The Haynes Motor Museum is inviting Austin Seven Special owners to take part in a huge celebration at the second-ever John Haynes Classic, on 6 September 2026.
From Ulster replicas and home-built specials to trials cars and one-offs, all will be welcome in the Austin 7 Specials: When Ingenuity Took the Wheel showcase.
If you can help, or you know someone who can, then click here to register – and read on to find out more about the event, plus how the Austin Seven kick-started the much-loved Haynes manual.
The Austin Seven made motoring accessible to the masses, and Specials later democratised British motorsport
The John Haynes Classic organisers are aiming to assemble 75 Austin Seven Specials at the museum in Sparkford, Somerset, this September, calling it ‘one of the most significant gatherings of these cars in recent years’.
The display will tell the stories of the Sevens and their creators, with expert talks and panel discussions on the show’s main stage.
The line-up of Seven Specials will be as much about the dedicated community of builders, restorers and drivers, as it will be about the classic cars.
From race-ready Ulster replicas (above) to mud-plugging trials cars, Austin Seven Specials have been built for lots of different purposes
The Austin Seven had a massive impact on British motorsport: from 1939, it became the bedrock of the 750 Motor Club, where, in time, engineers like Colin Chapman, Eric Broadley and Gordon Murray cut their teeth.
It also inspired the late John Haynes, who established the eponymous series of car manuals and the Haynes Motor Museum.
As a teenager, he transformed an Austin Seven from a scrapyard wreck into a Special, and documented the project in a booklet he sold to enthusiasts – this became the very first Haynes manual.
Austin Seven Specials will be among the classic cars on display at this year’s John Haynes Classic
If you own an Austin Seven Special and you’d like to participate in the display at The John Haynes Classic, at Haynes Motor Museum in Somerset on 6 September 2026, click here to complete the online application form.
If your car is accepted, you’ll receive an exhibitor ticket which will grant you and one passenger free entry to the event.
Whether you’re displaying your Austin Seven or simply in attendance, it’s set to be a very Special day… Sorry!
Alongside the Austin Seven Special spectacle, expect to see vehicles from the on-site Haynes Heritage Engineering workshop, a club area, curated classic car and ’bike displays, and lots more.
For the latest information about this year’s John Haynes Classic, click here.
Images: Max Edleston/Haynes Motor Museum
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