• Log In
  • Register
Brightwells Auctioneers & Valuers
  • Home
  • 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • Auctions

    • 31st May 2023 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • 6th June 2023 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • 13th June 2023 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • 20th June 2023 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • 27th June 2023 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • Selling

    • How to Sell
    • Online Entry Form
    • Valuation Services
    • Transport
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Buying

    • How to Buy
    • Guide to Bidding Online
    • Transport
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up

    Imgp2612 Crop Entries invited for auction, for more information call 01568 611325 or to enter online click HERE

  • Classic Motoring
    • Auction

    • 21st June 2023 Classic Cars & Motorcycles, Incorporating 'British Icons'
    • 2nd August 2023 Classic Cars & Motorcycles, Incorporating 'From Stuttgart to Munich'
    • 13th September 2023 Classic Cars & Motorcycles
    • 25th October 2023 Classic Cars & Motorcycles
    • 6th December 2023 Classic Cars & Motorcycles
    • Selling

    • SOLD £806.400 1963 Ferrari 250 SWB
    • Value My Classic
    • How To Sell
    • Valuation Services
    • Delivery and Collection Services
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Buying

    • How To Buy
    • Guide to Bidding Online
    • Delivery and Collection Services
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up

    Singer Entries Invited for our forthcoming online auction calendar. To request an online valuation click HERE

  • Cherished Number Plates
    • Auction

    • 5th July 2023 Cherished and Personalised Registration Numbers
    • 4th October 2023 Cherished and Personalised Registration Numbers
    • 4th January 2024 Cherished and Personalised Registration Numbers 2024
    • Selling

    • Valuation Form
    • How To Sell
    • Contact Us
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Buying

    • How To Buy
    • Contact Us
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Plant, Machinery & HGV
    • Auctions

    • 8th - 9th June 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 16th June 2023 Farm Dispersal Sale on behalf of the Parry Family, Stud Farm
    • 22nd - 23rd June 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 14th July 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 28th July 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 11th August 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 25th August 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 8th September 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 22nd September 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 13th October 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 27th October 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 10th November 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 24th November 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 8th December 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • Selling

    • How To Sell
    • Online Entry Form
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Buying

    • How To Buy
    • Guide to Bidding Online
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up

    Small Plant Complete our entry form to start your selling journey. Benefit from our expert experience, competitive fees and international audience.

  • Rural Professional, Farms & Land
    • Professional Services

    • RICS Registered Valuers
    • Valuation Terms & Conditions
    • Tenancies/Leases
    • Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
    • Basic Payment Scheme
    • Compulsory Purchase and Compensation
    • Renewable Energy
    • Farms & Land

    • Farms & Land For Sale
    • Sales Advice
    • Request a Brochure, Viewing or Valuation Form
    • Farm Machinery Dispersal Sales
    • Standing Straw & Fodder
    • General Information

    • Contact Us
    • Office Location

    Amc Images (1) (1) (1) We are AMC agents. Unhappy with your bank borrowing, looking for working capital, capital improvements or land purchase? Call 01432 261325

  • Wine, Port, Champagne & Whisky
    • Auctions

    • 12th - 13th July 2023 Wine, Port, Champagne & Whisky
    • Selling

    • Value My Wine
    • How To Sell
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Buying

    • How To Buy
      • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Guide to Bidding Online
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up

    Image00031 Wine, Port, Champagne & Whisky entries invited for timed online auction, for more information call 01568 619719 or click Here

  • Ministry of Defence
    • Auction

    • 20th June 2023 UK MoD Vehicles & Plant
    • 25th July 2023 UK MoD Vehicles & Plant
    • Buying

    • How To Buy
    • Guide to Bidding Online
    • Export Licence Details & Shipping Information
    • Site Safety Information
    • Contact Us
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up

    IMG 9710 For more information about our MOD auctions, please contact one of our team here

  • Log In
  • Register
Brightwells Auctioneers & Valuers
  • Home
  • 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • Auctions

