have passed quickly into extinction and faded
from memory. It was neither ordinary nor forgotten and shortly reappeared tn the form of the American Bantam,
culminating in the first military Jeep of World War II. Even today, twenty-five years after the last car was built,
the type still survives in numbers. This, then, is the story of one of the most remarkable vehicles in the gallery of
famous automobiles.
Schoolteacher John Coleman, Southampton,
England, is congratulated on having driven
his 1925 Chummy all the way from Buenos
Aires, Argentina, to New York City. The
journey, which began in November 1959,
tonk nearly eight months to complete and
clearly demonstrated the extraordinary
durability of the baby Austin Seven —and
its driver! Coleman’s Drive (Faber k Faber,
London) recounts fantastic 11,000 mile ad­
venture across Andes, Chile's Atacama
Desert, the jungles of Ecuador and Central
America.
Sir Herbert Austin, shown here at the wheel
of one of six prototypes built in 1922. came
back beaming after having personally tested
first Austin Seven. Despite excellent per­
formance, Sir Herbert encountered opposi
tion to the car within his own establish­
ment. Company officials felt it could not be
built strong enough to stand up under hard
use. The privileged classes objected to a car
for the masses, arguing that the roads were
already much too crowded.
Motoring for the millions
STRictly speaking, the ultra-light automobile characteristics as the sidecar outfit but without the
in America dates back to 1893 when the brothers disadvantages. This resulted in an automobile of con
Duryea fust clattered through the streets of Spring- ventional concept from a mechanical standpoint, but
field, Massachusetts, raising dust and shattering tran­ with a wheelbase of 75 inches, an ovetall length of
quility with a conveyance history describes as the first 104 inches and a track of 40 inches. The specification
practical "horseless carriage." As the state of the art was unlike that of anything previously produced in
progressed, however, with the perfection of the inter­ Great Britain.
nal combustion engine, the automobile grew bigger Sir Herbert’s automobile provided seating for two
and heavier. This trend continued and by the late adults in front with a bench seat in back which could
’twenties, the smallest car in production weighed more accommodate an adult sitting askew, or several small
than a ton and the average was closer to two tons. children. The body, which had a width of 40 inches,
With the exception of a few foreign imports brought was provided with a folding top and side curtains.
over for the amusement of affluent owners and the Known as the Austin Seven, the designation being de­
occasional backyard development, there was no such rived from its S.A.E. power rating, the car was fitted
thing as an ultra light automobile on the American with a water-cooled four-cylinder engine displacing
market- Conditions in Europe were altogether differ­ 696 cubic centimeters (42.5 cubic inches) and develop
ent, however, and the small passenger car had long ing 10 horsepower at 2,400 rpm. Fully loaded it was
since become an economic necessity, particularly in capable of speeds up to 50 mph and it could climb a
England, where our story begins. 16 pet cent grade at 15 mph in low. Under normal
The Roads Act of 1921, which introduced a tax of driving conditions, a fuel consumption of 50 miles
£1 per S.A.E. horsepower*, plus the high cost of gaso­ per imperial gallon was guaranteed.
line, prompted Sir Herbert Anstin to produce in pro­ Following Sir Herbert’s practice of testing his pro
totype form a tiny automobile weighing just over 700 totypes in competition with other makes, an Austin
pounds. The site of the machine had been determined Seven was entered in the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb
by taking the dimensions of a large motorcycle-sidecar where it turned in a time of 89.8 seconds. A six-cyl­
combination and designing within those limits. The inder Suubeam set a new record by doing the dimb
object was a high-grade passenger car in miniature in 52.2 seconds and it had taken a 14-hp Hillman
which would have almost exactly the same desirable 82.8 seconds. The Austin's performance was consid­
ered excellent for a machine so small and the spec-
tators were highly enthusiastic.
sir Herbert Aurtin (1866-
Priced at £225, about $1,000, approximately equal
19(1) gained distinction
a« the inventor of modern to the more expensive motorcycle-sidecar tigs, the
»h«.-p-shearing machinery,
revolutionised indurtry. Austin Seven entered quantity production early in
In <895. he produced the 1923, at which time the engine was raised to 747.5
first Wolseley car, a 2-hp
thu-e wheeler. "lite Austin cubic centimeters and an electric starter supplanted
Motor Company l td., now
the hand crank. In spite of initial doubts about the
a division of the British
Motor Corporation, was durability of the small, high speed engine and the
ottnnired in 1905 and. by
1920, had become one of practicability of a passenger car of such reduced
England's six leading pro­
size, the Austin Seven enjoyed immediate popular
ducers of automobiles.
Ute advent of the Austin ity. Within sixty days, tire entire output for one
Seven was a landmark in
the development of per­ full year had been booked in advance.
sonal transportation and
provided, in the phrase of
•Ar. Cbx4<le honcpowc: fonmilt fo»-r»rly t«c<-nbed by the Royal Aulo
the day. "motoring for motile Club and Cb< of Anter, fr<1aeen. xxr.rli«its refermS
the Million." lo taxable h-p., it ojmMered bore Utt lUxx and ignores! stroke /actor.
