1949/50 Lea-Francis 14hp Shooting Brake
Coachwork by A P Morris
Registration no. HGE 155
Chassis no. 7670
Engine no. 4757

Purveyors of quality motor cars to those who preferred individuality to the banality of mass production, the long established Coventry firm of Lea-Francis introduced its first shooting brake, on the 14hp chassis, immediately after WW2. One of fewer than 20 14hp shooting brakes known to the Lea-Francis Owners Club, this example was manufactured at the Much Park Street works late in 1949 and despatched in January the following year to APM (A P Morris) in Stoke Row for the construction of a timber body featuring unique above-door weather louvres. On completion in March it was delivered to a Glasgow dealer for use as a demonstrator and first registered there on 12th April 1950. In 1951 the car was sold to Jacob Jankewitz, a local veterinary surgeon, who used it for special occasions. On his death the car remained in the family's possession and was dry stored for several years before being sold to Mr R L Redwood, of Lichfield, Staffordshire in May 1983. Its new owner then commenced a painstaking four-year restoration to original specification, achieving a quite exceptional result. Between completion in the late 1980s and its sale to the immediately preceding owner in 1996, the vehicle averaged around 1,000 miles annually and to mark its 40th anniversary in 1990 was driven from the Museum of British Road Transport in Coventry to the City Chambers, Glasgow. In 1991 the Lea-Francis was requisitioned by the BBC, featuring in its Scottish Highland-set drama, 'Strath Blair'. While in the previous owner's care, the car was used exclusively on his country estate, transporting brides from the house to the orangery within the surrounding park and taking guests to the lake, also within the park, for picnics. The current vendor acquired the Lea Francis at Bonhams' Beaulieu sale in September 2004 (Lot 639) since when it has been maintained and used sparingly on his Scottish estate. Finished in maroon/brown, it is presented in generally good condition, though with some timbers in need of replacement, and is offered with copy factory consignment note, instruction manual, sundry invoices and Swansea V5C.