<VV> Lucas reliability

[David B. Neale]

Whilst Lucas automotive electrical components were of extremely dubious quality from the early 1960s until maybe the 1980s, ( mainly because they supplied British Leyland with all of their electrical components, and BL demanded parts at the lowest possible prices, and therefore the quality was concomitantly poor ), the real horror was the Lucas mechanical fuel injection systems fitted to several British Leyland cars.

Lucas mechanical fuel injection fitted to otherwise superlative Triumph 2500 PI cars would habitually burst into flames during a cold start. These high-performance vehicles were used by several police departments, and a standing order was issued that required that an officer equipped with a fire extinguisher would always be standing alongside the opened engine compartment at every cold start. Until then, several cars were completely destroyed due to fuel fires. Lucas engineers were quite unable to fix the problem. When working correctly, however, the 2500 PI went like a rocket.

David Neale
England

'65 Monza 140HP convertible with no fuel injection, mechanical or otherwise. Yet.