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.

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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!

This is a teaser shot of the most recent find of the day:

The unknown roadster. This is most likely a 33-34 American Austin Roadster which has had its share of customization over the years.

More photos are supposed to be on the way, and I don’t know about you, but I’m very curious to see what the rest of this car looks like.

It has been a very hectic week here at the site.  Earlier last week, I saw that this site was mentioned in the American Austin Bantam Club Newsletter.  I am very thankful for the lovely things the editors had to say about what I am trying to do here.  With the editorial, our traffic increased and I realized I need to organize the growing content to be more intuitive for new and returning users. 

If you are new to the site, or have gotten used to certain page placement please note the following change:  American Austin and Bantam content is migrating from the “eBay link” tab to the “community” tab.  I am working on condensing the offerings so you won’t have to click around as much and can book mark one main page rather than several.  To the new and old visitors alike, thank you for your support and keep coming back.

In other news, my new project has started arriving, one bit at a time.  This cut down American Austin body arrived today: 

1933-4 American Austin Coupe cut down project car

At one time, this body was supposedly some kind of tame hot rod or show car.  If it indeed was a show car, it’s glory days in this incarnation have passed.  It has some bantam brake, suspension, and drive line components; which may be evidence of some hopping up.  Please watch for updates.

Perhaps you have wondered why this new website suddenly went dormant.  You may have assumed it was abandoned by the creator after realizing what sort of work goes into an undertaking of this magnitude. 

I am here to say, the site is live.  It survived an arduous two weeks of moving the headquarters of Richard’s Automotive Services and will be coming back better then ever soon.  You can look forward to enhanced and updated content, as well as some new features.  Mind you, these features wont be fancy, but they will add a new realm for your personal searching leisure and a new area of interest. 

I will be launching a craiglist section for the American Austin and Bantam enthusiasts, which will offer current online ads which have not been included elsewhere.

I will also begin rolling out a section for Ford Model T enthusiasts.  Keep coming back for more updates.  Beginning tonight the eBay links will be updated.

Thank you for your patience and support.  Thank you Dennis for you feedback and suggestions!