Following on from Britain’s first sports car, Vauxhall’s C-type Prince Henry, the 30-98 was introduced in 1923. It became the marque’s best-known sporting model, with more than 600 produced over 14 years, although only 13 cars were produced before the outbreak of the First World War.

Originally offered with a side valve 4½ litre engine, in 1922 this was upgraded to a 4¼ litre overhead valve unit, giving 112 bhp. In 1923, four wheel brakes became standard and, by the time the 30/98 went out of production in 1927, hydraulic braking was included.

A variety of body styles was available, as was a chassis-only option, giving the customer freedom to have the coachwork constructed to their own taste. The most dramatic was the racy Wensum, with no doors, no hood and flared wings but costing £150 more than the regular tourer with all of its comforts!

In the pared-down form, with a high ratio rear axle, the 30-98 had a factory quoted top speed of 100 mph (161 km/h). This made it the fastest catalogued production car in the UK at the time. Many of the 30-98 Vauxhalls were exported, the majority finding their way to Australia. Around 170 30-98s still survive today.