Beschreibung
H&H Classic Auction @ The Imperial War Museum, Duxford/ Cambridgeshire
20th September, 2023 10:00
1932 Lagonda 2-Litre Low Chassis Speed Model Supercharged Tourer
Estimate
£90, 000 - £110, 000
Registration No: GX 2487
Chassis No: OH10116
MOT: Exempt
Original Supercharged four-seater Tourer from factory
Comprehensively restored by well-respected marque aficionado Peter Whenman
Resided in current ownership since 1985
Presents excellently, and has been used for long distance trips since, such as to Le Mans
Accompanied by a large history file that includes numerous invoices and correspondence from individuals such as Peter Whenman and Ivan Forshaw
Due to be driven c. 200 miles to the sale
Having established its reputation by winning the Moscow - St Petersburg Reliability Trial of 1910 with a 30hp six, Lagonda concentrated mainly on the production of light cars before reverting to sporting and luxury models in the mid-1920s with the introduction of the 14/ 60. The latter abandoned the firm's traditional in-unit gearbox in favour of a midships-mounted transmission, but of greater technical interest was the engine. Designed by Arthur Davidson, the 2-litre 'four' featured twin camshafts, mounted high in the block, operating inclined valves in hemispherical combustion chambers. Power output of this advanced design was a highly respectable 60bhp. For the 1929 season, a 'low chassis' Speed Model was introduced, featuring revisions to the frame's front end and a higher-compression engine fitted with twin carburettors.
The Speed Model had resulted from the factory's Le Mans effort of 1928, when the 2-Litre driven by Andre D'Erlanger and Douglas Hawkes had finished 11th overall in the 24-Hour endurance classic. A classic example of racing improving the breed, the 'low chassis' 2-Litre possessed markedly superior handling characteristics courtesy of its lower centre of gravity. In 1930 a supercharged version was introduced, with the 'blower' mounted vertically in front of the engine, which was fitted with a stronger crankshaft, while a 3-Litre rear axle beefed up the transmission. A Powerplus supercharged was specified at first, but most 'blown' 2-Litres came with a Cozette. Thus equipped, a 'low chassis' 2-Litre was capable of up to 90mph.
Supplied new on the 18th of May and registered new to the South East London area being registered ‘GX 2487’, chassis ‘OH10116’ is a factory 2-Litre Low-Chassis Supercharged Speed Model. The early ownership history is unknown but the owners are almost all known from 1953 onwards. Most recently prior to the vendor, the 2-Litre was known to have been exported to Singapore in the late 1970s by a member of The Malaysia and Singapore Vintage Car Register. Subsequently discovered in Singapore by the present owner in the early 1980s in neglected condition, the car was purchased in 1985 and after four years was repatriated to the United Kingdom where it was comprehensively restored with a focus on originality by the well-respected marque specialist, the late Peter Whenman of Vintage Coachworks, between 1990 and 1994.
The restoration started with stripping ‘OH10116’ down to a bare chassis with repairs and replacement metalwork grafted into the original chassis wherever necessary. A new ash frame was supplied to the original specification and re-clothed with the appropriate Dark Green fabric bodywork covering. New cycle wings and bonnet were fabricated in aluminium and finished in an attractive Dark Green colour scheme before the interior was fully re-upholstered in complementary Dark Green leather trim. Both the engine and gearbox were completely overhauled, including a new cylinder head from Peter Jones of Wessex Workshops, and a replica Cozette supercharger was fitted to replace the original which was missing from the car. A new Black ‘double-duck’ hood and tonneau cover were supplied and fitted to the original frame with a full set of new side screens fabricated, although they have only been used on one occasion since the car's post-restoration use started. A new radiator core was fitted to the radiator and new 21” wheels were provided.
The vendor then collected the car from Peter Whenman at Hartley Wintney in 1994 and the Lagonda was pressed straight into use, being driven to its home in the North East of England. Thereafter ‘GX 2487’ saw its first outing attending the Le Mans 24 Hour race in France in 1995, in the company of other members of the Lagonda Owners Club who were celebrating the 60th anniversary of Lagonda’s Le Mans victory in 1935. The improvements didn’t halt after the restoration however, with the 2-Litre fitted with new brake drums from Wessex Workshops in 1996 (with the original finned brake drums, which were standard on supercharged cars, accompanying the car to sale).
Living a cosseted life with the vendor since the restoration’s completion, international work and living arrangements have meant the Lagonda has seen sparing use while the vendor has been away from the United Kingdom for most of each year, and now with permanent re-location on the horizon, the car is now reluctantly offered for sale. ‘GX 2487’ will be driven to Duxford by the vendor, an approximately 200-mile trip. Presenting excellently and starting and running well during our photography session, the vendor informs that the Supercharged Lagonda has been almost totally reliable in his ownership and attests to the fact that in more than 30 years the car has only let him down once when the Scintilla magneto failed in 2005. A replacement Scintilla was fitted, with the old magneto overhauled by David Lindsley and will also accompany the car to auction.
The car is accompanied by a very large history file that comprises two voluminous ring binders attesting to the Tourer's history and restoration work, with a hand-written “costing” document relating to the restoration equating to £70, 184 spent on the restoration between 1990 and 1994. The files document back to 1954 and also hold correspondence and useful notes from the then Technical Advisor to the Lagonda Club, Ivan Forshaw. Rated by the vendor as in ‘excellent’ condition regarding bodywork, paintwork, engine, gearbox and interior trim, the vendor rates the electrical equipment as ‘very good’ as he feels the Lagonda would benefit from flashing indicators for safety with modern traffic. Pleasingly sporting its original registration number, OH10116 is an excellent example of pre-war Lagonda motoring and being a factory supercharged tourer makes it even more appealing.
