The Austin 7 Club Inc, Victoria Turns 75
by Tony Johns
24/4/2025
Historic Winton presented by the Austin 7 Club Inc
24th & 25th May 2024, Winton Motor Raceway, near Benalla
Major Sponsor: Shannons
The Victorian Austin 7 Club was founded in January 1950, when a group of owners met at the Surrey Hills home of Fred Thorne. Fred took on the role of Temporary Secretary, and allocated himself membership #2. Later he was awarded the Club’s first life membership in 1960.
Fred was one of the first members to build their own Austin Seven special, and he competed at Rob Roy, Fishermans Bend and the first meetings held at Templestowe Hillclimb.
The early days saw the Club organise monthly runs, and membership quickly grew. In June 1950 the first involvement with motorsport was a run to attend the Light Car Club of Australia (LCCA) organised motor car races held at the Balcombe Military Camp on the Mornington Peninsula. Club members were able to cheer South Australian Derek Jolly who entered his Austin Seven and finished only a second behind the winning MG Vauxhall in the first race. This was the same Austin that Max Foster raced at the Historic Winton Meetings in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Now 75 years on, the Club still organises many of the traditional runs and activities, first held in the 1950s. It was a different world back in the 1950s when the main reasons for forming a club were to promote social runs, organise gymkhanas and navigation trials or treasure hunts. Helping each other to keep the Austins on the road was another important goal. Nothing too serious as the majority of members regarded themselves as impecunious enthusiasts and carried out the repairs themselves using whatever parts they could scrounge.
John Pryce emigrated from England joining the Club as member #36. Wasting no time, he introduced Observed Section Trials to the Club. The Park Orchards mud trial was first held in 1950 on unmade dirt roads using the Park Orchards Chalet as the gathering point. For many years Austin 7s were the dominant entries, but times have changed and now special cars with little resemblance to a Chummy, are built to compete in trials.
When the writer joined the Club in 1961, as a proud owner of a 1928 Chummy, spare parts were still available from Mascot Accessories in Elizabeth Street. John Fleming, one of several active racing Austin drivers at the time, was the owner of ‘Merri Bridge Motors’ in Northcote, as well as offering spare parts for standard Austins. John regularly advertised in the Australian Motor Sports magazine, alloy sumps and heads, 15” wheels and backing plates for hydraulic brake conversions. He was also the Melbourne agent for JWF fibreglass bodies. Trevor Cole worked there for several years. The Club also regularly contributed to the Club Notes pages in the AMS magazines.
Graeme Logan was responsible back in the late 1960s for establishing a spare parts service when he started collecting any old stock parts he could find, and storing them in his own garage. Today the spare parts department is the most important activity within in the Club, and has its own sub-committee to manage the supply and distribution of new spares to club members located all over Australia.
Austin Sevens have been racing in Australia since the 1920s, but it was not until 1953 that a formula for racing Austin Sevens was first discussed. Back then the South Australians had developed the quickest cars, and the likes of Derek Jolly, Jack Walsh and Henry Short held the upper hand when they raced against the Victorians. John Fleming was the first Victorian to give them a run for their money. John competed at the opening meeting at Albert Park in 1953. His comment after the race was, “Although I finished last I was ahead of all the cars that had broken down and failed to finish”. John Bowring built his special in 1958 and raced at Albert Park, Darley, Phillip Island and Templestowe Hillclimb. It was only then that the Victorians regained the upper hand in the interstate rivalry.
The Austin 7 Formula stated the car must have the following A7 components. The engine, no more than +080” oversize, side rails, rear springs and complete rear end. At first it was a case of simple modifications such as cutting the front axle in half to make an independent front end and boxing in the standard chassis side rails. The ultimate formula cars had tubular frames incorporating the side rails and wishbone front suspension. Dale Shaw built the first of these new cars in the mid 1960s which was quickly followed by John Whitehouse and Nigel Tait. Dale’s Austin was later raced for many years by Trevor Cole.
They were able to mix it with the rear engine 500 cc cars that made up the fields at Winton and Hume Weir. The slower more standard cars had a new lease of life with the introduction of Historic Racing with dedicated meetings organised around Australia.
With the revival of car racing at Phillip Island on the new circuit in 1959, the Club provided the communication service operating between race control and the corners around the circuit. Frank Walter organised a supply of ex army telephones and at each meeting the volunteers had to lay the cables and afterwards rewind them. Fortunately when the Club volunteered the same service at the Sandown Park circuit in 1962 there were built in underground cables.
Six Hour Relay Races
After a visit to the UK, and meeting his friends in the 750 Motor Club, John Whitehouse suggested that the Club should organise a similar event here and he donated the trophy.
The first Six Hour Relay Race was held at Fishermans Bend, a war time airstrip very close to the city and previously used by the LCCA for race meetings. The following year it was held at Calder Park and then in 1967 moved to Winton Raceway until 1972. The Austin 7 Club were successful, winning on two occasions, 1963 at Calder and 1967 at Winton.
This was the start of a very long and successful working friendship between the Austin 7 Club and the Benalla Auto Club.
Historic Winton
Bill Sheehan, after competing and attending Historic Car races for some years, was most impressed with 1976 NSW Vintage Sports Car Club’s All Historic meeting held at Amaroo Park in January. He felt there was a need for the same style of meeting be organised in Victoria. Bill did his homework and went to the committee with a plan that would require an outlay from the Club of $9000.00. Bill made contact with Colonel Arthur Waite in England, the winner of the first race at Phillip Island in 1928, who then made a donation to the Club which was used to have a suitable perpetual trophy made to give to the winning Austin each year.
The first meeting was a great success and now all these years later it is still very popular with both the drivers and spectators who travel long distances to be at Winton on the last weekend in May. Ilona Booth, Brenda and Grant Campbell steered the event for many years to what it has become today overcoming any hurdles thrown in their path.
In more recent times Noel Wilcox has taken on the responsibility supported by a loyal band of Austin Seven Club members.
The Club has now turned a full circle and once again Austin 7 ownership is the prime reason for membership. However, today the cars are now restored and no longer every day transport as they were when the Club was formed.
First Club Concourse
An Austin Seven Rally, organised by Dale Shaw and Ken Innes Irons was held at the Chadstone Shopping Centre car park in 1966. This was the first time the Club had given thought to gathering as many cars as possible and awarding a trophy to the best Austin Seven.
The Club organised a National Rally in 1972 for the 50th anniversary of the of the first Austin Seven with a run to Emu Bottom Homestead that saw several interstate entries.
More recently, a national gathering is held every couple of years by each of the state clubs.
In 2022, the Austin 7 Club organised the national Austin 7 Centenary Rally in Warrnambool. About 200 Austin 7s toured Warrnambool and surrounds for one week with other tourist enquiring at the Tourist Information Centre as to where to hire one of those 'cute little cars'. The Austin 7s were well noticed and the Centenary Rally was an enormous success.
Photo - Chris Barbour
Shannons - Major Sponsor
