Aimed at the “middle class” market of successful business men, doctors, lawyers etc the 16/50 came in seven body types, the most popular being the saloon or, if fitted with the factory “sliding head”(metal sunroof), touring saloon models.
There are only a couple of dozen surviving examples left on the road world-wide now so a very rare car indeed.
Our example had a restoration a few years ago and still presents very well with her blue leather interior a mark of luxury from a time gone by.
Originally supplied by H.A. Hamshaw, Humberstone Gate, Leicester and licenced by Leicester City Borough Council.
She retailed at £425 (equivalent £25,035.04 as at December 2016), bearing in mind that you can buy a fairly decent car for that sum today compare the salary of a working male at around £200 a year (equivalent to £11,781.20) so over two years gross salary of a male in a reasonably paid secure job in 1931.
She seems to have spent the majority of her life in Leicestershire, making a brief stay in Warwickshire around 2007 where she spent some time at Lea-Francis Cars Limited of Wixford, Alcester, undertaking a considerable restoration with the famous bespoke car maker. By late 2007 she was back in Stapleton Leicester.
Around 2013/ 2014 she makes her way down to Wingham, Kent we think with a dealer and moves by October 2014 to Peacehaven in Sussex with a lady owner. She comes up for sale at a dealer in vintage and classic cars in Hampshire at the beginning of 2016 (the car, not the lady!) and moves into our ownership where she will stay for many years to come.