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Lagonda |
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In car manufacturers, Lagonda was a British car manufacturer. Wilbur Gunn (1859 to 1920) founded the company at Staines near Middlesex in 1906. The company was named the Lagonda river in Springfield ( in Ohio), his home town.
Wilbur Gunn started with successfully building and riding motorcycles in Staines. In 1907, he launched his first car, 20-hp, six cylinder Torpedo, which he also used to win the 1910 Moscow—St. Petersburg trial.
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The success fetched him healthy export orders from Russia till 1914. Lagonda made an advanced small car too, the 11.1 with a four-cylinder 1000 cc engine, that featured a rivetted monocoque body, an anti-roll bar and the first ever fly-off handbrake.
During World War I Lagonda made artillery shells.
Post war, the 11.1 continued with a larger 1400-cc engine and standard electric lighting as the 11.9 until 1923 and updated 12 until 1926. After Wilbur Gunn's demise in 1920, the first of the company's sports models was launched in 1925. The car was designed by Arthur Davidson who had come from Lea-Francis. In 1927, it was the Speed Model which could be obtained supercharged in 1930. A lengthened chassis version was available from 1926 to 1930. The final car of the 1920s was the three liter 2931-cc six cylinder engine. In 1933, the engine went up to 3181 cc as the Selector Special with an 8 speed Maybach transmission.
A new model for 1933 was the 16-80 with 2-litre Crossley engine. Rapier small car of 1934 was with 1104-cc engine. These were made until 1938. There was a 1935 Le Mans victory with the sporting version the M45R Rapide, with tuned M45 engine and a shorter chassis.
The company was ailing financially and in 1935 the receiver was called. The company was bought by Alan Good who barely outbid Rolls-Royce. He persuaded W. O. Bentley too, to leave Rolls-Royce and join Lagonda as designer. The LG45 in three versions had more Bentley engine finishes. In 1938 came the the LG6 with independent front suspension by torsion bar and hydraulic brakes.
Bentley's masterpiece - the V12 was launched in 1937. In 1947, the company was taken over by David Brown and moved in with Aston Martin in Feltham, Middlesex. Production restarted with the last model from W. O. Bentley.
In 1961 the Rapide name had an aluminium body by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan and was capable of top speed of 125 mph. The Rapide was in production until 1965.
During 1974 to 1976, seven Lagonda saloons were produced with Aston Martin V8 as a basis.
The last car produced was the William Towns designed Aston Martin Lagonda of 1976
In 1994, a few Lagonda 4-door saloons and shooting brakes were built. These wore a Lagonda badge. It is expected that the Rapide name will be revived for 2008 as the Aston Martin Rapide saloon.
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