Cornwall Austin Seven Club creating interest in Austin Sevens (1922 - 1939)   

Celebrating
the 90th Anniversary
of the Austin Seven
and the 75th Anniversary
of the Austin Big Seven

Last updated:
04 February 2012

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So you want to go to a Rally
(a local show, historic car rally or village fete)

During the summer months you will hear some of our members mention about supporting one or more of the many shows, rallies, village fetes that are held every weekend around the county to raise money for local causes.  Some of our members support a local rally or two during the summer, either in a nearby village or one supporting a favoured charity.  No doubt, you will be asked if you will be going along.

This is a personal choice and it will not be a 'Club event'; the Club only has a display at one major rally during the year.  Once you get to know other club members in your locality they will have information about the shows/rallies in the area.

Entry Forms
The first requirement for most shows/rallies is to obtain an entry form and return it, usually with an sae, to the organiser before the date specified.  The organisers of the bigger shows will normally send you a pass so that the security staff at the gate will allow you entry to the site.  Do check that there may be specified times to arrive before, and leave after, as movement around crowded show sites is prohibited once the general public are wandering about.  Please accept that the organisers require that you submit an entry form as they have to account for all entrants in order to comply with their legal obligations and the event insurance (in the UK that is).  There are very few shows which do not have an entry form and are happy for you to turn up on the day.

Once you have attended an event you will be on the organisers mailing list to be sent an entry form next year.

Your entry is not a definite commitment and you may genuinely not be able to attend due to some late problem or on the day the weather is not ideal for sitting around in a field.  However, it does not do you credit, or the Club, if you send an entry form on the off-chance that you might go to the event and then fail to turn up.  (Entry forms warning, see below.)

Your annual insurance arranged with RH Specialist Insurance Group through the A7CA insurance scheme covers you for attendance at shows/rallies.

What will you be doing?
Whenever you are out with your 'Seven' throughout the year you will always be meeting the public; and inevitably many people will be interested in your car and what you are doing - a rally, a Club run?  When you attend a show/rally you are there to display your 'Seven'.  In return for your attendance free of charge, it is implicit upon you to form part of the event and attract the paying public to view your car.

Most of the historic cars present will be post-war and unfortunately some owners arrive at these events, park and lock their vehicle and that is it; no rally number or details on display; they go off, having gained free entry, to look at the rest of the show.  Sadly, some will sit near their vehicle all day and completely ignore anyone showing interest.

You need to display your Seven
At any event the public will wander over because they have some level of interest in looking at historic cars.  Of the few makes of pre-war cars present our colourful and distinctive shaped cars will always attract their attention; maybe because they often see a 'Seven' in their area and want to view them a lot closer, or have read about CA7C in the local newspapers.  It helps if you are prepared to display your 'Seven' by opening the bonnet and arranging your personal items inside so that as much of the interior as possible can be seen by those peering in.

A laminated A4 sheet, or two at the most, displayed with salient information is really an essential.  State the model name and year of manufacture; engine size and RAC hp/bhp; when and where it was first registered; when you bought it; how many owners it has had; any major restoration work; any modifications from standard; what your main interests are - Club runs, holidays, rallies?

Talking to people
Some people will glance, perhaps take a photograph, and wander away; others will wish to talk but do not know how to approach you.  So, how do you engage their interest?  Some owners now cringe and say "I am no good at the 'PR'."  Fine, we have not all had careers where, through an official, or senior, position it has been incumbent upon us to 'break the ice', to open the conversation and put people at ease.  Some of you will say that you were not a 'rep' (meaning sales representative) but by your very dress, behaviour and charisma you have been a 'rep' all your life for your family, your school and perhaps university, your youth organisation, your company, and when you go abroad on holiday you 'rep' for England and St George!  So when you are out with your 'Seven' you are a 'rep' for the historic car movement and, in particular, Austin Sevens and CA7C. 

By being at an event, or driving on a Club run, with your 'Seven' you 'rep', like it or not.  In reality, now you are there and parked, you will really should talk to the people who come close to look at your 'Seven'.

Lacking in confidence?
But you own a 'Seven', and you know, without thinking, what model it is; how much it cost; its likely value; how long you have owned it; what has been done to it; what documents have been retained; what its performance is in mpg and top-speed; what maintenance you have to do; where you can obtain spares; that it runs on unleaded petrol and does have to have an MoT, display a road tax disc and the cost of insurance, etc..

You also know that CA7C offers members a choice of monthly runs, social events, holidays, teach-ins, black-hand gang support, and you know about the members who drive their 'Sevens' to up country events.  The person standing by your car doesn't know anything like as much, so you are in pole position and now is the time to use your knowledge accordingly. 

You must have had a chat up line at least once in your life, so don't be self-conscious about someone looking at your 'Seven' and showing interest.  If you are sitting in your car do not ignore them, but at least open the window and chat or, better still, and being more polite, get out and talk to them. 

Judging people's interest.
By his/her appearance the person looking at your 'Seven' is either too young to have owned a 'Seven', may be old enough to have owned one as a student or had to sit in the back of one on the family holiday jaunt to the west country, perhaps even old enough to have owned one and driven the family on the holiday; even worked as a mechanic in a local garage.

