The ex-Lord Howe/Hon. Brian Lewis/John Hindmarsh/Charles Brackenbury/C.E.C.Martin/Marcel Lehoux - 1936 Grand Prix de L'ACF, 1936 and 1937 RAC Tourist Trophy,1936 BRDC Brooklands 500-Mile Race, 1937 Le Mans, 1952 Goodwood Nine Hours entry and Alan Hess Sports Car record breaking, Fox & Nicholl Team Car

'EPE 97'
1936 Lagonda LG45R Rapide Sports-Racing Two-Seater
Coachwork by Fox & Nicholl
Registration no. EPE 97 (see footnote)
Chassis no. 12111
Engine no. 12111

The car that we present here is one of the most visibly recognisable pre-war sports racing cars to survive from that those halcyon days. It is a car that Geoff Seaton notably described as 'the most famous Lagonda of all', and it is one of the few cars of any period that have come to be known simply by its number plate, in this special case even that is simply abbreviated to 'EPE'.

12111 is without doubt an automotive icon, heralding from the days when there truly were 'all rounders' - cars that with a few tweaks to their form or formula campaigned in all manner of events. From a brief spell behind the wheel it is easy to appreciate the car's immense appeal to the number of luminaries who have been privileged to have owned her. The Rapide is fast, comfortable and straightforward to drive making it ultimately a very rewarding experience. But the best aspect of all is that the car simply oozes its history. Were there not a badge or sticker on her, you would still be able to tell that this war horse has an incredible tale to tell, a story that begins nearly 80 years ago.

It is perhaps an overlooked fact that the name of the Lagonda Motor Company of Staines in Middlesex originated from the Ohio District of Lagonda where its founder Wilber Gunn hailed from. Setting up shop in 1906, it was nearly 20 years before chief engineer Arthur Davidson designed a 2-litre overhead-valve engined model which established the company as a sporting marque.

At the 1933 London Motor Show two important new Lagonda models were unveiled: the 1,104cc Rapier with twin-overhead camshaft engine and the 4½-litre M45 which employed an overhead-valve six-cylinder proprietary engine, manufactured by Meadows. Here at last was a Lagonda sports car which was capable of genuinely high performance, not only by the standards of the time, but enduringly so – even today.

In 1935, two additional models were also introduced. Both shared the same shorter, lighter chassis frame and were entitled the 4½-litre Rapide and the 3½-litre. Unfortunately, this multiplicity of models added to the company's post-Depression financial problems, and even the notable victory in the 1935 Le Mans 24-Hour Race came too late to save the company from collapse. It looked as if Lagonda was about to absorbed by Rolls-Royce – as had Bentley Motors – but that summer it was rescued by entrepreneur Alan Good, who appointed the revered W. O. Bentley himself as new chief designer.

'W.O.' took Lagonda straight into the luxury car market in 1936 with the new LG45 model. It featured longer springs and Luvax dampers, while retaining the successful and well-proven M45-model Meadows six-cylinder engine and chassis. Bentley also directed his attention to improving the proprietary engine, and his modifications emerged in the 'Sanction III' power units introduced at the London Motor Show that very same year.

It was against this background that special competition variants of the LG45 had been tailor-made at Staines Bridge for the Lagonda company's experienced and battle-hardened quasi-works racing team, Fox & Nicholl Limited, of Tolworth, Surrey.

Arthur Fox and Bob Nicholl were Lagonda specialists, whose sizable business had been preparing and racing Lagonda cars since as early as 1927. Fox had persuaded the Lagonda company to support his team's competition activities and in 1929 he and Nicholl ran a flotilla of four 2-litre cars in both the Irish Grand Prix and RAC Tourist Trophy races. He rapidly established himself as a meticulous preparer of competition Lagondas, and he was never slow in improving upon the factory specification if he perceived any possible advantage. Just as Enzo Ferrari's private Scuderia ran the quasi-works Alfa Romeo team cars from 1932-37, so Fox & Nicholl's highly-effective organization became selected by the Lagonda company to represent their vital interests in International motor racing. In effect, one might read 'Fox & Nicholl' as 'Britain's Scuderia Ferrari'.

For 1936 the manufacturers' production department at Staines Bridge built four competition cars specifically for Fox and Nicholl. This quartet comprised two four-seaters, bodied to comply with Le Mans 24-Hour regulation requirements, and two two-seaters, this superb surviving example offered here being one of the latter. It was completed in May 1936 and entered by the team for that year's 24 Hour race at Le Mans, which was unfortunately cancelled due to strikes in France. It was first UK registered 'EPE 97' that August. Its sister two-seater was 'HLL 534' and also survives (incidently sold by the Bonhams team - when known as Brooks – on behalf of the then owner Lord Dunleath in 1995) while the fate of the sister four-seaters remains obscure.

At this point Fox & Nicholl's as yet officially un-registered new car, chassis '12111', made its racing debut. Apparently painted French blue instead of Fox & Nicholl's normal racing red livery. It was driven by the experienced hands of Algerian-born French driver Marcel Lehoux in the sports car Grand Prix de l'ACF at Montlhéry, outside Paris, France on June 28, 1936. While sister car 'HLL 534' won its class (in what appears to have been its only race), Lehoux was forced to retire.

There is some suggestion that 12111 was the car that Lehoux also campaigned at the Grand Prix de la Marne and that Seaman and Clifford ran at the Belgian Grand Prix in July, but this has never been definitively proven either way. What is certain is that by '12111's next appearance, it was registered as 'EPE 97' and finished in Fox & Nicholl's dark shade of red, for the RAC Tourist Trophy race over the fabulous Ards public road circuit outside Belfast, Ulster, in August 1936. It was driven there by the very capable aristocrat, the Honourable Brian Lewis, later Lord Essendon. The car carried race number '1' and was running in a strong second place after two hours, before sliding off the road and striking a bank. Lewis rejoined and recovered to run a close third behind Eddie Hall's famous Derby Bentley in what proved to be an epic duel.

Lewis's fastest lap of the Ards circuit during his fight back through the field was achieved at a shattering 83.20mph, compared to Hall's fastest of 81.07mph. If you imagine maintaining such an average speed around a narrow, undulating, winding loop of Ulster roads, through villages, a town center and out around rolling farmland, you will form an accurate impression of the remarkable performance of these imposing-looking mid-1930s British sports-racing cars.

Sadly, 'EPE 97' here began losing oil through a hole left by a broken engine timing cover stud, and after four hours of front-running – and recovery after his incident – Brian Lewis was reduced to touring round to nurse his car to the finish, finally coming home in 14th place at an average speed of 76.12mph.

This did not discourage Fox & Nicholl. They then entered 'EPE 97' for its third major race, the British Racing Drivers' Club 500-Miles classic on the high-speed Outer Circuit of the legendary Brooklands Motor Course near Weybridge, Surrey. This time esteemed privateer, BRDC President and former Le Mans winner Earl Howe partnered Lewis for the arduous race.

Please note that having been outside the UK for the last 5 years the British registration 'EPE 97' has not been in use on the car. It remains available and will need to be reapplied for by its new owner.