Drive Dad's Car! 1937 Austin Seven Ruby - full of charm! 

My great Aunt Olive, had a Austin Seven when she was a Head Mistress at a Girls School in Katoomba in the late 1930's early 1940's. We have many photos of Olive and her Sister Nell with the car, she kept the badges off it when she sold it, which now hang on the shelving over my computer desk.

Absolutely lovely. I live in the USA and came across a '37 "Nippy" last year. In poor shape, it had been stuffed into the back of a Barn in Ohio for over 50 years, but it was all there. Pried it out and hauled it home, and I've been working on it since, with the body off, the engine torn down, the chassis stripped...whoo. This video is just what I need to get me going again. Can't wait to hear that little engine run. '21 has been a rough year with lots of delays, but I'm hoping for progress in '22. Thanks mate.

When I was courting, we went out for a meal with a couple who had an Austin 7. To get to the newfangled Chinese restaurant in town, we had to go up a short but quite steep hill, in first gear of course with 4 in the car. A cyclist behind us became impatient about our slow progress, so he overtook us. In our defence, it was one of those racing cycles with drop handlebars and pedal clip-ons. (C. 1962)

Engines from the 20's and 30's were really quiet and smooth. The Austin 7 comes from a time when cars weren't powerful and nobody was in a rush to get everywhere unlike today.

In the 1940s my aunt in Australia drove an Austin 7 from Sydney to Alice Springs and back again, some 3500 miles without a single problem. Sometimes simple is best.

My Dad had two Rubies in the Fifties - one for spares. They were great little every-day vehicles, and he used his to take him to his regular dance-band gigs as their pianist. He even let me drive it as a teenager as long as I put petrol in the tank. Fifty to the gallon. Impressed the girl-friends no end. The car's weaknesses were spindly half-shafts which sheared on a regular basis, and a whippy crankshaft with no centre bearing - fixed in later models. Luckily there was Stan Hallums (Stanrose Motors) down the road - a back- street mechanic - who fixed Austin Sevens for a living. Happy days.....

my father's first car, i have a picture of him teaching my mother to do drive in it. that would be in the early 50's in London

I miss cars like this. That gentle "thrummm..." When you turn the ignition key. Bliss ☺️♥️

Danny the Champion of the World! That was my first thought when I saw this video pop up on my feed! Oh, the memories. How wonderful!

Yes, Ian, the seat cushion has been reupholstered with too much padding. The original used Moseley Float-on-Air cushions, which you could blow up (or let down) like a tyre inner tube to get the appropriate height. It didn't take much air to keep your bum off the base without being too high up. Brakes are poor by modern standards, but in normal driving you get plenty of engine braking - I can drive in traffic for miles without ever using the brakes at all.

This is the only time I envy people under 6 foot Lol. A Gorgeous little car. I remember back in the 80s around town an old guy using an early one as his daily driver, it had a tatty old 🇬🇧 flying on the bonnet.

My grandfather had a Ruby which was forgotten and put in a barn and retrieved by me after his death . I worked on it relentlessly and got it a fair way restored then sold it . Great wee car which was so robust and was used in all weathers in Scottish Highlands on a croft so it wasnt mollycoddled . Brilliant video !!!!

I well remember my Fathers in the mid '50's, purchased new in '35, laid up in storage (Harrods Depository) during the war, survived intact, unlike his Douglas Motorcycle (1927 flat tank, belt drive) which was destroyed when the house was bombed, direct hit on the garage, fortunately no one at home. It was part exchanged for a split screen Morris Minor in the late '50's.

Drive Mum's car too! Austin 7 was our first 2nd car. 'Chloe' had a peg to hold the choke out, holes in the floorboards to check how deep puddles were and inflatable car seat cushions. Mum swapped it for a Sunbeam (...food mixer!)

I want one ,no matter how slow it is. More smiles per mile.

