Registration No: PF 7276
Chassis No: OH8405
MOT: Exempt

• A charming example of a 2-Litre ‘High Chassis’ Tourer
• Previously owned by lost-at-sea yachtsman Donald Crowhurst
• In current ownership since 2015 and recently subject to a near-300 hour complete engine overhaul at a cost exceeding £25,000

Please Note: The reserve and estimate on this vehicle have been reduced.

Please Note: The starter solenoid, button or associated wiring will require attention as the button failed when being loaded for auction.

"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)

Introduced at the August 1925 Motor Show, the Lagonda 14/60 was hailed by the motoring press as "an extremely refined and smooth touring car of better than average efficiency". The Staines firm's first 2-litre model, its advanced powerplant was designed by Arthur Davidson. Boasting twin high-set camshafts, overhead valve gear and fully machined hemispherical combustion chambers, the 1954cc engine developed some 60bhp @ 3,500rpm. Further benefiting from a separately mounted four-speed manual gearbox and powerful Rubery four-wheel braking system, the 14/60 was reputedly capable of between 60mph and 70mph (depending upon the style of coachwork fitted). Riding on supple semi-elliptic leaf-sprung suspension, the Lagonda could seat four people in comfort thanks to its generous 10-foot 3-inch wheelbase. Almost twice the price of its 12/24 predecessor, the 14/60 remained in production until 1928 by which time it had helped establish Lagonda as one of Britain's pre-eminent sporting marques.

This particular Lagonda has a rather interesting history. First registered on 26 January 1927, little is known of its early life, but a buff logbook confirming the car as a tourer finished in green shows it was in the ownership of a Geoffrey Evetts Mansell of Weybridge in March 1955 before passing to a Paul Brian Edwards of West Wickham in August 1956. In 1963, the car was in the ownership of Donald Crowhurst. Included within the history file are communications with the Lagonda Club relating to his application for membership, as well as letters from the Lagonda Club confirming his ownership.

''We’ve found his yacht but he’s not on it!’' Famous words from the Golden Globe Round the World yacht race in 1968 on discovering the boat belonging to Donald Crowhurst. Whilst the race was on he’d reportedly left his 1927 Lagonda 14/60 Tourer in a garage for repair. It was sometime after his disappearance and presumed death that the car was rescued by the family and sold on. It is believed the next owner was a Mr J H Willis of Withernsea, who then sold the car to a Robin Irving Barraclough in 1981. He would own the car for 2 years until it was once more sold to a Peter J Cox of Westerham. Cox would own the car for 16 years until it passed to John Lyndon Davies of Woking, who once again owned the car for an extended period of 16 years until it passed to the current owner in 2015. It is believed ‘PF 7276’ was subject to restoration in Davies’ ownership in the early 2000s, with it still presenting well to this day.

Over the course of the current ownership, the car was used and enjoyed as intended. A small water leak present when purchased developed and in early 2021, the current owner was recommended to bring the car to Blue Diamond Services in Bicester for investigation and rectification. The resulting works included the car being subject to a complete engine overhaul over a period of 18 months. This included the block being stripped, re-bored and repainted, valves re-ground, cylinder head repaired and painted, white metalling, replacement camshaft and bearings, the water pump overhauled, dynamo overhauled, carburettors overhauled, exhaust manifold repaired, engine mounts replaced and much more. The total consisted of over 278 hours of work and well in excess of £25,000. Since completion, the owner’s health has unfortunately deteriorated and they have now decided the car should find a new home where it can be enjoyed.

Accompanied with the vehicle is an impressive history file containing invoices dating back as far as 1988, MOT certificates dating back to 1988 numerous copies of correspondence from previous owners, Lagonda Club communications dating back to Crowhurst in 1963, a large collection of Lagonda related literature including literature on racing Lagondas of the period cut out by hand and stuck together. Various spares lists, diagrams and instruction manuals are present, a buff logbook, previous V5C documents and the current V5C document is also present. Please note full weather equipment is also included, including a tonneau cover.

For more information, please contact:
Andreas Hicks
andreas.hicks@handh.co.uk
07929 363573