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The Lagonda Rapier featured a twin overhead camshaft 1104cc engine designed by Thomas (Tim) Ashcroft. The design brief was to produce Britain’s finest 1100cc engine. The engine built for Lagonda by Coventry Climax produced 50BHP at 5700 rpm which was an exceptional figure for the time. The attractive, quite rakish body is very reminiscent of a baby 2 litre.
VS 2718 was first registered on the 5th December 1934 and an old ‘brown' buff logbook confirms that in 1960 our Lagonda was in the Overslade area of Rugby, Warwickshire. The Lagonda changed hands several times during the 1960's, with owners in Rugby, Trumpington, South of Cambridge and by 1964 it was in Yorkshire, at New Ellerby in the East Riding.. The next owner of the Lagonda was in Holme upon Spalding Moor, East of York, it was then briefly in Hessle and the car then saw the 1960's out with John Edward Bec registered at RAF Driffield. There is an MOT test on file from 1964 but by the time the DVLA introduced their computerised system in the mid 1970's, the Lagonda was off the road and unused.
After three decades off the road, the Lagonda was purchased by an elderly enthusiast in Market Rasen Lincolnshire who embarked on a sympathetic restoration. He spent several years working on the car, getting it running, re-commissioning the mechanicals and coach painting the body to an acceptable standard. The Lagonda was finished in early 2007 and was put through an MOT test. The Lagonda passed, was safe, usable and roadworthy but sadly its elderly owner wasn't in position to enjoy the car and in September 2007 the Lagonda arrived with us in part exchange for something more practical.
We marketed the Lagonda and experienced an incredible enquiry level for the car with buyers from mainland Europe expressing high levels of interest. Priced sensibly due to its ‘usable', non-perfect appearance, the car sold almost immediately, and it was a relatively local highly experienced enthusiast engineer and restorer who won the race to own the car. A long-term customer of ours, he has a huge collection of motorbikes and pre-war cars and his attention was to ‘fettle' the Lagonda, and use it. We had the Lagonda re MOT tested, carried out some minor snagging and its new owner drove the car home across the North Yorkshire Moors.
Over the past 13 years the Lagonda has covered approximately 5000. As the car began to be used, problems came to light and with a strong, extensive mechanical background its new owner carried out some top end engine work and spent time on the car ensuring it would prove reliable. It has fulfilled all expectations and has been driven regularly with confidence in all weathers across rural locations. This isn't a show car, it's a real user and its cosmetic appearance suggests that. It is robust, strong and would be fantastic for rallies and pre war endurance events.
On the road the car feels quite lively and the four speed pre-select gearbox with right hand change is feels lighter to use than the type of pre-selector arrangements used by Daimler and Armstrong Siddeley in the 1930s. It feels quite sporting and more like a sequential gearbox to use. The Lagonda has proved itself capable of reliable long-distance touring and whilst being capable of improvement, this example represents an almost unique opportunity in this price range to experience one of the finest small thorobred sporting cars of the 1930s.
classicandsportscar.ltd.uk/lag...
12 янв 2021
