The Austin Seven was the Model T of England, the car that put Great Britain on wheels. So popular and so cheap to produce was the diminutive Seven, that its design was licensed around the world, and built by the Dixi company in Germany (later BMW), by the brand new Datsun company in Japan, and in the U.S. by American Bantam. A selection of these cars was on display at Pebble, including this delightful racing version. Speed work included a Cozette vane-type supercharger and carburetor and extensive lightening of the bodywork, all of which helped this car to reach 100 mph (well up from the 45 mph the standard car could manage). The two-roller-bearing crank was subject to catastrophic failure, though, so this owner replaced it with a stronger billet crank.
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