Vehicle Description
Despite a well-deserved reputation for producing some of the finest
sporting cars in the world, Lagonda nevertheless found itself
facing receivership in the mid-1930s. Even as the press lauded the
M45's upset victory at the 1935 Le Mans 24 Hour race, the company
needed a swift revival plan to boost sales. Management brought in
29-year-old financial wunderkind Alan P. Good, who quickly set
about amassing investors. Concurrently, W.O. Bentley joined Lagonda
as chief engineer in the wake of his company's takeover by
Rolls-Royce. Soured by his experience under the stewardship of
Rolls-Royce, Bentley jumped ship to Lagonda, where his talents were
put to good use. Alan Good and W.O. Bentley each had points to
prove, the two men motivated to produce the very finest car in
Britain. W.O. dusted off plans for a highly advanced V12 engine he
started at Bentely Motors and set about developing it for use in an
all-new Lagonda.
When introduced, the Lagonda V12 was a marvel of technical
sophistication. Powerful and turbine-smooth, it was also intricate
and costly to produce. Given free reign, W.O. would have taken as
much time as he needed to develop the unit, but Alan Good was in
understandably in a hurry to get the car to market. Despite the
development time constraints, the 60-degree, overhead-cam V12 is
widely considered to be W.O. Bentley's finest hour. In standard
trim, the engine was good for over 150 horsepower, with later
versions topping 180 horsepower. Despite its complexity, the engine
was incredibly durable, as proven at Le Mans in 1939, where V12
Lagondas finished 1st and 2nd in class, and 3rd and 4th overall.
Bentley hoped for an all-out assault on the top prize at Le Mans in
1940, but the outbreak of war meant that race never happened.
Deliveries commenced in 1938, as the press and fortunate buyers
lavished the powerful and sublimely refined V12 with praise,
declaring it the best car in the world on its debut. There was a
choice of three chassis lengths: 10' 4", 11', or 11' 6", and
keeping with British tradition, coachbuilders like James Young and
Thrupp & Maberly bodied V12 chassis in a variety of styles and with
typically excellent results. But it was Lagonda's in-house body
shop, led by chief designer Frank Feeley, which turned out some of
the most memorable and beautiful coachwork on the V12. Feely
created voluptuous and beautifully proportioned base styling that
was readily adaptable from saloon to luxurious drophead coupe to
the sporty Rapide. Ultimately the car's cost and complexity, along
with the unfortunate matter of war, cut Lagonda V12 production
short after just 190 examples. Lagonda had every intention of
resuming production post war, but sadly, much of the critical
tooling was damaged in bombing raids, and Lagonda was absorbed by
Aston Martin in 1947.
A striking example of Feely's design prowess and W.O. Bentley's
engineering brilliance, this 1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead is a
desirable short-chassis car with factory-built coachwork. For the
V12, Lagonda adopted a numbering system based on chassis length -
with short, medium, and long wheelbases beginning with 14010,
16010, and 18010 respectively. This car, chassis 14028, is
therefore just the 18th short-chassis V12 produced. All Lagonda
V12s were right-hand drive, and this car's registration plates
point to delivery in the UK, though its early history is not
currently documented. It is said to have been restored in the US
shortly before the current owner acquired it in 2009 and it
appeared on the field at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in
2010. Presented in a lovely shade of indigo blue over biscuit
leather upholstery, details include dramatically curvaceous front
wings, fully encased side-mount spares, and large Lucas King of the
Road lamps. It wears its restoration very well, having been used
minimally since joining the collection, where it shared space with
other significant coachbuilt continental tourers. It has been
serviced in preparation for sale, though additional recommissioning
may be required before embarking on tours.
Delivering peerless performance and luxury, the Lagonda V12 is
widely considered to be the crown jewel in W.O. Bentley's extensive
portfolio. Minimally shown in current ownership, it is prime for
reintroduction to the concours circuit, and its peerless
performance and refinement will undoubtedly shine on touring events
worldwide.
Offers Welcome, Trades Considered
