Underslung magic – the S-Type Invicta

Without doubt the low-chassis S-Type Invicta is one of the world’s most desirable and exclusive pre-war sporting cars – so revered are these exotic cars that of the 75 built 68 are known to survive. 

They rarely come on to the market and when they do their pricing reflects their desirability. Only one was known to survive in Australia, a very original 1931 model. Owned by the late Robert Shannon it was campaigned somewhat vigorously by him in historic events, doubling as the promotional “face” of his very successful Classic Car Insurance Co. I consider myself lucky to have been offered a drive of this exciting and rare car.

Robert had very kindly flown me to Tasmania to drive the Invicta in the prologue of the 1998 Targa Tasmania rally – for several logistical reasons my drive ended up being cut short and he suggested I do a more comprehensive test when it was next in Sydney.

In so many ways the flamboyance and zest for life that was very much a part of Robert Shannon mirrors in the profile of this exciting sports car when it was new.  It’s designer, Capt. Peter Macklin, after building two unsuccessful cars, had some moderate success with a 3-litre six-cylinder model although it was somewhat staid in appearance and had appalling brakes.

From this came the development of the 41/2 litre high-chassis model in 1927 with 85 mph capability and stunning acceleration. Such was its high-speed cruising capability that it developed a strong reputation for long distance reliability.

However, it was the arrival of the low-chassis S-Type 4/12 model – a stunningly handsome sportster with underslung rear springs that was to create the marques enduring reputation.

Built to uncompromising standards the S-Type Invicta was an expensive high-performance sports car with a capability of 95 miles per hour; making its public debut at the Olympia Motor Show in October 1930, in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929.

With a chassis price tag of 750 pounds only the well-heeled enthusiast could afford it but it survived based on its low volume and exclusivity. Convincing enthusiasts to buy an expensive sports car after the Depression was far from easy but as the Autocar said at the time “the Invicta possesses that indefinable quality which lures.”

The 30’s produced some great cars; some from relatively small manufacturers like Invicta were outstanding. Macklin realised that to sell such an exclusive and expensive product and to get the well-heeled British enthusiast to part with his cash he would need to present the Invicta in the best possible sporting atmosphere.

 

He enlisted the help of his sister-in-law Violette Cordery, a rather stunning looking woman who had a passion for endurance events. After driving a high-chassis 3-litre Invicta around the world in 1927 she attempted several other record-breaking feats, winning the Dewar Trophy for running 5,000 miles at 70.7 mph on the Montlhery circuit.

However, the car still lacked the success of open race competition and so Macklin signed up a young race and rally driver called Donald Healey. Healey had some success with the high-chassis version taking out a couple of Alpine Cups and fastest time in the Arlberg hill-climb in Austria, later giving the S-Type Invicta a much-needed win in the 1931 Monte Carlo Rally.

However, a much-publicised accident at Brooklands involving S.C.H. Davis gave the heavy sportster a reputation for swapping ends. The very essence of the S-Type Invicta’s success was its Meadows power plant – the Wolverhampton engine maker’s six-cylinder engine a very robust unit. With a four-bearing crank it has two valves per cylinder operated from pushrods off a low set camshaft in the alloy crankcase and driven by triple chains.

Because it is so lightly stressed and low revving the big heart of the Invicta gives the impression it’s not working hard by the fact it has such prodigious torque. Running a 6.3 to 1 compression ratio, it produces around 110 bhp (in the old money) at 3,200 rpm. Dual coil and Rotax magneto ignition fire separate 18mm spark plugs with the ability to run on either system if required. Fuel is fed into the engine via a pair of S.U carburettors.

The engine is extremely eager from low revs and apart from the slowness of its long throw non-synchromesh gearshift the S-Type Invicta could well show a clean pair of heels to many post-war sports cars. Settle in behind its low set and comfortable seating position in individual buckets and you soon feel part of a very sporty post-vintage car – to keep you low in the car your legs are sunk in fairly deep wells each side of the transmission tunnel.

The mechanism for the gear change passes under the driver’s knees in an exposed alloy tube – the gear lever and standard H-pattern shift located on the right-hand side with a lock-out latch for reverse. For the period the chassis design is a highlight – low set and very robust with deep channel section nickel chrome steel side members held together by tubular cross-members – the side members tapering as they run under the rear axle carrying rearward to support the vertical slab-type 20-gallon petrol tank.

