Meet Rosemary’s Chummy

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Driver’s Lunch Nr. 3 – on Sunday 22 July - will be slightly more special than the earlier ones. Not only because it is in a remote seaside corner of The Netherlands, Hellevoetsluis. As usual, there will be special recognition for the car and driver that has covered most miles to reach The Lunch.  But now for the really special part.

All this due to the above photo showing an Austin Seven Chummy amidst its family members. The cheeky looking girl on the right is Rosemary and she is the cause of all this. Early in 2017, she asked David  ‘Seven’ Harrison if it would be possible to find the whereabouts of the dear Open Road Tourer of her youth. David published the photo in Seven News and things started to roll. Bas de Voogd from Holland recognized bits of the history plus the car which now resides in… of course Hellevoetsluis!

FLC924 has seen a long and winding life since it left Rosemary’s family in 1960. Not sure if the editor will allow the long tail history of the car, but let’s pick up the happenings in 1992 when the car came in the hands of Kees Varenhout who starts a most comprehensive restoration with the aid of Bas. Some twenty years ago a first test drive was made in the backyard. For various reasons, the restoration activities slowed down a bit over the last few decades. 

But a happy end is near, all history will literally(!) come together thanks to Bas de Voogd. He got to work with David Harrison’s notes, got in touch with Rosemary and motivated owner Kees Varenhout to finally finish the work on Rosemary’s Chummy. Sunday, July 22, the car will finally be presented after a long-long beauty sleep.

And now the best part. Malcolm Simmonds from the UK tries to lure Rosemary into an adventure that may be a challenge so many years after 1960. But yes,  there is a chance that Rosemary herself (!) will appear at the scene!  Now, would you like to miss the opportunity to see the reunion of Rosemary with the Chummy she last saw in 1960?

Do you want to be at the party and be part of the emotions and the pre-war driver's crowd? And of course in the company of your pre-war set of wheels. Then send an email to Joris Bergsma at [email protected]. Like before participation is free of charge. Lunch to your liking at your own purse. Meet the Drivers, meet the Chummy, meet Bas and meet Rosemary!

(special thanks to Rosemary, David Harrison, Malcolm Simmonds and Bas de Voogd for research)

Words by Joris Bergsma.

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 Austin Ruby AAL Open Road Tourer 1938 chassis number 289856
1.    Registered in Peterborough as FLC 924 in 1938
2.    First owner unknown
3.    Arthy owned it 1957, Rosemary remembers:  ‘’All I remember is that she was painted grey with a black canvas roof. My younger sister says she remembers having to hold on to the roof when it was windy!  She thinks they had the car for about 4 years in the late 1950s, moving in 1960 from near Birmingham in the centre of England, down to Rottingdean (near Brighton) on the south coast. She's amazed that the bodywork of the car hasn't fallen to pieces as salty sea air does terrible things to modern cars!  And she thinks the car was probably sold to a garage in part exchange for a Morris Minor - not so interesting... My grandfather called the car Top. Time On-Putter. Well she was VERY slow up hills. I am sending you the photos taken in Sussex in 1960. My father's hand is held away as he had been working on the car and his hand was all oily!’’
4.    Students in England buy FLC at auction
5.    Mr Dreissen from Berkel Rodenrijs buys FLC in England
6.    Mr J.H.A. Boxem, Zuideinde 252, Amsterdam buys FLC in Berkel Rodenrijs
7.    13-1-1988 Boxem has the car released at customers in Amsterdam chassis number mentioned in the document, chassis number restamped same day.
8.    Mr Boxem sells to Kennis in Bergeik
9.    Kennis sells to Peter Smakman, Grasweg 41, Amsterdam, tel 020-6366080
10.    Tipped of by Arie Paaiman that there was a Seven cabrio for sale in Amsterdam.
11.    Smakman sells to Kees Varenhout, Hellevoetsluis September 1992. Collected in dismantled state from Nissenhut Grasweg Amsterdam. Amsterdam. No longer a Logbook Registration with FLC.
12.    Kees restores body and chassis. Rewired with new loom. Bas assembles engine with new piston rings, Bas drives Seven around the yard.
13.    October 11th 1999 letter incl. 2 photo’s of blue Ruby tourer from GB from Boxem to Kees.
14.    Kees & Bas suffer from a spot of ‘’bad luck’’. Rebuild grinds to a hold.
15.    November 2011 Kees start final respray. Respray finished May 2014.
16.    February 2017  David Harrison on behalf of Rosemary Arthy wonders where her dads Seven is now.

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