The American Austin Car Company (also The Bantam Car Company)
Bantam
The American Austin Car Company Incorporated was formed in 1929 to produce the Austin Seven under license in America. The American bodied Seven’s were produced in a factory in Butler, Pennsylvania. The body design was quite different to the English version reflecting a strong American design influence. It is believed that less then 14,000 cars were produced over the first 3 years of production. By 1932 the company was in financial trouble, finally in 1936 the company was sold. The new American Bantam Car Company was formed and with slight changes to the American design, enjoyed a degree of success. Plans to produce the car in Britain came to an end with the outbreak of war. At this stage the company design and produced a vehicle for the American Army, later to be known as the ‘Jeep’. The Bantam Car Company lost the contract to produce the large numbers of these vehicles required by the Army. Bantam models produced included sedans, coupes, vans and trucks, with a model known as the ‘Roadster’ being the most successful. It is interesting to note that the Bantam featured an engine that was the mirror image of the British version, other differences included a heavier case iron gearbox case and 8 inch brakes.
For more information....
The Austin in America Web
Site - by Donald Kloepfer