Good old sports: the racy highlights of the 2025 Beaulieu Austin Seven Rally

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The Austin Seven is now 103 years old and seems to be as popular as it ever has been, and the same can be said for the Beaulieu Austin Seven Rally, which was staged for the 62nd year on June 29th and attracted 184 entries, not including the smattering of non-Sevens which forms a sideshow every year. This year's theme was Sports, Racing and Boat-Tail Sevens, and it was well-chosen to bring some very rare models out of the shadows. The display of racers was co-ordinated by Martin Eyre and Peter Pearson, and featured Pearson's own Wragg Special—the eighth of twelve very competitive single-seaters produced by Alan Wragg in the 1970s and '80s—but without doubt the most significant racer present was Simplicity, Jack French's famous special which was at the forefront of 750 Formula racing during its early days in the 1950s. It won the first ever 750 Formula race, on April 18th, 1953, at Ibsley, driven by Ronald "Steady" Barker, and set a Vintage class record at Prescott in 1959, clocking a time of 51.95s. with French himself at the wheel. Little-changed since 1953, Simplicity still races with the V.S.C.C. and Pre-War Austin Seven Club.

The sports theme naturally encompassed plenty of Ulsters, Nippys and Speedys, but some very rare early factory sports models were highlights. Tony Betts of 7 County Austins showed his beautiful 1928 Super Sports, returning to Beaulieu after an absence of about 30 years, but perhaps even more notable was the appearance of Ian Rendle's freshly-restored 1924 50mph Sports model. This extremely rare survivor, with its dashing wings and vee-tail, had not been seen since the 1980s, and Ian completed its renovation just a week before the rally. Among the specials, it was Mark Drake's 1934 special which most caught my eye. Seemingly brush-painted in a dark metallichrome green, the Easiclean steel wheels and Morgan-esque barrel-back were unusual features, and I got the impression that it was a survivor from the 1950s or '60s, though I was unsuccessful in tracking down Mr. Drake to confirm it.

One of the lovely things about the Seven world is that it contains no shortage of either lifelong devotees or enthusiastic newcomers, and there are likewise cars which have been on the scene for decades as well as others which keep resurfacing after years in obscurity. It was therefore wonderful to see Graham Owen's 1926 "Top Hat" saloon looking so smart having been restored and put back on the road in 2022—the last time it had moved under its own power was in 1931! Then there was Lizzie Paton's 1936 Pearl cabriolet, which has reached the final stages of its restoration having formerly lost its original Ruby body, which was unsalvageably rusty. On the other hand, Michael Tabeart's 1931 box saloon was one of those which had been around a bit. He bought it 1963, honeymooned around and Cornwall then sold it in 1964, only to rediscover it and buy it back in 2022. Few cars could match the long-term ownership of the Savage family's 1931 RN saloon, however. Fred Savage bought it for £36 10s. 0d. in October, 1944, and the car is now preserved with a lovely patina by his grandson Trevor. Perhaps the most impressive provenance, though, concerned a 1931 RN De Luxe saloon which had been owned in the 1960s by none other than Bill Boddy and Denis Jenkinson, who hoped to exhibit it in their planned Mid-Wales Motor Museum.

While all that was going on, the more competitive-minded owners were having fun in the gymkhana competition, and those with projects had plenty to divert them in the autojumble. Considering it's a single-model event, the format of the Beaulieu Austin Seven Rally never gets tired, and it remains a great credit both to Beaulieu and the Pre-War Austin Seven Club.

Words and photographs: Zack Stiling

In the course of my walkabout, it emerged that several owners are trying to seek history and information concerning the cars. If any readers know anything about the following cars (pictured in the gallery), please leave a comment and we will make sure it reaches the owner: 1927 AD Chummy (VW 685), 1928 RF saloon (MP 4582), 1936 Ruby/Pearl (CLR 771) and 1932 Smith Special (EP 5344).

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