1936 BSA Scout Series 4

Description

Extremely rare 10hp open two-seater, one of only 15 known to survive; fully restored in the early 1990s; only 3,000 miles on rebuilt engine; current owner 13 years; a gorgeous example of this novel front-wheel-drive sportscar

Although BSA had built their first car in 1907, they were much better known for their core business of motorcycle production. They enjoyed some success with a range of quirky three-wheelers which stole sales from Morgan in the early 1930s but the car that really put BSA on the radar for the sporting driver was the Scout.

Described by Autocar as ‘undoubtedly one of the best-looking small cars in existence’, the Scout had front-wheel drive and a low centre of gravity which gave it remarkably stable handling compared to rivals like the Riley Nine and the MG Midget.

Produced in six series from 1935 – 1939, the Scout was available as a two- or four-seater open sports model or a closed two-seater coupe. Initially powered by a Hotchkiss-designed 9hp 1,075cc engine, this had grown to a 10hp 1,203cc unit by the time the Series 4 came out in 1936.

With a Renault-style push/pull 3-speed gearbox and effective four-wheel brakes, it was considerably cheaper than the MG T-Series Midget but with comparable 70mph performance. It also had a far more spacious cabin than its notoriously cramped rivals thanks to a dash-mounted gearchange and no central transmission tunnel to eat up precious leg-room.

As copies of the factory records show, this Series VI two-seater sports was supplied new via W Thompson of Hull in October 1936. Little is known of the car’s early history but an extract from an old logbook shows that by 1962 it was owned by a Mr GR Gibbs of East Sussex.

The story picks up again in 1987 when it was acquired in a dismantled state by a long-term BSA FWD Club member, the late John Chadwick of Warwick. He spent the next five years treating the car to a total nut-and-bolt restoration, as detailed in many photos on file and in a 5-page feature on the car in the December 1996 issue of The Automobile magazine. This included a full rebuild of the engine (which is original to the car) and various upgrades to make it suitable for daily use (e.g. uprated stub axles and drive shafts).

The odometer was re-set to zero and Chadwick then covered around 15,500 miles in the car before it developed an engine fault. Our vendor, a leading light in the owner's club, acquired the car in 2011 and had the engine fully rebuilt, the machining work being done by Coventry Boring and Metalling.

He has covered some 3,000 miles in the car since, including charity hill climbs at Prescott and Kop Hill, and regular appearances at BSA FWD Club events, including the 90th Anniversary gathering at Gaydon in 2019. He reports that it runs and drives as well as it looks. It comes with a good file of history plus an owner’s handbook, period road tests and much technical literature about the model.

As you can see in the photos, this BSA looks absolutely gorgeous and comes with a snug-fitting hood and side screens which fold away neatly behind the seats, plus original style 'half tonneau' cover (see penultimate photo).

Only about 3,000 Scouts of all types were made in total, of which only around 30 are known to survive, including  just 15 open two-seaters. In almost 20 years of hosting these sales this is only the second Scout we have offered so you are unlikely to see another for sale any time soon, let alone one as smart as this.

Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com