Lanchester 14 Saloon

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Founded at the dawn of the motoring age, the Lanchester Motor Company quickly became one of the world’s most innovative car makers, turning out a succession of technically advanced cars that were easily on a par with Rolls-Royce for their engineering brilliance and ingenuity.

Indeed, Autocar once wrote that of the 36 primary features in modern motorcars, Frederick Lanchester was responsible for 18 of them – turbochargers, piston rings, fuel injection, disc brakes, you know the rest… However, the pursuit of mechanical perfection does not come cheap and Frederick’s engineering genius was not matched by his financial acumen, so his firm got taken over by BSA/Daimler in 1931 and things went steadily downhill thereafter.

The model on offer today is a 14hp Saloon that was first registered in April 1953 and is one of only 2,100 such cars produced between 1950 and 1954. It is (or was) powered by a 2-litre 4-cylinder overhead valve engine driving through a 4-speed Wilson pre-selector gearbox that made it good for a top speed of 75mph. These cars also have independent front suspension, dual-system brakes and notably light steering. The dash and door cappings are wood, more upmarket than the painted metal of the mechanically similar Leda saloon.

In the current ownership since 1980, MDF 508 has clearly seen better days, having been languishing in barn storage for many years (to the delight of our eight-legged friends, judging by the generous spread of cobwebs that festoon the interior). It is showing 86,000 miles on the clock which could well be correct as there are three old MOTs on file which show the mileage rising from 76,666 in 1979 to 80,174 in 1984. An old invoice also notes that it received a ‘new engine’ in 1971 which cost £193 including fitting.

Other documentation includes a V5C, old style V5 and a buff logbook which document all six keepers to date and indicate that the original Gloucester-issued registration number is transferable. But you wouldn’t, would you? Being offered here at no reserve, it now needs an enthusiastic new owner who can bring it back to life for future generations to enjoy.