Ashley 750 (Austin 7 Ruby)
Registration No. CKB 582
*********************************
I was notified about this Car in a Barn way back
in September 2013, when
I received this email from Dave:
Hi Ivor,
My brother-in-law Pat has in his barn an Ashley Sports car.
It has been stored for some time now, it belonged to his son, but it is no longer required.
The registration number is CKB 582.
If you can find any information about it please let me know. We can no longer ask the owner any details about when and where he acquired the car or any thing that may have been done to the vehicle.
Dave.
A quick search of the DVLA Vehicle online service soon located this:
Current DLVA information 01/09/2014
The vehicle details for AustinRuby. CKB 582 are:
Date of Liability 01/10/1988
Date of First Registration 15/09/1936
Year of Manufacture Not Available
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 747cc
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type Petrol
Export Marker N
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour RED
Vehicle Type Approval Not Available
So it has not been licensed for quite a few years now.
I replied to Dave:
Thanks for your email, I have not got this Ashley 750 on my records (until now) so I'm very interested to know more and get some photo's of it, if at all possible.
I can tell you that it was originally a 1936 Austin 7 Ruby (see picture) and registered by Liverpool County Borough Council. I'm very interested to know more and get some photo's of the car for a dedicated CKB 582 webpage if I can, even if the car is a bit scruffy after being stored it doesn't matter, some outside shots also inside and engine bay, etc, would be great.
We exchanged a few emails back and forth and Dave says,
I have not yet seen the car, but I understand it is “hanging in the barn” and that was how his son left it when he went to Canada several years ago. I am over two hundred miles away, I hope to go and see him before long, then I will take some pictures.
He has explained to me that the Ashley fiberglass body has been separated from the chassis and engine, and I think it is his intention to sell the car, maybe you could help him get the right customer, at a fair price.
I will contact as soon as I have any information.
Thanks for your email, I have not got this Ashley 750 on my records (until now) so I'm very interested to know more and get some photo's of it, if at all possible.
I can tell you that it was originally a 1936 Austin 7 Ruby (see picture) and registered by Liverpool County Borough Council. I'm very interested to know more and get some photo's of the car for a dedicated CKB 582 webpage if I can, even if the car is a bit scruffy after being stored it doesn't matter, some outside shots also inside and engine bay, etc, would be great.
We exchanged a few emails back and forth and Dave says,
I have not yet seen the car, but I understand it is “hanging in the barn” and that was how his son left it when he went to Canada several years ago. I am over two hundred miles away, I hope to go and see him before long, then I will take some pictures.
He has explained to me that the Ashley fiberglass body has been separated from the chassis and engine, and I think it is his intention to sell the car, maybe you could help him get the right customer, at a fair price.
I will contact as soon as I have any information.
That was in the Spring of 2014, it's now Autumn
so I'm hoping that Dave has made the long trip to see Pat
and the car during the Summer
and may have a few photo's for this page if he has.
so I'm hoping that Dave has made the long trip to see Pat
and the car during the Summer
and may have a few photo's for this page if he has.
Well it's June 2015 now and Dave
has asked me to advertise the car for sale on my website,
which I have done.
It's much later now,
September 2015
the car is still in the Barn but it is
!!! SOLD !!!
has asked me to advertise the car for sale on my website,
which I have done.
It's much later now,
September 2015
the car is still in the Barn but it is
!!! SOLD !!!
I was able to direct Mark Ranger to Dave and Pat, as I knew Mark
was looking for an Ashley 750.
He arranged with Pat to go and look at the car and paid for it
on site as seen.
It was not until mid November that Mark and his brother took a
large Van up to Northampton to pick-up the car bodyshell, chassis and all the other parts to make the complete car.
These are the photo's he took at Pat's before loading them
to the van.
How I first thought it should be,
Ooops, wrong way round !!!
Ooops, wrong way round !!!
Having not heard from Mark by the
New year 2016
I decided to send a New Year message to which he replied that:
Ivor, I'll keep you updated of any news but unfortunately the house & workshop building are taking precedence over the cars, but it is a means to an end. I'll let you know when progress is being made but please stay in touch.
Well it's now
June 2017
and I heard that in May that Mark had a bad accident
cut his knee badly after putting it through a glass window,
now on crutches and it will be 2 or 3 months
before he is fully recovered,
house & workshop building on hold, so is any work on the Ashley.
