1929 Lagonda 2 Litre Low Chassis Tourer ‘PK 9201’
Ex - Tim Rose-Richards / Cecil Randall
Factory supplied ‘special competition example’
1929 Brooklands Double Twelve
1929 Brookland Six Hour
Very well preserved car
Ex Capt. Ivan Foreshore Collection
PK 9201 is a very special and original racing Lagonda.
General Metcalfe of Lagonda Motors agreed to supply a racing syndicate, keen to take on the period’s toughest endurance races, special competition cars at a reduced price. One presumes to build the marque’s racing credentials and brand. The year was 1928 and the syndicate was headed by Waltham and Hertford who decided to pool their resources, ably supported by budding drivers Tim Rose-Richards, Arthur Pollard, Cecil Randall, George Roberts and Bill Edmondson. The syndicate acquired 2 cars from the factory for £300 each (roughly half price) on the condition that they would not resell them for less than £600.
At the same time Arthur Fox (of Fox and Nicholl) who had been running the Talbot racing team, also acquired one of these special 2 litre Lagondas along with a 4th being bought by engine tuner Robin Jackson. Fox and Nicholl agreed to service and race prepare the cars, which eventually arrived with them in April 1929, when the 4 cars were registered at the same with consecutive registrations: PK 9201, PK 9202, PK 9203 & PK 9204.
These racing specials were prototypes of the ‘low chassis’ 2 litre with the revised front axel and nose mounted dynamo however they also benefited from being greatly lightened in the body and chassis. They had lighter camshafts and carried quick lift / long dwell cams and an increased compression ratio of 7. 45:1. The inlet ports were honed out to 36mm, the flywheel was lightened, the radiator was enlarged with a pressurised system, it had straight cut bevel axel with a 4:1 ratio and triple-diffuser Zenith carburettors were installed.
Prior to their first race, The Brooklands Double 12, Fox and Nicholl put rotating, hinged windscreens in to help both with wind movement over the car but it could also be angled to deflect the wind better over the drivers head. These were fitted to both the syndicates cars and on their own while Jackson opted for more traditional aero-screen and mesh stone guard. Arthur fox also insisted on the team repeated practicing their starting procedure as well as equipping the hoods with sprung clips (early race laps had to be covered with the hoods raised). These two measure ensured the team lead the field at Brooklands into the first corner and wasted little time putting the hoods down a few laps later.
For the 1929 Brooklands Double-12 race, the driver pairings were:
PK 9201 - Tim Rose-Richards/ Cecil Randall
PK 9202 - Bill Edmondson/ George Roberts
PK 9203 - Frank King/ Howard Wolfe
PK 9204 - Robin Jackson/ C. A. Broomhall.
In the 1929 race, the outright win was contested between supercharged Alfa Romeos and big Bentleys. In the 2 litre class, the syndicate Lagondas were beaten by the Lagonda factory’s proxy entry - a 2 Litre High chassis entered by Mike Couper which proved to be their 200 mile record car! At the end of the first 12 hours off racing, all 5 Lagondas were still running, however, the second day would bring some problems. At the start of the day the Jackson/ Broomhall car took a good deal of time to start loosing it almost an hour before it could be persuaded to fire. The Fox cars suffered from a broken exhausts and silencer and the Rose-Richards/ Randall car broke it crankshaft.
Not all was lost though, the Couper high chassis special won the 2 litre class with 9th overall, Edmondson/ Roberts managed to finish 13th and 2nd in class, Jackson/ Broomhall finished in 14th and 3rd in class and King/ Wolfe managed 18th overall and 6th in class. All in, a respectable showing.
The cars returned to the Lagonda factory in Staines following the race for a refresh. The syndicate decided to miss Le Mans and concentrate on on the 6-Hour, TT and possibly there Irish GP. Arthur Fox, however, did enter the 1929 Le Mans 24 hr race with his car PK 9203 which was driven by Tim Rose-Richards and the Hon. Brian Lewis. The car ran well in the early part of the race and after 3 hours it was only 3 laps behind the leading Bentleys. Sadly after 283 miles the Lagonda pitted with a blown head gasket leading to the retirement of the car as under the regulations - cooling water could not be added until lap 40. Being only on lap 28, a further 12 laps of 8 miles was clearly not possible and the car was retired.
