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 'wo...
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