1926 Lea-Francis M-Type Vintage Racing Special | Brightwells | Auction Ends: Wed 24th Jun

From a deceased estate; tens of thousands spent on build; Meadows 4ED engine fully rebuilt by Edwards Motorsport with Phoenix crank and con rods; Australian race history; VSCC papers; exceedingly rare model, one of only 236 made and six surviving

Founded in Coventry in 1895 as a high-quality bicycle manufacturer, Lea-Francis made their first car in 1903 and went on to produce a string of exquisitely engineered light cars, often fitted with four-cylinder OHV engines made by Henry Meadows of Wolverhampton. Renowned for their distinctive, aggressive exhaust note, these high-revving Meadows engines were highly tuneable, also finding favour with Frazer Nash and HRG for their racing models.

LeaF’s first serious sports car was the 1926 L-Type 12/50 Brooklands which had a tuned twin-carb version of the Meadows 4ED engine producing 52hp and guaranteed to give the car a top speed in excess of 70mph. Aimed at the racing fraternity and described by Georgano as “one of the best-assembled cars in Britain”, only 174 were made and just two survive today.

A more usable road car version was also offered, the M-Type, which had around 40hp when fitted with a single carb and was offered as a two- or four-seater tourer or saloon, a total of 236 being made from 1926 – 1928. The Meadows 4ED engine was further developed for the Lea-Francis S-Type ‘Hyper’ of 1927, Britian’s first supercharged production car, the Cozette blower boosting the power to 79hp which gave these racing machines a top speed of over 110mph, although only around 180 were made.

However, come the economic depression of the 1930s, buyers of expensive, hand-made cars were few and far between and Lea-Francis were more or less bankrupt by 1931, officially going into receivership in 1936, although the firm was briefly revived by ex-Riley man Hugh Rose in the immediate post-war years, and again by Barrie Price in the 1960s.

This particular M-Type (chassis number 10029) is one of only six known to survive, a copy of the Lea-Francis factory record showing that it left the works in June 1926 and was originally fitted with a Meadows 4ED engine (number 8064) and Cross & Ellis open two-seater coachwork with wire wheels.

Sold new via Lea-Francis agent CB Wardman of London, the first owner was a Mr Warwick Wright who immediately had the car shipped to Australia where it was to remain for the next 91 years.

The subsequent history of the car isn’t clear, but throughout the 1960s and 1970s it was owned by Norm ‘Stormin’ Norman’ Bice, a leading figure in the Australian historic car racing fraternity. He modified the M-Type for competition use, including shortening the chassis by around two feet and fitting a lightweight single-seater aluminium racing body, as shown by photos on file.

Stormin’ Norman raced the LeaF all over Australia, sharing seat time with fellow racing driver and Vintage car historian Neville Webb, winning plenty of silverware over the years. It was later owned by another Australian racing driver, Warren Webb of Queensland (presumably Neville’s son), from whom the current owner acquired the car in 2017.

He shipped it back to the UK as a stablemate for the Meadows-engined HRG race car that he also owned and, with the help of the Lea-Francis Owners Club, succeeded in getting it registered as BF 9266 in June 2020.

From 2019 onwards, tens of thousands of pounds were spent on the car to make it eligible for Historic Racing in the UK, VSCC papers being granted in November 2021. The full extent of the work carried out is far too detailed to cover here, but is amply documented in dozens of invoices and emails on file plus a 10-page article written by the owner for the Lea-Francis Owners Club magazine.

The steel and aluminium body was specially made by Hugh Murray Renovations of Stroud, using the famous 1926 Lea-Francis ‘Lobster’ and 1928 R-Type 200-Mile racing cars as inspiration for the front end, the back end being inspired by the Frazer Nash TT Replica. Murray also modified the chassis to make it VSCC eligible (it now has a 90” wheelbase) and made a new fuel tank and dashboard, the bills for this lot amounting to some £25k.

The Meadows 4ED engine (number 8857) was completely rebuilt by Simon Blakeney-Edwards of Edwards Motorsport, Wrington, with forged pistons, a Phoenix crank and con rods plus much else besides, the bills for this lot amounting to well over £45k.

Other expenditure of note includes: Lea-Francis central change gearbox rebuilt by Edwards Motorsport (£3,285); new clutch kit; rear axle and diff rebuilt by Brewster Mudie (£5,423); hardened steel half shafts specially made by Brewster Mudie (£2,544); recored radiator; WOSP high torque starter motor; Scintilla 12v wiper motor; Odyssey Extreme racing battery; seats trimmed in Pullman Black Neumann leather; five new 19” MG TA wire wheels shod with Blockley tyres (£2,882).

By a cruel twist of fate, the owner tragically passed away just as his beloved racing special was nearing completion, leaving his widow with the task of co-ordinating the finishing touches and settling the outstanding bills. We are told that the car has only covered a few ‘shake-down’ miles since the engine rebuild was completed by Edwards Motorsport in March this year, so it will require a careful running-in period before the performance is exploited to the full.

As you can see in the photos and the video, this expertly built Lea-Francis M-Type Racing Special not only looks great but it also sounds wonderful too, with that signature Meadows 4ED exhaust note. Previously insured by Hagerty with an agreed valuation of £50,000, it is on offer here for substantially less than it cost to restore.

All it needs now is an enthusiastic new owner who can reap the rewards of all the good work so recently carried out and get it back on the roads and the show circuit where it belongs. Increbibly rare and rakishly handsome, this is a proper old school sportscar that will win friends and admirers wherever it goes.

Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com