Austin Seven Swallow Tourer

This Austin Seven Swallow is an early example of the car that took William Lyons into coachbuilding and, eventually, towards SS and Jaguar. Chassis 70802 was registered on 31 December 1928 and is recognised as a 1929 model. That makes it the fifth-oldest surviving Swallow and the second-oldest 1929 car. Only 851 Swallow two-seaters were built, and around 60 are recorded in the Swallow Register.

The car was off the road from 1965 until the current owner bought it in 2024. The restoration took around 1,000 hours. Four new wings and a new tail were made using period photographs, while much of the original internal woodwork was saved. The engine, last renovated in 1985 but never run afterwards, was stripped and rebuilt, and the gearbox was also attended to. Paint, wiring and trimming were finished in 2025, including a black mohair hood and side screens. The restoration cost about £40,000.

The history file includes the current V5C, the 2013 Swallow Register car list, photographs from before and during the work, invoices and the January 2025 issue of Swallow Ramblings.