Ashley 750 (Austin 7)
Registration No. CMV 355
I was notified about this car in March 2013 by Eric along with the photo above, he had been on this site looking for information about Ashley 750's.
He had been contacted about the sale of this Ashley by the owner of these lockup garages.
I replied to his email and then got this email from Simon:
This car has been kept in a dry garage for possibly thirty years.
It belonged to my partners father until January when he sadly passed away.
It is important that the car is sold as the garage owner is patiently waiting to redevelop the land for housing.
Please let me know if you would like further info including more photographs.
I naturally replied that I would like more details and photo's and that I would place a "For Sale" notice on my website for them, which I did.
The following photo's where supplied and added for the For Sale notice and by April the car had been happily sold and collected by the new owner. ( Not, I must add through my notice)
Photo's thanks to freelance writer/photographer Eric Richardson
I had asked Simon if the car had a registration number and it did have so I checked on the DVLA website for the registration details that they keep and this gave all the details shown below.
Current DVLA information 01/09/2013:
The vehicle details for Austin 7 Ashley 750. CMV 355 are:
Date of Liability 01 11 2018
Date of First Registration 20 09 1935
Year of Manufacture Not Available
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 748cc
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type PETROL
Export Marker N
Vehicle Status Licence Not Due
Vehicle Colour CREAM
Vehicle Type Approval Not Available
Date of First Registration 20 09 1935
Year of Manufacture Not Available
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 748cc
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type PETROL
Export Marker N
Vehicle Status Licence Not Due
Vehicle Colour CREAM
Vehicle Type Approval Not Available
As I wanted to keep in contact with this car's restoration I asked Simon for the new owner's contact details which he past on to me
and strangely it was another Simon that had purchased it.
I phoned him as soon as I received his number and we had a bit of a discussion and exchanged our email addresses.
I have received emailed updates on the progress this one being the next day,
13th April 2013
Ivor
Thank you for your call this morning GMT (or last night local time). I will be very happy to keep the website informed of progress ref my newly acquired Ashley 750. So far, I am delighted with what I have found and intend to work hard to get this Ashley back on the road – 2014 is a realistic target. My plans are to stick closely to the original concept – a sporty 750cc Austin 7 Special with lightweight, aerodynamic body.
I have made a good start in the last week. The engine has been broken down into lumps ready for inspection to determine the specification and condition – all is looking good so far. I have also stripped the car to its bare essentials and the priority now is to confirm that the chassis, suspension and steering configuration are best suited to the job. Next comes the body pick-up points and bulkhead design – the current set-up needs further thought and development. Once this is determined, I’ll remove the body and strip the rolling chassis ready for restoration prior to putting it all back together again and completing the task started by the original owner many years ago.
Best wishes
Simon.
I will endeavour to keep up to date with the new works and add to this page with I hope new photo's, so keep a lookout for updates.
June 2013
22 June 2013
Ivor,
I thought that I would forward a quick update. I continue to be delighted with what I have found and still feel that getting the Ashley back on the road for 2014 is a realistic target. My plans remain to stick closely to the original concept (and the previous owners wishes) – a sporty 750cc Austin 7 Special with lightweight, aerodynamic body.
The engine is going to be looked over next week by a 750 Competition expert, so that I can be sure that the spec and components are as they should be and/or sensible updates planned. The chassis refurbishment is coming along a pace and will soon be finished. I have looked today (should have done so earlier) at the Pathe News clip featured on your site and was delighted to find that the front suspension set-up is identical to my own! I had already decided to keep it “as is” but will stiffen it up with a few simple mods. The front hubs and brakes are next up and will be stripped, checked and rebuilt as soon as I obtain a hub puller.
Whilst waiting for the hub puller, I am paying attention to the Ashley body. As I was tidying it up, I noticed a number stamped into the centre of the steel cross member at the rear of the car (i.e. the boot area). This is “57” and I wonder whether it perhaps refers to the original production number?