I must've read Danny the Champion of the world 50 times. And Fantastic Mr Fox. 🥰 Cool drive. Enjoyed it. Thanks. 👍🍻

Other than the original Mini, this car is the coolest. I bet there aren't but two of them in the entire USA. Just a nice sunday drive car. So small and cute, like a miniature Ford sedan.

My late parents had a Ruby as thier first car and travelled in it, the length and breadth of Britain, by the sound of the tales they told. According to dad, the engine was rebored several times and he sold it for more than he paid for it! Its very cool to know I could go and have a drive in one! Might just be worth a trans Atlantic trip for the experience! Thanks for sharing this.

These are brilliant little cars. I had a Reliant with the 750cc side valve many decades ago. We dragged it out of a garden, resurrected it and I used it as my daily driver for years. I even drove from the New Forest to Preston in it with my wife and children. The motorway in Birmingham was a tad intimidating.

The Cornwall Austin 7 Club has over 100 cars and members. Some of the cars are almost daily drivers and many are used year round. They're ideal cars for short trips on narrow roads and of course being small can be parked almost anywhere. Spares availability is better than many modern cars. My dad's first car actually was an Austin Ruby. His parents bought it for him for his 16th birthday; neither of them could drive so there was an ulterior motive! Unfortunately this was literally a couple of weeks before WW2 broke out so he was unable to drive it until 1945. He was one of the last 16 year olds to get a full driving licence without taking a test, although he did drive vehicles when he was in the army during the war. I've been a passenger in a couple but I'd love to drive one. They're a tight squeeze for two normal sized people.

That brings me memories from childhood in a green Fordson Pickup that we used to be on when we took some vacations, we went to the beach a lot with it, a couple of km become an adventure in that Ford, lovely memories of a simpler time.

This is the only context I ever want to see Mr HubNut and tiny speedos together...

First car I ever steered, leaning over from the passenger seat in cousin Jimmy's Ruby at very young age. Magic.

My Dad had an Austin 7, possibly his first car just after WW2. The only thing i remember him saying was that when he had a car full the car wouldn't make it up reasonably steep hills so his passengers had to get out and walk up!

What a delightful little car. I was amazed by how smoothly the motor ran when you started it.

Delightful. Laurel hired one as a wedding limo when Hardy got married...worth watching as they all try to get in...

had to stop n go, awwwwwwwwwwwww for the semaphore indicators. makes me very young boy again

What a lovely car. It´s name also rhymes with my favorite spicy food. Thank you Ian.

For today's youngsters this would be Great-Grandfather's car. My Dad's first car was a Mk1 Cortina. I don't know whether my Great-Grandfather had a car but he had four farms at one time so I guess he must have had a tractor or two by the 1930s.

That wiper pattern created a Quadrilateral Of Curses

I love this car. So much charm and personality with looks to match. Back in the days when you could actually see the countryside without speeding through it. Thank you for sharing.

My Father had a rather care worn one not long after the war apparently in which he did the northern 500 and this was back when that was a real challenge. He was fond of saying how he had to go up the the last bit the General Wade Rest and be thankful in reverse because the ratio was lower. I am truly blessed with a wife that thinks that a visit to the Great British Car Journey was the best special birthday present ever (thanks again Ian for the idea). My wife drove the late original mini and the imp which were long felt wants and I ticked off the Ruby from my bucket list. It was a fantastic experience that she and I frankly never thought that we would have. I must say that the instructors were charming and we had a splendid time. Both of us have decided that once was not enough. The museum would stand many return visits.

I got a light nostalgia attack from this. A longing for my Wolseley 1500 that I had in the early 70s.

in a lockup opposite my flat, there is a 1934 austin 7, which belonged to the owners dad, the owner ( now 71) learnt to drive in it when he was 11! in green and black, its been in there a very long time!

I love those cars. A happy little car.

My great uncle Bert had one - He and his wife had one and picked us up from school in the North Wales town of Flint to stay at their place on Cilcane Moor - I always remember he came to a big hill and my brother and I had to get out and walk up the hill where we got back in and resumed the journey - I remember it was slow and the last 1/4 mile was a dirt road - no electric early 60's tin tub days.

