Invicta 4½ Litre S-Type History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
Start with a make and model. Add a year where a detailed guide is available.
Model history available. Detailed year guides are not published for this model.
Browse this model's history and yearsHistory
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.
Body styles
- Open sports
- Drophead coupé
Notable special editions & performance variants
Monte Carlo Rally winner
Donald Healey drove an S-Type to an outright win at the 1931 Monte Carlo Rally, the first British driver to win the event.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Invicta 4½ Litre S-Type
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.