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On 264 large formatted pages, all in full colour, this book is a must in every bookshelf of any serious classic car enthusiast.

The Invicta S-type low chassis

The Invicta S-type low chassis is one of the most fascinating sports cars of the pre-war era. In hindsight there seem to be mainly two reasons why Invicta S-types were built in manageable amount, the one being the gossip about the “tricky handling” characteristics after Sammy Davis’ accident at the Easter Monday meeting at Brooklands 1931, the other, more significantly, being at the right place at a totally wrong time.

Noel Macklin’s ambition to present a car, for those who could afford it, with unique abilities, especially referring to an enormous resource of powerful torque, was obscured by the aftermath of the “Black Thursday” of 24 October 1929. The number of those who could afford an Invicta S-type low chassis was dramatically reduced and, in addition, they saved their money for other things than a car, be it as desirable as possible.

In the rather short history of the Invicta S-type, spanning from October 1930, when the car was presented to the enthusiastic public and an excited press at the London Motor Show, until the last cars were built in London until 1935, especially the years 1931 and 1932 were full of astounding results in races and hill climbs. Raymond Mays, admittedly with two extensively upgraded S-types with class wins at Shelsley Walsh and Brooklands proved the abilities of these powerful cars. Who knows what might have been, when Noel Macklin and Invicta would not have had to fight against the gloomy economic situation in England as well as all over Europe back at the beginning of the Thirties?

This book follows the history of the Invicta S-type low chassis, presents a variety of cars that were photographed in England, Austria Germany and the Swiss Alps along with a vast number of historic pictures. It follows the complete history of every single model, lists the race and rally results and contains an interview with the log-time president of the Invicta Club, Bob Wood.

It follows the family history of the Macklins. Noel Macklin’s granddaughter, Miranda Kelly, was happy to be asked to write the foreword. Noel Macklin’s son Lance was involved in the most dramatic accident of motor racing history at the Le Mans in 1955. There are also references to driver aces like Rudolf Caracciola, Jean-Pierre Wimille, Raymond Mays, Harry Schell or Alfonso de Portago as well as to movie stars like Tyrone Power or Linda Christian.

264 pages on high quality paper, size 380 x 240 mm (landscape), book is protected by a slipcase in green linen matching the book cover.

The Invicta S-Type Low Chassis Book Cover