1934 Lagonda 16/80 Tourer

Lagonda began using Meadows engines in 1933, which were 4.5-liter units and no heavier than their own but produced 40 percent more power. This new model, the M45, had the performance of a Bentley but at a lower price. Around this same time, Lagonda replaced the four-cylinder model with a comparable car fitted with a 1,991cc six-cylinder engine from Crossley Motors Ltd., of Manchester. Each engine was disassembled by Lagonda, thoroughly checked, and then rebuilt. These cars, designated 16/80, were given twin SU carburetors. The E.N.V. pre-selector transmission became optional near the close of 1933. Production of the model continued through late 1934, with roughly 261 units produced.

This particular 16/80 Special Six S-Type wears a tourer body in the factory T7 design, featuring cut-down front doors inspired by racing models. It left the factory with a Wilson pre-selector gearbox but is currently fitted with a four-speed manual unit.

The car was owned by the BBC between 1988 and 1990, where it was used extensively as the title character's automobile in the television detective series, Campion. In 1991 it was sold and again in 1995, moving to Germany, from which it came to the United States several years ago.

It wears an older restoration and is finished in a wine and black combination. There are Marchal headlamps, dual horns, and Rudge-Whitworth black wire wheels with chrome knock-offs, and blackwall tires. Inside are black Smiths gauges behind a Brooklands-style steering wheel.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2018