The thrilling ’30s
Most of us have a clear idea of what a sports car is, though that doesn’t necessarily mean we will agree with someone else’s definition.
‘Sporting car’ is a broader term which can certainly include sports cars, but also covers models that are more powerful, more nimble or simply more fun to drive than a first glance might suggest.
There were a great many of these in the 1930s – so many, in fact, that we’re restricting ourselves to one per manufacturer in an attempt to keep things manageable.
All of them were on sale at some point during the decade (though in occasional cases they might have been introduced slightly earlier), and they are arranged in alphabetical order.
1. Alfa Romeo 6C
The classic high-performance Alfa Romeo of the 1930s was the 8C, yet even this formidable machine could not fully overshadow the 6C of the same period.
This started out in the previous decade with a 1487cc, straight-six engine, but for the slightly later 6C 1750 the unit was enlarged to 1752cc, and was available in its most extreme form with supercharging and twin overhead camshafts.
An Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 with saloon bodywork and the tamest version of the engine was not necessarily sporting, but examples with more power and lighter bodies unquestionably were, as shown by the fact that 10 places in the top 20 of the 1930 Mille Miglia (including the first four) were taken by them, with three others claimed by 6C 1500s.
2. Alvis Speed 20
In its original form, known as SA, the Alvis Speed 20 was capable of 90mph despite having an unsupercharged, 2.5-litre engine, which was no small matter in 1932.
That engine, a straight-six measuring 2511cc, was developed from an existing Alvis unit, but the rest of the car was new, and very much more sporting than the Silver Eagle the company was also building at the time.
The SB and SC (pictured) Speed 20s introduced in 1933 and 1935 respectively had larger and more powerful engines, though this didn’t entirely compensate for the fact that they were also heavier.
A wider-bore derivative of the straight-six with seven bearings rather than the original four later joined the range, and after further development the sportiest Alvis of the period became known as the Speed 25.
3. Bentley 8 Litre
Having started out with a 3-litre model in 1921, Bentley was obliged, as it produced increasingly heavy cars to sustain its rivalry with Rolls-Royce, to introduce an 8-litre just nine years later.
A challenger to Rolls-Royce’s Phantom II, the 8 Litre had a straight-six engine measuring 7983cc and producing either 200bhp or 225bhp, depending on the compression ratio.
Weighing nearly 1900kg (4189lb) before it was fitted with a body, the car could hardly be nimble, but that engine made it astonishingly sporting, leading The Autocar to write (of the example owned by WO Bentley himself and pictured here) that ‘on performance alone it stands right in the forefront as an equal, at least, to any other car in existence’.
Despite this high praise, the 8 Litre could not save Bentley from financial collapse, and by a strange irony the company was taken over by Rolls-Royce in 1931.
4. BMW 328
Later described by motoring historian Michael Sedgwick as ‘the best all-rounder of its generation’, the 328 roadster was BMW’s first sporting car.
Renowned as a splendid machine to drive in everyday conditions, it also quickly established a reputation as a very strong contender in the 2-litre class of international motorsport, notably winning this category and finishing eighth overall in the 1938 Mille Miglia road race, while a Touring version won the same event outright two years later.
Production of the car itself lasted only from 1936 to 1940, but its 1971cc, straight-six engine was used in the early post-war era by British manufacturers AC, Bristol and Frazer Nash.
5. Bugatti Type 55
With the exception of the enormous Royale, Bugattis of the 1930s, and indeed of all periods, have always been at the very least sporting, so the field is wide open here.
We’ve chosen the Type 55, partly because its specification would instantly have quickened the pulse of any potential customer as soon as they heard about it.
Admittedly slightly detuned, its supercharged, 2.3-litre, twin-cam, straight-eight engine was essentially the same one used in the exactly contemporary Type 51, which won the 10-hour 1931 French Grand Prix by several laps against strong opposition from Alfa Romeo and Maserati.
The later Type 57 was more glamorous, and had a larger engine, but for a car of the early 1930s the Type 55 was as sporting as anyone could reasonably wish.
6. Buick Century
For the 1936 model year, Buick renamed all its models, replacing the word ‘Series’ followed by a two-digit number divisible by 10 with single words such as Limited and Roadmaster.
