This rare six-cylinder Lanchester was acquired by George Milligen for £100 in 1947 at the auction of the effects of the original owner, Major Saville Onley, who had died around 1939. The car had been stored at the Major’s house, Blickling Lodge, since 1930, when he had acquired a new Armstrong-Siddeley. The Major and his wife had part-exchanged their previous Lanchester for this one on the condition that a chauffeur was supplied with the new car. Chauffeur John Moore delivered the car new from Birmingham in 1909, remained with the Saville Onleys until the death of the Major and died at Winterton, Norfolk, in about 1950. The Saville Onleys came from a family of landed gentry whose principal seat was at Stisted Hall in Essex, where the local school, headmaster’s house, village pub and several houses had all been built by a Victorian member of the family, Onley Saville Onley. Major and Mrs Saville Onley toured extensively in Britain with this car, travelling as far afield as Cornwall and Scotland. The 28-hp Lanchester first appeared in 1906, its 3.8-litre six-cylinder power unit benefiting from Dr Fred Lanchester’s pioneering work in eliminating the torsional vibration inherent in this engine configuration. The Autocar’s representative was highly impressed when he rode in a prototype 28-hp in the spring of 1906, declaring: “The engine ran like a dynamo, and this, with the unique Lanchester suspension, gave one the impression of floating at high speed with some invisible power towing the car. The sensation was about as nearly akin to flying as we imagine it is possible to attain with a motor car.” The first 28-hp Lanchesters had the idiosyncratic tiller steering and hand-controlled epicyclic gear shift associated with early examples of the marque, but late in 1908 wheel steering and foot controlled transmission were introduced, as fitted to this car. However, the distinctive wick carburettor was retained, as it gave excellent mixture control, a major plus point on the uncertain petrols of the day. A typically Lanchester feature is the sight glass in the radiator header tank so that the water level can easily be checked. The handsome aluminium-panelled coachwork on this car was jig-built and trimmed in Lanchester’s own bodyshops, and is finished in “Dutch Pink”, a coachmaker’s finish that is neither Dutch nor pink, but vertical green and black stripes. This beautifully-engineered car is one of only three recorded survivors of this ultimate Edwardian luxury model.
This rare six-cylinder Lanchester was acquired by George Milligen for £100 in 1947 at the auction of the effects of the original owner, Major Saville Onley, who had died around 1939. The car had been stored at the Major’s house, Blickling Lodge, since 1930, when he had acquired a new Armstrong-Siddeley. The Major and his wife had part-exchanged their previous Lanchester for this one on the condition that a chauffeur was supplied with the new car. Chauffeur John Moore delivered the car new from Birmingham in 1909, remained with the Saville Onleys until the death of the Major and died at Winterton, Norfolk, in about 1950. The Saville Onleys came from a family of landed gentry whose principal seat was at Stisted Hall in Essex, where the local school, headmaster’s house, village pub and several houses had all been built by a Victorian member of the family, Onley Saville Onley. Major and Mrs Saville Onley toured extensively in Britain with this car, travelling as far afield as Cornwall and Scotland. The 28-hp Lanchester first appeared in 1906, its 3.8-litre six-cylinder power unit benefiting from Dr Fred Lanchester’s pioneering work in eliminating the torsional vibration inherent in this engine configuration. The Autocar’s representative was highly impressed when he rode in a prototype 28-hp in the spring of 1906, declaring: “The engine ran like a dynamo, and this, with the unique Lanchester suspension, gave one the impression of floating at high speed with some invisible power towing the car. The sensation was about as nearly akin to flying as we imagine it is possible to attain with a motor car.” The first 28-hp Lanchesters had the idiosyncratic tiller steering and hand-controlled epicyclic gear shift associated with early examples of the marque, but late in 1908 wheel steering and foot controlled transmission were introduced, as fitted to this car. However, the distinctive wick carburettor was retained, as it gave excellent mixture control, a major plus point on the uncertain petrols of the day. A typically Lanchester feature is the sight glass in the radiator header tank so that the water level can easily be checked. The handsome aluminium-panelled coachwork on this car was jig-built and trimmed in Lanchester’s own bodyshops, and is finished in “Dutch Pink”, a coachmaker’s finish that is neither Dutch nor pink, but vertical green and black stripes. This beautifully-engineered car is one of only three recorded survivors of this ultimate Edwardian luxury model.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
