1932 Lagonda 3-Litre Special Drophead Coupé

Coachwork by Carlton Carriage Company Registration no. FW 3154 Chassis no. Z10144

Footnotes

First registered on 23rd June 1932, possibly as a demonstrator for the Carlton Carriage Company, this rare Lagonda 3-Litre Special Drop-head Coupé was purchased from a London showroom in 1934 by Stanley Herbert Smith of Broughton, near Preston, passing to his son, Stanley Bernard Smith, in 1951 (see letter on file from S B Smith recounting his and his father's ownership). The Smith family owned three cotton mills in and around Preston, and the firm would become one of the largest producers of velvet in the UK. The accompanying old-style continuation logbook (issued 1947) reveals that the car was black during the Smiths' ownership.

Sold by S B Smith in 1976, 'FW 3154' was never registered in the name of the purchaser, who changed the colour of the car to white, possibly with the intention of using the Lagonda as a wedding car.

Some six years later, in 1982, FW 3154' was purchased from a garage in Market Drayton by a Mr John Davies. A keen member of the Lagonda Club, the VSCC, and his local car club (Salop Yesteryear Motor Club), Mr Davies bought the car because, as a youngster in North Wales, he had seen the local squire driving one.

Mr Davies maintained the car assiduously and used it regularly, attending local shows and touring extensively with his wife (and navigator) over a 38 year period until his death in 2019.

During his ownership, Mr Davies had the engine completely stripped and rebuilt by John Ryder at Bradley Farm Workshops in Worfield near Bridgnorth, Staffordshire. John Ryder is recognised by the Lagonda car Club as their 3-Litre expert, and there is a file of reports, invoices and photographs detailing the rebuild, which make fascinating reading (recommended). During this engine rebuild in 2011/2012, John Davies' wife died, and as a result he lost his navigator and companion resulting in the car being laid up in the garage and the engine never being properly "bedded in".

It was not until the Lagonda's acquisition by the current vendor in March 2020 that this "bedding in" process was carried out, much to the benefit of the car.
The vendor advises us that the engine has proved to be a strong and reliable unit, with good oil pressure, water temperature and torque, even over longer distances, and with only some 2,500 miles having been covered since the comprehensive engine rebuild.

The current vendor spent the first 12 months of ownership systematically going through the Lagonda, changing the colour and bringing the car up to both a mechanical and cosmetic standard that would make it capable of being reliably used on a regular basis. Works undertaken include the following:

• Chassis and suspension scraped clean of grease road dirt and debris, carburettors stripped, cleaned and reassembled with new gaskets, etc, as required and then tuned to the engine, magneto refurbished and reset for correct timing, new, modern cartridge oil filter fitted together with new pipes, brake rods and leavers removed, upgraded clevis pins fitted and brake shoes adjusted and balanced, starter gear overhauled with new springs and gears, new main/reserve fuel lines fitted with cut off valves, fuel tank cleaned of dirt and debris, clutch adjusted to work properly and enable all gears to be engaged, fitted new battery cut-out switch with key on rear valance, all fluids (engine, gearbox, rear axle, water and anti-freeze) drained and refilled as required, electrics checked over and partially rewired (remainder in good working order),clock refurbished and all instruments checked, new glass fitted to passenger door, soft-top cleaned and re-proofed, new hood bag and spare wheel cover made and fitted in double duck material, leather (believed original) cleaned and fed to achieve a very good finish, all wings and side panels removed, stripped, repaired as necessary and repainted, new running boards fabricated, painted and fitted, main body of the car repaired as required and repainted, including new coach-lines, all five wheels refurbished and powder-coated silver with new tyres and tubes as required.

The vendor advises us that the car now starts 'on the button', runs very well and is a pleasure to drive. Apart from a colour change, the only known deviation from factory specification is the fitting of discreetly positioned flashing indicators.

There is a substantial history file with the Lagonda, containing an old-style V5 document; a copy 3-Litre Lagonda instruction book; a spares catalogue; several books on the marque; plentiful paperwork; and the aforementioned old-style logbook and engine rebuild file.

According to marque authority Arnold Davey, there were circa 24 Lagonda cars bodied as drop-head coupés by Carlton Carriage Company between 1931 and 1935 which included the 2-Litre, 3-Litre and 4½-Litre (M45) model range of cars. It is believed that only two Carlton Drop-head 3 Litre Coupés were ever built, making FW 3154 a very rare car indeed.

The other Carlton bodied 3 Litre is reputedly to have belonged to Edward The Vlll when the Prince of Wales, and is currently in Orkney,