5
Thus the Austin Seven marked the beginning of a
new phase in the development of tire automobile
which, although it owed its inception at least par­
tially to national impoverishment and high taxation
of motor vehicles, was both a remarkable engineering
achievement and a commercial success. Not only were
Austins purchased by ordinary citizens as commercial,
utility and pleasure vehicles, but they also served as
auxiliaries to larger cats. In addition, they were used
in special forms for sporting and racing events, as
well as for longdistance touring, and they were even­
tually adapted for military applications.
Having distinguished itself in almost every corner
of the globe, the demand for the Austin Seven became
universal and, in 1927, Rosengart began licensed pro­
duction in France. At about the same time, Germany's
Gothaer Waggonfabric began building the Austin
under the name "Dixi." The French version was
enormously popular, as was the "Dixi," which eventu­
ally became the biggest seller in Germany. Mean­
while, production in Birmingham rose from 500 units
a week to 1,000.
In mid-Apri! of 1927, the New York Timet reported
the arrival in the U. S. of Mr. P. M. Papelian, special
export official of the Austin company, and an Austin
Seven sedan. Although some forty of these little cars
Top: Sir Herbeit with first factory-sponsored Austin Seven racing
team. 1923. First race scon seas the ’23 Eastci Small Car Handicap had been imported privately, no attempt had been
■t famed Brooklands Hack where the car tinned in an average
made to put the Austin on the market. Mr. Papelian’s
speed of 59 niph. finishing at 65. Middle: Geoige Duller at the
wheel ot first supercharged Austin Seven. Car broke Class H mission was to drive to Detroit and demonstrate the
record on its initial run at Brooklands, turning in a speed of
85.97 mph. Top speed was 95. Bottom: 1928 Tourer. car to industrialists who had expressed interest in
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exploring sales possibilities.* What effect, if any, Canada and the appearance of four Austin Sevens at
the demonstrations may have had on future events is the 1929 National Automobile Show evoked a good
unknown, for details of the Austin's Detroit visit deal of public interest, so much so that Sir Herbert
were never divulged. intensified his efforts to capture a sizeable slice of the
Improved models of the Austin Seven appeared from North American market.
time to lime, as the demand increased, but the essen­
•During 1926, General Motors entered into negotiations with Sir Herbert,
tial design remained unaltered. By 1928, the price had the object being G.M.’i M^nliitiort o! controlong Jnteren. Scorkbokcrs
pretested, retevS co allow Arntin Meters to beej-se ar. Aorericse hcletcs.
been reduced to £125 ($600) for the "Chummy" four­
seater touring and a wide selection of coupe, roadster
and sedan bodies were available from such coachbuild­
ers as Alpe & Saunders, Swallow, New Avon, Duple,
Arc, Granville, Gordon England, Jarvis, Wilson, Cole
& Shuttleworth, Merlyn, Taylor and Mullincrs. In­
deed, nearly every coaebbuilder in England had at
least one version of the Austin Seven. In addition,
special racing models were produced for track and
road events which were capable of remarkable per­
formances. Thus the miniature Austin, which had at
first been regarded with doubt, even for ordinary
touring, eventually proved itself to be capable of ex­
celling in almost all forms of motoring.
Even while he was making the Austin the most
popular car on the European continent. Sir Herbert
bad been looking westward, studying the American
market as a possible outlet for his illustrious progeny.
As previously mentioned, no automobiles of less than
a ton were being built in the United States or in
Poking fun at the baby
Austin was practically a
full-time occupation with
cartoonists of the "20s.
1929 Fabric Saloon. By
this time some 100,00(1
Austin Sevens had been
delivered and licensed
production had been un­
dertaken in France, Ger­
many and Australia.
Though it had four-wheel
brakes and was one of the
earliest cars to be so fit
ted. the baby Austin’s
braking system was some
thing less than adequate.
Foot pedal actuated rear
brakes only on early mod­
els. the front nr.its being
controlled by a hand lev
er. One can Imagine the
frenzied activity in times
of emergency. Reverse be­
ing the lowest ratio in the
three • speed transmission.
It was not uncommon to
see an Austin Seven going
up a very sleep hill tail
end first.
7
Right: 1930 Ulster. Pro­
duction of supercharged
sportscars began in 1928,
with the type making an
excellent showing at the
Ulster TT track Tn 1929,
hence the name. Ulster
special won its class in
1930 Brooklands 500,
averaging 75 mph. Su­
percharged versions de­
livered up to 50 hp at
7,000 rpm and 24 hp
un-stipercharged.
Left: 1929 roadster with
coachwork by famous
Loudon firm of Mullin-
er & Co. Baby Austin
was always good for a
chuckle in Punch. Be­
low: Australian-built
Austin Seven produced
by New South Wales
Motors.
