Lea-Francis

GB, 1904 – 1906; 1920 – 1935; 1937 – 1953; 1960

(1) Lea & Francis Ltd, Coventry, Warwickshire, 1904 – 1935

(2) Lea-Francis Cars Ltd, Coventry, Warwickshire, 1937 – 1960

Lea Francis started as bicycle manufacturers, like so many car makers, but unlike most of the rest, never went over permanently and consistently to Lea Francis cars. These Lea Francis cars appeared in fits and starts. The first appeared in 1904, in the shape of a 15hp Lea Francis car with a 3-cylinder horizontal engine, the oddest feature of which was its connecting rods over 3ft long. In the same year, however, Lea Francis stopped making their cars, and Singer the Cycle Company began building Lea Francis cars under licence and under the Singer name. R.H. Lea had in fact worked for Singer before branching out on his own. Thus began another famous car name. Lea Francis made motor cycles from 1911, and they concentrated on these until 1920. In that year two Lea Francis cars reappeared beside the motorcycles; assembled 4-cylinder touring Lea Francis cars of 11.9 and 13.9hp. Few of either were made. Then, late in 1922, the Lea Francis car company found its feet at last, with an equally conventional assembled light Lea Francis car. This Lea Francis car had a 1.074cc 4-cylinder sv engine of 8.9hp by Coventry-Simplex, replaced in the following year by a 10hp Meadows unit of 1¼ litres with overhead valves. A Lea Francis car with 7hp Bradshaw flat-twin engine came to nothing. There were 3 forward speeds and quarter-elliptic springs at both ends. The 10hp Lea Francis car was very popular, and was made until 1928. Like other Lea Francise cars to come, it was well made, dependable, and lively. The great moment came for the Lea Francis cars in the very important RAC Small Car Trials of 1924, in which the Lea Francis car made the best all-round performance. During 1925 a wider family market was sought with the 12/22hp J-type Lea Francis car. This Lea Francis car had a longer wheelbase, allowing more spacious bodies, front-wheel brakes, a 1½-litre 4EC Meadows engine to cope with the weight and a 4-speed gearbox. For the sake of comfort, semi-elliptic springs were substituted at the rear on the P-type Lea Francis car introduced for 1928, which also had a plate clutch and 4ED meadows engine.

The Lea Francis car firm’s first serious sports car was the L-type with 4ED engine, announced for 1925. The Lea Francis 12/40hp was one of the best assembled cars in Britain, and appealed more widely than the light Lea Francis cars. It was, indeed, current until the second cessation of car production in 1935. However, Lea Francis also made some more ponderous, less lively Lea Francis cars, without the same degree of success. From 1925 until 1929, the Lea Francis range duplicated some of the heavy 6-cylinder machines offered by Vulcan of Southport, with whom Lea Francis cars had been associated since 1922. The 18hp Lea Francis car was a 2¼-litre car with cantilever rear springs and overhead worm drive. This Lea Francis car was succeeded by A.O. Lord’s Type T, with its advanced but unreliable Lea Francis LFS-type, double ohc engine of 1.7-litres. There was also, in 1928, a 2-litre six Lea Francis car. These Vulcan/ Lea Francis cars ended with the demise of the Vulcan. However, an excellent Lea Francis car with a six was at last introduced for 1931: the Lea Francis Ace of Spades model, with their own 2-litre, single ohc engine. This Lea Francis car continued alongside the old 12/40hp until 1935, together with a new 18hp Lea Francis car, which was a 2¼-litre enlargement of the Lea Francis Ace of Spades. However, a really powerful Lea Francis car was also listed from 1928. This Lea Francis Hyper Sports was a quite different car, with its heavily-modified, Cozette-supercharged Meadows 1½-litre engine, low build and raked radiator. The sports-racing two-seater Lea Francis car could attain 90mph, though a coupé and a short open tourer could also be had by those who did not intend to enter competitions. The Lea Francis Hyper Sports won the 1928 Ulster Trophy race.