Thoughts on mounting the body to the car have moved on. I currently intend to use a mix of marine ply and aluminium clad, birdcage (welded tubes - aka Maserati) structures to mount the body/bulkheads and floor and will design this as I go. The plywood element will be for the rear end and boot enclosure only – it will be lightweight and stiffen up the body at the back end but do no more. I should then be able to pick up the rear end of the body by extending the structure that takes in the top mounting bracket for rear shock-absorbers. The rest will be fabricated from welded tubes, some stress bearing aluminium sheets and some non- stressed form-work.
Best wishes
Simon.
I also found this Video added on "YouTube"
(sorry about some of it being a bit of a neck twister)
Video courtesy of Simon
I sent a message to Simon for the New Year and got this message back:
19 Jan 2014
Hi Ivor,
Thanks for the reminder. I have actually made quite a lot of progress but the persistently dreadful weather has put a dampener on things and I have now started a three month work project, which will slow things down until the spring. It’s not really at the stage where I can take any useful pictures but that opportunity will come. When I get a moment, I will try to get some text together.
I do refer frequently to your site for ideas as I “design” the structure between shell and chassis … so thank you for your efforts. I will try to restore the balance by contributing!
Best wishes
Simon
January 2018
I don't know where the next 4 years went but that's when my next email was sent to Simon.
I said that I would be guessing that the Ashley 750 was all finished and getting well used, (not however at that time of year).
I had noticed that the car was registered so thought I had better contact Simon and see if he could update me with info and photo's of the car to add to this webpage.
I said that I would be guessing that the Ashley 750 was all finished and getting well used, (not however at that time of year).
I had noticed that the car was registered so thought I had better contact Simon and see if he could update me with info and photo's of the car to add to this webpage.
25 Jan 2018
Hi Ivor,
After many distractions, the Ashley is close to being driven regularly (I hope). It has been registered as a historic vehicle and is taxed and insured as of late December 2017. So far, it has been up the hill to our local church and back again without drama – a distance of some two miles! The weather has been awful recently, but over the next couple of days I plan a trip to the petrol station, with a back-up car following (just in case). You will see from the attached photographs that it’s not yet been painted (or washed!). I plan to do this when the car has been shaken down and any unforeseen problems identified and resolved. Overall, I’m pleased with the way that the body sits on the chassis.
Hi Ivor,
After many distractions, the Ashley is close to being driven regularly (I hope). It has been registered as a historic vehicle and is taxed and insured as of late December 2017. So far, it has been up the hill to our local church and back again without drama – a distance of some two miles! The weather has been awful recently, but over the next couple of days I plan a trip to the petrol station, with a back-up car following (just in case). You will see from the attached photographs that it’s not yet been painted (or washed!). I plan to do this when the car has been shaken down and any unforeseen problems identified and resolved. Overall, I’m pleased with the way that the body sits on the chassis.
The drive to the church was over bumpy roads, but the car didn’t rattle, shake or bang, which is a bonus. The brakes will need bedding in and setting up properly and the carburation will no doubt need further tuning, perhaps with a change of needle. The engine is freshly built (my first engine build!) with Phoenix crank and rods, lightened clutch, etc, etc. and sounds fine – time will tell. Other than that there is a list of things that remain to be done over time – a working petrol gauge for example. By the way, the dynamo has been converted to 12 volts, so hopefully I will be able to see where I’m going in the dark. The starter motor seems to like 12 volts to play with.
This was my first drive of a 30’s car and it definitely shows it’s A7 underpinnings – once confidence builds, I might consider it charming! It will be interesting to see how it handles when driven less tentatively – it definitely feels “firm” and only experimentation will determine whether it needs softening a little. I should add that the car now sports stick on registration numbers. I’ll send you some better pictures in due course.
Cheers for now,
Simon
Cheers for now,
Simon
Now that summer is in full stride I'm hoping to see more photo's in full colour of both Ashley 750 inside and outside located in the
beautiful English countryside.
If you have any other information about this
Ashley 750 car
Registration No.
CMV 355
(Originally registered by Middlesex C.C between
Aug-1935/Mar-1936 )
please email me on
[email protected]
or
use the contact page on this site to contact me