The Lagonda company went bust in June 1935, the very same month a 4½ litre Lagonda won the world’s most prestigious race, the Le Mans 24 Hours. In those days success in motor racing translated into car sales and with better timing this could have put the business back on its feet. As it turned out the company was sold to a consortium led by its Chairman, Alan Good, who brought in Dick Watney as Managing Director and no less than W.O. Bentley as Technical Director. The new company, LG Motors (Staines) Ltd was registered in August 1935 and Lagonda was back in the game.

The 4½ litre Meadows engine had the makings of a good unit but Bentley could see that it needed improvements for reliability and performance, most notably a stronger bottom end so he set about making design improvements to bearing sizes and adding strength to the crankcase. This coupled with better breathing and ignition produced a powerful, reliable and up to date engine for the new car, the LG 45.

CXT 820 was first registered on 4th May 1936 with engine number 12069 and a Saloon body painted black. In the late Eighties it was built into a Fox & Nicholl Le Mans Team Replica by the specialist Herb Schofield and his aptly named 'Northen Lagonda Factory'. Finished in Lagonda’s bright red racing livery it’s no surprise that the car is known as the 'Fire Engine'. CXT 820 is well known and a popular car in the pre-war arena not least because it has been with its current owner (on and off-he let it get away for a while) for around 30 years. Importantly the car has retained its original chassis and engine so can be described as “matching numbers”. The gearbox is believed to be original to the chassis too and is the desirable right hand change G10 unit.

A veteran of many a campaign, she disports a patina of such depth and character that a more recently restored car cannot hope to compete with. Pictures attached show the car principally on the 2013 Mille Miglia, although the one where it is not pissing down is the Paris to Madrid and the one on the race track is at Le Mans.

This is a wonderful 4½ Litre six cylinder Lagonda offering the effortless power of a large capacity long stroke engine in an un-cut matching number chassis and remarkably at a third of the price of a comparable 4½ Litre Bentley.