Updated 5 September 2000

Sources and Austin and Bantam publicity.


There never was a factory service manual, so you can stop looking. Best source of information on restoration is to join one, and preferably both of the Bantam Clubs. The addresses for which can be found here. I have found the members to be verygenerous with their time for other members...

"The High and Not So Mighty" by Dennis Adler. The Robb Report ('Collectors Cars') p. 230 January 1998
The article has some very nice things to say about the Austin/Bantam and constitutes mostly a history of the company. Since buying the back issue costs$14 you may do better getting the Atwood Book below for 12. However, the importance is that an upscale magazine has singled out our marque for treatment. Finally the world is coming to know the Bantam!

The two best sources I have found so far and from which I have borrowed heavily are
(1)

"Whatever Became of the Baby Austin?"
by John W. Underwood

These are available for 15$ from NORM BOOTH

1589 N. Grand Oaks Ave

Pasadena, CA 91104

FAX 626/798-5746

I believe the A/B Club of America also offers these (see addresses),

(2) The Automobile Quarterly of the Fourth Quarter 1976 Vol XIV, No 4

in which there are two articles on the Austin/Bantam. I found a copy with out much difficulty on the web :~) through a book search service, and I see them on eBay pretty regularly.

(a) "Good Things Come in Small Packages- The History of the American Austin and Bantam" by George Edward Domer.

(b) "One Summer in Butler-Bantam Builds the Jeep"
by Karl K Probst with Charles O. Probst


These volumes come up on eBay from time to time where you can pick them up from 5 to 20 dollars US.
Information and photos of the Bantam have appeared in

Collectible Automobile, October 4, 1988. p. 64.

"1930-41 American Austin/American Bantam: Some Good Things Did Come in Small Packages

Special Interest Autos (#142) July/August 1994

Last of the Lilliputians: 1941 American Bantam by Josiah Work

A vistor to the page was kind in giving us these other SIA references.

Some articles (drive reports) have been written in Special-Interest-Autos:
SIA #5, p. 46 1933 Austin Roadster
SIA #31, p. 25 1940 BRC
SIA #86, p. 58 1929(30) Austin in Canadian Cellar

Motor Trend July 1981

1940 American Bantam Speedster by Arch Brown.

Popular Mechanics November 1973

When We Really Had a Mini-car by Michael Lamm

(An article about the Austin)

JEEP GENESIS: The Rifkind Report

The Jeep- Its Development and Procurement Under the Quartermaster Corps, 1940-1942

Herbert R. Rifkind

ISO Publications, Londn, England 1988


If you are restoring an Austin/Bantam here are some materials available from:

DICK BEAGLE
1625 W. Valencia Drive, Fullerton, CA 92833

Dick is the PBAC historian and has had a lifetime of experience with these cars, his father having been a dealer even! He has done a number of fine restorations and is THE guy to talk to if you have authenticity questions. See his beautiful and very correct Bantam Speedster here. (and another view here! top down). Dick has assembled a lot of material in a loose leaf form and offers at least the following...


1."Bantam Restorer's Notebook" $35 (postpaid US)

"...over 100 pages outlining appointments and details, colors, options, reproduced literature and color charts."

2. "Austin Bantam Family Album" $35 (postpaid US)

...over 200 pages, 500 photos of cars from production& prototypes through i970. Notebook format.

3. Austin Bantam VHS video tape. $15 (postpaid US)

($10 when one of the above books is purchased)

3? hours of films and clips featuring Austin Bantam ??4 hours of BRC & Auto subjects . (I did buy this tape...and I'm glad I did...BUT...get out your Dramamine...lot's of hand held, and grotty Tee Vee/Movie clips with a lot of electronic commotion. But, where else are you going to find this stuff? It's like the dog playing the piano...it's a wonder it's happening at all, so, the quality of the performance can't be given a lot of weight!

LINKS

There isn't a lot on the Web about the Bantam, but here are few Austin/Bantam links I was able to scare up.


Bantams are even popular in Poland! One picture is worth a thousand words, at least it better had unless you speak Polish! Some good pics I don't have here.

Here's some info on the Austin Seven on Bruce White's very complete page.

The Bantam is a big hit in Sweden too! A lot of duplication of the Automobile Quarterly but the page opens with a very "cute" little '38 roadster. without fender skirts, same as the Polish Bantam. I wonder what the Euro's have against those Deco skirts!?

Here's a very pretty picture of a little yellow '38 Roadster, a picture which you can apparently buy if you want to.

Models...

See the buy sell page for info on the Ertl Bantam Pick-up.
1/43 scale by Rapide of England, which you can get from Ewacars.
Yr Make description Scale US$
39 Bantam stakeside p/u kit 43 59
39 Bantam Austin pickup kit 43 59
39 Bantam Austin sports open 43 59
Let me know if anyone knows anything about these. Are they American Bantams or Austins?
___________

Another visitor submits this information about models.

Ertl Co. (Dyersville, IA) will be releasing a '38-40 Bantam Pick-up and Panel
in a scale of 1/22.

The English Model Co. of Mikansue did a nice 1/43 scale
white metal kit of a '38 Bantam Roadster. I don't believe its available
anymore.
___________

I like to think of the American Bantam as a distant cousin of the Jaguar. Sir Wm Lyons began by motorcycle sidecars of course, but then graduated to special bodied Austin 7s..dubbed "Swallow", much in the way Roy Evans gussied up the Austin for the American market. Alas, their destinies were not to parallel. Here's a bit on Lyon's Swallow and a picture.

And here's a Type 65 Austin Seven looking a lot like the American Austin Roadster.

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