Leyland
Eight

Why it matters

Intended by J. G. Parry Thomas as the best car in the world and a rival to Rolls-Royce, the Leyland Eight was the first eight-cylinder in-line British touring car. It made a sensation at the 1920 Motor Show but is remembered as a magnificent commercial failure.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Leyland Eight (Wikimedia Commons: Leyland Eight)
  Photo: Mark Brown from Hampton, New Brunswick, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0
• Leyland Eight (Wikimedia Commons: Leyland Eight)
  Photo: Buch-t · Public domain
• Leyland Eight (Wikimedia Commons: Leyland Eight)
  Photo: David Merrett from Daventry, England · CC BY 2.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

In 1917 Leyland Motors commissioned J. G. Parry Thomas to design a luxury car to rival Rolls-Royce; Reid Railton joined the design team the same year. The Leyland Eight was launched in 1920 and discontinued in 1923 after only eighteen cars had been made.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The sole surviving example is a large two-seater with a 7.2-litre engine, held at the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon. The first car completed was an open four-seater with a disappearing hood, and the engine was first 6967 cc and later enlarged to 7266 cc.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Leyland Motors Level B Grace's Guide

   • discontinued in 1923 after just eighteen cars were made

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Motor Sport, July 1948 – Rare Types, No 4: Leyland-Eight Level C

   • 18 Leyland Eight cars built, per the makers ("only eighteen were built")

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   Motoring: all our yesterdays (Heritage Motor Centre opening) Level C The Independent (Phil Llewellin) · 1993-05-01

   • The sole surviving Leyland Eight - a huge two-seater with a 7.2-litre engine

   Accessed 2026-11-13
4. 4
   Leyland Eight (Welsh Motor Sport - Cars) Level C Welsh Motor Sport, via Wayback Machine

   • first eight-cylinder-in-line British touring car
   • eight-cylinder-in-line
   • The engine was 6967c.c.when the car first appeared

   Accessed 2026-11-13