Description Later BMC B-Series engine and gearbox fitted; shortened chassis; interesting history; always in regular use; pre-war looks with post-war performance; lots to like! Richard Lea and Graham Francis set up in a small workshop in Coventry in 1895 to produce high quality bicycles.

These were in great demand and the little firm soon moved to larger premises and expanded into motorcycles and cars.

During the Great War they were busy fulfilling Admiralty contracts but by 1919 they had introduced a car of their own design, although they had an agreement with Vulcan to share many components in order to keep costs to a minimum.

With the engineer CM van Eugen in charge of design, production of cars rapidly expanded, starting with the Meadows-engined D-Type in 1923.

A sporting image began to appear from around 1925, leading to models such as the supercharged Hyper and the Ace of Spades.

Keen to capitalise on their success, various other models were produced for the wider market, inc...