Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ray White]

Not knowing much about Austin's Vintage flagship I was puzzled to see there are what appears to be two gear levers.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/TYLQVFp2/1923-austin-204-66a52bff9e1ea.webp[/img]

Any ideas?

[mikeC]

The 'second' one is a period bolt-on accessory; the original lever is quite short and a stretch to reach, so the second one provides a lever closer to the driver. A similar one was available for the early Sevens.
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in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!

[bjacko]

The extra gear lever handle does not look as if reverse can be selected as it does not have the lever to lift the lever lock up.
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1938 Morris 8 Ser II Coupe Utility (Pickup)
1985 Rover SD1 VDP

[mikeC]

Correct! You have to stretch forward to use the standard lever for reverse.
_________________
in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!

[Ray White]

Thank you Mike. I didn't know that.

Nice car isn't it?

I was taken as a front seat passenger in an Austin 20 open tourer (many years ago) by David Cantor. He was very knowledgeable about old Austins and had several.

[Rootes75]

[Penman]

[Ray White]

[Cargy]

The position and operation of the gate gear change of the early 1920s Austin Twenty and other models was derided by testers and owners alike ? one described Austins as having pygmy gear-levers. Austin initially ignored them, countering that the 12 was so good in top that it permitted you to drive hour after hour without fatigue as seldom did your hand need to touch the gear-lever. Good job, because motoring writers claimed that average drivers tried to avoid changing gear because it required coordination skills most never mastered.

Austin gave the 7 and 12 a longer, better placed gearstick for 1928 and the 16 a ball-change in 1929. By 1930 they had adopted a ball-change without a reverse stop for at least 7, 12 and 16-h.p. models replacing the old gate system and fitting longer, lighter gear-sticks. They heavily advertised these improvements, at last recognising customer dissatisfaction and many users said they were now less fatigued after a drive, no-longer needing to look down and lean forward to grind the gears while taking their eyes off the car in front. Up and down changes were now declared to be mere childs-play.

For those with older cars still with short sticks, the Stadium Easy-Reach Gear Lever Extension made by Etienne and Cie of London for an Austin Seven was 7/6 in 1928 and other models cost up to 12/6. It was the Austin dealers who sold them, so they knew it annoyed customers. The Stadium products appear to have fittings that clamped onto shallow H-section sticks, whereas that in the photo seems to be bolted through, so perhaps some contrived their own.

There were other manufacturers - for those with the same problem in their Morris, Dunhills sold the Cadison (R. Cadisch and Sons) extension for 5/-. Cadisch also made an accessory gate-cutout gear-stick guide and reverse stop, sold by Desmo, for fitting to any sloppy Morris ball-change gearbox ? some people were clearly never satisfied but it was probably needed to stop unintended selection of reverse?

Fifty-six percent of cars on sale in Britain during 1925 had a central gear lever but as late as 1929 many drivers still pined for a good-old right-hand gear-change, hence such a conversion kit for a 7 was available for 35s. That, with an aluminium bracket bolted to the column and a horizontal rod, put the new gear-change knob with a Bowden-cable reverse-stop release lever just under the right-hand rim of the wheel. These were surely also made for other models.

By the way, in 1928, for five guineas (about 275 quid now) you could purchase a Whitehead vacuum servo brake kit for a 7, which also converted the car to foot-operated four-wheel power braking.