Lanchester 38 H.P. motor car, 1913

Lanchester 38 H.P. motor car, 1913, Registration Mark A259. Six-cylinder vertical engine with side rocker-operated inlet and exhaust valves, wick form of vaporiser fed with a positive-acting pump, 3 speed and reverse epicyclic gearbox, multi-plate clutch and multi-plate transmission brake and an underslung worm-driven live axle. Limousine body.

Frederick Lanchester, founder of car manufacturer Lanchester, was an important and inventive early car designer. He incorporated unique features into his cars which, although engineeringly sound, differed from the designs standardly being developed in Europe. Built in 1913, this vehicle may be one of the most developed designs Lanchester produced before Frederick Lanchester severed ties with the company in 1914 and his distinctive elements were abandoned for commercial reasons. The unusual features of this car include its engine and the engine placement alongside the driver, which has resulted in a comparatively short chassis. Interestingly, Lanchester also had its own body department from 1903 to 1914 and built most of its own car bodies rather than sending the rolling chassis to an independent coachbuilder of the customer's choice. In comparsion, other luxury car manufacturers like Rolls-Royce and Bentley did not start selling complete cars until after the Second World War.