Next came the BARC 6 Hours at Brooklands, and the syndicate / Fox cars were all back in action. This time the driver pairings were:
PK 9201 - Rose-Richards/ Randall
PK 9202 - Roberts/ Pollard
PK 9203 - Lewis/ Jervis
PK 9204 - Jackson/ Broomhall.
The Lagonda factory again entered Coupe in the high chassis 2 litre as well as a further 2 ltr driven by Hebeler/ Hepburn.
The Fox car again made a fast start and settled into the race. Coupe’s car had rocker gear problems and Brian Lewis veered off the course and into the sand banking losing time as he and his mechanic dug themselves out. PK 9202 lead the team home with 9th overall and 4th in the 2 ltr class, while Lagonda won the team prize and the Mobiloil Cup.
The syndicate cars also ran at the Irish GP and the RAC TT Trophy to finish ‘29 season.
At the end of the season, PK 9201 was retired and later was sold to their driver Bill Edmondson in 1930, and used by him to attempt the unofficial London-John O’Groats record in daylight on Midsummer Day. Sadly he was unsuccessful in his attempt but he did keep the car for a number of years before selling it to Lt. MacKay RN, HMS Howe, Portland, Dorset in November 1948. The car then sold to Capt. F. S. Prince, Ravens Nest, Beaulieu Road, Lyndhurst, Hants. in June 1950 and then to H. Charles Long, 39 Rosehill Park West, Sutton, Surrey October. 1951. It eventually came to its well known custodian and Lagonda aficionado Capt. Ivan Foreshaw in1973.
Included in the file is a copy letter dated July 30, 1973, from C. J. White & Co, Chartered Accountants of Sutton, Surrey, to Captain Forshaw, advising him that probate had been granted on the will of H. C. Long, and accordingly acknowledging receipt "... with thanks, of the sum of £2, 000 from you in respect of the sale of Lagonda Car - PK 9201…”.
Ivan would eventually end up owning all 4 of the ‘PK’ team cars that ran in 1929 and he restored them over many years.
Capt. Ivan Forshaw was dedicated to Lagondas from early on, he was instrumental in forming the Lagonda 2-Litre registry and later helped it join with the Lagonda Club where he became the spares and technical advisor.
During WWII Ivan joined the British Army as a dispatch rider seeing service in North Africa and Italy before being invalided out in 1945.
Shortly after, Aston Martin and Lagonda merged in 1947 The new company did not take an interest in the pre war cars and all enquiries concerning these Lagondas were passed to Ivan who became the centre for all prewar Lagondas. Later when David Brown exited from Aston Martin Lagonda, sole rights to remanufacture parts for DB2 & DB2/ 4 models plus the David Brown Lagondas were all offered to 'The Captain’ and Aston Martin Dorset was launched in 1972.
While the team cars where with Ivan a great deal of restoration work was done to them to bring them back to their original glory at his workshops in Aston Services Dorset. The company's Parts Manager at ASD recalls how that work was undertaken over a period of many years.
"During the restoration process great care was taken to use period components where possible, the only modern additions being SU electric fuel pumps and battery isolator switches. All of the cars had their dual shock absorber set-ups reinstated as some had been removed by previous owners to improve ride quality.
PK 9201 was registered on the same day at the other team cars - April 30th, 1929. It had a earlier engine number registered ‘1597’ but this entry was crossed out and engine number ‘1156’ entered above which is consecutive with the engine numbers applied to the power units of its three sister cars.
PK9201, today presents very well as you would expect coming from such a collector as Ivan Forshaw. Finished in the black and white colours it wore racing in period and with a stance and proportions that make this car beautiful from every angle. The car retains its many factory racing parts such as the stunning drilled, brake lever and gear stick, the racing zenith carburettors, lightened chassis, etc. etc
PK 9201 is an important part of Lagonda’s racing history, as such it will make a wonderful addition to any collection and it is sure to be welcomed to vintage racing grids and concours events the world over.
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