Bantam Roadsters

As noted, the Bantam roadsters use the same body tub as the earlier Austins, above, so the differences wrought in Sakhnoffsky's mid-thirties redesign are cleverly (and less expensively) in the fenders and grille where a completely different and more contemporary "art deco"look is obtained.

How much better can a Roadster look than this?! A real beauty.

Harold and Barbara Simpson's show winning Roadster

Here's my own little roadster at it's first show...

Here's a gold Roadster that is also very tasty...

...and a snappy Bantam Roadster at the Bantam Colorado meet in 1996 (photo Jerry King). This one has been gussied up a bit and is not partiularly stock, but, nothing a contemporary owner might not have done, so, wheres the harm? Below , or next?, is a nother Bantam Roadster also suffering a little from too much attention. It's in a museum in New York somewhere...

This snap was sent in via the net and I lost the note. The car is in a museum in upstate New York somewhere. One could argue that is a bit over restored, and note that it has the open wheel wells on the rear fenders rather than the full coverage "streamlined" type. Although the American cars had the latter, this is still correct as most cars sent out for export featured this open style. (Note the European websites in Sweden and Poland, and the Argie car in buy and sell where the cars are this way). This is probably a late '39 or '40 car judging from the "outie" headlights.


Here's a great picture of Norm Booth, Bantam expert extraordinaire, in his '38 roadster at the Pacific Club's meet at Oakhurst CA in 1998. This is a 30 year old restoration if you can believe it.

Here's someone who has been driving Austins and Bantams for 60 years! Still is too...

And for those of you who like the "LeBarron Sweep" here's a res and black one. The Bantam factory discouraged the use of this two tone treatment in the Bantam because it was inconsistent with the overall "Deco" look of the car and drew attention to the fact that the body tub was the same one used on the original 1930 Austin Roadster. Still, it is a real crowd pleaser and some really like it's spectator shoe appeal.

Here are a few roadsters that came in on email...who's Are they? Please identify...details?

I know I drive you purists crazy with my little speculations and fantasy redo's in Photoshop, but were I on the payroll in those days, I might have tried to go more towards the pre-war French school with the big pontoon fenders...retained the split windshield, elongated the headlight nacelles and added echoing foglights, added a sloping,barred grille and added some chrome!

A little snapshot from my imagination..........

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