Exploring the world in a classic car is the dream of many enthusiasts, but few choose to make the process quite as challenging as attempting a journey equivalent to circumnavigating the world. while driving an Austin Seven. Like all pioneers, serial Seven owner Guy Butcher and partner Eunice Kratky stood on the shoulders of those who had gone before them. John Coleman's 1962 book Coleman's Drive, in which the English schoolteacher drove a baby Austin from Buenos Aires to New York, served as inspiration. Coleman himself roughly followed the route of Aimé Tschiffely, who had completed the journey on horseback from 1925-'28. But while a Seven is faster and more comfortable than riding a horse (just), Guy and Eunice had planned a route far longer than either Coleman's or Tschiffely's.
The idea was to land at Baltimore in the USA and draw a reverse '7' across the New World in celebration of the Austin's 90th anniversary in 2012, taking the little car first to Alaska before beginning the long journey down to the Ruta del Fin del Mundo at the southern tip of Argentina: 25,000 miles, in a car that usually needs an engine rebuild every 20,000 or so.
The Seven chosen was a 1936 car, originally built as a tourer but recreated as a short-chassis 1928 Austin Chummy following an accident in the 1970s. Guy rebuilt the car himself, fitting a trials-spec engine and a rear axle modified with a lower, 5.125:1 ratio to help attack hills.
The trip would be a fundraising journey, so the Seven was liveried with information about the campaign, named BESPK - Bringing Extra to SPecial Kids. Save the Children and the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust would be the beneficiaries of the adventure.
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Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A Breath of Fresh Air- Alfa Romeo's exotic, V8-powered Montreal was like nothing the marque had made before, but can it compare with a Porsche masterpiece, the 911S 2.4?
The stereotype of the ItaloGermanic automotive rivalry is that the Latin car will be brilliant to drive, but poorly built and ergonomically flawed, while the Teutonic will be the opposite. Yet these 2+2 sports coupés both ran against orthodoxy. In the Montreal, Alfa Romeo created an outlandish-looking two-door more comfortable, more powerful and more refined than anything it had produced for decades. Meanwhile, Porsche continued to refine its back-to-front, austere and increasingly aged 911. Neither took a traditional development path, but both created thrilling and individual cars that have echoed through the decades.
Daring to be diminutive
AMC's Gremlin and Pacer, and Ford's much-derided Pinto, led America's response to the threat of imported European compacts
THE LONG WAY ROUND
There is a great tradition of overland trips by Land-Rover, but the tale of this 70s Aussie epic and the car itself was discovered by chance
Handsome cab
The Phantom V limousine marked the beginning of the end for coachbuilder James Young, but this Rolls-Royce represents the craft at its very best
DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Racing for their own F1 teams brought some drivers success and an enduring legacy. For others, it turned into a nightmare
20 30 LITRES CYLINDERS, 400BHP......AND MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD
Thunderous torque, flame-spitting stub-exhausts, white-knuckle thrills - and hopefully no spills - aboard a trio of Edwardian racing titans
ICON.
The three top-selling vehicles in the USA in 2023 were pick-ups, topped by the Ford F-Series. This is the truck that started it all
Blurred Lines
lan 'Del' Lines blended the V8 burble of Triumph's open GT with real practicality in his Stag V8 saloons and estates
Home of the brave
The innovative Silverstone proved a hit with keen amateur drivers. To mark its 75th, Healey's club racer returns to the circuit for which it is named
PLAYING ALL THE ANGLES
Alfa Romeo's wild RZ eschewed the jellymould styling of the period to offer a striking, wedge-shaped take on open-topped performance motoring