A new company introduced two entirely new Lea Francis cars for 1938. These Lea Francis cars were designed by Hugh Rose, who had been responsible for the Riley Nine engine and, like the Riley, had 4-cylinder power units with push-rod overhead valves operated by two high camshafts. The Lea Francis car had ceased to be an entirely assembled car. A 12hp and a 14hp Lea Francis car were available, with cubic capacities of 1½ and 1.6-litres. Both had a 4-speed synchromesh gearbox. A sports version of the 1½-litre Lea Francis car was also sold, thus maintaining the old tradition. These two ‘Leafs’ were good cars, and as they were new, up-to-date Lea Francis carmodels, they could be continued after World War 2. Most of those built in this period were Lea Francis Fourteens, which were heavier but had a bigger bore and a capacity of 1.8-litres. A tuned sports Lea Francis car of the 14hp arrived for 1948. At the end of that year, an export version of the 14hp Lea Francis car, with torsion-bar independent front suspension, was shown and this suspension was adopted for both the 14hp and for the new 18hp, with a 2½-litre engine, in 1950. The sports model of the 18hp Lea Francis car was a fine car, with 100bhp available. The Lea Francis cars for 1953 had hydraulic brakes, but that was the last year in which the Lea Francis car appeared as a competitive production car. By mid-1952, output had fallen to six Lea Francis cars a week. An expensive car of specialist appeal,  the post-war years were too hard for it. In 1960 a few prototypes of a new sports Lea Francis car, the Leaf-Lynx, were made, but it never reached production. The power unit of this Lea Francis car was a 2½-litre Ford Zephyr, there was independent front suspension and disc brakes were supplied, but the car was ill-favoured and ill received. No better luck attented the Lea Francis carfirm’s attempt to make the Nobel bubble-car.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Simca

France, 1935 to date

(1) Sté Industrielle de Mécanique et Carrosserie Automobile, Nanterre, Seine, 1935 – 1961; Poissy, Seine-et-Oise, 1954 – 1970

(2) Chrysler France SA, Poissy, Seine-et-Oise, 1970 to date

H.T. Pigozzi’s Simca car company was formed in November 1934, to manufacture Fiat cars under licence for the French market in the former Donnet factory. Pre-1940 production Simca car models were virtually identical to their Italian counterparts, the types offered being the Simca Tipo 508 Balilla, the 2-litre Simca Tipo 518 Ardita, and the later 500 (Simca 5) and 1.100 (Simca 8). Outside France, however, the Simca car make’s reputation stemmed from the competition successes of Amdédée Gordini’s specially tuned versions, mainly based on the 508 family, though he also extracted 28bhp from the Topolino engine. Most successful of these Simca cars were the aerodynamic 508C two-seaters which won the Bol d’Or, the small sports-car race at Reims, and the Paris-Nice Rally, as well as the Index of Performance with a Simca car at le Mans in 1939. A 1.2-litre Simca car version of the basic Fiat unit developed 65bhp. After World War 2, Gordini continued to develop competition Simca cars under Simca sponsorship until 1951, and evolved an 1.100cc single-seater Simca car with twin-tube frame and all-round independent suspension, which Simca car furnished keen competition for the Cisitalia and did very well in 1947, with wins by the Simca car in the Bol d’Or and at Nimes, not to mention a 1-2-3 victory in the Coupe des Petites Cylindrées at Reims. The Simca cars acquired hemispherical heads and 5-bearing crankshafts in 1948, winning their class in the Belgian 24 Hour Race, as well as being victorious once again in the Bol d’Or. Later Simca-Gordinis used Wade-blown 1½-litre power units, and the breed’s career culminated in Trintignant’s win in the 1951 Albi Grand Prix. Thereafter the Simca car company withdrew its support from Gordini, who set up on his own as a manufacturer.

