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Richard Henry Lea and Graham Ingoldsby Francis formed Lea & Francis in Coventry in 1895 to manufacture bicycles and never severed all links with their past.

Their first car, in 1904, was the Alex Craig designed three-cylinder 15 hp built under licence by Singer & Company. In 1919 they started to build their own cars from bought in components.

A sporting image began to appear from about 1925 leading to models such as the Hyper and the Ace of Spades. The 12 and the 14 were introduced in 1937 and continued until the war intervened in 1939.

Post war models were based on the 1939 models with either leaf or coil front suspension.

Production ceased in 1954 but enthusiasts caused the board to reconstitute the company in March 1960 and to announce an intended return to car production within two or three years.

The Lynx was based on an idea by the building contractor Kenneth Benfield and an example announced at the 1960 Earls Court Motor Show. The display car was finished in lilac with gold trimmings. Priced at more than a Jaguar XK150, only three examples of the Ford Zephyr powered car were made. 1963 saw a further prototype called the Francesa with a V-8 engine.

The motor manufacturing parts of the company passed into the hands of the Receiver in 1963 leaving Lea-Francis to continue with their engineering business.

E-Mail: history@britishmm.co.uk