1950 Lea-Francis Eighteen

The Lea-Francis Eighteen was added to the company's lineup - which at the time included the 1.8-liter Fourteen - in 1950. The Eighteen had a four-cylinder engine that displaced 2.5-liters and was offered in both a four-door saloon and Sports Roadster body. Roadsters had separate fenders and cut-down doors, and a grille design which it shared with the saloon. There were built-in headlamps that were mounted low on the front fenders. The overhead-valve engine had three main bearings and offered 95 horsepower. The Sports models had an additional SU horizontal carburetor which added an additional 100 horsepower. They had a four-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel Girling hydro-mechanical drum brakes.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2011