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細節
Photo Credit: Dave Gooley
The ex-Robert Montgomery "A Lagonda for Hollywood"
1939 LAGONDA V12 RAPIDE SHORT CHASSIS TWO SEATER SPORTS ROADSTER
COACHWORK BY VANDEN PLAS
Chassis No. 14115
Navy blue with deep magenta wings, tan leather interior and blue soft top
Engine: V12, overhead camshaft to each bank, four downdraught SU carburetors, 4,480cc, 206bhp at 5,500 rpm; Gearbox: manual four-speed with synchromesh; Suspension: independent front by wishbone and torsion bars, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs; Brakes: Lockheed hydraulically operated four wheel drum. Right hand drive.
When they launched their awe-inspiring V12 at the Earls Court Motor Show in London in the fall of 1937, Lagonda's management left no room for doubt about the importance of their new supercar: Of the half dozen patrician cars still remaining on the world market, none ever inherited so rich a patrimony of design. Lawyer Alan Good, still under 30 years of age in 1935 when he whisked the financially troubled Lagonda company out of Rolls-Royce's grasp in a sealed bid auction, knew exactly where he wanted to place his new acquisition. With his collaborator Dick Watney he rapidly refinanced the company and set out to dominate the luxury high performance car market. When the old Bentley company had collapsed in 1931, the services of the great W.O. Bentley had been acquired by Rolls-Royce along with other assets and he was now moodily serving out his service contract. Alan Good explained what he intended; as soon as was practicable Bentley joined him, tasked with creating a new automobile of the greatest refinement that could still exceed 100 mph, even when carrying the most elaborate formal coachwork. It was high summer 1935.
During his time at Rolls-Royce W.O. Bentley had clearly been greatly impressed by the engineering talent, particularly that shown by the brilliant young aeronautical engineer Stuart Tresilian, that had produced the majestic V12 Phantom III powerplant. Ever tempted by a new challenge, Tresilian agreed to join Walter Bentley at Lagonda to create a new V12 engine to power an automobile to surpass the Phantom III in every respect. Time was of the essence; Alan Good's launch target was the 1937 London Show - little more than two years away. To speed the plough, Tresilian recruited from Rolls-Royce the V12 development experts Stark and Ingham, while Bentley reached out for Sewell and Ivermee, capable engineers from his old company.
With such a team, led by the highly motivated Walter Bentley, matters went very much to schedule and by summer 1937 he felt confident enough to offer E.W. Hives of Rolls-Royce an extensive test on the highway and at Brooklands racing track with an early development V12. Hives reported back to his directors that, keeping in mind the time and resources available, he was distinctly impressed by the V12 Lagonda, as well he might, for it represented a pinnacle in European high-performance luxury car design. In his report Hives attributed the engine to Tresilian, who had clearly drawn deeply on priceless experience gained working not only on Rolls-Royce's Phantom II, but also on the majestic aero engine that was to become the 2,000hp Merlin. The new 60 degree V12 engine was a compact short-stroke unit, much smaller in swept volume than the PIII but equally powerful. The brilliant young engineer had not hesitated to use up-to-date American technology, casting the cylinder blocks in unit with the crankcase and mounting pairs of connecting rods side-by-side on a common crankpin. The result was a unit that delivered its maximum power of 175bhp at what one expert commentator described as the 'prodigious' rate of 5,500rpm, and had great potential for further development. It was installed in a massive chassis derived directly from Lagonda's successful and much admired straight-six LG6 model, with independent front suspension by equal length wishbones and torsion bars.
To celebrate the launch of the Lagonda V12 in the fall of 1937, Walter Bentley laid out his objectives, which were to create a car that would travel from zero to 100 mph in top gear, making gear-changing largely superfluous, yet would provide acceleration through the gears superior to any non-racing car. The entire mechanism was to function so smoothly that the passengers would be unaware of anything but pure motion. There would be precision of control, finger light steering, stability and a supple ride. Time has confirmed that the Lagonda V12 was indeed a masterpiece, one of the pinnacles of automobile engineering in the late 1930s.
During the 'phoney war' period of 1939/40 Lagonda obtained government dispensation to continue to build cars to sell in the US in return for much needed dollars, shipping them across the Atlantic on the returning empty freighters that had brought munitions to Britain. It is thought that this is when the car offered here made the crossing.
