Invicta 4½ Litre (NLC / A-Type) History
History
Introduced in 1928, the 4½-litre used a larger Meadows six — designed by William Watson — in both short (NLC, 118-inch wheelbase) and long (A-Type, 126-inch wheelbase) chassis forms. The substantial engine gave the cars effortless high-speed cruising and the top-gear flexibility that was Invicta's calling card.
After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, Invicta introduced the A-Type as a less expensive variant to broaden the car's appeal. Production of all high-chassis 4½-litre cars continued to around 1934, with approximately 500 examples made — the largest single production run of any Invicta model.
Generations
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NLC · NLC (New Large Chassis)
Photo: “Invicta ca 1930 Knebworth.JPG” by Charles01 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
Substantially heavier construction than the earlier SC/LC cars; 118-inch wheelbase with the 4½-litre Meadows six.
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A-Type
Photo: “Red Invicta left front.jpg” by foshie / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
A more affordable high-chassis 4½-litre introduced post-Wall-Street-Crash; available in short (118-inch) and long (126-inch) versions.
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1930 Photo: “Invicta TypA 1930.JPG” by User ChiemseeMan on de.wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain . Cropped to 16:9.
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1932 Photo: “1932 Invicta sports saloon (21131849094).jpg” by Glen Bowman from Newcastle, England / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
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Body styles
- Open tourer
- Sports saloon
- Drophead coupé
Related models