07/20/2026
1939 Lagonda V-12 Drophead Coupe
In October 1938, Lord Howe (Francis Curzon), a noted racer and Lagonda director, took a Lagonda V-12 saloon to Brooklands and covered 101.5 miles in a single hour, an impressive pace for a late-1930s production car, even after stopping during the run to change a burst tire.
Lagonda's own coachbuilding shop, under chief designer Frank Feeley, built the drophead coupe body in-house, with flowing front and rear fenders, a low beltline, and a top that folded compactly behind the seats. It was offered alongside saloon, coupe, and limousine bodies on the same chassis.
The V-12 itself was engineered by W.O. Bentley after he joined Lagonda in 1935, following Rolls-Royce's acquisition of Bentley Motors. The 4.5-liter V-12 featured a single overhead camshaft per bank and was mounted in a chassis with independent front suspension. In standard tune with twin SU carburetors, it produced around 180 hp, enough for a genuine 100 mph in period road tests.
A total of 189 Lagonda V-12s were built before World War II brought production to an end in 1940, and only a fraction wore this drophead coupe body. It's since come to be regarded as one of the finest British grand tourers of its decade, and a fitting final achievement for one of Britain's most respected automotive engineers.
