A Prize-Winning 1930 Austin Seven Swallow at Chatsworth
Born from the Swallow Sidecar Company, this little Austin represents the earliest chapter in the story of Jaguar Cars.
Malcolm from Derbyshire enjoyed a fine day out in August when he took his 1930 Austin Seven Swallow to the Chatsworth House Country Fair. His beautifully presented two-seater tourer drew admiring attention throughout the event and was deservedly awarded Best Austin in Show.
Powered by a 750cc side-valve engine and driven through a 3-speed crash gearbox, the Swallow combines mechanical simplicity with the charm of 1930s motoring. Its bright two-tone paintwork, red leather interior, and distinctive dome-shaped tail made it a fashionable little tourer in its day, and it remains a delight on the road nearly a century later.
The Swallow Sidecar Company, founded in 1922 by William Lyons and Thomas Walmsley, originally built motorcycle sidecars before moving into coachbuilt car bodies.
With the rise of small, affordable cars such as the Austin Seven and the original Morris Minor, demand for lightweight cyclecars and motorcycle sidecars faded, creating the perfect opportunity for Swallow to establish itself as a coachbuilder of stylish bodies for the popular Austin chassis.
By 1927 a two-seat tourer was offered, followed by a saloon in 1928. Demand grew rapidly, prompting a move from Blackpool to Coventry in 1928. Between then and 1932, around 3,500 Austin Swallow bodies were built before the company, under Lyons’ direction, began producing complete cars under the SS Cars name. A decade later, SS became Jaguar, and the rest is motoring history.
Perhaps not the best car logo design!
The Austin Seven Swallow stands today as both an engaging little car and an important link in the lineage of one of Britain’s greatest marques.
The Birth of the Austin Seven
Austin 7 Chummy Tourer 1922
Until the early 1920s, the Austin Motor Company was best known for its larger cars. But with the post-war slump and a new horsepower tax introduced in 1921, Sir Herbert Austin realised the company’s future might depend on a smaller, more affordable design. The firm was close to collapse, and the board of directors were far from enthusiastic about such a gamble.
Determined to press ahead, Herbert Austin took on the project personally. He enlisted the help of an 18-year-old draughtsman, Stanley Edge, who worked with him to draw up the plans—remarkably, much of this work was carried out in the billiard room of Austin’s own home at Lickey Grange.
Edge proposed a compact four-cylinder side-valve engine of just 696cc, rated at 7.2hp, along with a three-speed gearbox and clutch of his own design. Austin oversaw the styling, drawing inspiration from contemporary continental designs such as the Peugeot Quadrilette.
By 1922, three prototypes were ready at the Longbridge factory. Austin had invested much of his own money in the venture, and was rewarded with a royalty of two guineas (£2.10) for every car sold. His risk paid off handsomely: within a few short years, the “big car in miniature” had transformed both the company’s fortunes and the wider British motor industry.
The Austin Seven measured around three-quarters the size of a Ford Model T and weighed barely half as much. Its 747cc engine produced a modest 10bhp, yet performance was adequate, and more importantly, it introduced the conventional control layout—pedals and levers in the familiar arrangement—that would become the standard for generations of cars to follow. The Seven also boasted four-wheel brakes, though the front pair were initially hand-operated.
The car’s impact was extraordinary. Affordable, practical, and versatile, it was licensed and copied across the world, and became the basis for countless specials and sporting machines. By the time production ceased in 1939, some 290,000 examples of the “Baby Austin” had been built in Britain alone. More than just a car, the Austin Seven was a revolution—one that secured the company’s survival and left an indelible mark on motoring history.
Austin 7 Ruby Saloon 1934