When I was 10 my dad bought a 1936 Austin Ruby and I remember many happy rides to the seaside in it. Also remember it breaking down a couple of times!! Also remember it boiling over if climbing steep hills and having to wait at the top until it cooled down and then dad would have to top up the radiator! Often wonder what happened to it.Actually still remember the registration number BVR464!!

I remember mine. I was 17 and truthfully it was ghastly! The front brakes did not work but to get through the MoT they were adjusted up and you steered carefully to the local garage who would pass it and on driving back home you would slack them off so you could drive round a corner without them coming on. The wiper worked by pulling the lever back and then spinning the tiny round knob. The engine was labourious and on ascending a hill it was quite possible to be overtaken by a small boy on a bicycle. It leaned on every corner and the seat back was so small in width that a morning’ s drive would leave you with cramp in your shoulders. It was of its day and allowed a man to upgrade from a motorcycle sidecar with his family and stay dry but it was hard work.

I have a massive soft spot for these cars. I grew up next to the Longbridge factory and every year my dad would take me to the Austin Seven Rally on Cofton Park. There would be loads of these and all sorts of other classic cars. A guy who lived over the road from me was always there with the only six wheeled Austin Seven Truck in the world. They don't hold the Austin Seven Rally anymore but the Pride of Longbridge Rally is on every April. If you want to see a shed load of these old beauties (and a load of other Austins, Rovers, and MGs) come along.

The sheer power of the 747 !

My Uncle used to drive an Austin 7 to work every day from Manchester to Liverpool, down the East Lancs Road, an early dual carriageway before WWII.

My family had one of these when I was a kid. We drove it from Cheshire to Dartford and back in 1960.

For its age, I'm actually very impressed how modern it all is!! I mean to say, my 1958 moggy minor is very similar in many ways! That Ruby was truly advanced for its day! What a Gem! Would love to drive one 👍

Love that 2nd-3rd gear noise :)

Fabric and wood inserts in roofs were common in even American sedans...until "turret" (all-steel) tops became popular around 1936.

I adore the Austin 7 Ruby. My grandfather had one, apparently, but I only remember his 1952 black Ford Prefect. The very first car I ever tried to drive.! Sitting on his lap aged 6 0r 7.

Really enjoyed this. Always find videos like this more enthralling than a supercar, maybe because there is a chance I could own.

My family had this exact car when I was a young boy - recognised it immediately. But this was in the 50's so it was pretty old by then. It's amazing see it again in this video :-)

Day off from work, ran some errands for my Good Lady...in my 103e and came back to this, it doesn't get much better. My Grandfather ran two Sevens during WW2, a 'box saloon' and a Ruby. The chap who taught me to drive recalled how his Seven would only start on cold winter mornings if the spark plugs had spent about ten minutes in a warm oven, and been put back into the head at high speed!

I've never had any interest in the 7 but this video has somewhat changed that, I'd like to have a drive of one now, that looks great fun.

My dad had one in the very early sixties i remember riding in it, on the way to market he took a corner and the rear near side wheel collapsed. The axle was lying on the wheel rim all the spokes had let go, that was my first memory of being in any car an unforgettable experience.

Thumbs up for Danny, Champion of the World!

Danny the Champion of the world is fantastic, I read it every so often as it makes me happy. I believe one of my great uncles drove a Ruby into the 50's or maybe early 60's. No wonder late in life he was so proud of his 'modern' mk4 escort!

Excellent. Quite luxurious for it's era really. Wind up windows, right posh. You can really see how the A30 and Morris Minor were really just developments of this car. Fascinating.

Lovely, way ahead of its time.

Mick Fleetwood drummer out of Fleetwood Mac had his Austin 7 shipped to Maui (where he now lives) apparently he had a tear in his eye when reunited with his car dockside.

