THE STORY GOES AS FOLLOWS:- IT BECAME KNOW THAT A CERTAIN WHITE "ULSTER" WAS BEATING THE WORKS RACERS AT BROOKLANDS. AUSTIN WAS NOT TOO HAPPY ABOUT THIS, SO IN TRUE FACTORY STYLE HE EMPLOYED ITS DRIVER SO AS TO ELIMINATE THE OPPOSITION. THE DRIVER WAS A YOUNG, BRILLIANT ENGINEER CALLED MURRAY JAMIESON.

AUSTINS HAD REACHED THE LIMIT OF ENGINE DEVELOPMENT WITH THE "RUBBER DUCK", AS IT WAS CALLED. THIS WAS ABOUT 56BHP@ 6000RPM. JAMIESON WAS GIVEN THE JOB OF REDESIGN, BUT TRUE TO FORM AUSTIN INSISTED THE ENGINE BE SIMILAR TO THE ORIGINAL. EVEN SO THE RESULT WAS A MAGNIFICENT MOTOR, IN FACT IT WAS LATER TO BE THE WORLDS FASTEST SIDEVALVE EVER AT 122MPH.

THE WHOLE DESIGN WAS A MASSIVE REINFORCEMENT OF THE BASIC UNIT, BUT WAS SO RADICALLY IMPROVED THAT ONLY THE STEEL FLYWHEEL TIMING COVER WAS INTERCHANGABLE WITH ANYTHING ELSE. THE CYLINDER HEAD WAS HELD DOWN WITH 26 STUDS, THE BLOCK WAS EQUALLY STRONG WITH MANY EXTRA HOLDING STUDS AT THE CRITICAL BLOCK TO CRANKCASE JOINT AND THE UNIT WAS PROVIDED WITH TWIN PLUGS PER CYLINDER. IT WAS BLOWN AT ABOUT 24 PSI.

A SLIM, HIGH TAILED BODY, ENVELOPED THE MECHANICALS AND WAS TYPICAL OF THE PERIOD. THREE CARS WERE BUILT IN TOTAL AND ONE ORIGINAL CAR SURVIVES TO THIS DAY, ANOTHER ENGINE IS STILL CAMPAIGNED IN A CARBON-COPY, REPLICA CAR.

THE CARS WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL, ESPECIALLY IN SHORT-CIRCUIT AND HILL CLIMB EVENTS AND ONE OCCASION IT WAS REPORTED TO HAVE GONE AS HIGH AS 140MPH WITH ITS DRIVER PAT DRISCOLL!

ON ANOTHER DAY, DRISCOLL IS REPORTED TO HAVE REVVED IT TO 10500 RPM, ALTHOUGH NORMALLY ABOUT 7000 WAS THE LIMIT, AT WHICH POINT IT PRODUCED 70BHP.

THE "SIDE VALVE" WAS THE ULTIMATE AUSTIN SEVEN, EXCEPT FOR ONE OTHER JAMIESON DESIGN WHICH WAS TO COME LATER......