For sale: 1934 Special Holden

Spotted on Ebay Australia in June 2023 - This car was first registered in the UK in 1934 and probably as a standard RN 4 seater saloon.  At some stage, probably during the War, the registration lapsed.   In 1957 the car was re-registered for road use in Buckinghamshire.

By that time the original body had been removed and the car re-built as a two seater “special”.  This conversion involved amongst other modifications lowering the suspension, fitting improved “bowdenex” front cable brakes and modifying the engine.   

The body shell was probably manufactured by Super Accessories of Bromley, Kent, a garage company specialising in the production and supply of Austin 7 special bodies and accessories from 1956 to the early 1980’s.

The car was in barn storage from 1974 to 1994 when I acquired it.  By that time the modified engine has been replaced with a standard “unimproved” Austin seven engine.  I re-registered the car for road use. 

Since 1994 the car has been in regular road use.  The crank shaft broke in 2002 throwing a connecting rod through the side of the crank case.  This involved a major engine rebuild with replacement crank case and crank shaft, high compression cylinder head, deep sump, competition manifolds and the substitution of an SU carburettor for the original side draught Zenith.

Engine.

This car has a standard Austin 7 power unit :

                    747cc, 4 cylinder side valve engine:

                    2 bearing crank shaft - the proverbial ‘bent wire’ crank:

                    white metal big and little ends:

                    splash, ‘spit and hope’,  lubrication to big ends

The engine has the following modifications:

                    Raeburn deep sump for additional oil capacity;

                    Raeburn inlet and exhaust manifolds to improve gas flow

 Side draft SU replaces the standard side draft Zenith carburettor;

                    Austin high compression cast iron cylinder head with 14mm plugs replaces 1934 head to   improve compression ratio;

                    Oil filter added to supplement gauze sump filter;

                    Starting handle nosepiece replaced by blanked off

                    nosepiece.

 The engine runs on standard unleaded petrol.

Cooling system

 No water pump – water circulates thermodynamically

                    Modifications;

                    Four blade ‘export’ model fan

                    Radiator stone guard fitted inside chrome radiator shellzziz

Gear box

Standard 1934, 4 speed box with synchromesh on 3rd and 4th gears, syncro worn. Reverse gear.

Chassis and suspension

Standard Austin 7 ‘A’ frame chassis with the following modifications

                  chassis shortened to reduce wheelbase

                  transverse front and quarter elliptic rear springs have been flattened front axle beam bent to

                  accommodate flattened front transverse spring

hydraulic shock absorbers replace friction shock absorbers at rear 

Brakes

Coupled cable brakes to front and rear – foot pedal operates brakes on all four wheels.

                   Modifications:

                   Bowdenex cable front brakes conversion

                   Long brake cam levers on front hubs

Wheels

17 inch Austin 7 Ruby wheels replace original 19 inch wheels.

Electrics

Standard 6 volt. Riste horn.

Body

Maker not known but probably manufactured by ‘Speedex’, ‘Super Accessories’ or ‘Dante’ all of whom produced Austin 7 special car bodies and components.

The steering column has been lowered by inserting a wedge beneath the steering box.  The steering column and steering wheel are from an earlier (pre 1933 model) Austin 7 in order to do away with the smaller diameter Bakelite wheel current in the later 1930s.

The instrument panel is also from an earlier model car.   Austin 10 speedometer

Indicator lights were fitted prior to the vehicle being imported to Australia.

Tonneau cover. No hood or other weather equipment.

Brooklands aero screens only.