Lagondaforum

Subject: DB 3-Litre

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I am looking for a 3.0 litre 2 door or 4 door in good order and would welcome any help or leads please.

This would be in addition to my current project.

What would be a rough idea of the price for a road-worthy example needing work.

Simon

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Subject: Re: DB 3-Litre

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Hi Simon,

This is just my personal impression...

Current values of these cars (all models) are still quite tricky to assess. Until recently, all of them - including the DHCs - were worth very little in relative terms unless in top-notch condition.

Now, things have changed. The market has woken up to the fact that these cars have been hugely undervalued historically. Having said that, I think that there are still bargains to be had - principally because this news hasn't yet filtered through to some (otherwise) educated traders. But, this happy state of affairs won't continue for much longer, in my estimation - weeks and months rather than years.

So, values...

Basket cases, where the wreck has been savaged, can still be picked up for a few hundred pounds (as we have discussed elsewhere).

Complete good projects that are not roadworthy are probably worth, say, circa £12-20k for 2 and 4 door saloons and £15-22k for DHCs.

Roadworthy projects (those that I refer to as rolling restorations) are the most sought after cars. They used to be relatively easy to find, principally because the cars are expensive to restore properly and values kept such activity to a minimum. Current values are perhaps the most difficult to assess in respect of this category of car. I think that 2 and 4 door saloons are, perhaps, worth in the region of £20-30k (with a few thousand more for the Mark 2 cars). An untidy but good usable DHC in unmolested condition is probably worth £25-40k. You're real problem will be finding one. It is also my impression that the market is strong (i.e. people are looking actively) and values continue to rise.

Values rise sharply with the last category. Very good cars do come on the market fairly regularly these days (albeit that there are not many of them overall, for the obvious reason of rarity to begin with) and are now making good money. For example, at last year's NP Bonhams auction a pretty 2 door saloon made (IIRC) circa £48k (with buyers' premium). This year, I'd add 10-15% for the same car. It was not perfect (paint average, items of trim (interior/exterior) either missing or wrong materials used, and few mechanical parts missing) but was otherwise in a nice 'restored' condition. On-line, you can find restored/good/very good 3 litre 2 door and 4 door / Mark 2 saloons for all sorts of sum - the bracket of asking price seems to be wide - circa £50-80k+ (though, what sums are actually achieved is more difficult to ascertain).

Sorry this is all a bit vague but I hope it helps in some way.

Regards,

Tim

Subject: Re: DB 3-Litre

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Tim hi

Thank you for your excellent and well considered response, very helpful.

Given the 3.0 dhc wiil be a full restoration, I am looking for a 4 door in road worthy condition, as a rolling restoration.

Everything I am hearing, does suggest that this market place is very, very slowly moving, a factor I presume in the way the Classic Car market has changed over the last few years.

I have been watching the auctions and the internet for cars abroad and in the UK, where you rightly state that prices are extremely wide, from reasonable to well over the top, but that is nothing new.

I will look further afield, where I am aware of a car or two to investigate, will keep you posted.

The biggest issue with these cars is to really tie down cars with 95% plus of the interior present and the chrome work. These really were it seems unique to Lagonda, although I would be more than happy to be corrected and given an alternative source for seats etc ?

Kind regards

Simon

I

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Subject: Re: DB 3-Litre Trends and Numbers

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Tim hi

A further additon and MY personal comments and thoughts on current prices and trends

I would suggest that what the market and people are really looking for today, is not the saloons it is the drop head coupes. They are making the money and I believe may continue to do so.

The same goes for the 2.6 litre dhc cars as well.

A very good 3.0 litre dhc will easily cost you anywhere between 50-85 k now and rising.

From the saloons, it is the 2-door 3-litre which seems to be actively searched for, unfortunately due to dealers and restorers wanting to convert them into drop-heads. They are also scarce in themselves.

The 4-door mk 2 has suffered over the years and so many one sees, have been stripped of engine/box and more and are often in poor condition.

As for prices on the saloons, I think it is very difficult to generalise, ignoring the one off price last year, I would say that very nice condition saloons can be found for between 12-25 k. A big range covering the spectrum of condition.

Overall prices for good David Brown Lagonda's are clealry moving and will imho only move upwards. They have clearly gone through and come out of their trough.

Speaking to a fellow club memebr he told me of a find of 11 Lagonda's back in 1990. All were located on a farm, but typically everyone of them was stripped of their running gear - engine/box. He and 2 other friends managed to recover 5 of the cars, the others I am sorry to say were sent for scrap.

It really does make you think , from the 500 odd 2.6 litre cars and 300 ish 3.0 litre cars, what the true survival rate actually is ? I would hazard a guess that it will be no more than 10-15%, ca. 100 cars, and that would be a lot.

regards

Simon

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Subject: Re: DB 3-Litre

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Simon,

I agree with some of your points but, with all due respect, disagree with others. But, perhaps your researches have turned up information of which i am unaware. I'd be very interested to hear more of what you may have found.

For myself, I haven't come across anyone more keen to buy a 2 door saloon than, say, a 4 door Mark 2 car. It does seem to be a fact that more of the 2 door cars are in the hands of LC members who, naturally, have lavished care upon their cars and prefer them over other options. However, I do not regard the LC as (yet) the natural home of DB Lagonda owners (sad to say, perhaps, but still true in my view). By the way, I know of only one drop head created in recent years and that dreadful car was created from two 4 door cars (and deservedly it has stubbornly failed to sell in the hands of multiple traders)

Equally, I haven't seen any 'nice condition' saloons in the kind of price bracket you speak of in recent years. A few really good cars have changed hands - mostly for circa double the upper bracket you mention. This is precisely because so many of the 4 door cars were savaged as you suggest. The 2 door cars were also culled, but not to quite the same degree - for two reasons. One is the aforesaid tendency in past years for LC members to prefer (and therefore save) the 2 door cars. The other is that the 4 door Mark 2 cars have floor change boxes and were more plentiful.

I am very much aware of the story behind the DB Lagonda graveyard in 1990s. I'm afraid to say that such was not the finest hour of some of the people concerned. All of this is just one of the reasons why I have been less than impressed by the conduct of some of the so-called aficionados of the post-war Lagondas in the LC. I'd better leave my commentary there, I think.

Put shortly, I stand by estimation of the way things are currently.

The 3 litre DHCs have had a strong following for some time now, and that is and has been reflected in the sums achieved in sales etc.. By the way, if you can find a 'very good' DHC at £50k these days (as you state) you are a better man than I, Gunga Din.

Good 2 and 4 door cars are worth more or less the same sort of sum (see my earlier comments). The good / very good cars that come on the market least often are to my knowledge, as I've said before, the 4 door Mark 2 saloons. And, just watch the prices soar when they do appear.

Regards,

Tim