|
Lagonda is
one of the big names in the British motorcar industry. In 1906, the
brand made its entree in Staines, England, and was founded by an
American named Wilbur Gunn.
Lagonda
initially built engines and motorcycles but started the manufacturing of
small, light-weight cars, and powerful private cars in the 1930s.
In 1935, a
Lagonda won the 24-hour Le Mans race, which made the brand famous
straight away.
In 1939, W.O. Bentley joined Lagonda who developed the finest engines
for the company. In 1947, Lagonda was taken over by David Brown, the
owner of Aston Martin. Hence, the engines developed by W.O. Bentley
found their way to Aston Martin. After Brown’s take-over, a new age
dawned for Lagonda, and, on a modest scale, they started building large
touring cars, saloons and drop-head coupes that had many sports car
characteristics below the surface. Lagonda's were built until 1965, till,
in 1976 the distinguishably designed Aston Lagonda appeared.
The Lagonda is nowadays one of the ‘dormant’ brands. The brand name
is still owned by Aston Martin, which, in its turn, is part of the Ford
Motor Corporation.
The Lagonda
Rapide was built between 1961 and 1965 and was designed by Touring in
Milan. However, the car was so overpriced that only 55 cars were made
and sold.
Under its coachwork, Lagonda Rapide’s technology is largely the same
as the Aston Martin DB 5, and was the first to have the powerful 3995cc
six-cylinder engine with 282 hp. The Lagonda Rapide is equipped with a
special "De Dion" back axle construction and a double brake
system with disc brakes all around. The coachwork components were made
of aluminium, and the bonnet has the famous "Superleggera"
sign.
Technical
data
Six cylinder
engine
3 double carburettors
cylinder capacity: 3995 cc.
capacity: 282 bhp. at 5500 rpm.
|
