Vehicle Description
Car No. 12172/R
Engine No. 12172/R
Lagonda is one of the great names in British motoring, although, as
is frequently pointed out, the name itself is not British. The
company's founder was an expatriate American, who gave the firm the
Native American name for a particularly photogenic limestone gorge
running near his hometown of Springfield, Ohio. Despite its Yankee
origins, Lagonda's name sounded as exotic as the automobiles they
built, and they were exotic, indeed, in both appearance and design.
Especially notable were the firm's 1930s models, distinguished by
complex but superlative engineering, some of the finest of its era,
and truly beautiful coachwork unrivaled by virtually anything else
at the time.
The LG45 Rapide, foremost among them, featured a high-compression
engine and improved gearing for increased top speed, which in 1937
The Motor tested as 108 mph - proving this to be a genuine 100 mph
car, a feat that few British automobiles of this era could claim.
These engineering modifications and in fact virtually the entire
design of the car was borrowed from the firm's Le Mans model of
1935. In the fashion of Jaguar's landmark XKSS of the late 1950s,
this was a contemporary Le Mans entrant, using the same virtually
unaltered engineering, but dressed up for the street.
Roadgoing couture for the LG45 Rapide was courtesy Frank Feeley, a
brilliant touch with a stylist's pencil who deserves to be
better-remembered as a master of the sweeping line, equal to anyone
in France during this era. His bodywork for the Rapide featured
extraordinary individual front fenders, with a sharp 'helmet'
crease across their lengths, as well as vestigial running boards,
flared rear fenders, and a beltline that seemed to ebb and swirl
back through the long doors. There was scarcely a straight line on
the entire automobile, and it was, to use an oft-overused
adjective, purely seductive. Few more beautiful cars could be had
anywhere, and fewer still in 1937 had the Lagonda's manners and
performance. It was, simply, one of the finest, most attractive
machines that money could buy.
Yet, in these difficult years for Lagonda, its last as an
independent manufacturer, only 25 examples of the LG45 Rapide were
produced for the world to enjoy. The survivors are fiercely prized
by their owners, as they should be, and have long been standouts at
numerous concours d'elegance all over the globe, as well as
occasionally enjoyed on rallies where they can demonstrate their
superb swiftness of foot.
Car number 12172/R, shown here, is recorded by the Lagonda Club as
having been once owned by a "Doc" Young, its earliest known
caretaker. While the dates of ownership are not definitively known,
in 1959 the car was acquired by art teacher John Whitehead of
Pontypridd, Wales, who is recounted in a Welsh newspaper article as
having bought it in Malaya, "where it had been the property of an
English doctor" - likely Young. The article continued to note that
"Mr. Whitehead, a leading vintage-car enthusiast, has been trying
for years to acquire this particular model, a 4� litre 1937 Lagonda
Rapide, which he regards as the finest car, for all-round
performance and dependability, ever produced." Accompanying is a
photograph of the happy new owner behind the wheel of his LG45
Rapide, then finished in a primrose color and identifiable as this
example by its British registration plate, DXA 960.
Subsequently, the Club records ownership from 1967 to 1974 by D.R.
Hine of Cheshire, later to become Chairman and currently the
President of the organization, who is, needless to say, a
longstanding connoisseur of the marque. By 1993 it had passed into
the ownership of Nicholas Jones of Hamilton, Bermuda - a marvelous
location for Lagonda enjoyment - then by 1999 to Christopher
Hutchins of Bangor, Maine. Mr. Hutchins was a well-known Maine
businessman, whose numerous passions included fine sports cars and
vintage automobiles.
By the time of the Hutchins acquisition, it appears that the car
had been fully restored in this very elegant combination of dark
British Racing Green and black, with tan leather interior and black
cloth top. Examination of the car shows that it was likely a superb
example prior to restoration, with most of its original structural
wood remaining intact in fine condition, and the body retaining its
original wooden running board support as well as the original
fenders, which still have visible gas welds and hammer marks on
their undersides.
In 2002, the Lagonda was acquired for the renowned collection of
two-time Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Best of Show winners,
Judge Joseph and Margie Cassini, known for their excellent
stewardship of some of the world's most extraordinary Classic
automobiles. The Cassinis took superb care of their prized LG45
Rapide before selling the Lagonda in 2006 to John O'Quinn, from
whose vast collection it was acquired by the Academy of Art
University in 2010.
That each of its owners has appreciated and loved this LG45 Rapide
is reflected in its appearance today; three decades after
completion of the outstanding restoration, it remains in
outstanding, concours-quality condition. The fit of the body panels
remains exquisite, and the paintwork is rich, deep, and lustrous,
while the interior is beautifully cut and stitched, an excellent
match to show-quality plating and polished trim throughout. Even
the engine compartment and chassis are very clean and well-detailed
for show.
In sum, this special Lagonda would require little to show again
with confidence and pleasure, as one of the finest examples of this
rare and desirable model. One does not even have to travel to
Malaya to acquire it!
