Invicta 4½ Litre S-Type History

Shown at the October 1930 Motor Show, the S-Type was a dramatic departure from the high-chassis A-Type: its frame was underslung beneath the rear axle, lowering the body and centre of gravity to produce a true sporting car with a claimed top speed of around 100 mph from the 4½-litre Meadows six. Contemporary road tests confirmed the figure, making it among the fastest British road cars of the early 1930s.

The S-Type's most celebrated moment came in January 1931, when Donald Healey drove one to an outright victory in the Monte Carlo Rally — the first British driver to win the event. Raymond Mays also used S-Types to set records at Brooklands Mountain Circuit and Shelsley Walsh hillclimb in 1931–32, cementing the model's competition reputation.

Approximately 75 S-Types were produced between 1931 and 1935 — a small number that today makes them highly prized by collectors. Their combination of genuine performance, low-slung style, and outright competition success makes the S-Type the model most closely associated with the Invicta name.