A True Thoroughbred

I’m pleased to announce the appointment of David Connor as Honorary Motoring Correspondent for Blog Bellew. His last contribution was Splashdown.

In real life he writes for Bonhams Classic and Collectible Car Auctions, also in an honorary capacity; a fun job. Here’s his take on a 1933 Lagonda.

“One of the most revered names in automotive history, Lagonda is pungently redolent of all things archaically British – cucumber sandwiches, duffle coats, tea strainers, buck-toothed vicars, fierce aunts scented with tweed, feathers and smelling salts, etc.

The true origins of the firm, however, are rather different.

The founder was Wilbur Gunn, an American opera singer who had the sense to realise that his real talents lay elsewhere. In 1906 he left the stage and, with help, produced and marketed a very competent motorcycle under the Lagonda brand, named after a creek in his native Ohio but produced from a factory in Staines, Middlesex.

Moving swiftly into car production, Lagonda’s reputation as a quality brand was cemented by winning the Moscow to St Petersburg trial of 1910 with a 20hp six-cylinder Torpedo, a feat which impressed Tsar Nicholas II and opened the door to a lucrative Russian market until war broke out in 1914.

Having established its reputation by winning the Moscow – St Petersburg Reliability Trial of 1910 with a 30hp six, the Staines-based firm concentrated mainly on the production of light cars before focussing its attention on sporting and luxury models in the mid-1920s.

In the pursuit of sharpening this new focus they appointed Arthur Thomas from Lea-Francis, who designed a new engine with overhead valves operated by short pushrods from two camshafts located high up in the engine block.

The 14/60 model, as it was known, sported powerful Rubery four-wheel brakes and was particularly attractive and lively, especially as by 1930 (by which time it was known as the ‘2-Litre’) it could be had with a Cozette supercharger.

In 1928 the chassis was stretched and a 2.4-litre six-cylinder engine with conventional pushrods was introduced in the 16/55. This was all a bit heavy and performance was brought back up to specification when the capacity was increased to 2,931cc as the ‘3-Litre’.

Boasting a robust seven-bearing crankshaft with overhead valves, this smooth and strong unit produced some 80bhp and gave the car a top speed of 80mph.

A true thoroughbred, the 3-Litre attracted a select clientele and, in sporting low chassis form, enjoyed some competition success, most notably Lord de Clifford’s fine performances aboard a works 3-Litre on the 1931 Monte Carlo and 1932 RAC rallies.

Testing a Lagonda 3-Litre in 1929, The Motor opined that it was, “Difficult to imagine a car nearer an ideal than one which combines the full performance of a speed model with the top gear performance of the best modern touring car”.

The 3-Litre was, indeed, exceptionally flexible and characterised by oodles of torque, being able to accelerate from 5mph to its maximum of around 80mph in top gear.

Motor Sport summed up the 3-Litre Lagonda as, “A very pleasant car of very high quality, and possessing that indefinable but very definite character which stamps the thoroughbred in every walk of life” – sentiments that retain the power to make even the most jaded of modern eyes discernibly lachrymose.

These were the fastest and most expensive cars of their day.

In total some 580 3-Litre models were made before it was replaced in 1934 by the new M45.

We understand that fewer than 150 are thought to survive.

None of which will be anything quite like the simply extraordinary example we have with us today.”

David knows his pushrods from his camshafts but he may not know Simon Templar (“The Saint”) drove an Hirondel, a car you will not see for sale at Bonhams as it’s a marque invented by Leslie Charteris. However, it is thought to be based on the Lagonda marque.