Minerva Type AL History

For 1930 Minerva introduced its most ambitious engineering yet: two straight-eight models to compete with the grandest European luxury cars. The larger was the Type AL, powered by a new 6.6-litre inline eight-cylinder engine producing around 120–130 hp, featuring a nine-bearing crankshaft, dual ignition, and right-hand gearchange. The 129-inch wheelbase chassis carried coachbuilt bodies of exceptional length and proportion.

The AL was unveiled almost simultaneously with the Wall Street Crash, and the ensuing Great Depression devastated demand for cars of its standing. Minerva built fewer than fifty ALs in total, of which only about seven are believed to survive today. Sources vary on exactly how long the AL remained catalogued — most place series production in the 1930–1934 window, though the type is sometimes listed as available until around 1937. Bodies were supplied by Vanden Plas, Rollston, and other prestigious houses; one surviving Rollston-bodied convertible sedan is among the most recognised Minervas in existence.

Despite its rarity and the commercial failure the Depression forced upon it, the AL stands as the pinnacle of Minerva's engineering ambition — a car that in other economic circumstances might have cemented the marque's place alongside Rolls-Royce, Hispano-Suiza, and Isotta Fraschini at the very top of the luxury market.