The Leyland Eight was a luxury car

Čar

Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...

 produced by Leyland Motors from 1920 to 1923. The car was designed by the chief engineer of Leyland Motors, J.G. Parry-Thomas

J.G. Parry-Thomas

John Godfrey Parry-Thomas was a Welsh engineer and motor-racing driver who at one time held the Land Speed Record. He was the first driver to be killed in pursuit of the land speed record....

 and his assistant Reid Railton, and was intended to be the finest car available. The Eight was introduced to the public at the 1920 International Motor Exhibition

British International Motor Show

The British International Motor Show is an automobile show held biennially in the United Kingdom. It is recognised as an international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles. The 2008 was the last event with no news of a return of the British International Motor Show...

 at Olympia, London

Olympia, London

Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...

, where it was referred to as the "Lion of Olympia".

Two engine options were offered: a 6,920 cc capacity unit producing 115 bhp or 7,266 cc with twin carburettors producing 145 bhp. Both had a single overhead camshaft

Overhead camshaft

Overhead cam valvetrain configurations place the engine camshaft within the cylinder heads, above the combustion chambers, and drive the valves or lifters in a more direct manner compared to overhead valves and pushrods...

 and hemispherical combustion chambers. The chassis had elliptical leaf springs at front and rear. The brakes, with vacuum servo, were on the rear wheels only.

Factory-made bodies were available in open tourer style with either two or five seats and chassis were also supplied to coachbuilders. The car was very expensive, the chassis for delivery to a coachbuilder costing £2,500 in 1920 reducing to £1,875 in 1922 and only about 18 were made. It was the most expensive British car of its day. Today, only one example of this car is known to exist, and it resides in a transport museum.

Michael Collins

Michael Collins (Irish leader)

Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...

, the Irish politician and revolutionary leader, was travelling in a Leyland Eight when he was fatally shot in 1922.

Leyland engineer J. G. Parry-Thomas built the Leyland-Thomas, a racing special based on the Leyland Eight.