Lanchester Ten (1932–1936) History
The smallest and best-selling Lanchester ever — a 1.2-litre saloon sharing its chassis with the BSA Ten.
Photo: “File:1933 Lanchester 10.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
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Announced in September 1932, the Ten was the smallest Lanchester ever made and, by a wide margin, the best-selling — roughly 12,250 were built. It shared its basic chassis with the BSA Ten launched the following month, and used a 1,203 cc four-cylinder overhead-valve engine (enlarged to 1,444 cc for 1936).
Bodies ranged from a four-door six-light saloon and a four-light sports saloon to a 2+2 fixed-head coupé and an open tourer by Martin Walter, with a bare chassis offered to coachbuilders. The Ten brought Lanchester refinement — including the Daimler fluid-flywheel transmission — to a far broader market than the firm's grand vintage flagships ever reached.
Generations
LA10 (1,203 cc) · Original four-cylinder Ten
Photo: “File:1933 Lanchester 10.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
The original Ten with a 1,203 cc four; shared its chassis with the BSA Ten and carried Daimler's fluid-flywheel transmission.
1932 Photo: “File:1932 Lanchester 10 fixed head coupé (42814397862).jpg” by Steve Glover from Bolton, Lancs., England / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1933 Photo: “File:1933 Lanchester 10.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1934 Photo: “File:1934 Lanchester Ten 5313631930.jpg” by Clive Barker / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1935 Photo: “File:Lanchester 10 first registered Dec 1935 1203cc.JPG” by Charles01 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped to 16:9.
1,444 cc (1936) · Enlarged-engine Ten
Photo: “File:Lanchester Ten 6-light saloon 1936 5917710821 3a71f2bf4b o.jpg” by maljoe / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Final-year Ten with the engine enlarged to 1,444 cc before the model gave way to the Eleven and Light Six derivatives.
1936 Photo: “File:Lanchester Ten 6-light saloon 1936 5917710821 3a71f2bf4b o.jpg” by maljoe / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Body styles
- Six-light saloon
- Four-light sports saloon
- Fixed-head coupé
- Open tourer
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