Lanchester Thirty-Eight History

The Thirty-Eight, launched in 1911 with a 4,856 cc six-cylinder overhead-valve engine, was Lanchester's senior model in the years immediately before the First World War. It continued the marque's distinctive engineering, including its smooth six and the company's signature cantilever suspension.

Production was cut short in 1914 when the war turned the factory to military work; Lanchester built armoured cars and other materiel during the conflict. The pre-war six set the template for the post-war Forty that re-established Lanchester as a true Rolls-Royce rival.