Cotswold Motoring Museum
(and toy collection)
October 31

In the small tourist town of Bourton-on-Water in the Cotswolds of west England, the Civil Service Motoring Association has assembled a bunch of old British cars. The place is a cluttered series of rooms that's fun to explore.

It's much more than just the cars, which is good because there's nothing overly remarkable here, Austin 7s are pretty common. The cars aren't restored to any high level of sheen, in fact they aren't restored at all. The clutter is a lot of the interest because it surrounds everything. It's on the seats of the cars, sitting on the floor, on shelves, everywhere.

Each car is detailed well with signs stuck on the windshield, hung from the ceiling, and hidden in nooks and crannies.
 

1922 Rover Van
The grill doesn't hide a radiator, just a big air space.
A 2-cylinder horizontally opposed air-cooled engine sticks out scoops on the side of the hood.
No front brakes. 17,700 were built between 1919 and 1925.

1929 Austin Chummy.
650 lbs total weight. 4-passenger. 50MPH.

1929 Austin 7 Swallow.
Built by the Swallow Sidecar Company on a Austin chassis.
SSC became, of course, Jaguar. 1,700 built between 1922 and 1933.

1932 Alvis Speed Twenty.
Alvis, like other high-end makers, built the chassis and sent it to coachbuilders.
4-speeds with synchromesh. Independent front suspension.
6-cylinder OHV 2.5 liter engine with 3 carbs. 90MPH.

1932 MG J2.

1932 Triumph Super 7.
Most early Triumph 4-wheeled cars were saloons but they made some chassis for
custom-coachbuilders. This one became a roadster.
Presented just as it was found in a garage.
"Top speed was around 53mph at a struggle."

1933 Morris Minor.
4-cylinder OHC engine.
The same size and more powerful than the Austin 7 at the same price
yet sold only 4,000/year vs 15,000 Austin 7s.

1934 Austin Bantam.
An American car built by The American Austin Car Company.
Basically an Austin 7 with a cut-off rear end.
Sevens were also built under license in Germany (Dixi which became BMW)
and unlicensed in Japan (Datsun).

1934 Riley Kestrel.
Sporting sedan with a 6-cylinder 1458cc hemi engine with 2 camshafts.
73 MPH.

1935 Austin 7 Nippy.

1935 Austin London Taxi.
This car has 700,000+ miles in London until 1951, then used in Birmingham.

1937 Austin 10 Clifton.

1938 Riley Adelphi.
4-Cylinder version of Riley's 6-cylinder engine.

1946 Standard 8.
Introduced in 1939, 30,000 were sold before WWII.
53,000 built between 1945 and 1948.
60 MPH and 40 MPG.

1950 MG TD.

1950 MG YA.
Dated styling for post-war car. Designed in 1938, not built until 1947.
Walnut dashboard, adjustable steering column.

1950 Riley RMD Drophead Coupe.
2.5 liter 4-cylinder. 502 built between 1949 and 1951.

1951 Jaguar Mk V.
Built specifically for export to meet government quotas.
Post-war XK chassis with pre-war OHV engine and body.

1954 Sunbeam Alpine.
2-seat version of the Sunbeam Talbot 90 designed by Raymond Loewy.
Intended for sale in the US. 3,000 built.
Priced the same as an Austin Healey 3000.

1956 Jaguar XK140.
The XK120 was so-named because it could reach 120 mph.
Engine moved forward and revised front suspension (rack and pinion).
3.4 liter 180hp 6-cylinder but still could only do 120 mph.
Was supposed to be the XK120 Mark 4 but the marketing department renamed it.

Don't forget the name of the place is the Cotswold Motoring Museum and Toy Collection. The last three rooms are filled with toy cars of all sizes. Pedal cars, models, Matchbox, pull-toys, board games, and more.

This Baby Brooklands racing car was built in 1929
for the 10-year old son of a Riley team race driver.
The 98cc 2-stroke engine is missing. The body is covered in leather.
It was timed at 30mph with the boy driving.

The first inline skates?

The Civil Service Motoring Association is open to postal clerks and the like. Civil Service has the same meaning as in the U.S. The CSMA offers insurance and operates campgrounds, holiday cottages, and this museum.