1963 Austin 7 Special (Grand Prix Replica)

Despite its humble origins, the Austin Seven proved a mightily effective track car in the right hands and throughout the 1930s competed with MG for top honours in the 750cc class at circuits like Brooklands and Donington Park. Thanks to the efforts of the Racing Department at Longbridge, and the work of talented engineer Murray Jamieson in particular, the Austin Seven was highly developed, firstly with supercharged side-valve engines and later using an innovative twin-overhead camshaft version of the 750cc engine in a single-seater chassis frame, with streamlined bodywork that resembled a scaled-down Grand Prix car. Driven by the likes of Charlie Dodson, Pat Driscoll, Kay Petre and Bert Hadley, these competition Austins were campaigned from 1936 until the war with great success in sprints, hillclimbs and circuit races and still exist, having spent many years on loan to the Donington Collection.