Description

1950 Lea-Francis 14hp Special

Unique two-door coupe made by a Cornish cabinet maker in the late 1960s; veteran of various European tours; recent new set of tyres; driven over 70 miles to the sale; a most impressive LeaF all round

Like so many British car companies, the Coventry firm of Lea-Francis started out in life as a manufacturer of bicycles, first trying their hand at motorcars in 1904. For most of the 1920s and ‘30s they concentrated on building small capacity sporting models. The 12hp and the 14hp were introduced in 1937 and continued until late 1939 when the factory switched to manufacturing for the war effort.

Post-war car production recommenced in 1946 with updated vehicles based on the pre-war designs. The 14hp Saloon and Sports were luxurious and sporty for the era and were well-received, if rather expensive, appealing to those who preferred individuality and craftsmanship over mass produced conformity.

Power came from Lea-F's own Riley-style twin-cam overhead-valve 1.8-litre four, designed by Henry Rose who was also the key engineer behind the wonderful Riley engines. From 1949 independent front suspension was adopted and demand for these fine cars rose steadily, 2,133 finding customers before production came to an end in 1954.

This unique Lea-Francis started life in 1950 as a four-door 14hp saloon but was converted to a two-door coupe between 1969 and 1972 by Mr Arnold Weaver, a cabinet maker from Polperro, Cornwall. The body, which has a whiff of the ‘Blue Train Bentley’ about it, is a Weymann type with fabric over a wooden frame and is so well constructed that it still feels rock solid over 50 years later.

Mr Weaver sold the car in 1978 and it seems to have spent the next dozen years in a collection in Holland, mainly on display with the occasional show outing, before returning to the UK around 1991. From 2001 – 2021 it was owned by a Lea-Francis Club member in Norfolk who took it on several European tours as well as touring the UK and Ireland.

Correspondence, club magazines and rally plaques on file document some of these trips during which the car was said to cruise happily at 65mph with 26mpg economy. Six old MOTs show that the car has covered around 11,000 miles since 1993.

Our vendor has recently serviced the car and fitted four new Waymaster tyres. He tells us that the LeaF performs remarkably well and is surprisingly easy to drive. He drove it over 70 miles to Brightwells and we have enjoyed tootling it round the yard ourselves and can confirm that it goes well, feeling like a much younger car. The vendor advises that the tachometer is not currently working and will need a new cable.

The build quality is a tribute to the cabinet-making skills of Mr Weaver and the attention to detail is marvellous. Nice touches include the milled aluminium dashboard, the vanity mirror and art deco lights for the rear seat passengers, the LeaF pennant on the front wing and the Perspex-lidded tool tray under the bonnet. Other useful features include twin air horns, a thermostatically controlled electric fan, a red jerry can on the running board and of course the independent front suspension.

Supplied with a good file of history, this unique and handsome LeaF is well known to the club and will draw lots of interest wherever it goes. It feels remarkably robust and no doubt has many more European tours ahead of it in the hands of a fortunate new owner. Go on, you only live once…

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com