    • 31st May 2023 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • 6th June 2023 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • 13th June 2023 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • 20th June 2023 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • 27th June 2023 4x4s, Cars & Vans
    • Selling

    • How to Sell
    • Online Entry Form
    • Valuation Services
    • Transport
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Buying

    • How to Buy
    • Guide to Bidding Online
    • Transport
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up

    Imgp2612 Crop Entries invited for auction, for more information call 01568 611325 or to enter online click HERE

  • Classic Motoring
    • Auction

    • 21st June 2023 Classic Cars & Motorcycles, Incorporating 'British Icons'
    • 2nd August 2023 Classic Cars & Motorcycles, Incorporating 'From Stuttgart to Munich'
    • 13th September 2023 Classic Cars & Motorcycles
    • 25th October 2023 Classic Cars & Motorcycles
    • 6th December 2023 Classic Cars & Motorcycles
    • Selling

    • SOLD £806.400 1963 Ferrari 250 SWB
    • Value My Classic
    • How To Sell
    • Valuation Services
    • Delivery and Collection Services
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Buying

    • How To Buy
    • Guide to Bidding Online
    • Delivery and Collection Services
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up

    Singer Entries Invited for our forthcoming online auction calendar. To request an online valuation click HERE

  • Cherished Number Plates
    • Auction

    • 5th July 2023 Cherished and Personalised Registration Numbers
    • 4th October 2023 Cherished and Personalised Registration Numbers
    • 4th January 2024 Cherished and Personalised Registration Numbers 2024
    • Selling

    • Valuation Form
    • How To Sell
    • Contact Us
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Buying

    • How To Buy
    • Contact Us
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Plant, Machinery & HGV
    • Auctions

    • 8th - 9th June 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 16th June 2023 Farm Dispersal Sale on behalf of the Parry Family, Stud Farm
    • 22nd - 23rd June 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 14th July 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 28th July 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 11th August 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 25th August 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 8th September 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 22nd September 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 13th October 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 27th October 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 10th November 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • 24th November 2023 Plant & Machinery Sundry Items
    • 8th December 2023 Plant, Machinery & HGVs
    • Selling

    • How To Sell
    • Online Entry Form
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Buying

    • How To Buy
    • Guide to Bidding Online
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up

    Small Plant Complete our entry form to start your selling journey. Benefit from our expert experience, competitive fees and international audience.

  • Rural Professional, Farms & Land
    • Professional Services

    • RICS Registered Valuers
    • Valuation Terms & Conditions
    • Tenancies/Leases
    • Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
    • Basic Payment Scheme
    • Compulsory Purchase and Compensation
    • Renewable Energy
    • Farms & Land

    • Farms & Land For Sale
    • Sales Advice
    • Request a Brochure, Viewing or Valuation Form
    • Farm Machinery Dispersal Sales
    • Standing Straw & Fodder
    • General Information

    • Contact Us
    • Office Location

    Amc Images (1) (1) (1) We are AMC agents. Unhappy with your bank borrowing, looking for working capital, capital improvements or land purchase? Call 01432 261325

  • Wine, Port, Champagne & Whisky
    • Auctions

    • 12th - 13th July 2023 Wine, Port, Champagne & Whisky
    • Selling

    • Value My Wine
    • How To Sell
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Buying

    • How To Buy
      • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Guide to Bidding Online
    • Contact Us
    • Past Results
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up

    Image00031 Wine, Port, Champagne & Whisky entries invited for timed online auction, for more information call 01568 619719 or click Here

  • Ministry of Defence
    • Auction

    • 20th June 2023 UK MoD Vehicles & Plant
    • 25th July 2023 UK MoD Vehicles & Plant
    • Buying

    • How To Buy
    • Guide to Bidding Online
    • Export Licence Details & Shipping Information
    • Site Safety Information
    • Contact Us
    • Location
    • Newsletter Sign Up