The choice of Century for what had previously been known as the Series 60 was related to the fact that Buick had decided to fit the largest-capacity, 5247cc engine from its straight-eight Fireball family into one of its shorter-wheelbase models.
The resulting model, pictured here in unusual Sport Coupe form, was Buick’s fastest car of the period and, it has been suggested, the forerunner of all later America muscle cars, with a claimed maximum speed of 100mph, hence ‘century’.
Its production life came to an end in 1942, when Buick stopped building cars to concentrate on the war effort, and there would not be another Century (based once again on the ‘large engine in a small car’ principle) until 1954.
7. Delage D8S
Introduced in 1929, the D8 was a luxury car with, at first, a 4061cc, straight-eight engine and a chassis available with three wheelbases, so that coachbuilders could provide customers with a wide choice of possible bodies.
The most sporting variant was the D8S of 1932 (pictured here with cabriolet bodywork by Chabron), which had the shortest wheelbase in the line-up, a lowered chassis and an uprated version of the same engine.
Because of this alternative specification, the D8, which could otherwise be a stately limousine suitable mostly for gentle and comfortable long-distance travel, could in S form also be a car for the enthusiastic motorist.
8. Delahaye 135
With various chassis lengths, 3.2- and 3.6-litre versions of the same straight-six engine, and whatever body coachbuilders and their clients decided was appropriate (cabriolet by Chapron pictured), the Delahaye 135 could be anything from a grand tourer to a competition car.
Its appeal to sporting drivers could only have been enhanced by its success in major events, which included winning the Rallye Monte-Carlo in 1937 and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1938, and then in 1939 tying for first place on the Monte-Carlo (a thing that had never happened before and has never happened since) with a Hotchkiss.
While some of the cars featured here had short production lives, Delahaye was still building the 135 as late as 1954, the year the company faded from existence.
9. Duesenberg Model SJ
Surely one of the finest cars ever designed and built in North America, the Duesenberg Model J made its debut in 1928 and featured a 6.9-litre, straight-eight engine with twin overhead camshafts.
The engine was supercharged for the Model SJ introduced in 1932, raising its quoted power output to a remarkable 320 horsepower.
A fair proportion of it was required simply to prevent what could, depending on the body fitted, be a very heavy car from remaining at a permanent standstill, and it’s unlikely that anyone found the Model J’s cornering ability particularly inspiring.
Owners of a sporting mindset could, however, enjoy the fact that in a straight line this was an extraordinarily fast car, conceivably able to support the claim that the only thing capable of overtaking a Duesenberg was another Duesenberg, and then only with the consent of the first driver.
10. Fiat 508S Corsa
The Fiat 508, launched in 1932, was an inexpensive compact car with a 995cc engine and, at first sight, no sporting pretensions whatsoever.
There were some two-seater variants, though, including the Sport and the Sport Spider, and the most extreme version was known as the 508S Corsa.
As the last part of its name suggests, this was intended largely for use in motorsport, and performed extremely well in the up-to-1100cc class of many events, though drivers who had little interest in luxury could also enjoy it on public roads.
Only around 1000 Fiat 508S Corsas are believed to have been built, representing less than 1% of total 508 production, and some were exported to the UK, where at least one (the car pictured here) competed successfully at Brooklands and, after the Second World War, at Goodwood.
11. Ford Model 18
The Model 18 was the first car powered by the Ford flathead (or sidevalve) V8 engine which, in its original 1932 form, had a capacity of 3.6 litres and produced 65 horsepower.
Even by the standards of this time, this wasn’t a great deal, but it was 30% more than you would get in a Model B (basically the same car with a 3.3-litre ‘four’), and more than three times the output of the Model T which had still been in production as recently as 1927.
What’s more, the engine was fitted to a relatively light car, especially in roadster form as pictured here, and contemporary press reports referred to its excellent acceleration and manoeuvrability.
The Model T was far more important, both to the company that built it and in terms of motoring history, but the Model 18 was the first truly sporting Ford.
