Lanchester Eighteen

The Lanchester Eighteen, at first known as the 15/18, was announced at the beginning of October 1931 as the first medium sized Lanchester, quite unlike any earlier one and the first new car after BSA took over the company in January 1931. The aim was to extend the BSA group into a new price level with a car of moderate size and price, and it was the first medium sized car offered with the Daimler fluid flywheel and a separately mounted Wilson half automatic gearbox. George Lanchester worked with L H Pomeroy on it, and the standard saloon cost 565 pounds against an early idea of about 850. Early clutches gave trouble, but its advanced pushrod overhead valve engine was a success and was later used in Daimlers starting with the Fifteen. A redesigned 2,390 cc engine was announced in September 1934, and an Autocar test in April 1932 recorded 71.43 mph.