Founded by Sir William Lyons as Swallow Sidecars in 1923 as producers of sidecars for motorcycles. By 1928 a niche was identified by Lyons for a small quality motorcar and the seeds were sown for the Austin Swallow. Utilising the Austin 7 rolling chassis, engine , gear box etc and combined with their design and coach building skills the first prototype left for the Blackpool Factory to the Earls Court motor show in London 1928. Budgetary restraints meant that the car could not be displayed inside the building so parking outside the entrance proved the next best option which paid off. A fortuitous meeting with the retail giant and Bentley dealer Jack Barcklay on the pavement outside Earls Court resulted in an order for several hundred cars and the beginning of the motorcar production for the manufacturers we know of today as Jaguar.
The Austin Swallow was supplied in saloon, open 2 seater and coupe form (2 seater with hard top). The tiny coach built cars had a period Art Deco appearance, a high build quality and a vibrant two tone colour scheme not common then. With the great depression taking its grip throughout the western world these small cute little cars with an affordable price tag to match found themselves accepted amongst the middle and upper classes as cheap classy replacements for their more decadent previous car. Production soared until 1932 with the introduction of a larger saloon car the standard swallow and the SS1. The Austin Swallow allowed Lyons to cut his teeth within the motor industry and go on to produce some true greats. With his keen eye for a design at a reasonable cost models such as the SS100, the XK Jaguar and the E type Jaguar were born.
Le Riche Auto have a particular affinity with this car having restored several to concours winning standards for international clients. We have even re-created the two seater (convertible) as per the original but by utilising a later 1930s Austin 7 chassis. On the whole the Austin 7 Swallow is a very happy little car that can be cheap to buy like many a coach built car expensive to restore.Please view the pictures to see the different vehicles Swallows we have tackled.