Photo: Worldwide Auctioneers
The year was 1936 when the American Bantam Car Company was formed in Pennsylvania by a group of partners led by Roy Evans on June 2nd. They transferred assets purchased from the American Austin Car Company and $500 into the new company with the idea of reviving the original Austin by redesigning the body and improving performance.
With very little capital, the new design would have to involve existing tooling, so they turned to the original body designer Alex de Sakhnoffsky who visited the company in 1937. His visit produced a completely new front grill, front fenders with headlights, and new rear fenders.
Improvements to the Austin engine also took place with a new aluminum induction system and cylinder head. The 45.6-cubic inch (747 cc) went unchanged, but by increasing the compression ratio by 40% and modifications along with the addition of a fully pressurized oil system and Babbit crankshaft bearings, the company was able to increase performance by 50% over the original Austin to 20 horsepower.
The company would offer a range of Bantam body styles from coupes to light trucks and woody station wagons. Despite their efforts, the company only produced 6,000 Bantams until ceasing production in August of 1943.
America was coming out of the depression in the late '30s, and auto manufacturers had started to introduce larger sedans. The shift away from smaller cars left Bantam with a narrow market of suburban commuter cars and local delivery trucks.
In 1940, only 800 Bantams of all styles were manufactured, and this roadster is one of only 323 ever made and only one of the fifteen sold in the 1940 model year. It is equipped with a durable 4-main bearing engine, 3-speed manual gearbox, Monroe shocks, larger brakes, and fender-mounted headlights.
This particular roadster has been driven just 11 miles (18 km) since a complete tear-down restoration finished off with a showroom quality green with a yellow accent paint job. The car was featured on the cover of Classic Car Magazine in July 2012.
Worldwide Auctioneers will be selling this rare and unique roadster without reserve at their auction on the weekend of September 1-3 in Auburn, Indiana.
Improvements to the Austin engine also took place with a new aluminum induction system and cylinder head. The 45.6-cubic inch (747 cc) went unchanged, but by increasing the compression ratio by 40% and modifications along with the addition of a fully pressurized oil system and Babbit crankshaft bearings, the company was able to increase performance by 50% over the original Austin to 20 horsepower.
The company would offer a range of Bantam body styles from coupes to light trucks and woody station wagons. Despite their efforts, the company only produced 6,000 Bantams until ceasing production in August of 1943.
America was coming out of the depression in the late '30s, and auto manufacturers had started to introduce larger sedans. The shift away from smaller cars left Bantam with a narrow market of suburban commuter cars and local delivery trucks.
In 1940, only 800 Bantams of all styles were manufactured, and this roadster is one of only 323 ever made and only one of the fifteen sold in the 1940 model year. It is equipped with a durable 4-main bearing engine, 3-speed manual gearbox, Monroe shocks, larger brakes, and fender-mounted headlights.
This particular roadster has been driven just 11 miles (18 km) since a complete tear-down restoration finished off with a showroom quality green with a yellow accent paint job. The car was featured on the cover of Classic Car Magazine in July 2012.
Worldwide Auctioneers will be selling this rare and unique roadster without reserve at their auction on the weekend of September 1-3 in Auburn, Indiana.
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