What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[Graham Barker]

Austins gathered to start a run organised by the Auckland branch of the Vintage Austin Register. The run, led by the Austin 16/6, went through hilly country in the Hunua area. On a particularly steep hill climb, the 16/6 missed a gear change and came to a standstill. This didn't amuse the following Austin 7's who also had to stop and do a hill start.    

[Malcolm Parker]

This evening sees one of the most fiercely contested Austin 7 events of the year, Round 1 of the Pre-War Austin 7 Club Shoebox Races, to be organised by the West Yorkshire Branch of the PWA7C.
The race will be held in Rawdon on the north side of Leeds.    There will be intense rivalry from the Lincolnshire Branch of the Club some of  whom will be heading North as I write this.
Run under strict rules and regulations, the cars will undergo scrutineering prior to the practice session.  The all up weight must not exceed 12 ounces and the body, made out of a shoebox, has to have maximum and minimum dimensions  and a minimum cubic capacity of 144 cu. inches.
The Boltby entry is pictured, made out of the usable parts of last years spectacularly unsuccessful car.   The driver, Bert Hardon, has also been retained.
Posted prior to the event in case it gets written off in the heat of the action!

[Steve kay]

Do the CDs produce music as they rotate? The members of a barbers shop quartet, or four string players of a Schubert Quartet? Or does each corner give the vrooom vroom sound of a highly tuned Seven engine, or maybe a Seven Special with a Cirrus engine?

[Malcolm Parker]

I couldn't detect any music from the CD wheels over the noise of the excited crowd of spectators.   Some of the shoebox cars are now favouring 7" diameter vinyl records for the rear wheels.
A field of 13 cars took part in a series of elimination races and the Boltby car got through all five of these.  Things were desperately close and the Clerk of the Course decided to bring things to a result by having a final run-off of the three fastest cars.
I narrowly missed out on a podium but the Yorkshire/Lincolnshire rivalry was settled satisfactorily by Yorkshire cars being in first and third positions.   A good nights entertainment that also raised money for a local hospice.