LEA FRANCISBy Bill Hunter
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In 1903 Richard Lea and Graham Francis produced a 3 cylinder 15hp car of 3700cc. Stylish and comfortable, with its centrally mounted single headlamp, it was a prototype rather than a production car. Volume production began in the 1920s. A 9hp car was put on sale in 1922, and an improved version in 1923. Also in 1922, a small car with a Coventry-Simplex oil-cooled 2 cylinder engine of 690cc appeared, and became a minor legend. And in 1925, a 12hp car with a Meadows OHV engine of 1496cc had started selling well, adding to Lea Francis' reputation as manufacturer of quality cars. By the middle to late 20s the company begun making sporting cars. A 1.6 litre supercharged Lea Francis driven by Kaye Don won the TT race of 1928. The 12/40 made between 1925 and 1935 won enthusiastic admirers, and annual production reached nearly 600. The 1.5 litre supercharged Hyper Sports (1928) and the 2 litre, 6 cylinder
Ace of Spades (1931) were raced at Le Mans. They began building their own 1.8-litre four-cylinder engines in the late 30s. They proved popular with builders of special sports and racing cars such as Connaught and an early Lotus Mark 6. Soon after World War Two, Lea Francis sports cars achieved the status of classics. These were the elegant 1.5 litre, 1.8 litre, and 2.5 litre cars, capable of 85-100 mph, which were produced between 1947 and 1954. However, in the climate of mass-production sports cars of the time, Lea Francis ceased making cars by the middle 1950s. Then, out of the blue, in 1998, a new Coventry built Lea-Francis 30/230 sports car appeared. It was a sensation. Built with laser profiling and cutting technology (if you can draw it, we can make it) it is promised for the spring of 2001. Models: |