Invicta 4½ Litre (NLC / A-Type) History
The mainstream high-chassis 4.5-litre Invicta — available in short and long wheelbase, it was the backbone of the marque's production with roughly 500 built.
Photo: “Invicta ca 1930 Knebworth.JPG” by Charles01 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped to 16:9.
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
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.
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.
1930 Photo: “Invicta TypA 1930.JPG” by User ChiemseeMan on de.wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Cropped to 16:9.
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.
Body styles
- Open tourer
- Sports saloon
- Drophead coupé
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Invicta 4½ Litre (NLC / A-Type)
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