1939 Lagonda V12 LeMans Roadster

The example shown is one of twenty reproductions of the 1939 Lagonda V12 racers that competed at the 1939 Le Mans race. Two Lagondas entered in the 24-hour race and finished in third and fourth place. This amazing accomplishment is the result of the work done by W.O. Bentley who had left the Bentley and Rolls-Royce Company in 1935 to work for Lagonda. The actual racers that competed at LeMans were damaged in World War II so the 20 replicas created are some of the only ways to experience what the originals were like.

The third-place car at LeMans was driven by Arthur Dobson and Charles Brackenbury. It completed 239 laps with the lead car finishing 248. The first-place car was a 3.3 Liter Supercharged Bugatti Type 57S. Second place went to a Delage D6-Sl driven by Louis Gerard and Georges Monneret. The fourth-place car was one lap off of the third-place car, and it was driven by Lord Selsdon and Lord William Waleran.

The twelve cylinders produced over 150 horsepower which was sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox.

The original two 1939 LeMans team cars were badly damaged by a V1 'buzz bomb.' This car is a replica of those two cars and uses a body that was the first restoration of one of the team cars (plus a few other parts from it). This car has campaigned in many vintage races in Europe and the USA since the early 1970s.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2007