1936 BSA 10hp Scout Tourer
Registration no. CAE 990
Chassis no. 691
Engine no. 717
•Rare front-wheel drive sports car
•More powerful 10hp model
•Present family ownership since 1973
•Bodywork and interior restored 2018/2019

Footnotes:
A motor manufacturer from 1907, the Birmingham Small Arms Company acquired Daimler in 1910, soon abandoning its own range in favour of a Daimler design powered by a Knight sleeve-valve engine. When BSA resumed post-hostilities car production in 1921 it was with a quite different type of vehicle: a 10hp light car powered by a 1,075cc, v-twin engine made by Hotchkiss. The model sold well, only disappearing in 1925 when rivals Morris bought Hotchkiss, though BSA later acquired rights to the engine for use in its front-wheel-drive three-wheeler. A version of the latter appeared in 1933 powered by a 9hp, four-cylinder, sidevalve engine of 1,075cc which was also used in the four-wheeled, though still front-drive, 'T9' model introduced that same year.

Restyled but retaining essentially the same engine and running gear, the Scout two-seater sports car debuted in 1935, though it was soon superseded by the outwardly similar but larger engined (1,203cc) 10hp Series 3 version. Described by Autocar magazine as 'undoubtedly one of the best-looking small cars in existence,' the Scout progressed through Series 4, 5 and 6 but did not re-emerge after WW2, BSA having decided to concentrate on producing motorcycles only.

First registered on 1st February 1936, this particular Scout was purchased by the vendor's father in 1973 and comes with a photograph taken on the day it was acquired. The Scout needed some work to make it roadworthy, after which it was used on the road. During 2018/2019, the bodywork was treated and repainted and the interior re-upholstered (by Blackwater Bodyworks in Essex) for the father's 90th birthday. On file are old-style logbooks from the 1950s and from 1973; an MoT certificate issued in 1982; and a current V5C document. The car also comes with a maintenance book for the BSA Scout (1935 version) and a copy of an introduction to the car from 1987, both published by the BSA Club.