1951 Lagonda 2.6 Litre Saloon
No Reserve

Registration No: NFM 619
Chassis No: LAG50281
MOT: Exempt

• Offered from long-term ownership
• Converted to a floor change 4 speed gearbox
• Off the road for some 50 years

Despite Lagonda's commitment to the war effort (manufacturing specialised aeroplane components as well as general ordnance etc), their chief engineer W.O. Bentley - ably assisted by W.G. Watson and Donald Bastow - began work on a new car in early 1944. Conceived as a sports saloon, the resultant design boasted an innovative cruciform-braced chassis equipped with all-round independent suspension (coil-and-wishbone front / torsion-bar rear) and hydraulic drum brakes (inboard at the back). Powered by an equally advanced DOHC straight-six engine featuring hemispherical combustion chambers, its flowing lines were the work in part of Frank Feeley. Unveiled to an enthusiastic press in September 1945, production plans for the `2.5 Litre' fell foul of the prevailing `export-or-die' atmosphere with Lagonda failing to negotiate sufficient steel supplies for such a low volume, home market product. Unable to recover financially, Lagonda was bought by industrialist David Brown in 1947. Merged with Brown's other recent purchase Aston Martin, the two companies operated out of the latter's Feltham premises. In addition to donating its powerplant to the nascent Aston Martin DB2 programme, the `2.5 Litre' was developed in its own right. Fitted with a David Brown S430 four-speed synchromesh gearbox, rack and pinion steering and hypoid back axle, it reappeared at the October 1949 Earls Court Motor Show as the DB Lagonda 2.6. Very highly regarded in its day but somewhat expensive, the model reputedly accounted for just 511 sales (386 saloon and 125 drophead coupes).

This Lagonda 2.6 litre, finished in Turquoise with Grey leather, appears to have resided in the Manchester region since its first ownership in the possession of Mr G. Davies Esq. of Denton, Manchester. Indeed, there is a ‘Some Particulars of the Lagonda Club’ period booklet on file with the first owner’s name upon the cover. There is an invoice letter to ‘Mr G Davies’ of Denton, from Macklen Motor Bodies of Manchester in October of 1966. They provided and fitted a replacement rear axle, a second-hand battery, brake fluid and gear oil.

Being offered now, from long-term ownership in the Stockport area, likely from the late 1960s/early 1970s, there is a tax disc in the window from October 1974, evidencing the Lagonda hasn’t been used for some 50 years. At some point in its life, the gearbox has been converted from a column change to a floor-change 4-speed gearbox. Today, the car’s engine is dismantled and consists of parts, with just the main block of the Lagonda’s 6-cylinder engine in situ. The parts appear to consist of the engine and drive-train components that have previously been removed, they seem to include a flywheel, a cylinder head, gearbox, steering rack, manifolds carburettor parts, dynamos, starter motors, hub caps, brake shoes, drums, wheel trim rings etc.

Various paperwork is offered with the car: 1983 correspondence from the Department of Transport regarding a new style document to replace the old VE60 logbook; Cheshire County Council correspondence from 1974 referring to vehicle excise license; 1970s MOT documents; motor insurance correspondence from 1973 and 1974. Pages from The Motor from 1949 - a road test of the Drophead version. The Lagonda is offered with a V5C that was issued in 2005.

For more information, please contact:
James McWilliam
james.mcwilliam@handh.co.uk
07943 584760