12. Hotchkiss 686 GS
The GS, or Grand Sport, version of the Hotchkiss 686 was not far removed from other cars in the range, using the same 3485cc, straight-six engine (with either two single-choke Stromberg carburettors or a single twin-choke of the same make) and a shortened version of the usual chassis.
Simple though it had been to devise, the GS was the most sporting of all Hotchkiss cars of its period, taking over from the most powerful version of the AM.
Introduced in 1936, it achieved greatness three years later by taking victory (or at least sharing it with a Delahaye, as mentioned earlier) on the Rallye Monte-Carlo, and then won the first post-war runnings of the same event in 1949 and 1950.
The AM had also scored a Rallye Monte-Carlo hat-trick between 1932 and 1934, and the combined success of both models means that, as of 2026, Hotchkiss is, in terms of overall victories, the fifth most successful manufacturer in the event’s history.
13. Invicta S-type
Looking like the epitome of the 1930s sporting car when fitted with an open-topped body, the S-type was closely related to Invicta’s A-type, but its wheelbase was slightly shorter and its chassis was underslung (running below rather than above the axle) at the rear.
This was part of a recipe for sporty behaviour which also included a 4467cc, straight-six engine supplied by Meadows and featuring a crossflow cylinder head.
The Invicta S-type was revealed at the British Motor Show in October 1930, and a few weeks later an example driven by Donald Healey won the 1931 Rallye Monte-Carlo, backing this up with second place overall the following year.
A long career might have been expected for this splendid car, but the original Invicta company (there have since been others) soon fell into financial trouble, and was wound up before the end of the decade.
14. Jensen S-type
The first production Jensen owed a lot to the V8 Fords of the 1930s, not least in the fact that it used the 3.6-litre version of the flathead engine.
Ford had tuned it well beyond the original 65 horsepower specification by the time the S-type went into production in the middle of the decade, but not to anywhere near the 120bhp Jensen was said to have achieved, partly by adding twin SU carburettors.
A two-speed rear axle was fitted as standard, and customers could choose between saloon and convertible bodies.
According to one source, approximately 47 S-types and 18 examples of the later H-type were built before production was suspended during wartime, but once peace had returned Jensen continued to build sporting models until the mid 1970s.
15. Lancia Astura
The cars Lancia introduced in the 1930s generally had relatively small engines (mostly V4s, a layout the company strongly favoured) and were intended for the mass market.
The Astura, pictured here wearing Castagna bodywork, was an exception, with a narrow-angle V8 measuring 2.6 litres at first, but later extended to just shy of 3 litres.
This was a full litre short of another V8 used in the Dilambda, which dated from the late 1920s but was still on sale during the following decade.
Nevertheless, the Astura was a sturdy performer, especially with the larger version of the engine, and could be used as a competition car as well as a luxurious but still sporting road vehicle.
16. Mercedes-Benz 540K
The 540K was the last in a series of high-performance 1930s Mercedes-Benzes which had begun in 1933 with the 380.
The 380’s 3823cc, straight-eight engine produced 138bhp when the supercharger was engaged, but even this was not considered to be enough, so the ‘eight’ had both its bore and its stroke increased by 8mm to raise its capacity to 5018cc for the 500K of 1934.
Maximum power was now up to 158bhp, but after two more years it rose further to 178bhp in the 540K, which had a 5401cc version of the same engine.
Even in short-wheelbase form, the 540K weighed well over 2000kg (4409lb), so sharp handling was not to be expected, but owners whose idea of sporting driving consisted mainly of going fast in a straight line were pleased by the fact that the car could exceed 100mph.
17. MG SA
The SA demonstrates that a sporting car is not necessarily the same thing as a sports car.
MG enthusiasts of the 1930s, very familiar with the latter, were reportedly not at all pleased by this large saloon (also available as a drophead coupé) with a slightly modified, 2.3-litre, Wolseley pushrod engine which struggled to overcome the car’s considerable weight.
Contemporary reports suggest, however, that the SA could easily maintain high speeds when it finally reached them, had very effective brakes, handled well and was generally a delight to drive, all plus points for drivers who believed a car could still be sporting even if it didn’t have dramatic acceleration.
Customers liked it so much that the company could justify building 2738 examples in just under four years – not many in the great scheme of things, but a very high production rate for a pre-war MG.
