The Nippy given by Lord Austin: YD 8015?

In September 1935, Lord Austin presented a Nippy to the daughter of the Gunnings dealer principal. We can surmise that the car was a steel Nippy in a light colour, and that the registration district would have been Somerset or Bath, from other Gunnings Registrations. This car would have been something circa YD 8000 or GL1800 from other contemporary registrations of that period.

Douglas Alderson found a article advising that Gunnings sold the first Ford in Wells and a photo showing the car but it had a Bath registration number!  The Nippy should be Somerset, but this does show it is not always that simple.

The article below shows the link to Bill Wotton of the Bristol A7 club.

 

We subsequently corresponded:

“I have been trying to get in touch with my cousin in Guernsey for the information I need but to no avail. But the information I have going through my family history

is as follows. The two photographs I have off my mum receiving the Austin 7 sports car (as it was called then – and later ‘Nippy’) were taken on September 25th 1934.

So it would have been registered that month or October, and I am sure it would have started YD and I know mum would have told me the number many years ago but I cannot remember all of it . It could be 815?

I have a draft copy of the letter that my Grandfather sent to Sir Herbert Austin on July 30th 1934 asking him if he would open the new showroom that had just been built and also to present the Austin 7 Sports Car on her 21st Birthday from her mum and dad!

It would be wonderful if you found out that this car is still being used!”

I wonder if we can find whether the car survived? YD registrations ended at the end of 1934 at 8505. Year end for 1933 was 6045. So October(ish) would have been about 8000 – so could conceivably have been 8150 or 8015… keep you eyes peeled!

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