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On Sunday the 26th of March 2006 the Old Wheelers Club of Namibia hosted the 2006 Conti Trade Breakfast Run. The Breakfast Run started from Conti Trade in Sam Nujoma Drive taking us through most of the Kleine Kuppe before ending at the Harmony Centre. While driving through Kleine Kuppe various Street Names had to be noted down and it turned out that all names where somehow relevant and in preparation for the next event, the Standard Bank Vehicle and Asset Finance Etosha Rally.

It was the first outing for the recently restored 1934 Austin 7 Chummy. The Austin 7 was built from 1922 till 1939 with a 749cm3 four cylinder side valve engine. 10hp to later 15hp had to suffice for the standard production vehicles which allowed for a top speed of 75km/h.

This vehicle made motoring affordable to the British people and approximately 290 000 Austin 7’s were built Additionally these cars were built under license all over the world and were known as the BMW Dixi in Germany, the Rosengart in France and as the Bantam in the USA.

The Austin 7 Chummy in the picture was purchased in 1941 by Major Cocky Hahn, the first Commissioner to the then Ovamboland, grandson of Missonary Hugo Hahn, from the arms dealer Rosenthal in Windhoek. The car had 24 000 miles on the odometer and cost £ 50. The original couler was royal blue with black mudguards.

Major Hahn’s son Rodney, who was then 7 years old, recalls that they had difficulties getting the car to Ondangwa. The track was to narrow for the road and then the car was too wide for the rear door of the railway bus. Eventually the car arrived on a trailer. After fitting some cussions Rodney learned driving in the Austin. Thanks to the light body and the low gearing the Austin performed well in sand and excellently in mud.

Over the time the little Austin became a chopped mudguard-less flat-deck farm run-about before Mr. Broekie Tietz from Grootfontein salvaged her after Rodney Hahn swapped her for a stationary engine. Mr. Tietz restored her and found a new task for her as a wedding car.

When Mr. Tietz passed away the Austin became redundant and Mrs. Tietz offered the car for sale at the Old Wheelers Day in 2003. Old Wheelers Member Erwin Körner bought the little Austin and revived her. The Old Wheelers Club of Namibia is glad that this collectors item is back on our roads.