Story by Peter Darnall
We have seen how the V12 Lagondas performed at Le Mans before the war. Now Peter Darnall follows up on the story of old Number 5 and old Number 6 as they raced in America. Ed.
Chairman Alan Good’s bold gamble paid off handsomely when his two Lagondas raced into British motorsports history with a first and second place class win at the 1939 running of the Le Mans 24-Hour Endurance event. These factory Specials were essentially production Lagondas which had been extensively lightened and powered by a promising new V-12 engine. They were beaten to the finish only by a Bugatti Type 57 C “Tank” and a Delage D6-3L, both highly specialized endurance racing hybrids.
These two Lagondas, chassis numbers 14089 and 14090, are valuable collector cars today. Lagonda enthusiasts affectionately refer to them by their Le Mans Numbers “Old Number 5” and “Old Number 6.” Their story was presented in the September 18, 2018, edition of VeloceToday which ended with the outbreak of the Second World War.
The story continues . . .
