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BSA’s efforts in producing a successful four wheel FWD car culminated in the Scout, introduced in 1935. This was a two seater with pleasing lines and basically conventional sporting appearance. It used the Threewheeler/T.9 nine Horse power engine, a single differential brake at the front, and drum brakes at the rear operated by rods. Rear suspension was semi-elliptical springs.
The Scout sold well, and BSA’s were encouraged to produce a 10 h.p. (1204 cc) version which also featured a relocated handbrake assembly. This appeared as the Series 2 (2 seater) and the Series 3 in both four seat open tourer and 2 seat coupe form.
At the beginning of 1936 the BSA car buying public were faced with a choice of five basic FWD models plus many more fluid flywheel RWD four and six cylinder saloons. The situation was rationalised during 1936 by a reduction in the model range to only an improved version of the Scout, in 2 seat, 4 seat tourer and 2 seat coupe form. These Series 4 Scouts featured an umbrella dashboard gear change and all round hub brakes, rod and cable operated at the front.
For 1938 the Scout series 5 featured 12 volts, Bendix cable brakes and minor styling changes, for example the coupe being a 2 plus 2 in modern parlance. For the final year of Scout production the 1939 Series 6 was fitted with ‘easy clean’ wheels and a three bearing crankshaft, and appeared in 2 and 4 seat tourer form, plus a steel bodied saloon. Just before war commenced a 2 seat drop head coupe version appeared, but only fourteen were produced, and the rising war effort brought BSA car production to a halt before the Series 7 with a revised front suspension arrangement got beyond the prototype stage.
Data on the number of BSA’s produced tends to indicate that some 6650 trikes were manufactured between 1929 and 1935 and 3000 Scouts of all models. In the above short history, no mention has been made of the various special bodied FWD BSA’s, as details are unclear.
With the advent of the Second World War BSA car production ceased and with it died the only volume production prewar British FWD car. In some ways it was more than that - the BSA FWD threewheeler was the world’s first volume produced FWD car and a significant pointer to what today is commonplace.
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