Firstly, do not pounce or hover too close, let them have time to learn something from looking under the bonnet and inside, and from reading your info sheet.  Whilst doing this they may well look around for someone to talk to.  Then, without delaying too long, and remember that a smile is both welcoming and disarming, you have engaged interest and now for the opening line for the conversation. 

It could be 'Did your father (grandfather) have a 'Seven'?  Or how about 'This car is now xx years old!'', or go rash and add 'It is a (year/model) with a 747cc engine and 3-speed crash-gear box', but only if you have noted that they haven't read your script.  You could point out another car which is older, or a later one that has a 4-speed gearbox with synchromesh, or a bigger engine.  You might tell them that the principles of the engine and gearbox on their modern is no different, just more accurately machined and that nowadays we have a better knowledge of metals, lubricants, fuel injection and electronic ignition etc; but of course our modern cars will never last as long!

Let them ask questions
They should feel welcome to lead the conversation but you are in control because you, on most occasions, will know more about the 'Sevens' and your car in particular, and about CA7C activities, than they do.  From then on it is just natural conversation.  Selling an interest, in this case info about Austin Sevens and CA7C, is the art of making people feel special and that they might be more interested in what you can tell them.

Your wider knowledge
It helps to know the difference between the several 'Sevens' on display, eg. which have 3- and 4-speed crash boxes and when synchromesh first appeared; that the Mk1 Ruby has right angles at the base of the windscreen pillars and non-winding rear side windows, the Mk2 has curves at the base of the windscreen and wind up/down rear side windows; the Big Seven has a completely re-designed 900cc engine, and you can point them out in the display area. 

You know that about 300,000 'Sevens' and variants, by specialist coach-builders, were built between 1923 and 1939 and that around 10,000 are known to survive worldwide.  You might mention that Datsun and BMW, Holden in Australia, Rosengart in France, and the American Bantam Austin Co. built 'Sevens' under licence; that Jaguar was once the Swallow Motor Co. established by William Lyons using 'Seven' chassis and engines; that the chassis and engine has been an ideal base for specials for many years, the first Lotus built by Colin Chapman; and also the Caterham Seven. 

You are winning, you are a great person and really interesting to meet, and you have done your bit for Austin Sevens and the historic car movement, but above all for CA7C, one of the most active and respected of Austin Seven clubs in the country.  Tell them that we have around 140 members with near that number of road-legal 'Sevens', several others are being worked on, the oldest 'Seven' in the Club on the road in Cornwall is a September 1925 'Chummy', and that two in north Devon were registered in March and April 1925.  You might tell them about the background of the 'Chummy' and why Herbert Austin designed a small, low-cost, car for the masses.

If you are stuck on some topic in the conversation through lack of knowledge or information then involve another member with an interesting 'Seven' or someone else displaying a pre-war car nearby.

There is so much to talk about, once you have made that simple opening comment.  But do judge the interest of the person in front of you, don't get too technical, don't hang onto them too long if the wife and children are fidgeting and wanting to move on.  But now for it - invite the child(ren), with the parent's permission, to sit in the driver's seat and have a little toot of the horn, let Mum and Dad take photos. 

Coming to the end.
If you have a really good conversation and the person seems to be very interested in historic cars, even having asked about prices and availability, why not be a bit cheeky and suggest that he/she might like to own a 'Seven' and that CA7C (or their local A7 Club) helps people to buy and maintain their car; refer them to our website and the helpful information about buying and owning a 'Seven'.  Finally, when those who have been interested do depart and offer their thanks for your time, please do make a point of thanking them for their interest.

But be prepared for the awkward moments.
Mostly you will be chatting with people who have a good knowledge of, or a real interest in, historic vehicles.  However, there are always those who look but don't want to know or talk; but when some people feel compelled to talk to you you will hear all sorts of comments.  The most common being 'My father (grandfather) had one of these' and inevitably they proudly quoted the registration number followed by much reminiscing of a young life squashed on the back seat for a long trip.  We would all love to have a £1 for every time we have heard those stories.

Entry forms - warning:  The following information appeared in the FBHVC Newsletter No:2 April 2007.

EVENT ENTRY FORM INDEMNITIES
It came as something of a surprise at FBHVC to discover that participants in some events are still being asked to sign entry forms that indemnify the organisers against all claims, however caused. 

FBHVC cannot emphasise enough that no-one should sign such a form, as in doing so they are likely to be breaching the terms of their own insurance policies and thus put themselves at risk of invalidating their insurance.  An incorrect entry form indemnity can be worse than no indemnity at all.  

Any entry form indemnity that uses phrases like ‘howsoever caused’ or ‘notwithstanding that the same may have been caused or occasioned by’ is likely to fall into this category.  Such wordings were made illegal by the Unfair Contract Terms Act of 1977 because they go against the principles of fair contract by seeking to hold the organisers indemnified against claims resulting from injury or damage that they may themselves have been responsible for causing.  

[CA7C members should not to fall into this trap and do check what you are being asked to sign.  Do not hesitate to strike out the words and write "Illegal by the Unfair Contract Terms Act of 1977".]

This article, written by Doug Castle, is based upon the one which originally appeared in CA7C Seven Focus in July 2007 pp15-17.

Copyright © 2009 Cornwall Austin Seven Club, M J Watts & D A Castle to whom any questions or comments about this website should be addressed.