Makes › Vauxhall › 30-98 E-type · Rare production · 1919–1922 Very Rare
Vauxhall
30-98 E-type
Side-valve original 30-98
Still being researched: identification guide, full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 287 Built
- Years
- 1919–1922
- Engine
- four-cylinder, side-valve · 4,525 cc / 4.5 LFactory: 4,525 cc
- Power
- 67.1 kW / 91.2 PSFactory: 90 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 137 km/hFactory: 85 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Laurence Pomeroy
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The E-type was the first series-production 30-98, the car on which Vauxhall built its reputation for large-engined, lightweight sporting cars after the First World War. Auction specialists and club enthusiasts rate the 30-98 among the finest British sporting cars of the Vintage period, and it grew out of Laurence Pomeroy's pre-war Prince Henry line.
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.
Vauxhall 30-98 E-type (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Vauxhall 30-98 E-type (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Dave_S. from Witney, England · CC BY 2.0
Vauxhall 30-98 E-type (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Tomás Del Coro from Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionE-type 30-98s constructed before manufacture ceased in September 1922 (other sources give 261–283) | 2871,2 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
The first 30-98 was built in 1913 for the dealer and competitor Joseph Higginson, who wanted to win the Shelsley Walsh hill climb that June. It did so and set a record that stood for 15 years. Only a handful of cars were sold before the First World War stopped production.
When manufacture resumed in 1919 the model was called the E-type, following the C-type Prince Henry and the D-type 25 hp tourer. E-type production ended in September 1922 after 287 cars, and the overhead-valve OE-type took over from early 1923. The factory's four-seater Velox tourer was the usual body.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard 30-98 E-type.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | four-cylinder, side-valve3 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 4,525 cc / 4.5 LFactory: 4,525 cc4 Independently researchedBonhams describes the engine only as 4½-litre. |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 67.1 kW / 91.2 PSFactory: 90 hp · converted4,3 Independently researchedBonhams says '90bhp-plus'. No rating standard stated. |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | manual, multi-plate clutch, short prop-shaft to straight-cut bevel rear axle3 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | 43 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | beam axle, semi-elliptic springs3 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | live axle, semi-elliptic springs3 Independently researched |
| Brakes | foot-operated transmission brake plus handbrake on the rear drums; front wheels unbraked3 Independently researched |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 137 km/hFactory: 85 mph · converted3 Independently researchedApproximate figure for a road-equipped car. |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
1924 Vauxhall 30-98 OE-Type Wensum Tourer Level B Paul Hardiman · Sports Car Market · 2020-10-14
- Number Produced: 313 (plus 287 E-types)
-
2
Bonhams – 1921 Vauxhall 30-98 E-type Velox Tourer, chassis E303 Level B
- 287 E-type 30-98s constructed before manufacture ceased in September 1922 (other sources give 261–283)
-
3
1921 Vauxhall 30-98 E-Type Velox Tourer Chassis no. E303 (Goodwood Members' Meeting) Level C Bonhams · 2018-03-18
- 4½-litre, four-cylinder, side-valve engine
- 90bhp-plus power output
- multi-plate clutch to a robust four-speed gearbox
- robust four-speed gearbox
- beam axle at the front ... semi-elliptic springs all round
- live axle at the rear, with semi-elliptic springs
- front wheels being un-braked
- A fully road-equipped 30-98 was capable of around 85mph
-
4
1923 Vauxhall 30/98 Level B Supercars.net
- Originally fitted with a 4,525cc side-valve four cylinder engine
- producing 90bhp
Keep exploring
More from Vauxhall
-
Vauxhall
30-98 OE Wensum
12 Built
-
Vauxhall
VXR8 GTS-R (UK-market)
15 Built
-
Vauxhall · 2004–2005
VXR220
65 Built
-
Vauxhall · 1911–1914
C-type "Prince Henry"
175 Built
More from United Kingdom
-
Aston Martin · 1998–2000
Vantage Volante (V550/V600)
9 Built
-
Ginetta · 1961–1968
G4
Production not yet verified
-
Arrows
A8
Production not yet verified
-
Lagonda
Rapide (Aston Martin)
55 Built
134 other makes from United KingdomACAiredaleAlan Mann RacingAllardAlvisArabArashArielArmstrong SiddeleyArrowsAscariAston MartinAtalantaAtlantisAustinAustin-HealeyBedfordBentleyBerkeleyBluebirdBMCBondBrabhamBristolBritish LeylandBroadspeedBrookeBrough SuperiorCampbell-RailtonCaparoCaterhamChevronConnaughtCooperCrayfordDaimlerDavid BrownDawsonDeLoreanDuttonAll makes →