    IMG 9710 For more information about our MOD auctions, please contact one of our team here

Back to catalogue
Previous lot Next lot

Lot Ended

Make a bid

LOT 32 Reserve not met

Lot Ended

Hammer Price (inc. buyers premium) £7,959

  • Lot Ended

    Hammer Price (inc. buyers premium) £7,959

  • Bids

    0

LOT 32

Next Min. Bid

0

awaiting images

Auction Ends: Thu 12th May @ 7:25 pm

Description

1950 Lea-Francis 14hp Special

Unique two-door coupe made by a Cornish cabinet maker in the late 1960s; veteran of various European tours; recent new set of tyres; driven over 70 miles to the sale; a most impressive LeaF all round

Like so many British car companies, the Coventry firm of Lea-Francis started out in life as a manufacturer of bicycles, first trying their hand at motorcars in 1904. For most of the 1920s and ‘30s they concentrated on building small capacity sporting models. The 12hp and the 14hp were introduced in 1937 and continued until late 1939 when the factory switched to manufacturing for the war effort.

Post-war car production recommenced in 1946 with updated vehicles based on the pre-war designs. The 14hp Saloon and Sports were luxurious and sporty for the era and were well-received, if rather expensive, appealing to those who preferred individuality and craftsmanship over mass produced conformity.

Power came from Lea-F's own Riley-style twin-cam overhead-valve 1.8-litre four, designed by Henry Rose who was also the key engineer behind the wonderful Riley engines. From 1949 independent front suspension was adopted and demand for these fine cars rose steadily, 2,133 finding customers before production came to an end in 1954.

This unique Lea-Francis started life in 1950 as a four-door 14hp saloon but was converted to a two-door coupe between 1969 and 1972 by Mr Arnold Weaver, a cabinet maker from Polperro, Cornwall. The body, which has a whiff of the ‘Blue Train Bentley’ about it, is a Weymann type with fabric over a wooden frame and is so well constructed that it still feels rock solid over 50 years later.

Mr Weaver sold the car in 1978 and it seems to have spent the next dozen years in a collection in Holland, mainly on display with the occasional show outing, before returning to the UK around 1991. From 2001 – 2021 it was owned by a Lea-Francis Club member in Norfolk who took it on several European tours as well as touring the UK and Ireland.

Correspondence, club magazines and rally plaques on file document some of these trips during which the car was said to cruise happily at 65mph with 26mpg economy. Six old MOTs show that the car has covered around 11,000 miles since 1993.

Our vendor has recently serviced the car and fitted four new Waymaster tyres. He tells us that the LeaF performs remarkably well and is surprisingly easy to drive. He drove it over 70 miles to Brightwells and we have enjoyed tootling it round the yard ourselves and can confirm that it goes well, feeling like a much younger car. The vendor advises that the tachometer is not currently working and will need a new cable.

The build quality is a tribute to the cabinet-making skills of Mr Weaver and the attention to detail is marvellous. Nice touches include the milled aluminium dashboard, the vanity mirror and art deco lights for the rear seat passengers, the LeaF pennant on the front wing and the Perspex-lidded tool tray under the bonnet. Other useful features include twin air horns, a thermostatically controlled electric fan, a red jerry can on the running board and of course the independent front suspension.

Supplied with a good file of history, this unique and handsome LeaF is well known to the club and will draw lots of interest wherever it goes. It feels remarkably robust and no doubt has many more European tours ahead of it in the hands of a fortunate new owner. Go on, you only live once…

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email [email protected]

* All charges are subject to VAT

Attachments
  • Print Details
  • Terms & Conditions
Want to sell yours? Guide to timed auctions

Lot #32

Lot #32

Image 1 of
Sign up for auction updates
Auction Departments

Copyright of Brightwells Ltd. All Rights Reserved 2023

  • Our Story & Contacts
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Data Protection & Privacy Policies
  • Charity Support
  • Careers Opportunities
  • Armed Forces Covenant