1 of 290,000: An Austin 7 Van survives, and keeps on rolling

The model proved popular as a family vehicle and the van became a commercial success with small businesses as delivery vehicles for groceries and tradesmen such as carpenters and plumbers. When one of those 290,000 was first registered on April 4, 1933 as AME 534, described as a light box van, the design was already 11 years old and one of the most often seen designs on the roads across Britain. 

Today, more than 100 years after the Austin 7 design was introduced, there are a number still in running condition. Owners faithfully maintain and take care of their charges, taking them to special shows and events, such as wartime weekends, where they fit in perfectly with Home Front displays. So, what makes AME 534 so different from all other surviving Austin 7 types?

The answer to that question is quite simply its unique history compiled by the owners, including the late Dale Johnson, who took over ownership of his vehicle in 2009. The story of the vehicle’s later history begins in 1981 when the then owner, a vehicle enthusiast by the name of Ernest Randall, living in Eastbourne in East Sussex, decided he would rebuild the vehicle as an Austin van. Four years later the project was complete, but before he could legally drive it on the road Randall had to put it through a road worthiness test to receive a certificate known as the MOT from the Ministry of Transport. This document is issued by qualified garages and is a mandatory annual requirement for all vehicles over three years old.

Without the MOT certificate a vehicle requiring it cannot be driven on the road. Introduced in 1960, the MOT is a safety measure and so, when AME 534 went for its MOT in 1985, it was for the first time. Only a year later, Randall decided to sell the vehicle and in 1986 it changed hands and passed to Richard Hawkes. He would own it for next 23 years, clocking up some 4,000-plus miles taking it to shows and events around the country. When not in use the vehicle was kept in a garage sheltering it from the weather. Then, in 2009, Johnson took ownership and gave the vehicle its distinctive camouflage livery in black and green to stand out and become recognizable to regular show-goers.

Johnson was a well-known figure among the circuit of WWII reenactment groups for his presentations of the Home Guard, which always represented the highest standards. It was this interest which led him to present AME 534 as a vehicle used by a Home Guard unit. After taking ownership of the vehicle, the first thing Johnson did was to drive it directly to his first show, a “Wings and Wheels” event organized by the Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society (IMPS) and held at the Headcorn Airfield at Maidstone in Kent.

In his lifetime Johnson, drove a wide range of vehicles, including a WWII DUKW. Such was his attachment to AME 534 he even used to drive to work in it. When I met him for the first time he told me how drivers would look at him in his very compact vehicle as they passed by. Long-distance lorry drivers, in their massive articulated trucks, were shocked to see him in his tiny vehicle on multi-lane highways. Knowing his vulnerability, Johnson took measures to make his van more visible to other road users. For example, he fitted lights all round, including headlamps, which were permanently lit. At the rear he fitted four red lamps and red and yellow chevrons. As a final safety measure, amber-colored flashing lamps were fitted on the corner points of the roof. 

These measures did not detract from the appearance of the vehicle when it was shown at wartime events with Home Guard displays. One version of AME 534 was as a vehicle used by the 23rd Sussex Home Guard, which was fitting because privately owned vehicles were often loaned to Home Guard units during the war. Later, the van was shown as being part of the 2137 Motor Transport Company of the 6th Battalion Dorset Home Guard. More recently, and the last depiction before Dale sadly passed away in 2024, was as a bomb disposal unit. 

The Austin 7 was intended for the civilian market, but when Britain went to war it proved itself a valuable military asset, as did many other civilian vehicles. In the time that Johnson owned the vehicle, it was fitted with the correct engine and could reach speeds up to 45 mph and achieve 40 miles per gallon. 

One of the most unusual conversions of AME 534 was an armored vehicle. This depiction was based on an actual contrivance devised by Colonel W.H. Tickler of the Maidenhead Home Guard in Berkshire. The idea used a series of specially built boxes which could be filled with either gravel or small pebbles to provide protection against small arms fire. The boxes were fitted to the front of the vehicle to protect the engine, and another box could be mounted in front of the driver’s position. We can only imagine how this affected the small vehicle’s handling and drivability.

During the 23 years that Johnson drove AME 534 he covered many miles travelling to attend numerous shows and events around the country. His presence always attracted attention — not just for his incredible collection of military items, but also his amazing Austin 7, which he nicknamed “Autogophasta” in reference to the name of a British tank during the First World War. His sad passing in 2024 left an unfillable gap in Home Guard reenactments, but his legacy will continue. 

His beloved A7 van has been passed on to a Kent-based reenactment group called the Blackout Buddies (www.blackoutbuddies.co.uk) which depict a unit of the Home Guard. Because of its advancing age, the A7 is transported to shows and events on a trailer rather than under its own power. Johnson had met the group and enjoyed their depiction of the Home Guard, so it is only fitting they take over the Austin 7 and let it continue in the role that Johnson created for it.

A quick “Did you know” fact about the Austin 7. In 1927 the German motor manufacturing company of Fahrzeugfabrik of Eissenbach acquired the rights to produce Austin 7 vehicles under licence, at first using parts imported from Britain. Later vehicles were produced using part supplied by the company of DIXI, a subsidiary of BMW. By 1929 Fahrzeugfabrik had turned out over 9,300 using British supplied parts and nearly 19,000 more using BMW-supplied parts between 1929 and 1932. These German-produced versions of the Austin 7 were known as “DIXI 3/15” and designated as the DA-1, which identified them as Ersite Deutsche Ausfuhrung, meaning “First German Version”. At the time the German Army was still constrained by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which limited what weapons, equipment and vehicles it could possess.

The licence-built Austin 7 was one of the exceptions to the rules and the German Army acquired a number of these vehicles, giving them the term of Ffz 2, standing for “Kraftfahrzeug”, simply meaning motor vehicle. These had the appearance of “tourers” and were used as communication vehicles, with later examples being adapted to train crews of armored cars. This was done by simply painting the windscreen and leaving a small section for the driver’s vision. 

Thus, it could be claimed, that the company of Austin indirectly and probably unknowingly assisted in a small way the development of the German armored divisions which would spearhead the Blitzkriegs of WWII. 

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