Description
The story surrounding this Invicta is very special and deserves to be broadly told. In July 1999 the first owner in England got a tip about a 1932 1 ½ chassis. The chassis had been saved from the scrapheap in the 60’s and after extended negotiations was brought over to Invicta specialist Rob Pollock’s workshop. The current state of affairs was taken stock of and a plan to give this Invicta a new lease of life was drawn up. The project started in 1999. The bae was certainly not perfect. The car’s one time saloon body was almost non-existent. A 4 ½ litre engine accompanied the car. The man who saved the car from being scrapped had thought of and possibly dreamt of building a 4 ½ litre special. It was quickly decided that a 4 ½ special was indeed the way forward. The 1 ½ chassis has the same dimensions as the 4 ½ one. Wheelbase and gauge are even identical. They had the ideal base for a reproduction Invicta S-Type. Rob Pollock
was asked to estimate the length of time it would take to transform the bare chassis to a complete S-Type. Pollock’s carefully estimated a few years. In reality the project took at leats five times as long. Taking the base back to its component parts did not take long, whilst meanwhile other specialists were commissioned in building the bodywork to the original Carbodies S1 specification. The first owner wanted to be involved with the process and was given the task of finding a number of missing parts. Amongst other items he had to search for 5 Rudge-Whitworth wheels, Rotax 10” headlights, all of the instruments, a steering wheel, Marles L3 Steering housing, a gearbox, period correct Bosch klaxons, bonnet fasteners, shock breakers (Luvax and André Hartford), booster, alternator, ignition, water and fuel pumps, mudguards, seats, sump tray, valve cover, cooling fan besides many more minor items. The transmission initially caused a lot of headaches and sleepless nights. First an Alvis full synchro-mesh transmission was chosen which was swapped to a Rolls-Royce 20/ 25 one when the former did not fit. A conversion adaptor was used to connect the transmission to the engine, using a Borg & Beck clutch. The mudguards were intended for an Alvis but were skilfully adapted by Simon Parker for the S-Type bodywork. He was also responsible for crafting the bonnet. The seats came from the States out of an original Invicta S-Type. The base had to be a perfect fit for the bodywork. Therefor the chassis was boxed in and strengthened with S-Type crossmembers, an Invicta A-Type bulkhead was modified and fitted to the chassis. An improved S-Type replica radiator with better cooling and flushing was chosen. New stronger propshafts, new larger wheel nuts and a replica Invicta S-Type fuel tank were used. The engine was rebuilt using many new parts. A new cable loom and completely new exhaust were also fitted. The car was spray-painted in the same livery it still carries. A totally new interior trim was manufactured and new front suspension fitted. The Marles L3 steering housing was totally modified to fit. After all of that it received its MOT on the 18th August 2010. The observant reader would have picked up that the project took 11 years rather than the few predicted at first. The car took to the road and was regularly in use. During the first few trips the suspension was further adjusted and Luvax shock-breakers were installed. After a few years of regular use the car ended up in the Netherlands in 2017. The previous owner then once more had the car totally overhauled by a specialist. The engine was built out and the block sent to England for further work. All floor and panelwork were reattached after minor improvements were made where necessary. All work was carried out with one goal in mind to successfully complete the 2018 Mille Miglia. The engine was fully rebuilt using many new parts. In relation to the initial bodywork, the car was improved to a much higher level. The tyres were preventatively replaced, all top structural elements were reevaluated and modified where necessary and reattached. The mudguards were further adjusted and a new exhaust created. These extremely thorough works left nothing to chance. Resulting in a successful 2018 Mille Miglia! All work carried out has been perfected recorded. There is an extensive photo album detailing the engine build and three files with invoices, notes and correspondence. This Invicta has been perfectly put together and is in excellent condition, ready for many mores miles of pre-war classic pleasure. An original Invicta S-Type is near impossible to find and by and large unaffordable. This one is better than the original and will give you the kind of pleasure that money can’t buy!
