1937 Lagonda LG45 Rapide

Lagonda's heritage is marked by a remarkable collection of successful sports cars, a series of significant racing achievements, culminating in a prestigious victory at Le Mans in 1935. Founded in 1906 in Staines, Middlesex, by the American Wilbur Gunn (1859-1920), who named it after a river near his hometown of Springfield, Ohio, production began with motorcycles in the garden of Gunn's house. Success was immediate, with a victory at the 1905 London to Edinburgh Trial. His first car was launched in 1907, and in 1910, its reputation was firmly established by winning the Moscow - St Petersburg Reliability Trial of 1910 with a 30hp six. The road-going vehicles it produced concentrated mainly on light cars before reverting to sporting and luxury models in the mid-1920s with the introduction of the four-cylinder, 2-liter 14/60 model. In 1929, the 14/60 was joined by the first of Lagonda's own sizes - the 3-Litre.

Lagonda's manufacturing began a new path in 1933 when it introduced the M45 at the Olympia Show. Based on the preceding ZM 3-Litre model, it was powered by a 4.5-liter, twin-plug six-cylinder engine by Meadows. The succession of six-cylinder models that followed, including the 3.5-liter (1935), the LG45 (1936-1937), and the LG6 (1938-1940) came equipped with engines by Meadows.

A team of three cars prepared by Lagonda's main agents, Fox & Nicholl, with highly tuned engines, Girling drum brakes, and short chassis, contested the 1934 RAC Tourist Trophy, finishing in fourth, fifth, and eighth place. The following year, one of these TT cars, driven by John Hindmarsh and Luis Fontes, won the 24-Hours of LeMans. These cars were the basis for the Lagonda M45 Rapide, and became even more refined with its successor, the LG45.

English engineer Walter Owen (W.O.) Bentley founded Bentley Motors Limited in London in 1919. From small premises in London, the company would quickly evolve into one of the most respected automobile manufacturers of its era, securing victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. W.O.'s motto was 'To build a good car, a fast car, the best in class.'

Although successful, Bentley fell on hard times in the early 1930s and the company entered voluntary liquidation in July 1931. Bentley's arch-rival, Rolls-Royce, outbid Napier at the last minute and acquired the company. W.O. was obliged by the court to join Rolls-Royce under a contract that began in March 1932 and continued to the end of April 1935. The Lagonda M45R Rapide with a Meadows engine won the 1935 Le Mans 24-hour race on June 16, 1935 (putting an end to Alfa Romeo's four consecutive win streak). The following week, Lagonda was saved from receivership by Alan P. Good. Shortly thereafter, W.O. became part of the new Lagonda board, serving as Technical Director. He was joined by the majority of Rolls-Royce's racing department staff. Although W.O. was unable to persuade Harry Grylls to join his engineering staff, he was able to recruit Stewart Tresilian, Frank Stark, Reg Ingham, and Donald Bastow. Tresilian became the chief designer of the V12 project that was introduced in 1937. The 4,480cc engine initially produced 180 horsepower and offered top speeds in excess of 100 mph. When Tresilian left in early 1938 for a Hawker Siddeley subsidiary, the development of the V12 stalled, and progress was eventually canceled due to Lagonda's financial difficulties, prompting more staff to leave.

After World War II, Lagonda was acquired by David Brown in 1947 and moved in with Aston Martin (another purchase by Mr. Brown) in Feltham, Middlesex. Production resumed with the final prototypes from Bentley, the 1948 Lagonda 2.6-Liter twin overhead camshaft straight-six engine, which became the basis for the Aston Martin engines of the 1950s.

Under W.O. Bentley's technical direction, the Lagonda LG45 gained numerous improvements over its M45 predecessor, including flexible engine mounts, synchromesh gears, and centralized chassis lubrication. The LG45 came in three versions known as 'Sanction' (improvements) 1, 2, and 3, each with more Bentley refinements. By 1938, the LG6 had gained hydraulic brakes and an independent front suspension by torsion bar.

The 4,453cc single overhead camshaft inline six-cylinder engine with twin SU carburetors produced 120 horsepower at 3,400 RPM. Output varied depending on configuration, with 1937 models delivering upwards of 150 horsepower at 5,500 RPM. The engine was paired with a four-speed manual transmission with a single dry plate clutch, and stopping power was by four-wheel Girling hydraulic drum brakes. The chassis was suspended by semi-elliptic leaf springs, with a solid front and live rear axle. The standard wheelbase size measured 129 inches.

It is believed that 278 examples of the LG45 were built, plus an additional 25 higher-specification Rapides. This was lower than the 410 M45s (plus 53 M45 R Rapdie) and the 470 Rapiers (plus 45 higher specification examples).

Following the LG45, the 4,467cc six-cylinder Meadows engine powered by the LG6, which was produced from 1937 to 1940. It used the chassis of the V12 model but lengthened by 3.5 inches to accommodate the longer inline engine. Sixty-seven examples had a wheelbase size of 127 inches, and eighteen measured 135 inches.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2023