Coffee and hub nut before work and and education on the 37 Austin.Great

I was a PK (preacher's kid) in very rural SW Illinois in the forties and early fifties, and we were often visited by fundamentalist evangelists, missionaries, and preachers. Among them was a Brit who drove what we called an English Austin. I remember that it resembled a Model A and that it had turn signal flags that the local people found highly amusing. I don't remember whether it was right hand drive, but I'm now pretty sure it was an Austin 7.

Toad of toad hall eh? You don’t hear that said very often. I have the 1972 bbc radio production on cassette, but also discovered recently that it’s here on RU-vid! Great video btw Ian!

I've had the pleasure of owning a 1937 Austin Ruby and 1937 Austin Opal (the two seat convertible). They are remarkable cars and will take you to surprising places; some greenlaning was enjoyed in the Ruby as was driving the Opal in a blizzard over the Brecon Beacons - with the hood down of course. There's a luggage shelf which will fold down and rest on the rear bumper, ready to take your suitcase, picnic hamper or camping gear. They are marvellous fun, there are some excellent clubs to cater for them and good support from spares specialists. You've reminded me how much I'd like another one!

Adorable, cute as a button, yet completely useable and perfectly driveable..!! Gorgeous..!!

I remember reading that Roald Dahl book with Danny back in primary school. We read it as a group, and I was the only one who knew what the gear changes meant:)

My Grandfather had a Chummy when he lived in Dublin between the wars. It was one of the few cars in Dublin at the time and he would often get a little help getting it home, by the Police if he had overenjoyed himself at the pub. Aparently they just wanted to have a go.

What a gorgeous little car....part of me would love an Austin 7 Ruby. You can totally see how the A30/A35 was a logical development of that idea...

My father learned to drive in an Austin 7 in the 1930's. It must have been a old one even at the time as he was very much working class. Mentioned that he drove to and from the Lake District in it pre-war, a round trip of 120 miles although probably not on the same day. During the war, he ended up being a military staff car driver where he drove the military version of the pre-war Humber Super Snipe.

i.Planning on taling my '37 Rubt deluxe to the Centenary event next year - a long trip. Inside the spare wheel cover at the rear is a drop down rack for luggage. All you need is a bungee to keep it all in place. Each footwell has a little flap for letting in air - and dust - if its too warm inside.

What a lovely charming little car! I'd love to have one of these. Not much of a crumple zone for the rear passengers! :-) Someone should make a modern version of these cars, they're brilliant! What a cute little wiper, no triangle of doom more a passenger side of no visibility! Thanks for posting.

That engine is so charming. Just pootles away!

Thanks for this, my daughter and I watched and adore this little car. 😁

I love how you said you wouldn't want to to drive down the motorway in one but are happy to do it in an invacar!

Charming and delightful little car.

What a great video. i own a 37 ruby that i got from my grandmother and drive it as often as i can. thanks for the video.

Completely brilliant. Everything. I love it.

My wife and were driven away from our Devon wedding by her uncle in his nearly-completely-restored Seven, complete with pink Brentford Nylons sheet headlining; a lovely little thing (and so is my wife). We went a couple of miles and transferred to a family friend's BMW 7 series for our onward journey to the reception. A memorable day for many reasons...

Another factor for the fabric roof - well into the 1930s, it was common wisdom among automotive engineers that full metal roofs would cause a "drumming" effect at highway speeds, and at least a partial fabric top was considered necessary to prevent that noise.

My dads First car was an Austin Ruby back in the early 1950's. I can only remember going out in it the once when it skidded sideways on icy cobbles or wood tar block and hit the kerb and the near side front wheel folded over and I hit my ribs on the gear lever. I was three or four at the time, the only other thing I remember about the car is the smell of the exhaust when cold, sort of a sweet smell compared to modern cars, also it standing in the drive with another one which my father purchased for ten pounds for parts, we were living in St Johns Wood at the time.

Another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts

Nice one Ian - good to see pre-war Austins getting some love. So many people are nervous about them but as you clearly showed, they are simple and there's not a lot to go wrong! It's great that the Ruby was very tidy but clearly still in use and cared for. About the rear window winder - a little while back we had a 1931 Chevrolet Independence with exactly the same design.

