1934 Austin 7 0.9L Petrol · THE 7

Whatever the outer material — steel, aluminium, fabric or wood — every Austin Seven is built over a wooden frame, and it is this hidden timber that fails first on cars kept damp. Hagerty's buying guide warns that pressure 'give' around door frames, wheelarches and other squeeze points means rotten wood that must be replaced to restore the body's strength and shape. Cracking at the lower rear body corners comes from normal flexing but lets water in and accelerates the decay, and Auto Express notes rot attacks both the metal panels and the wooden frame behind them. On saloons, the sliding sunroof that many cars carry often leaks and speeds the process. Repair is specialist joinery plus panel work, so a cheap car with soft framing quickly becomes the most expensive car in the shed.

The Seven had four-wheel brakes from 1922, unusual for a small car then, but they are mechanical, low-leverage affairs that work worst when neglected. Classic & Sports Car's buyer's guide lists stretched control cables, worn or seized components and brake shoes contaminated with oil and grease as the usual state of play, and warns that the heavier the body — saloon or van versus tourer — the weaker the brakes feel until the Girling rod setup arrived in 1938. Auto Express likewise flags oil-soaked linings, worn wheel bearings and buckled wheels as inspection essentials, and pre-1930 cars have the footbrake on the rear wheels only, with the fronts on the handbrake. A car that stops straight and pulls up square on a lane is worth a premium; one that wanders needs a full brake rebuild with new rods, linings and adjusters.

Auto Express's Austin 7 guide states bluntly that the car 'has a propensity to catch fire', with the classic scenario an errant spark at the starter motor striking engine oil in the bay — which is why it insists on an immaculately cleaned engine compartment before you set off. Overfilling the fuel tank is the other named hazard on a car whose tank sits forward, and the aluminium crankcase and splash-lubricated, oily bay make everything combustible. Age and corrosion of the cotton-braid and rubber wiring, often patched rather than replaced, adds the spark; poor 12v conversions and electronic ignition retrofits done to a low standard compound it. Check for fire scars, fresh black paint under the bonnet, and a modern fuse in the correct place, and carry extinguisher rather than optimism.