1934 Lagonda M45 Rapide must see

Few in England had a better eye for styling than Frank
Feeley. After joining Lagonda aged 14 in 1926, he
worked his way up from office boy to coachwork
manager. Feeley was responsible for the new-look T9
tourer body with its long, flowing wings, shallow cutaway
door and neat disappearing hood. Understated, elegant
and rakish particularly with the screen folded flat it
has an imposing but reserved presence. From the closely
paired Lucas P100 lamps to the boot-mounted spare,
the Twas a natural evolution of the elegant six-cylinder
Lagonda style from 1934 that culminated in the
extravagant '37 Speed Model, another Feeley
masterstroke.

Road-testers begged to try the new Lagonda, but had
to wait until spring the following year to get behind the
broad, four-spoke wheel. Hardly any production cars in
34 could break the magic ton in this pre-streamlined
age, but the Rapide lived up to its name. The Autocar
described it as 'out of the ordinary', with 'wonderfully
easy cruising-speeds and brilliant acceleration'. It's a
thrill to climb aboard the flagship machine, slide on to
the wide, supportive leather-trimmed seats and review
the white-on-black Smiths instruments including saucer
-sized 120mph speedo.

But the buzz must have been heady 79 years ago with
the chance to finally break into three figures. Even the
Metropolitan Police evaluated an M45, and was so
impressed that it ordered four saloons

The car on offer has been fitted at a date unknown with
the tourer body cherished by the English: halfway
between a torpedo and a roadster with long bonnet and
sporty four-seater cockpit with low-cut doors at the
front. Also rear seats on the axle, wings styled" velo"
or tailored to the running board, and, right at the back,
a petrol tank or spare wheel. This example has a "
Sanction 4" engine, one of the ultimate evolutions
under W O Bentley's direction much better to use than
the original engine. In black livery with black leather
interior and wooden dashboard, the car has been fully
restored, and is presented in absolutely superb
condition. The car was formerly owned by Alan Cardash
from London, and later by Mr Lewis, also from London.
It was bought in 2003 through the renowned specialist
LMB and became part of an important Italian collection.
Since that time, the owner has carefully preserved the
car in good working order, with maintenance being
carried out by a garage specialising in British cars
Officina Amaducci. It is registered with the ASI and
comes with its FIVA passport.