For the V12, Lagonda built their own excellent saloons and Rapide roadsters designed by Frank Feeley, but some chassis found their way to the prestigious coachbuilding houses clustered around London. Under the able management of Edwin Fox and his engineer John Bradbury, by 1939 Vanden Plas had build an enviable reputation not only for luxury closed coachwork, but also for lithe open sports models. It was to this capable team that this short Rapide chassis, 14115, was sent to be given two seater roadster coachwork for delivery to Hollywood socialite and sophisticated leading man Robert Montgomery of 205 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills and who in 1939 was in England to make a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery movie. Lagonda Motors Ltd. featured this car in their advert in The Motor, November 15, 1939, "A Lagonda for Hollywood", confirming it was a special order for Mr. Montgomery who had spent a day at Brooklands with Jack Dunfee testing several fast European sports cars concluding that the Lagonda was the best compromise between maximum speed, comfort and ability to run without special attention. With the two seater Lagonda V12's great size and sweeping lines, it has an elegant simplicity, its only adornment being the sinuous waistline moulding sweeping along the body's flanks and the two silver strakes curving down either side of the radiator grille. For all that, the roadster is an uncompromising extravagance, offering two sumptuous seats for the owner and his companion, a modicum of luggage space behind the seats, and nothing more than its effortless 100mph-plus performance. Details are finely executed with the unique fold-down windscreen for wind in the hair driving, the typically English sports-type hood (top) which untypically lowers beneath a metal cover, and the unusual and original fitment of twin fender mounted rear lights. And beneath the hood (bonnet) that exquisitely finished 206bhp Le Mans light alloy engine with special cylinder heads and four proud black stove enamelled carburetors and other components. Although there is no mention of them in the sparse remaining documentation, it is clear that twelve of the specially prepared, four-carburetor Le Mans specification engines were produced. Perhaps four were used preparing for the 1939 Le Mans effort, David Good had one for his own V12, others were earmarked for a return to the Sarthe Circuit in the eventually cancelled 1940 race. Favored Lagonda customers were allowed to order some of the remaining units. It is obvious from the presence of four carburetors and the design of the cylinder heads that, most appropriately for such a sporting automobile, this has a Le Mans engine. The roadster was completed late in 1939 and was also pictured in an unknown location on the road, probably in Kensington, London. From the day that Robert Montgomery took delivery of his magnificent motor car, this Lagonda's history is continuous and recorded; the present owner is just its sixth from new. He acquired it in 1997 and undertook a superlative restoration, showing the car at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance last year where it collected both Second in Class, European Classic 1925-1939 Open and the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy for most significant car of British origin. The Lagonda is offered with photocopies of the original build sheet records as well as a full photographic record of the stunning rebuild. Representing a time of old fashioned screen idols, today it is a fitting reminder of a lost age of no-holds-barred luxury automobile engineering and craftsmanship and can only be described as the most exquisite of British pre-war sports cars.
The ex-Robert Montgomery "A Lagonda for Hollywood"
1939 LAGONDA V12 RAPIDE SHORT CHASSIS TWO SEATER SPORTS ROADSTER
COACHWORK BY VANDEN PLAS
Chassis No. 14115
Navy blue with deep magenta wings, tan leather interior and blue soft top
Engine: V12, overhead camshaft to each bank, four downdraught SU carburetors, 4,480cc, 206bhp at 5,500 rpm; Gearbox: manual four-speed with synchromesh; Suspension: independent front by wishbone and torsion bars, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs; Brakes: Lockheed hydraulically operated four wheel drum. Right hand drive.
When they launched their awe-inspiring V12 at the Earls Court Motor Show in London in the fall of 1937, Lagonda's management left no room for doubt about the importance of their new supercar: Of the half dozen patrician cars still remaining on the world market, none ever inherited so rich a patrimony of design. Lawyer Alan Good, still under 30 years of age in 1935 when he whisked the financially troubled Lagonda company out of Rolls-Royce's grasp in a sealed bid auction, knew exactly where he wanted to place his new acquisition. With his collaborator Dick Watney he rapidly refinanced the company and set out to dominate the luxury high performance car market. When the old Bentley company had collapsed in 1931, the services of the great W.O. Bentley had been acquired by Rolls-Royce along with other assets and he was now moodily serving out his service contract. Alan Good explained what he intended; as soon as was practicable Bentley joined him, tasked with creating a new automobile of the greatest refinement that could still exceed 100 mph, even when carrying the most elaborate formal coachwork. It was high summer 1935.
During his time at Rolls-Royce W.O. Bentley had clearly been greatly impressed by the engineering talent, particularly that shown by the brilliant young aeronautical engineer Stuart Tresilian, that had produced the majestic V12 Phantom III powerplant. Ever tempted by a new challenge, Tresilian agreed to join Walter Bentley at Lagonda to create a new V12 engine to power an automobile to surpass the Phantom III in every respect. Time was of the essence; Alan Good's launch target was the 1937 London Show - little more than two years away. To speed the plough, Tresilian recruited from Rolls-Royce the V12 development experts Stark and Ingham, while Bentley reached out for Sewell and Ivermee, capable engineers from his old company.
