Description
The Lea Francis Owners Club has a healthy membership and provide events throughout the year. They also have access to spare parts and are now able to manufacture some new parts from the original engineering drawings.
I purchased the car on the 6/ 8/ 2014 from Le Riche (agent) in Jersey and used it for a year before getting a comprehensive respray.
Chassis No. 7000, Engine No. S2825 Certified by Lea Francis Registrar as original for Number
Plate CCS 147. This was still available with the DVLA so it was reconnected with the original car.
Having driven it on several club events I had full confidence in the car and decided to restore it to as near original condition as was reasonable for today’s roads.
The engine received an unleaded fuel conversion and the radiator was power flushed and repainted. The engine runs at a steady 60 degrees on normal motoring. Even in the hot summers it rarely goes over 70 degrees.
Oil pressure is excellent at 40psi and fuel consumption is around 30mpg. It now has a screw-on oil filter having retained the original.
The exhaust system required attention, so on the recommendation of the LF guru I replaced it with a full stainless steel 4:2:1 manifold and exhaust. Works well and sounds beautiful.
Eventually in 2016, I decided to replace the Opal Cream paintwork supplied during its ownership in Germany and commissioned Paul Goodenough from isprayanything. com. He is extremely experienced, having submitted some of his work on cars being sold by Coy’s Auctions. His fantastic work on our car, after 9 years, is still incredible.
Unlike some classic car owners, who rarely take their cars out of the garage, we have used the car on Lea Francis annual events and even driven it to Germany on one occasion. Over the return trip, we never opened the tool box!
Only selling due to health reasons and will accept offers close to the asking price.
Will include a new MOT if required. 1948 Lea Francis 14 Sports – Registration No. CCS 147. Originally delivered to a dealer in Rossleigh on the 21/ 08/ 1948.
Some early ownership: J. Mallinder, Whitby – Feb 1967
Major D. C Barnes, 7 Signal Reg, Germany – April 1968
Hoest Hildon, Germany – May 1979
Nigel Fowler – Wiltshire- August 2014
Like several British car companies, the Coventry firm of Lea Francis started out in the 1800’s as manufacturers of bicycles and built their first motor car in 1903.
Throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s they concentrated on building small, sporting models such as the supercharged Hyper and the Ace of Spades. Post-war car production commenced in 1946 with updated versions based on the pre-war designs.
The 14-Sports model started production in March 1948 with 110!cars produced during the year, of which 11 were left hand drive and exported to the USA and 10 rolling chassis’ supplied to Connaught for conversion into single seated race cars.
The 14 Sports were luxurious sporty cars appealing to those who preferred individuality and craftsmanship to mass production. Power came from the Lea Francis’s own Riley styled twin-cam overhead valve 1767cc four-cylinder engine, and good for 89 mph.
The styling of the aluminium bodied Sports was particularly attractive with a hint of the pre-war BMW 328 design. Weighing only one ton, it also had a very spritely road manners. Production came to an end in 1949. Only 46 examples are known to have survived and several have not been seen for many years.
