Lagonda 2 Litre Speed SC Low Chassis T3 Tourer
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Car producer : |
Lagonda |
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Model: |
2 Litre Speed SC Low Chassis T3 Tourer |
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Year: |
1930-1933 |
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Type: |
Tourer |
Lagonda was founded as a company in 1906 in Staines, Middlesex, by an American, Wilbur Gunn (1859–1920), a former opera singer of Scottish ancestry. He named the company after Lagonda Creek near Springfield, Ohio, the town of his birth. He had originally built motorcycles on a small scale in the garden of his house in Staines with reasonable success including a win on the 1905 London–Edinburgh trial. In 1907 he launched his first car, the 20 hp, 6-cylinder Torpedo, which he used to win the Moscow–St. Petersburg trial of 1910. This success produced a healthy order for exports to Russia which continued until 1914. In 1913 Lagonda introduced an advanced small car, the 11.1 with a four-cylinder 1099 cc engine, which by 1914 featured a panhard rod and a rivetted
Designed by Arthur Davidson, the 2-litre 'four' featured twin camshafts, mounted high in the block, operating inclined valves in hemispherical combustion chambers. Power output of this advanced design was a highly respectable 60bhp. For the 1929 season, a 'low chassis' Speed Model was introduced, featuring revisions to the frame's front end and a higher-compression engine fitted with twin carburettors. The Speed Model had resulted from the factory's Le Mans effort of 1928, when the 2-Litre (1954 cc ohv 4-cylinder) driven by Andre D'Erlanger and Douglas Hawkes had finished 11th overall in the 24-Hour endurance classic. A classic example of racing improving the breed, the 'low chassis' 2-Litre possessed markedly superior handling characteristics courtesy of its lower centre of gravity.
For all its virtues, Davidson's engine was limited by its tortuous induction tracts and in 1930 a supercharged version was introduced to overcome this deficiency. The 'blower' was mounted vertically in front of the engine, which was fitted with a stronger crankshaft, while a 3-Litre rear axle beefed up the transmission. A Powerplus supercharged was specified at first, but most 'blown' 2-Litres came with a Cozette. Thus equipped, a 'low chassis' 2-Litre was capable of up to 90mph.
For the 1931 season a deeper radiator was fitted for better cooling at sustained high speeds but the most obvious change was the up-to-the-minute styling of the T3 coachwork. The spare wheel was moved to the off-side front wing while the rear of the car was remodelled to incorporate a luggage boot with drop-down lid, thus furthering enhancing the 2-Litre's qualities as a superior sporting tourer.
