News & Features November 20, 2007, 2:22PM EST

Grand Lagonda

(page 2 of 2)

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1934 Lagonda 4½-Liter M45 Tourer

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Lagonda was one of the top British performance touring cars of the mid-'30s and offered ample room for four passengers to travel in style and speed. Today, these are cars equally at home on the Peking to Paris Rally as on the lawn at Pebble Beach.

Bankrupt in 1935, Lagonda was bought by Alan Good, who outbid Rolls-Royce. This endeared him to W.O. Bentley (who was not so lucky four years earlier), and Bentley left Rolls-Royce for Lagonda, where he improved the 4 1/2-liter Meadows engine and designed a spectacular 4 1/2-liter V12 in 1937.

It is primarily the engines Bentley created for Lagonda that made David Brown purchase the marque in 1947 and add it to his Aston Martin group. But the pre-Bentley Lagondas have a great deal to offer for those seeking vintage high-performance motoring.

The M45 is a terrific event car with good handling and a near-100 mph top speed. This car has had some modifications to make it more roadworthy in today's conditions and to enhance its value in use. One common alteration, which is not mentioned as having been done to this example, is the fitting of an Alvis synchromesh transmission. It makes driving the M45 a bit easier, a concession that would draw scorn from vintage Bentley boys.

However, since the Lagonda trades at a discount to a comparable Bentley, I would say you could safely endure their sneers, as you'd have as much fun as they and more money in the bank.

Cut-down doors and huge headlights

Many Lagondas of the period, like their Bentley counterparts, have been rebodied since first delivery. While the usual coachbuilders supplied bodies for the Lagonda chassis, the factory-built styles were the most prevalent. The T7 and T8 were open tourers, the T8 having both left and right front doors, while the T7 had a left front door and right rear door. These beautifully proportioned bodies, with sweeping fenders, side body cut-outs, and huge headlights, represent, along with the Invicta low-chassis and SS 100, the look of the archetypical British sporting car of the pre-war period.

This car began life as a saloon and was later re-bodied with the sexier tourer body. In fact, it's become rather difficult to find one of these cars with its original body, whether tourer or saloon. A few are on offer currently with original bodies at asking prices double what this car brought. The auction company description states the body on this car is "reputedly new old stock from the factory" mounted in the early '50s. If this is verifiable, it's nice but still makes it a rebody after period. No matter, it certainly looks correct and very handsome.

Although it appears in decent condition, it's clearly an older restoration that has been well used. Valuing these cars is challenging, as they don't come up for sale that often, and asking prices can vary wildly. Given the long-term ownership, usability, and rarity, and when comparing it to the alternatives, this sale has to be considered market correct for a car in this condition, if not something of a bargain.

(Introductory description courtesy of Bonhams.)

Details

Years Produced: 1934-35

Number Produced: 70

Original List Price: £1,000 (about $5,000) for chassis only

SCM Valuation: $90,000-$110,000

Tune-up Cost: $1,000-$1,500

Distributor Caps: $1,000-$1,250

Chassis # Location: Frame rail plate in engine compartment

Engine # Location: Right side of block

Club Info: Lagonda Club, Witney House, London Road, Hartley Witney Hants, RG27 8RN UK

Website: click to visit