Lea-Francis

The Lea-Francis Lynx was an ambitious attempt to revive the British marque as a car manufacturer after a six-year absence. Developed in only six months, it debuted at the 1960 London Motor Show. The Lynx featured an unusual four-seat sports-car body designed around managing director Kenneth Benfield’s distinctive ideas, mounted on a tubular ladder chassis with independent front suspension, a live rear axle and Dunlop disc brakes all round. Power came from a tuned 2.6-litre Ford Zephyr straight-six, producing around 108 hp in intended production form, coupled to a four-speed gearbox with overdrive. Despite respectable performance, the unconventional styling and high £2,000-plus price discouraged buyers. No orders resulted, and after further development only three cars were ultimately built.