THIS rare and stunning 1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupe could be yours… if you’ve got up to £400,000 to spare.
But despite the price tag, it’s regarded by experts as a real gem as this was the most technologically advanced car to be built in Britain before the war.
Launched in 1937, the Lagonda V12 was engineered by a crack team of former Rolls-Royce employees, including WO Bentley. The brief was to create a machine that married limousine refinement to sports car performance.
With a landmark design, the Lagonda is notable as the world’s first production car to feature an overhead camshaft V12 engine. Said to produce up to 180hp, it was among the fastest motors of its generation.
However, the provision of a centre-change four-speed manual gearbox and conventional pedal layout made it surprisingly easy to drive.
WO Bentley went on to create two special race models that finished third and fourth in the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans. Interestingly, their average speeds of more than 83mph would have secured outright victory in either the 1938 or 1949 events.
The model up for auction had a series of owners before being barn stored for 40 years. But it has subsequently been treated to an exhaustive “chassis up” restoration – including an unleaded fuel conversion.
Highlights inside include a retrimming in dark blue leather and the addition of a walnut dashboard and door cappings.
The Lagonda will go under the hammer with an estimate of £300,000 to £400,000 at the next H&H Classics sale at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, on March 18.
