I don’t know about you, but when I think about American Bantams, I tend to think of a proud little town in western Pennsylvania which the company called home.  Butler is the home of the Bantam, and although little of the actual factory exists, there is still a large vestige of pride in the folks who remember that their town was the birth place of the jeep.

This morning on eBay, a Parts Catalog was listed indicating the American Bantam Motors Corporation as being at Holden Avenue at Lincoln, Detroit, Michigan.  If you’re curious what this intersection looks like today, click here.

There has to be some sort of answer to explain all of this.  The listing does not mention any sort of date and it appears that all of the parts are for the American Austin.

Any insight is appreciated.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Click here to see more:  Bantam Parts Manual

American Bantam Parts Catalog – Detroit Michigan

Sold for: 20.49

As an effort to keep the content flowing and in light of the weather our New York neighbors are enjoying in Buffalo, I would like to present the thought of Bantams in the snow.

Below is a video highlighting Virta Warrens from the perspective of her daughter.  The clip introduces us to an independent business woman, who moved from racing cars to selling Bantams.  I’ve watched this video more times than I should admit; partly for the story, yet mostly for the vintage footage of Virta maneuvering her Bantams through all sorts of environments.  Beside cresting stairs and traversing rocky shores, a little past the one minute mark, she takes a 39-40 Bantam coupe through its paces in snow.

In a slick piece of driving she makes the little Bantam look like a sporty fun car.  If you haven’t seen this video, I recommend you set aside a half hour, so you can watch it about fifteen times.

While this does give us some indication as to the agility of these wonderful little cars, she hasn’t demonstrated an ability of the Bantam to burrow through snow.  Maybe this is why there don’t seem to be any of the little cars in Erie County…

If you’re looking for a new way to look the part when you go to the next ABS or AABC meet, this is what you’re looking for.  The ultimate in high Bantam fashion, this belt buckle will allow you to show off your interests at any occasion that requires pants.

Click here to see the listing: 

I’ve wondered what to do with the blog portion of this site for quite a while.  As this is wordpress, the blog is always at the forefront.  In trying to create something that delivers the content you want, this is my new experiment.  In the eBay feature section, I will highlight an interesting find on the auction site and post it here.  Often times, the listings get easily lost in the Trinkets and Parts section.  Remember, all feedback is appreciated.

____

The first item for your consideration is a heretofore unknown, or long forgotten, photo of the 1937 Chicago Autoshow. Note that this early Bantam roadster sports removable fender skirts, a two tone paint job, no hood ornament, and no “Bantam” logo on the hubcaps.

Click here to see more:  Chicago Autoshow 1937, Bantam

Sold for:  145.50

It’s been a long time since I have updated this site fully.  In the past month and a half, we have had some great successes in finding cars new homes.  I had originally considered making this a multi-marque website, but am now considering narrowing it down to only Austin and Bantam cars for a while in order to perfect the content.

Thanks for following!