Just taking the Mickey.

[mattbeee]

Oh , come on !!!!!!
I would build it

Ah, the Caterham 'Seven' - that must be my most widely copied photo!

Original: https://flic.kr/p/9U3V7V

[dickie65]

Perhaps the blame should be laid at the builders of Specials Etc on a Ruby Chassis. Which has been going on since the late 1940s.
At least the discarded body is being put back into a sort of attempt at use.
Its not too many years ago that the later Austin Sevens were not as popular as they are now.
My own car has the rear body supports hacked off a Ruby Chassis ( Crooks Cure for a broken back ) done in the 1980s
Breaking cars up for spares has been going on for decades. As has custom car building / kit car building / Special building.

[Ray White]

Historically, a strong case can be made for Austin Seven specials ...but there is no such tradition of Sevens being used for American style hot rods. It seems to me that those who attempt to construct such vehicles using Austin Sevens are simply taking the piss. We are not Yanks; let's not emulate them.

Eg.

"Oh look at that funny little car being made to go fast. Ha ha."

[Andy Bennett]

Whilst it isn't for me I do sort of understand.
Surely it's a continuum, in that you move from 100% nut and bolt as it came off the Austin line, to a few mods for safety (eg brake lights) to more subtle reliability/speed mods (some period some not, eg electronic inginion), to body-discarded specials and ulsteroids and on to just a few body parts used on hot rods.

Some in the day may even have suggested that a Swallow was an Austin 7 butchered into an attempt to come up with a luxury version that only a few people could actually get into. Today its all part of the rich history and one of many loved variants. But is it itself 'original' or one of the first professionally made 'specials'?

Where you sit on the continuum is a personal choice (and in many cases complicated by being dependant on how the 'bits' were sourced or whether mods can be considered period), but it is also bell curve. Perhaps a few hundred completely original, through to thousands sitting in the middle with mods of some form, to just a few hot rods.

Is that really so bad, seems quite healthy to me and if done well is a good  basis for encouraging engineering and source of engagement. 

Now, lets get back to talking about electric 7s...

[Ray White]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion.


I still think they are taking the piss.

[Ian Williams]

There are lots of Austin seven body's out there especially since the legality changed opening the loop hole that has allowed people to build specials on a registered chassis with no need for MOT's or other checks. ( yes I know it is not strictly legal but you can get away with it at the moment! ) If other people then put these discarded saloon body to use for building hot rod then I really don't see the problem even if it is not my particular area of interest. What I get pissed about are the people whom take a perfectly good restorable saloon and then break it up to make an A7 special, no doubt there are a few of these individuals who use this forum and will be upset by my comments. Tough guys, I agree that you are entitled to do what ever you wish with any car you buy, but I and others and are entitled to call you out for what we see as your lack of ethics and for quite probably damaging our community. Eventually the authorities will clamp down again and close this loop hole as they did when the BOC and others were being equally unethical. Personally in think we should look inward at our own community before we start lambasting the hot rod builders who are not destroying anything just making use of our cast offs, its a perfectly legitimate hobby after all. It is such a shame that a bare chassis is so hard to register and then build a special on these days, but I think we should remember this has come about because of poor judgment by some in the old car world previously. Unfortunately I think these practices and the green movement (who we feed loads of ammunition to) are likely to further restrict our hobby and the use of our cars going forward.....which is very sad.