I did hear that in September 2017 he purchased another Hardtop for
his car as the one that came with it was damaged with no glass.
I will be waiting and hoping to see some progress in the coming years.
Well, that hasn't happened yet, Mark still has the car but
his life has taken a few different twist's since but I'm
sure he will eventually have it up and running.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
However
this story now has it's own funny twist,
as another "Previous Chapter" sprung into life
when in January 2022 one of
it's previous owners
came to light whilst I was browsing through
some car groups on Facebook in the
Austin Seven specials/sports/racers Group,
this was Hugh Barnes and he owned it during the early 1980's
However
this story now has it's own funny twist,
as another "Previous Chapter" sprung into life
when in January 2022 one of
it's previous owners
came to light whilst I was browsing through
some car groups on Facebook in the
Austin Seven specials/sports/racers Group,
this was Hugh Barnes and he owned it during the early 1980's
Hugh then asked me,
"Ivor are you interested in Ashley bodied cars? If so, here is one I bought in the early 1980's but was unable to keep. A real shame as it was beautifully put together and even came with a hard top.
I did check the DVLA last year and it still showed up, with the last change of log book noted as 1993. So hopefully, it is still around somewhere".
Hugh still had two photo's which he sent to me.
"Ivor are you interested in Ashley bodied cars? If so, here is one I bought in the early 1980's but was unable to keep. A real shame as it was beautifully put together and even came with a hard top.
I did check the DVLA last year and it still showed up, with the last change of log book noted as 1993. So hopefully, it is still around somewhere".
Hugh still had two photo's which he sent to me.
He explained that he had "bought it to 'save' it from an otherwise uncertain fate, though in truth, he thought perhaps he didn't do
it too many favours".
But was so happy that he had found his old Ashley still exists.
He then went on to explain how he came to be the proud owner.
"I brought the car from a lady named Pat Jeffs, who I remember lived in Warrington, Cheshire. It was her husband, I think, who built the car.
I met Pat on a course I attended, she was one of the trainers and Austin 7's came up in conversation. Hence the trek to Warrington near Liverpool to purchase it, (170+ miles).
I had it stored at a friends farm as I was living in a terraced house at the time with no driveway or garage facilities in Impington, Cambridgeshire.
I really can't recall who I sold it to, it was a young lad who lived round the corner to me in Impington."
I met Pat on a course I attended, she was one of the trainers and Austin 7's came up in conversation. Hence the trek to Warrington near Liverpool to purchase it, (170+ miles).
I had it stored at a friends farm as I was living in a terraced house at the time with no driveway or garage facilities in Impington, Cambridgeshire.
I really can't recall who I sold it to, it was a young lad who lived round the corner to me in Impington."
I past on the above new details from January 2022 via this page to
Mark, Dave and Pat and received the following back from Dave:
Mark, Dave and Pat and received the following back from Dave:
Hi Ivor,
Very interested to receive an update regarding this old Ashley and to see some earlier history and photos.
This quote from Hugh Barnes :-
... I really can't recall who I sold it to, it was a young lad who lived round the corner to me in Impington.
The young lad who lived round the corner was Kevin Clark, my nephew and the son of Pat Clark. This takes the story back to September 2013 at the start of the webpage when I first got in touch with you.
Thanks for keeping in touch, I've often wondered what was happening to the car, lets hope it's up and running soon!
I guess if you know you'll let us all know.
Kind regards and respect for your effort.
..Dave Reeve.
Very interested to receive an update regarding this old Ashley and to see some earlier history and photos.
This quote from Hugh Barnes :-
... I really can't recall who I sold it to, it was a young lad who lived round the corner to me in Impington.
The young lad who lived round the corner was Kevin Clark, my nephew and the son of Pat Clark. This takes the story back to September 2013 at the start of the webpage when I first got in touch with you.
Thanks for keeping in touch, I've often wondered what was happening to the car, lets hope it's up and running soon!
I guess if you know you'll let us all know.
Kind regards and respect for your effort.
..Dave Reeve.
My thanks to all the Clark Family for allowing me to add the link from the past to the present.
So if you have any other information about this
Ashley 750 car
Registration No.
CKB 582
(originally registered by Liverpool C.B.C in Sept 1936)
please email me 0n
[email protected]
or
use the contact page on this site to contact me