All about A7 Nippys

I have been looking at a book which tells you everything about Nippys not those smart waitresses who used to serve us tea and cakes in Lyons’ Cornerhouses, but the neat sports Austin Seven that succeeded the Ulsters. Its author is Chris Gould, who wrote a similar book about making replica Ulsters, and produced glassfibre bodies for them.

With text and detailed plans to assist those restoring or replicating these cars, and 14 pages of informative history on all A7s from 1923, the remaining 80 pages of this A4-format book instruct in detail how to proceed.

Every detail seems to be covered — even the seat cushions and hood frames — with all dimensions; photographs depict the rest, and anomalies and mysteries are discussed. Even those who have Nippys not requiring attention will find much of interest to them.

You can obtain The Guide to the Austin 65 and Nippy (ISBN 953 4914 1 2) via the 750 MC at Lewes Enterprise Centre, 112 Malling Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2RJ, or from the Pre-War A7 Club, 9 Queensway, Old Darlby, Leicestershire, for £20 inc p&p.

Gould lists some of the many other A7 books, but not the Motor Sport Book of the Austin Seven (Grenville), republished by the Pre-War A7 Club, which features descriptions of many Specials and Captain Moor’s piece on his 65, and the 1934 Motor Sport test of one.