My Top Hat ( Type R ) is one of the very late models built in 1928 just before the introduction of the RK and showing several features of this new model.
The rear of the body on mine comprises FOUR upright timbers. I have recently seen a photo indicating that the earlier ones appear to have been built with just THREE.
This a feature I've not been aware of.
I'm wondering whether Austin's, when producing this late model, decided to " beef up " the body in preparation for the new RK by adding a fourth timber.
Could anyone confirm that their early Top Hats had just the three timbers and that owners of RKs had four fitted.
Both my RKs (early 1929 and mid 1930) had that central timber going through the spare-wheel mounting, so presumably three in total. I have a photo of the 1929 car on which it is just visible, but doesn't show up on a scan of the print.
Thanks everyone. This is the view of my late R showing the arrangement of the uprights - two either side of the transmission tunnel.
It's beginning to look that this interim model had this unique feature in the body structure, one I knew nothing about.
Another feature that is quite baffling, knowing the model was only produced for a few months, is that the bottom radius of the door was altered. This seems an odd thing to re-design as it seemingly adds no benefit to the user.
14-02-2023, 11:46 PM (This post was last modified: 15-02-2023, 12:04 AM by Parazine.)
Chris, I have not researched this but the late model "R" saloon seems to share a lot of similarities with the German Dixi version. Is it possible that the Austin company bought unused bodies from Dixi and built them up into cars for the buoyant British market? They seem different enough to have been built by a separate concern.
Here is my "R" saloon, manufactured late 1926. Clearly three pieces of wood.
Thanks, by the way, I went out to the garage to take this photo and discovered that a mouse had set up shop under the back seat, hence the loaded mousetrap!
It had chewed a blanket on the back seat, shame really as it was one of the last woollen blankets produced by Salters mill in Trowbridge. I bought it in the late 1970's, just before they closed, the last working mill in Wiltshire...
Thank you. An interesting theory and one which merits further investigation.
The first batch of thirty two Dixi DA1 3/15 PS tourers were completed in December 1927.
( As an aside, Purves states that the prefix DA stood for " Dixi - Austin." This is not thought to be correct as the DA prefix was used long after Dixi was bought by BMW. Why would BMW want to continue to be associated with the Austin name? It is believe the prefix refers to " Deutsche Ausfuhrung " - German Version )
The tourer or " Phaeton " version was the only body style offered initially but from May 1928 a sports two-seater with a curved tail was offered. This was followed by a two-seater coupe in September 1928, with a saloon first built in October 1928. It was around this time that Dixi Werke AG was sold to BMW.
By October 1928, production of the Austin late model R had either ended, or close to being so. This negates the suggestion that German manufactured bodies were used. Further more, the doors of the German version had a beading along the edge and the bottom, rear, radius on the doors was smaller than the R. Whilst they both shared a " clasp " joint in the body to the rear of the door above the wheel arch, the Austin version was situated higher up. A further feature is that the door window surround on the R has radius corners, the German version, square.
All very interesting, but these facts do nothing to assist with my original query!!
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