Meet The Owner – Scarlett Devey and her Austin A40 Somerset

Creativity can spring from the strangest of places. Sometimes, it’s a case of making the most of what you have – for Scarlett Devey, it wasn’t a case of ‘make do and mend’, more ‘build back, and better’. Having spent her life to date around classics, custom cars and hot rods, she knew that she wanted something special for her first car; as it turned out, an Austin A40 Somerset more than fit the bill.

Not that Scarlett had her heart set on an A40 Somerset, you understand – mitigating factors were at play. “As I was only 19 at the time, I was limited by what I could get insured on so it would have to be something not too powerful”, she recalled.

Homegrown classics are often the first port of call for youngsters looking to start their career in classics; their sometimes lower values and abundance of parts make obtaining cover just that bit easier.

Rarer than the likes of some British icons, the so-called ‘County’ series of Austins combined tried-and-tested mechanicals with glamorous Transatlantic styling, courtesy of company stylist Ricardo ‘Dick’ Burzi.

Truth be told, Scarlett didn’t go out looking for a Somerset, but quickly warmed to the idea. “After going to view my one for sale I really loved it! It was entirely original, the paint had a lovely patina and in general the Somersets have fantastic swoopy lines on them and are quite stylish,” she said. Perfect for a child of hot rodders and custom car builders, wouldn’t you say?

The car Scarlett viewed – and later bought – had had just one owner from new, having being garaged in the 80s and not brought out again until 2013, when Scarlett took it home. She added: “Modifications hadn’t really been considered at this point; I just wanted something of my own on the road!”

Alas, the Somerset (specifically, its B-Series engine) didn’t take too kindly to being revived. The hunt for an engine set the ball rolling for its transformation into what you see today. “[At the time], the engine was a 1.2-litre with a four-speed column shift gearbox; it was slow, and tired,” Scarlett said.

Clearly, something had to be done. “After many, many, breakdowns - I think I had spent more time on a breakdown truck than driving it - it was time for an engine swap,” said Scarlett. “The engine was swapped for a 2.0-litre Ford Pinto with a five-speed floor shift; the quality of drive improved 100 fold! I could now keep up with modern traffic and spent far less time on the side of the road.”

With its mechanical reliability sorted, the Somerset served Scarlett for five years. Of course, some mild tweaking improved it further: “Whitewall tyres, some pinstriping and some mild lowering made it a bit cooler,” she added.

Then came the moment of inspiration: Scarlett’s father, Tony, saw a photoshopped image of a roof-chopped Somerset by artist, James De-Ath, recalling the customised So-Cal Fords and Mercurys that graced the covers of Car Craft and Hot Rod throughout the 50s. To make the photoshop a reality, Tony needed Scarlett’s Somerset, his extensive (and painstaking) metalworking skills, and three years.

The work was extensive, as the photos attest: “My Somerset has been roof chopped four inches at the front and six inches at the rear, the roof shortened by 10 inches, gone from a four-door to a two-door [coupe], [its panels] shaved, the boot lid pancaked and the original factory trim has been modified,” Scarlett relayed.

“The windscreen has been cut down, the original grille has been fitted from behind the front panel and some Morris Minor window frames have been chopped around to make mine.

“The exhaust has been replaced with a stainless two-inch system. The colour is an original 40s Plymouth colour called Sumac Red, and the interior is entirely custom in cream and metallic copper. The final result was quite a subtle, very traditional custom!”

Scarlett’s Somerset cut quite the dash at the 2021 London Concours, where it, and seven other Kustom vehicles (named after legendary fabricator, George Barris, and Kenneth Anger’s seminal documentary, Kustom Kar Kommandoes) represented So-Cal car culture; Scarlett’s Somerset was the only British car represented.

Away from the show field, Scarlett’s Somerset is hard to miss. “It gets a lot of attention with all the custom work that’s been done so I get to meet so many interesting people at various events and out and about,” she confirmed. It looks the part wherever it appears – be it outside the garages at Brooklands or on the lawns of the Honourable Artillery Company.

It's been quite a journey since a tired A40 Somerset came home with Scarlett in 2013. It’s not a car she’s parting with any time soon, as you might imagine!

“I absolutely adore my car, it comes everywhere with me, Scarlett said. “For future plans I would consider adding fender skirts and possibly getting my steering wheel redone in custom colours to match the interior. Other than that I’m happy with how it is. It will 100 per cent be sticking around!”