The realization of such an enterprise was not an Anxious to have the Austin built in the Pittsburgh
easy task. The best arguments against any large-scale area, Cheeseman had brought a coupe and tourer to
promotion of the Austin Seven were (1) that cars Butler, where they were displayed in the Gheeseman-
could already be bought cheaply and (2) the cost of VVatson Company’s show rooms. The Austins drew
gasoline was so low as to be inconsequential. Further­ an estimated 50,000, some coming from as far away
more, taxation of motor vehicles was light by Euro­ as Cleveland and Erie. On several occasions the cars
pean standards. Therefore, argued the critics, there were sent cruising around the county and they at­
was no great need for a super-economy car in the tracted throngs at every stop. In Zelienople, the police
United States. chief had to take charge personally to keep traffic
Sir Herbert had been faced with the same kind of moving around the parked Austins.
resistance elsewhere. In Australia, where there was Automotive Industries announced early in August
plenty of purchasing power, the Austin Seven ranked that Arthur J. Brandt had been elected to direct the
third in sales, following close behind Ford and Chev­ affairs of the American Austin Car Company and that
rolet. The German version, which had gotten off to steps had been taken to purchase a factory in Butler,
a slow start, had become the fastest selling car in that Pennsylvania, formerly occupied by the Standard Steel
country. In each instance Austin salesmanship had Car Company. Brandt, a prominent specialist in plant
been able to dispel skepticism and turn it into enthu­ operation, had held responsible positions with Gen­
siasm. In America, however, selling the idea of the eral Motors since 1919. He had been appointed vice-
ultra-light automobile would prove to be a far greater president in charge of production at Oakland Motors
challenge. in 1925 and, several years later, received wide coin-
Determined not to be diverted from his objective,
namely the establishment of an Austin factory con­
trolled and operated by Americans, Sir Herbert con­
tinued negotiations with financial interests and city
officials in localities considered desirable from a manu­
facturing point of view. Finally, in June 1929, satis­
factory terms were reached and the American Austin
Car Company became a legal entity. Shortly after­
ward, 250,000 shares of an authorized 1,000,000 shares
of common stock went on sale at $12.50 each. The
issue was immediately oversubscribed.
Among the bnsiness men who believed the Austin
had a bright future in America was a Western Penn­
sylvania car dealer by the name of Carl Cheeseman.
8
mentation for his part in helping the Russians de­ prevail and rumors flourished. If, as some suspected,
velop an automobile industry. the venture turned out to be a collosal stock promo­
Although a certain amount of financing and tech­ tion, or an outright swindle, the news would come as
nical assistance* came from England, the American no great snrprise.
Austin company was completely independent and in Apprehensions were allayed, however, when a party
no sense a subsidiary. With the exception of Sir Her­ of American Austin officials visited Butler and toured
bert, the firm’s directors were all U. S. citizens, among the factory on Jannary 4th, 1980. Afterwards, during
which were New York financiers Alexander S. White, a Board of Commerce banquet honoring both Sir Her­
Frank Bulkley and Thomas P. White, Horace S. Ed­ bert and A. J. Brandt, it was announced that the
wards of Pittsburgh and Elias Ritts of Butler. As vice- transfer of operations from Detroit to Butler would
president of the Butler County National Bank, Ritts begin on February 1st. After bringing Butler’s lead­
had been instrumental in bringing the Austin to But­ ing citizens up to date on the status of the Austin car,
ler and he firmly believed it could do for his city Brandt commented on the depression and its affect on
what the Model T Ford had done for Detroit. the industry: ‘‘If we were to organize another com­
Lacking access to technical talent in Bntler, it was pany to start making automobiles at this date, 1 would
necessary for Brandt to carry on all development work call it the extreme height of folly. But we do not feel
in Detroit. An engineering staff was formed in Sep­ the Austin is just another car. We are convinced it
tember 1929, and work commenced immediately on has a distinct future." Meanwhile, in New York, auto­
changes necessary to make the Austin acceptable to mobile dealers were getting their first look at three
the American motorist. Engine and chassis design hand-built Austins* during a private trade showing
would remain essentially unchanged, the car being a at the Hotel Shelton.
mechanical duplicate of its English prototype. How­ The American Austin’s debut, which coincided with
ever, the English styling was thought to be a bit too the opening day of the 1930 National Automobile
conservative and Count Alexis deSakhnoffsky was com Show, was nothing short of sensational. Thousands of
missioned to design a new body. dealers wanted the car as a supplentent to their regu­
Although Brandt aud his people were making prog­ lar lines of automotive merchandise. Curiously enough,
ress in Detroit, the absence of activity at the Butler Cadillac agents were particularly enthusiastic. Sir
factory did nothing to inspire local confidence and, Herbert, on hand to help launch the promotion cam­
inevitably, public enthusiasm began to wane as the paign, informed the New York Times that no less
months passed and nothing happened. Despite re­ than 52,000 orders had been taken from 4,000 dealers
assuring editorials in the Butler Eagle, an uneasy in little more than a week. The Austin was bound to
feeling about the American Austin was beginning to be a smashing success.
•S«xk In the American Austin Car Company was approved (or silt in •According to The Buller Eog/e, ebe American Austin display cocnorlwd a
England by the London Stock Exchange. Several technical specialists were coupe, roadster and delivery van. More than 3,000 previewed Austin
loaned by the Austin factory io help expedite production In America. on opening day of the New York $how.
9