Lagonda V12

The Lagonda V12 is a large luxury car produced by the British Lagonda company from 1938 until 1940. It was first shown at the 1936 London Motor Show but production did not begin until 1938, and a Lagonda V12 Rapide was the most expensive car at the 1939 New York show, offered at 8,900 US dollars. Its all new 4480 cc 60 degree V12 engine was designed during W. O. Bentley's time at Lagonda, with Stewart Tresilian generally credited for the design, and it developed 180 hp at 5000 rpm through a four-speed gearbox. The new chassis had independent torsion bar front suspension, a live rear axle and Lockheed hydraulic brakes, with wheelbases of 124, 132 or 138 inches to suit different bodies from Lagonda or independent coachbuilders. Autocar recorded a maximum speed of 103.45 mph at Brooklands in 1938, and two modified cars finished third and fourth in the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car also appeared in television episodes and in Roald Dahl's writing.