Lagondaforum

Subject: LG45 spares

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I have recently acquired a very rare LG45 body (one-off Gurney Nutting pillarless 2 door coupe, displayed at the 1936 Olympia Motor Show). Naturally, I would like to 'build' a car upon which to mount the body. So, I'm in the market for absolutely everything and anything LG45 or, indeed, for a rolling chassis or a very bad car needing a good home. Can anyone assist?

Tim

Subject: Re: LG45 spares

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I think you'll be lucky to find a complete chassis/bad car. You may have to build one up of parts from different sources. There are no parts manuals unfortunately.

Presumably your body was originally on a fairly early chassis. Do you know the original chassis number?

There's an LG45 engine for sale in the club newsletter. Dismantled. In Germany I think. Try David Ayre for parts (contact in the club members list). I haven't visited for several years but he has lots of parts, axles etc. Or Alan Brown (members list).

Good luck
David

Subject: Re: LG45 spares

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Congratulations on getting the Gurney Nutting body, I was bidding to use it as a future project to return a shortened chassis, lowered radiator M45 rapide special built in 1959 to something like original.
I've just started restoring an M45 saloon, starting with a body I purchased some 10 years ago. It had been taken from an original raod going car to make a Le Mans replica special.
I've been collecting mechanical parts ever since and am still a few items short.
Not that I was in a hurry as I was restoring an LG45 DHC.
From experience it isn't just the chassis, engine etc, it's all the hundreds of little bits which are needed to complete the jigsaw and which have to be collected one by one, unless you're lucky enough to get a complete car.
It should make a stunning and unusual additon to the Lagonda heritage and a far better altrenative for a collection of parts or a 'too far gone' saloon than another Le Mans replica.
Goog luck with your project.

Subject: Re: LG45 spares

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I would also like to add my congratulations on your purchase of the Gurney Nutting body! I wish you good luck with this project.

I am pleased to mention that it was me who sold the M45 saloon body to member W17. In common with other correspondents, I like saloons and was considering buying the complete car it came off. Sadly it fell into the hands of a London auction house and quickly became a boy racer. It is now in the Le Mans racetrack museum and of course is not correct because it is not a Rapide chassis.

As a saloon, it drove very well.

I acquired the body along with some other bits from the late Herb Schofield who had rescued it after it was taken off. He liked saloons as well. I was delighted when I sold it to be used for a saloon rebuild.

My car is just coming to the end of a 10 year ‘body off’ restoration of and had had no difficulty resisting the urge to make my saloon into another Le Mans replica special.

So thanks for taking over this part of the Lagonda heritage and good luck finding a chassis to put it on!

Colin M34

Subject: Re: LG45 spares

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Hi Tim,

Any chance of posting some photos?

David

Subject: Re: LG45 spares

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Thanks for your comments, help and good wishes for the project, David, Peter and Colin.

I now know a little more about the history of the body etc., as Arnold Davey, Tom Clarke and Jack Triplet conducted some research for a previous owner a few years back, the fruits of which are now in my hands.

The body number is 1740 (there is a blue chinographed '40' on the scuttle ash framing) and it was built on chassis 12150/G10. The original car appeared in black paint and was upholstered in grey leather (the interior is now red but there is a scrap of the original leather still fastened to the rear foot well).

Although the body was a 'one off', in Lagonda terms, GN built two pretty similar bodies for a Royce and a Bentley. I attach some pictures of my body and of the Royce (in India). The Bentley is depicted in the Johnnie Green book (and is still in the US, I think). The rear wing treatment on my car is more 'modern', as it were, in terms of overall shape and the addition of spats. Also both Royce and Bentley have the spare wheel aligned more closely to vertical than on the Lagonda, and both have twin upper and lower boot lids, whereas the Lagonda has a more raked set up and a single hatch door! I know which set up I prefer. My body also has a sun roof, which I think will look particularly attractive with this 2 door pillarless configuration.

The car was displayed on the GN stand in 1936 and purchased 'off it' (as it were) by an American, who shipped it to the US in '37. There seem to have been two principal (only?) owners over the ensuing years, before it was reimported back into the UK in '89.

By then, it seems that the car was in a sorry state. The new owner took off the GN body and had Rod Jolly make a Rapide replica body for it. The GN body was then sold on and subsequently owned by two consecutive chaps, the latter being an LC member who has sold it to me.

In passing, does anyone know whether Messrs. Clarke and Triplet ever wrote their proposed work on the history of Gurney Nutting? Also, does anyone know how I can get hold of a copy of the 1936 Show catalogue?

I am starting to chase leads kindly provided by you gentlemen and by others. All I can do is try and emulate your heroic efforts, Peter - that is, unless I can find a very bad car ripe for improvement by the addition of a wonderful and unique original body.

Tim

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