The National Motor Museum Trust

The Baby Austin fulfilled Sir Herbert's ambition of a 'motor for the millions'. It changed the course of motoring history, along with the fortunes of the ailing Austin Motor Company.

The Austin Seven was introduced in July 1922 as an affordable alternative to the motorcycle combination. A scaled down version of the popular post-war Austins, earlier cars of this size and price were mostly crude cyclecars. 'Real' motoring in miniature, the Seven boasted four-wheel brakes, rare at the time. Affectionately dubbed the Chummy, the Tourer was the first model. The car was an immediate success and soon proved itself in sporting competition.

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