Lagonda 2,6 Litre MKII Drophead Coupe by Tickford
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Car producer : |
Lagonda |
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Model: |
2,6 Litre MKII Drophead Coupe by Tickford |
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Year: |
1949-1953 |
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Type: |
Cabriolet |
The Lagonda 2.6-Litre is an automobile produced in the United Kingdom by Lagonda from 1948 to 1953. It was the first model from that company following its purchase by David Brown in 1947 and was named for the new high-tech straight-6 engine which debuted with the car. The so-called Lagonda Straight-6 engine was designed by Walter Owen Bentley and would propel Lagonda's new parent company, Aston Martin, to fame.
The 2.6-Litre was a larger car than the Aston Martins models which were being produced under David Brown's ownership and was available as a 4-door saloon and, from 1949, as 2-door drophead coupé, both with 4 seats. The drophead was bodied by Tickford, at the time not part of Aston Martin. A Mark II version appeared in 1952, in saloon form only, with engine power increased to 125hp.
The car sold reasonably well, in spite of being an expensive car and being launched so soon after the war, with 510 examples made when production ended in 1953.
The car had a separate chassis and all independent suspension using coil springs at the front and torsion bars at the rear. At introduction it was believed to be the only all-independently sprung British car. The Lockheed brakes had 12 in (305 mm) drums at the front and 11 in (279 mm) at the rear with the latter being mounted inboard. Rack and pinion steering was used.
Coachbuilders Tickford of Newport Pagnell had begun to play an increasingly important role as body suppliers during manufacture of the 2.6-Litre, and when the new 3-Litre model was announced in 1953, assumed sole responsibility for body production of the two models offered initially - a two-door saloon and drophead coupé - and the four-door saloon that followed. The newly enlarged (to 2,922cc) engine now produced 140bhp, an output good enough for a top speed in excess of 100mph despite the gain in weight over the '2.6'. In October 1955 a revised Mark 2 model was introduced and the range reduced to the four-door saloon only after only five Mark 2 dropheads had been completed. Expensive to produce and necessarily exclusive, the luxurious Lagondas did not sell as well as their manufacturer had hoped, though high-profile owners included HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (who had two dropheads) and actor Peter Ustinov (just the one).
