A 1929, Austin 7 Ulster, Bruce McLaren's first Race Car, part of a special tribute to Bruce McLaren at the 2020 London Classic Car Show
Everyone has to start somewhere, and for Bruce McLaren, that somewhere was this 1929 Austin 7. When Bruce—who would later go on to found one of the most successful racing teams in the history of motorsport—was just 13 years old, his father, Les, bought this 25-year-old car in pieces for $110. He had planned to put it together and sell it, but Bruce successfully convinced his dad to race it instead. Bruce helped his father construct the car as well as a makeshift, figure-eight racetrack, where he would later learn to drive it. The teenager managed to get the car past its 72-mph top-speed rating to 87 mph, getting the most out of its three-speed manual gearbox by painting the optimal shift points on the speedometer. When Les had to be hospitalized with gallstones, Bruce entered the car into his first race in 1954; he was only 15 years old, and he won. The rest, as they say, is history. The Austin 7 is an economy car that was produced from 1922 until 1939 in the United Kingdom by Austin. It was nicknamed the "Baby Austin" and was at that time one of the most popular cars produced for the British market and sold well abroad. Its effect on the British market was similar to that of the Model T Ford in the US, replacing most other British economy cars and cyclecars of the early 1920s. It was also licensed and copied by companies all over the world. The very first BMW car, the BMW Dixi, was a licensed Austin 7, as were the original American Austins. In France they were made and sold as Rosengarts. In Japan, Nissan also used the 7 design as the basis for their first cars, although not under licence. This eventually led to a 1952 agreement for Nissan to build and sell Austins in Japan under the Austin name. Many Austin 7s were rebuilt as "specials" after the Second World War, including the first race car built by Bruce McLaren, and the first Lotus, the Mark I. Such was the power of the Austin 7 name that the company re-used it for early versions of the A30
Size: 4640px × 3426px
Location: Olympia Exhibition Centre, West Kensington, London, W14 United Kingdom
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -quarters, 7, 1929, 2020, 4-cylinder, 750cc, aluminium, austin, bodied, bruce, car, centre, classic, doors, engine, exhibition, front, london, mclaren, olympia, race, show, special, tribute, ulster, view