18. Morgan 4/4
The Morgan 4/4’s name is derived from the fact that the car had four wheels and a four-cylinder engine, a then-unusual development for a company which had previously specialised in three-wheelers.
At its launch in 1936, the 4/4 was powered by an 1122cc, Coventry-Climax engine which produced 34bhp, sufficient in a light car to provide decent if not startling performance.
A larger and more powerful 1267cc, Standard engine was available by the end of the decade, but driving a 4/4 was not so much about going quickly as about enjoying the experience.
Of all the cars mentioned here, the Morgan 4/4 had by far the longest history, remaining in production (though with several gaps and extensive development) all the way through to 2018.
19. Renault Nerva Grand Sport
The Renault Nervastella, a full-size luxury model with a straight-eight engine, was joined in 1932 by the shorter and lighter Nervasport.
The Nervasport in turn gave rise to a limited-edition model known as the Nerva Grand Sport, which went on sale in 1935.
This was the first Renault to use the largest, 5448cc version of the straight-eight, which produced around 115bhp in a car weighing 2400kg (5291lb).
Despite this unfavourable power-to-weight ratio, the Nerva Grand Sport was able to travel at up to 90mph, partly no doubt because its body was unusually aerodynamic for the period.
Just 104 examples were built, making this one of the most exclusive Renaults of the 1930s.
20. Riley 12/4
Manufactured from 1935 to 1938, the 12/4 was fitted with a 1496cc engine similar in some ways to the 1.1-litre unit used in the Riley Nine, with twin overhead camshafts (though neither of them were mounted as far up as the cylinder ahead) and, in high-performance versions, twin carburettors.
Three wheelbases and several body styles were offered, the car pictured here being a Continental saloon with a single-carb engine.
Although the 12/4 had a short production life, abbreviated by Riley’s financial collapse from which it was saved only through acquisition by the Nuffield organisation, its engine would be used in several later models, the last being the RME which was discontinued in 1955.
21. SS Jaguar 100
In the 1930s, the marque we now know as Jaguar was called SS (a reference to the earlier Swallow Sidecars), and Jaguar was used simply as a model name.
The SS Jaguar 100 introduced in 1936 was a development of the previous year’s SS90 two-seat roadster, with the previously sidevalve, 2663cc, straight-six engine now featuring overhead valves following a redesign by Harry Weslake.
A new, 3485cc ‘six’ was fitted both to the SS Jaguar saloons and to the 100 in 1938, giving the latter a top speed of 100mph in some, though not all, tests, yet it could be considered as a sporting rather than an outright sports car because of its high-quality interior, good weather protection and reasonable amount of luggage space.
Despite all that, it was very competitively priced, the £445 being asked for the 3.5-litre version making it, in the words of the Jaguar Heritage Trust, ‘the cheapest 100mph car in Britain at the time’.
22. Triumph Gloria
From 1933 to 1938, Triumph manufactured a remarkably complex range of cars which were all known as Gloria.
There were many body styles, including a saloon and a sports tourer (pictured), and a choice of in-line-four and straight-six engines, the latter being fitted to cars with significantly longer bodies than the four-cylinder units.
Inevitably, some Glorias were more sporty than others, the Vitesse models having a head start in this regard because their engines were uprated.
The Gloria range was responsible for the only two podium positions achieved by Triumphs in the Rallye Monte-Carlo, four-cylinder versions finishing third in 1934 and second in 1935.
23. Wolseley Hornet Special
The first of two Wolseleys given the model name Hornet was a small car of the 1930s with a 1271cc, straight-six version of the in-line, four-cylinder, overhead-camshaft engine used in the contemporary Morris Minor.
This unit, with revisions including twin carburettors and high-compression pistons, was also used in the far more sporting Hornet Special, which went on sale in 1932 only as a rolling chassis, customers being required to employ a coachbuilder to finish the job.
A revised Wolseley Hornet Special with a chassis underslung at the rear was introduced in 1934, and in the same year the engine was updated, though its capacity remained the same.
For 1935, close to the end of production, the original engine was replaced by a similar motor with a longer stroke and a wider bore, giving 1604cc.