The half-elliptic front springs are anchored up front and slide in trunnions while the somewhat beefy rear half-elliptics, almost flat in profile, are carried on outriggers – the whole effect giving the S-type a somewhat squat posterior.

Damping is by two-arm Hartford friction shocks unlike some of the S-Type’s I’ve seen in the U.K with more sophisticated hydraulic type dampers however they do a workmanlike job.

Up front the radiator is located well down between the dumb-irons carried on rather large and practical spherical bearers – an impressive feature of the car with its part enamelled and somewhat Art Deco badge a highlight.

Everything about this sports car is robust – heavier in construction to say a similar period Alfa-Romeo but then again the big Meadows cast-iron mono-block “six” is by no means light. The sliding pinion crash type gearbox, which forms one unit with the crankcase and clutch housing - is also of Meadows manufacture – the clutch a single dry plate type and relatively light in operation.

Part of the cars appeal is its masculinity, much like a Bentley, and the use of exotic metals such as duralumin, gunmetal and polished steel plus the added feature of exposed bolts and rivets – it is said that Macklin got much inspiration from the bonnet of the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost with its exposed rivets. Above all, the S-Type Invicta displays perfect proportion and a certain refinement of finish that makes it one of the world’s greatest all-round sports cars.

Such is the feel of this remarkable car that it seems almost bullet proof – push it hard and it extends its legs with an ease that makes some modern sports cars seem busy and over stressed by comparison. Steering effort from the worm and wheel setup is fairly heavy at low speeds but once underway lightens up, helped by a fairly large steering wheel.

The real surprise is brake feel, even though the front brakes were due to have some adjustment the huge 14-inch finned drums were surprisingly efficient.

The difference between this car and a five–year older 30-98 Vauxhall, for example, lies in the fact its centre of gravity is so much closer to the ground – the transition from vintage to post-vintage thoroughbred is most evident in the way it steers, handles and brakes.

Macklin accentuated the S-Type’s lowness by fitting the barest of mudguards with no running boards – the chassis rails shrouded in louvred panels with access where necessary to allow brake adjustment – being so close to the ground there is little chance of getting at the brakes from under the car.

The Shannon Invicta was Chassis No. F24 with engine No 7392 fitted with a standard Carbodies type body – Interestingly, the first 64 cars were built in a small factory converted from the stables behind Macklin’s mid-Victorian country house, Fairmile, located near Cobham in Surrey.

The “Fairmile” cars had a somewhat strange numbering system – it seems they generally have car numbers that skip every second number, for some reason changing every so often from odd to even. The other 11 cars were built at the Invicta service centre in Chelsea, generally from left over components and for this reason they tend to vary in specification. To add further confusion the numbering system for the “Chelsea” cars followed a different pattern.

By the end of 1933 production of this magnificent car had all but ceased, Macklin starting up Railton, leaving the financially strapped company to his backer Lord Fitzwilliam.  Far from having an easy life chassis F24 was used early on by noted English mechanic and race driver Raymond Mays, to demonstrate tyres for the India Tyre and Rubber Company. It was painted white to resemble his famous “White Invicta” which he raced with great success – holding the hill climb record at Shelsley-Walsh for many years.

The promotional car subsequently came to Australia in 1936 and passed through a succession of seven owners including noted collector Julian Sterling before being acquired by Robert Shannon in 1988. It was fully restored in 1993 by well-known Melbourne vintage car specialist Nick Langford. Sadly, on Robert Shannon’s passing this car was offered for Auction and returned to an enthusiast in the U.K. for around Aud $1million dollars.

Amazingly, only four of the 75 S-Type Invicta’s constructed are unaccounted for with three of the seven missing S-Types known to have been destroyed by German bombing during the war. S-Type Invicta’s were also given nicknames by an enthusiastic pre-war owner’s club and chassis F24 still carries the name of “Scimitar” – which, according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary is “an oriental curved sword broadening towards the point.”

One thing is for sure, today, the low chassis S-Type Invicta is still able to cut a swathe through modern traffic – testament to its impressive performance qualities, nearly 70 years after manufacture.