With such a team, led by the highly motivated Walter Bentley, matters went very much to schedule and by summer 1937 he felt confident enough to offer E.W. Hives of Rolls-Royce an extensive test on the highway and at Brooklands racing track with an early development V12. Hives reported back to his directors that, keeping in mind the time and resources available, he was distinctly impressed by the V12 Lagonda, as well he might, for it represented a pinnacle in European high-performance luxury car design. In his report Hives attributed the engine to Tresilian, who had clearly drawn deeply on priceless experience gained working not only on Rolls-Royce's Phantom II, but also on the majestic aero engine that was to become the 2,000hp Merlin. The new 60 degree V12 engine was a compact short-stroke unit, much smaller in swept volume than the PIII but equally powerful. The brilliant young engineer had not hesitated to use up-to-date American technology, casting the cylinder blocks in unit with the crankcase and mounting pairs of connecting rods side-by-side on a common crankpin. The result was a unit that delivered its maximum power of 175bhp at what one expert commentator described as the 'prodigious' rate of 5,500rpm, and had great potential for further development. It was installed in a massive chassis derived directly from Lagonda's successful and much admired straight-six LG6 model, with independent front suspension by equal length wishbones and torsion bars.
To celebrate the launch of the Lagonda V12 in the fall of 1937, Walter Bentley laid out his objectives, which were to create a car that would travel from zero to 100 mph in top gear, making gear-changing largely superfluous, yet would provide acceleration through the gears superior to any non-racing car. The entire mechanism was to function so smoothly that the passengers would be unaware of anything but pure motion. There would be precision of control, finger light steering, stability and a supple ride. Time has confirmed that the Lagonda V12 was indeed a masterpiece, one of the pinnacles of automobile engineering in the late 1930s.
During the 'phoney war' period of 1939/40 Lagonda obtained government dispensation to continue to build cars to sell in the US in return for much needed dollars, shipping them across the Atlantic on the returning empty freighters that had brought munitions to Britain. It is thought that this is when the car offered here made the crossing.
For the V12, Lagonda built their own excellent saloons and Rapide roadsters designed by Frank Feeley, but some chassis found their way to the prestigious coachbuilding houses clustered around London. Under the able management of Edwin Fox and his engineer John Bradbury, by 1939 Vanden Plas had build an enviable reputation not only for luxury closed coachwork, but also for lithe open sports models. It was to this capable team that this short Rapide chassis, 14115, was sent to be given two seater roadster coachwork for delivery to Hollywood socialite and sophisticated leading man Robert Montgomery of 205 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills and who in 1939 was in England to make a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery movie. Lagonda Motors Ltd. featured this car in their advert in The Motor, November 15, 1939, "A Lagonda for Hollywood", confirming it was a special order for Mr. Montgomery who had spent a day at Brooklands with Jack Dunfee testing several fast European sports cars concluding that the Lagonda was the best compromise between maximum speed, comfort and ability to run without special attention. With the two seater Lagonda V12's great size and sweeping lines, it has an elegant simplicity, its only adornment being the sinuous waistline moulding sweeping along the body's flanks and the two silver strakes curving down either side of the radiator grille. For all that, the roadster is an uncompromising extravagance, offering two sumptuous seats for the owner and his companion, a modicum of luggage space behind the seats, and nothing more than its effortless 100mph-plus performance. Details are finely executed with the unique fold-down windscreen for wind in the hair driving, the typically English sports-type hood (top) which untypically lowers beneath a metal cover, and the unusual and original fitment of twin fender mounted rear lights. And beneath the hood (bonnet) that exquisitely finished 206bhp Le Mans light alloy engine with special cylinder heads and four proud black stove enamelled carburetors and other components. Although there is no mention of them in the sparse remaining documentation, it is clear that twelve of the specially prepared, four-carburetor Le Mans specification engines were produced. Perhaps four were used preparing for the 1939 Le Mans effort, David Good had one for his own V12, others were earmarked for a return to the Sarthe Circuit in the eventually cancelled 1940 race. Favored Lagonda customers were allowed to order some of the remaining units. It is obvious from the presence of four carburetors and the design of the cylinder heads that, most appropriately for such a sporting automobile, this has a Le Mans engine. The roadster was completed late in 1939 and was also pictured in an unknown location on the road, probably in Kensington, London. From the day that Robert Montgomery took delivery of his magnificent motor car, this Lagonda's history is continuous and recorded; the present owner is just its sixth from new. He acquired it in 1997 and undertook a superlative restoration, showing the car at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance last year where it collected both Second in Class, European Classic 1925-1939 Open and the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy for most significant car of British origin. The Lagonda is offered with photocopies of the original build sheet records as well as a full photographic record of the stunning rebuild. Representing a time of old fashioned screen idols, today it is a fitting reminder of a lost age of no-holds-barred luxury automobile engineering and craftsmanship and can only be described as the most exquisite of British pre-war sports cars.