My grandad had an Austin ruby, I remember going to Skegness in it, we had to get out to allow it go go up the steepest hills.

A guy I went to school with, who was a petrolhead even in his teens, had one (I knew him in the late 1960s/early 70s). He restored it and used it as his daily driver. It was black and maroon. I even remember the reg. - BAR 704. Lovely little car.

All Austin gearboxes were renown for being hard/harsh and difficult to get into gear and very unforgiving, one way to to ease gear selection was to Double-de-clutch. I once owned a 1937 Austin 10, one day the rod brakes fulcrum under the chassis fell apart and left me with NO BRAKES going down hill with a dog leg at the bottom ... frantic changing down of gears to control speed .... Road side inspection showed the Split Pin holding the pivot pin had dropped out ... quick straightening of some rods and a Kirby Grip as a temporary repair ... Maximum speed going down hill with rear wind was 45 MPH ... great car and could not kill it with an Axe.

my mother had a Austin Big 7 ,next size up from the Ruby. It's probably still running in New Zealand somewhere as it was in very nice condition in the late 70's.

My dads first car. The Drive to Manchester from London before motorways took 15 hours!

My Father had a Ruby in the late 1930's. I think he sold it before he was called up during the second world war. He spoke well of that little car he even drove down a flight of steps once. it was ok afterwards. You said that you needed smaller feet to drive. My Father was a size 10.

What a lovely car!

Even on the grottiest of days, that little car will make you smile.

My grandfather had a Seven. According to my father, being a blacksmith his method of parallel parking was to drive in forwards then lift the back in.

it has probably been mentioned elsewhere but the Ruby had a fold out luggage rack that was stored with the spare wheel, if you pause the vid at 14:06 you can see the cutouts in the panel/spare wheel cover where the luggage rack goes when folded out (you take the panel off being very careful not to break the light fold it out and replace the spare wheel cover).

Only one word is appropriate, charming.

What a charming wee car. You've totally jogged my memory of Danny the Champion of the World! Sounds like the clutch release bearing is on the way out but the whine just adds to the charm!

Think of how luxurious it would have been to transition from an open car to a closed one back in the day, with glass windows to keep out the rain and much of the cold too.

I had a 1936 ruby as my first car and daily driver in 1967/8, as a school boy, I'm 69 now. I wonder if Bt 9786 survived to become a preserved classic here in New Zealand?. Happy memories.

My brother-in-law (my elder sister's boyfriend, and subsequently husband) had an Austin 7 when I was a kid. This would be around 1960, maybe a bit before, so it was a pretty old car by then. As a kid, I was always looking forward to it breaking down in some way, which I saw as an adventure. My most vivid memory is of a Christmas Eve when we drove as a family in the 7, heading through Rugby in the snow, there was an enormous bang, a great backfire, and the exhaust fell off. My mother and I were parked in a hotel, in front of a roaring open fire in the lobby, whilst my Dad and my brother-in-law (or soon to be) went to try and find someone to fix the car, on Christmas Eve, in the snow. Surprisingly enough, they succeeded, and we did get on our way again.

Wonderful! Danny Champion of The World was a favourite of mine too, so evocative, especially catching Pheasants with raisins threaded on horsehair!

It was your video earlier in the year that put me on to Drive Dad's Car, went there as soon as lockdown relented. I drove a 1.6 Capri, very enjoyable experience. The museum is also very good, guarantee you will find cars that ring your bell. I feel like going back to have a go in the Roller, the Austin 7, and the Reliant.👍

lovely bubbly - I like it - a lot

Gorgeous.

Like you are with wipers I'm a bit OCD with indicators. I love a good semaphore and love the fact you can now buy LED kits that allow them to flash. Much better than the old bi metal strip globes. A flashing semaphore or a sequential red flashing rear lamp gets me a smidge excited.

Ah, the amount of times my mother used to shout "Put yer winker out man!"

What a delightful little car