Lagonda Rapier

About this Collectable

Lagonda Rapier 1935

The Lagonda Rapier was produced by the British company Lagonda from 1934 to 1935. Later, a few more were produced by the independent Rapier Car Company. The heart of the car was an all-new 1104cc four-cylinder engine with double overhead camshaft. Designed by Thomas Ashcroft, they syndicated ‘Britain's finest 1100 cc engine’ produced by Coventry Climax. The engine produced 51 hp, which was a lot of power from an 1100cc block for the time. The chassis was designed by Charles King and consisted of steel sections bolted together. The engine was mated to a four-speed pre-shift gearbox with a shift lever on the right side, and the brakes, operated by a Girling system, had large 330 mm drums. The suspension consisted of semi-elliptical springs and was controlled by friction dampers.
Production cars from 1934 onwards with 203 mm had a chassis extended to 2,508 mm. The factory supplied the chassis to customers who could then choose their own bodywork. Most cars had bodies from E.D. Abbott Ltd of Farnham, Surrey. 
Rapiers liked to be used for racing. The engine was just too big for use in the popular 1100cc class, so a few cars were made with 1084cc engines.
Just before the war, Lagonda was acquired and 2 years after WW2, Lagonda was incorporated into Aston Martin. 

The Rapier offered here was brought to the Netherlands by its current owner in 2002. Since it is a relatively unknown car and there are few specialists who can tinker with such a car, the owner decided to carry out all maintenance in-house. The results speak for themselves. The car runs like a top and the boot invariably holds the necessary parts to service the carburettors during a long drive. Optically, the car has signs of use, but this patina looks great on it. This is just how it should be. The Rapier does have its peculiarities. For instance, the accelerator pedal is in the centre and the brake pedal on the right. The gearbox is a pre-selector and actually a PDK/DSG avant la lettre....

Our opinion

A car that you rarely see and has great looks. For the true enthusiast looking for an authentic English sports car. The car is very well documented as can be seen in the pictures there is a lot of history preserved.

About the seller

The seller owns several enthusiast cars. He bought the Rapier 22 years ago and did most of the maintenance himself. With club mates, he drove it to LeMans and a few laps of the 24-hour circuit. During the Europatour in 2009, he also drove it on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, between Porsches and BMWs with 10 times as much power. Pretty exciting! As there are still several classics in the garage and age is starting to set in, he wants to go back to 1 hobby car. The Lagonda may therefore go to a new enthusiast.

Equipment

This Lagonda Rapier is equipped with the following options, among others:

• Spare wheel
• Extra spotlight
• Leather upholstery
• Fire extinguisher

Modifications

No

Remarks

The car is in very good condition with lots of patina. The pictures speak for themselves. 

Recent maintenance history

The Rapier has been maintained continuously by the owner.

Included in the sale

Various parts
Board tools

Summary

Seller - Joop
Seller type - Private
Location - Driel
Chassis number - D11278
Registration number - AL-16-23
Year of construction - 1935
Mileage - 31,800 mi
NAP - No 
Warranty - No
Bodywork - Convertible
Engine - 1.1 litre 4 in line with 50 hp
Drive - Rear-wheel drive
Transmission - 4-speed pre-selector 
Exterior - Black
Upholstery - Leather, green
Smoking car - No
Owners - 1 (in NL)
Tyres - Dunlop 4.50-19 

The description of this Collectable has been created with the utmost care, based on the information provided by and validated by the seller. Based on the information provided, The Collectables performs a (pre)selection and consults public sources for any irregularities. However, bidders should ascertain for themselves the accuracy of the description and may, if they wish, conduct (or have conducted) personal research. All Collectables on our platform can be subjected to any possible inspection, examination or valuation in advance by buyers, in consultation with the seller, of course. Please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for more details.

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