Registration No: YJ 5577
Chassis No: 14011
MOT: Exempt

• Supplied new as a Drophead Coupe and then returned to the factory and rebodied as a Sports Saloon at the request of its first owner
• Repatriated from Switzerland by the renowned dealer Lukas Huni during 1999 prior to entering the current family custodianship a year later
• The subject of a major engine overhaul by marque specialist David Wall and little used since
• The most technologically advanced motor car to come out of Britain pre-WW2

‘Of the half-dozen patrician motor cars still remaining on the world market, none ever inherited such a rich patrimony of design as the 12-cylinder Lagonda . . . It is a new-born car, unrelated to any yet on the road - here or on the Continent . . . Such is the 12-cylinder Lagonda - a car destined to rank from now on, among the greater names in motoring history'. (Lagonda Press Release, August 1937)

The most technologically advanced motorcar to come out of Britain pre-WW2, the Lagonda V12 had few international peers. Bugatti's Type 57 may have boasted a similarly exotic overhead camshaft powerplant but its chassis layout was positively archaic by comparison. Mercedes-Benz's 540K could match the British car's power output but only when its refinement-compromising supercharger was engaged, while Hispano-Suiza's J12 needed over twice the cubic capacity to develop an extra forty horsepower! A landmark design, the Lagonda will forever be notable as the world's first production car to feature an overhead camshaft V12 engine.

Debuting in prototype guise at the October 1936 Olympia Motor Show (but not officially launched for another year), the Lagonda V12 was engineered by a crack team of ex-Rolls-Royce employees including W.O. Bentley, Stuart Tresillian and Charles Sewell. A 'clean sheet' design that aimed to marry limousine refinement to sportscar performance, it was based around a substantial cruciform-braced box-section chassis. Boasting sophisticated unequal-length wishbone independent front suspension actuated via unusually long torsion bars and special shackle pins that helped obviate side thrust on its semi-elliptic rear leaf-springs, the newcomer also incorporated a Marles steering box, Salisbury hypoid rear axle and Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes. Singularly advanced, the model's aero-engine inspired 60-degree V12 featured overhead camshafts (one per bank), twin SU carburettors, a combined duplex-chain / gear-driven timing system and Lanchester-type vibration damper. Displacing 4480cc (bore 75mm x stroke 84.5 mm) the unit was quoted as developing 180hp @ 5,500rpm. Available in 10'4", 11'0" and 11'6" wheelbase lengths, the Lagonda flagship was among the fastest cars of its generation. Though, the provision of a centre-change four-speed manual gearbox (with synchromesh on the top three ratios) and conventional pedal layout made it surprisingly easy to drive.

Beguiled by in-house stylist Frank Feeley's marvellous creations which seemed to capture the very spirit of the age, most customers opted for factory coachwork. Indeed, such was the flamboyance of Feeley's designs - which looked as if they could have sprung from the drawing boards of Jacques Saoutchik or Figoni & Falaschi - that most external coachbuilders produced bodies with altogether more conservative lines. Some eighty years on and the market has shown a marked preference for factory coachwork. Of the 190 Lagonda V12s produced between 1938 and 1940, a mere 100 are thought to have survived to the present day (though, comparatively few of those still retain their original coachwork).

Among the earliest Lagonda V12 cars extant, chassis 14011 was originally configured as a Drophead Coupe and supplied new via Burton & Tweedy to H.J.H. Scott Esq of the textile manufacturer James Scott & Sons in Dundee. Issued with the local numberplate ‘YJ 5577’ on 4^th February 1938, the short wheelbase machine was involved in a road traffic accident the following year that saw it returned to the factory and rebodied as a Sports Saloon. Retained by the Scott family until the late 1940s by which time it had covered a mere 40,000 miles, the Lagonda spent time in France before being imported to Switzerland during the early 1970s. Purchased by the renowned classic car dealer Lukas Huni through a Christie’s auction in 1999, the V12 has been in the current family ownership for the past twenty-three years.

Exercised on a number of Lagonda Club events, the Sports Saloon was driven to Le Mans and back during 2005 to help celebrate the 70^th Anniversary of the Staines manufacturer’s epic victory at the famous La Sarthe circuit. Unfortunately, it suffered piston failure on the way home which may or may not have been related to its spirited run along the Mulsanne straight. Subsequently entrusted to marque specialist David Wall of Wroxham for a thorough engine overhaul which was only completed during 2012, ‘YJ 5577’ received attention to its brakes and suspension plus four new tyres that same year. Looked after by Classic & Vintage Vehicle Engineering of Mildenhall since 2014, they have been responsible for rewiring the V12, fitting new front shock absorbers, fettling the cooling system, partially renovating the wooden body support frame and overhauling the brakes. The most recent invoice on file was issued in 2021 for £2,460.09 and included new spark plugs and points etc.

Kept garaged as part of a marque collection, the Sports Saloon’s last long run was to the Lagonda Club’s September 2018 AGM during which it reportedly achieved ‘a very comfortable 70mph at just over 2000rpm’. Painted Black over Silver decades ago, the V12 appears to pleasingly retain much of its original Brown leather upholstery. There is certainly scope for cosmetic improvement but given the significant sums invested and the car’s status as one of the earliest known survivors, it is hoped that ‘YJ 5577’ will not be separated from its (second) factory coachwork. Offered for sale with UK V5C Registration Document, reproduction LG6 / V12 brochure, ‘Lagonda Twelve Cylinder Running Instructions’ and assorted bills.

For more information, please contact:
Damian Jones
damian.jones@handh.co.uk
07855 493737