1938 American Bantam Series 60

The American Austin Car Company was founded in 1929 in Butler, Pennsylvania. The product was a version of the Austin Seven car produced in Europe. Power was from a 747 cc inline four-cylinder engine and wore bodies designed by Alexis de Sakhnoffsky and made by the Hayes Body Company of Detroit. The small and minimalistic vehicles sold for slightly less than a Ford V8 Roadster, with the coupe (labeled as a sedan) selling for $445. Sales were initially positive, but with the outbreak of the Great Depression, production was suspended. In 1934, like so many other companies of this era, it was forced to file for bankruptcy after producing around 20,000 vehicles.

Roy Evans was a former salesman for Austin and a firm believer in the small car market. In 1935 he acquired the bankrupt company and reorganized it under the name American Bantam. Several changes were made to the American Austin car design, including an updated exterior designed by Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, and a modified engine.

The Bantam, like the car it replaced, was small, economical, fuel-efficient, and minimalistic. Prices ranged from $399 to $565 in 1939. Unfortunately, there was not much of a market in the United States for a car of its caliber, and production ended in 1941 with fewer than 7,000 examples built.

With the outbreak of World War II and the fuel shortages and rationings that followed, the Bantam gained a new appreciation for its fuel-sipping appetite.

In its final months, the company developed a small prototype military vehicle, with mass-production being handled by Ford. It would come to be known as the jeep.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2020