Lot details
Registration No: MG 6702
Chassis No: 16024
Mot Expiry: April 2008

"Of the half-dozen patrician motor cars still remaining on the world market, none ever inherited such a rich patrimony of design as the 12-cylinder Lagonda. The new car is no mere recapitulation of a good - but tired - design in terms of 1937. It is a new-born car, unrelated to any yet on the road - here or on the Continent. New ideals of performance were set up and these have been exceeded in the sheer versatility of the new car. Such is the 12-cylinder Lagonda - a car destined to rank from now on, among the greater names in motoring history". (Lagonda Press Release, August 1937)

Debuting in prototype guise at the October 1936 Olympia Motor Show (but not officially launched for another year), the Lagonda V12 was engineered by a crack team of ex-Rolls-Royce employees including W.O. Bentley, Stuart Tresillian and Charles Sewell. A 'clean sheet' design that aimed to marry limousine refinement to sportscar performance, it was based around a substantial cruciform-braced box-section chassis. Boasting sophisticated unequal-length wishbone independent front suspension actuated via unusually long torsion bars and special shackle pins that helped obviate side thrust on its semi-elliptic rear leaf-springs, the newcomer also incorporated a Marles steering box, Salisbury hypoid rear axle and twin master cylinder Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes. Singularly advanced, the model's aero-engine inspired 60-degree 4.5 litre V12 featured overhead camshafts (one per bank), twin SU carburettors, a combined duplex-chain / gear-driven timing system and Lanchester-type vibration damper. Available in 10'4", 11'0" and 11'6" wheelbase lengths, the Lagonda flagship was among the fastest cars of its generation.

Not content with the publicity garnered by Earl Howe's record breaking Brooklands run aboard a Standard Short Saloon on October 10th 1938 which saw the titled racer lapping at up to 108.27mph and average 101.5 miles for the hour (despite an unscheduled pitstop), Lagonda proprietor A.P. Good commissioned W.O. Bentley to mastermind a V12 assault upon the 1939 Le Mans 24-hour race. Given less than six months in which to complete the project, Bentley was relentless in his pursuit of more horsepower, lower weight and better aerodynamics. Still retaining a 10'4" wheelbase, the resultant racer was theoretically capable of 140mph. Governed by a strict protocol that prized finishing above all else, the two V12s entered for the June 17th-18th race duly crossed the line in third and fourth place overall. Interestingly, their average speeds of 83.61mph and 83.35mph respectively would have been sufficient for outright victory in either the 1938 or 1949 events. Of the 200 or so Lagonda V12s produced between 1938 and 1940, a mere 100 are thought to have survived to the present day.

Based on a 1939 Lagonda V12 road car donor, 'MG 6702' was reconfigured in the style of a Le Mans Team Racer by marque specialists LMB Racing (though, they in turn had inherited the project from Vintage Coachworks of Hartley Wintney). Personalised by Dick Van Dijk, the transformation was completed in time for the two-seater to enter the 2000 Historic International Tulip Rally (an event it revisited for 2001 and 2003). Built with speed and reliability in mind, the Lagonda boasts an enviable specification:

Engine: Lagonda V12 powerplant (number V12 / 208). Carefully stripped down and re-assembled using the following upgraded components: Farndon steel crankshaft, steel conrods, Arias high compression pistons, fast road camshafts, polished / ported cylinder heads, new timing gears / chains and a lightened / balanced flywheel. Fed by quad SU carburettors on a special manifold and sporting a diamond-shaped 'Chromidium' casting mark to its block, the unit is reputed to develop circa 200bhp.

Gearbox: Lagonda V12 G10 four-speed manual. Synchromesh present on 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears. Le-Mans linkage fitted and gear lever angled for driver convenience.

Back Axle: Salisbury hypoid rear axle complete with correct 4.08:1 Le Mans final drive ratio.

Brakes: Four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

Ignition System: Dual Delco-Remy distributors and twin coils.

Exterior: British Racing Green with white race roundels, shortened radiator shell and Wipac spotlights.

Interior: Black leather bucket seats (complete with brass ring laced backs), bare aluminium floors and cord-bound steering wheel.

Auxiliary Instruments: Halda Speed Pilot, GTi Rally Twin, compass, navigator's light plus transmission tunnel-mounted speedometer and fuel gauge.

Body: Lightweight aluminium apparently shaped on the same reproduction bucks used to restore the Le Mans team cars. One-piece bonnet secured by leather straps. Bespoke windscreen, side-mount assemblies (spare wheel / pannier / fuel can) and rear luggage hatch added by Dick Van Dijk to aid long-distance rallying.

Chassis: Lagonda V12 modified to Le Mans specification. Holes punched as original team cars and not cut in the side rails. Resulting in radiused edges to apertures swaged to strengthen chassis.

Suspension: Lagonda V12 recalibrated to account for reduced weight, hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers and drilled wishbones etc.

Wheels / tyres: Rudge-Whitworth 19-inch wheels shod with Dunlop Racing tyres (6.50 x 19 front / 7.00 x 19 rear).

Exhaust system: Tubular manifolds feeding a twin-pipe system which has been rerouted above the back axle to improve ground clearance.

A competitor on the 7th Classic Gelderlandrit Rally (2002), 'MG 6702' has also toured Europe extensively leading Mr Van Dijk to comment that the car is both "surprisingly comfortable" and "thrillingly fast". Some eight years after its completion, the Lagonda displays a pleasingly mild patina of use. Although, a recent conversation with Julian Messent of LMB Racing revealed that the V12 should have the makings of a competitive racer at events like Historic Le Mans if shorn of its rallying paraphernalia etc. Invited to participate at GP Live earlier this year (though, sadly it could not attend), the two-seater has been displayed at VSCC Silverstone (April), La Grande Passione Donington (May) and VSCC Oulton Park (June). A beautifully crafted homage to the magnificent V12 Le Mans racers, 'MG 6702' possesses a turn of speed and presence that few pre-WW2 sportscars can match. Offered for sale at less than its contemporary sourcing and build costs, this marvellous Lagonda is accompanied by a MOT certificate valid until April 2008 and historic class (free) road tax valid until March 2008.