In 1942 Simca cars joined Baron Petiet’s Groupe Française Automobile selling organization along with Delahaye/ Delage, but withdrew from the GFA after the war, when production of the Simca 5, and Simca 8 resumed in basically 1939 form. An ohv Simca 6 (the equivalent of Fiat’s later 500C) was introduced for 1948, and in 1929 a 50bhp sports Simca car version of the 8CV with handsome coupé bodywork by Facel Metallon was marketed; a Simca car of this type won its class in the 1949 Alpine Rally, while standard Simca 8 cars scored two class wins in the 1950 Monte Carlo event. This year the Simca 8 was restyled, and this Simca car emerged with a 40bhp 1.2-litre engine and steering-column change. In the summer of 1951, however, an entirely new Simca car, the Simca Aronde, made its appearance; the enginee of this Simca car was a 45bhp derivative of the old 8CV, but the rest of the Simca car was entirely new, with unitary construction, coil-and-wishbone independent front suspension, and hypoid final drive. Production jumped to 50.000 Simca cars in 1952 and the Simca Aronde made numerous attacks on long-distance records held for many years by the Citroën ‘Petite Rosalie’, achieving 100.000 kilometres at 100 km/h in 1953. The Simca Aronde had a production run of over 12 years. The half-millionth Simca car was delivered in January 1957, and the millionth Simca car in February 1869. The Simca car company also participated in several takeover bids, buying Unic (now only making trucks) in 1951, Ford in 1954, Saurer’s French branch in 1956, and Talbot in 1959. A 50bhp sports version of the Simca Aronde was announced in 1953, and Gemmer cam steering was adopted on Simca cars in 1954, in which year the Simca car model was introduced to the British market at a list price of £896. With the acquisition of the French Ford company, their 2.3-litre sv V8 Vedette reappeared under the Simca car name, the Ford factory at Poissy first supplementing and then supplanting the original Simca car works at Nanterre, which was turned over to Citroën in 1961. The V8 Simca car sold fairly well, and was given a more powerful 84bhp engine in 1958. Production of Simca cars ceased in France in 1961, though as late as 1967 the Chambord and Présidence Simca car version, now with 112bhp and ohv, were still being made under licence in Brazil.

1956 Simca Arondes had 48bhp 1.3-litre engines as standard, though 57bhp Special units were found in the sports coupés and convertibles Simca cars and the Simca Montlhéry saloon; station wagon Simca cars had the 45bhp Service type. 1957 saw a family derivative, the Simca Ariane, using the hull of the V8 Vedette and the regular Simca Aronde engine – this Simca car was made until 1963. In 1958 Chrysler acquired a minority interest in Simca cars, and it was announced that the American company’s Adelaide factory would built Simca Arondes for the Australian market; this small holding had become a controlling interest by 1963, and the Chrysler ‘pentastar’ emblem was to be seen on all Simcas in 1967. Aronde development continued: a cheap 6CV 1.100cc Simca car model was listed in 1960, and the 1961 Simca car range used 5-bearing engines in various ratings up to 62bhp, later increased to 70bhp. A new departure for 1962 was the 1000 Simca car, a 944cc rear-engined 4-door saloon with radiator mounted alongside the power-unit, 5-bearing crankshaft, all-round independent suspension, and 4-speed synchromesh gearbox: at 6.490NFr this Simca car was cheaper than Citroën’s Ami 6, and production rose over a quarter of a million Simca cars. Within a year this Simca car had evolved into a Bertone-bodied coupé with all-round disc brakes, while the first of the Simca-Abarths was available in the shape of a twin ohc 1.300cc model. In 1963 all-synchromesh boxes were also found on the conventional 4-cylinder 1300 and 1500 Simca cars; outputs were 61bhp and 83bhp, and the bigger Simca car had front disc brakes, which were added to the 1300’s specification in 1966. 1964 was the last year of the Simca Aronde, which Simca car had been continued as a very inexpensive item at 6.950NFr for an 1.100cc saloon. In 1966 the 1000 became available with a 3-speed semi-automatic gearbox, full automatic (by Borg-Warner) being an option on the 1500-series Simca cars; during the year the millionth Simca 1000 left the Simca car factory.

1968 brought two new versions of the 1000 Simca car, the high-performance GLS and the austerity 777cc Sim’4 Simca car for the home market; at the same time Simca cars switched to front wheel drive with their transverse-engined 53bhp 1100. On this Simca car the gearbox was mounted left of the engine, rear suspension was independent, by wishbones and torsion bars, and front disc brakes were fitted. An interesting hybrid Simca car evolved in England was the Radbourne-Abarth 1200, basically a 1200 coupé Simca car fitted with a Fiat 124 engine. In 1970, the Simca car company changed its name and the Chrysler was added as a prestige line. Also Simca cars took Matra, and their racing team, under their wing. A 76bhp 1.2-litre version Simca car of the 1100 appeared in 1971, helping the front wheel drive Simca car to become France’s best-selling car early in 1972. The principal novelty for 1972 was yet another 1000 derivative Simca car, the 1.294cc Rallye saloon. The conventional rear-driven 1301 and 1501 were continued into 1973, along with the 1000 and 1100 families.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com