For Sale: 1938 Lagonda V12 in Saint Louis, Missouri

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.


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