Lot details
Registration No: APH 889
Chassis No: OH10429
Mot Expiry: Aug 2012

BUILT TO SPECIAL ORDER & THE PENULTIMATE 2-LITRE MADE

"In brief, the two-litre Lagonda may be said to combine the lively performance of a sports car with the quiet manners and convenience of a tourer, the result being a vehicle which is a sheer delight to handle, while it will convey four people in comfort over long distances at a high average speed" (Autocar, 16th December 1927)

An American of Scots descent, Wilbur Gunn began his automotive career building tricars in the greenhouse of his Middlesex home. He formed the Lagonda company in 1906, apparently naming it after a river near his home town - Springfield, Ohio. And, though he passed away in 1920, the business initially continued to develop well, producing a range of sports models that led directly to its historic victory at the 1935 Le Mans 24-hours.

Having abandoned the quality car market back in 1913, Gunn did a complete volte face 12 years hence with the introduction of the 14/60. Coachbuilt onto a ladder frame chassis, the Arthur Davidson-designed newcomer featured a freshly crafted 1954cc four-cylinder engine featuring twin, high-set camshafts and a detachable cylinder head - a first for Lagonda. Renowned for its powerful braking, the 14/60 became the 2-Litre which over time could be ordered in high or low chassis form, in Speed guise (with a tuned engine set further back in the frame), or supercharged for ultimate performance. A versatile competition car, the four-cylinder Lagonda proved its worth at events as diverse as the Monte Carlo Rally, Brooklands Double Twelve and Le Mans 24-hours (Andre D'Erlanger and Douglas Hawkes placing 11th overall at La Sarthe in 1928).

The imposing looking normally aspirated 2-Litre Lagonda offered is a most interesting and quite possibly unique example. For many years it was understood that the first keeper of 'APH 889' was the renowned lady racing driver Miss Violet Cordery. The sister-in-law of Noel Macklin and a successful record breaker at the wheel of Invictas, she became engaged and then married Johnny Hindmarsh during the early 1930s. Their daughter Sally Hindmarsh (later Sally Harrison) was born in 1935 - the year Johnny Hindmarsh achieved his memorable victory in the Le Mans 24 Hour race aboard an M45 Lagonda.

According to rumour, Sally informed the Lagonda Club in September 1986 that her mother had been the first owner of the car. However, her husband, Michael Harrison, later told Lagonda Club member Garry Stone, that the Miss Hindmarsh concerned had not been related to either Johnny or Violet. The Lagonda Club records still list Violet Cordery as the first keeper but, as none of the sales ledgers for the 2-Litre cars have survived the test of time, it is unlikely this riddle will ever be completely solved. Nothing further is known of the car's pre-WW2 history, though this is far from unusual as the Lagonda Club only really began tracing the surviving 2-Litre cars in earnest in the mid to late 1940s.

Though it's not a complete record, much is however known of the car's post-WW2 history and, though others may have been involved along the way, it is understood to have passed through the following hands:
A J Buxton 1946-1950
John Anderson 1951 - ? (an Australian naval officer)
H T Thierens 1960 -?
Ivan Martin 1962-1967
Frank Savage 1967-1990
Ron Cobb 1990 -?
The vendor's family 1993 - the present day

Though very much an original UK car, it spent many years in the USA courtesy of Frank Savage, who took it home to his native Georgia. It was repatriated in 1990 when purchased by Ron Cobb and has remained here ever since. The current registration number, 'APH 889', is the one it was allocated originally.

Though 2-Litre production officially ceased in 1932 following the launch of the six-cylinder 16/80 model, some half a dozen examples are known to have been built to special order the following year. According to the Lagonda Club, 'APH 889' is the last but one of these to leave the Staines factory. It was manufactured to the following unique specification:

Chassis - 16/80
Engine - four cylinder 2-litre
Gearbox - ENV four-speed pre-selector (possibly the only such fitment)
Radiator - 3-litre type with cut-out for the front-mounted dynamo (the 16/80 unit lacked such a cut-out and it seems the stock of 2-litre radiators was probably exhausted by the time the car was built. The 3-litre radiators were available and had the appropriate hole)
Headlamps: Lucas P80 (as per the 16/80)
Wheels: 18-inch wires (as per the 16/80)
Body: Open four-seater Tourer panelled in steel rather than fabric and, unusually, of four rather two-door construction

Though the original flowing wings have long since been replaced with cycle-type alternatives, the chassis, body, engine and transmission are all believed to be original. The leather upholstery is well patinated and could also be original in places. The engine would have originally breathed through a single carburetter so, although bronze-bodied, the current twin SUs are probably a 1950s addition.

The Lagonda has remained in the same family ownership since being acquired at a Sotheby's Hendon auction in 1993. It was treated to a repaint a few years later. The hood was replaced in 1992, the brake linings have been renewed in the past few years and, in the last twelve months: the magneto and dynamo have been overhauled; the starter bendix gear replaced; new rear hubs fitted and the carburetters refurbished (new floats, needles etc).

This delightful car sports Green coachwork and a Brown leather interior. It is taxed until the end of May 2012 and is expected to have a fresh MOT by the time of the sale. Without doubt, the appearance of 'APH 889' on the market for the first time in eighteen years represents an exciting opportunity for the World's many Lagonda aficionados.

PLEASE NOTE: This vehicle has an MOT until August 2012.