Subject: Re: Lagonda V12 Saloon on eBay
Hi Alistair,
The issue here is perhaps that the factory "engine" number for these is that stated on the original registration document and indeed the car data plate on the bulkhead. That number is in fact the chassis number, and that is why that number appears. The real engine number would be V12/--- , but I believe Lagondas deliberately stated the chassis number so as to indulge their love of engine swapping. In most cases, the chassis number would be stamped on the engine timing cover. It is quite possible that this car's engine is therefore also stamped 16011.
One thing is clear, which I'm sure Eckhard appreciates, is that the engine in his car was at one time, perhaps when new, in the car advertised. V12/11, the number of Eckhard's engine, is pretty early, so also more likely to have started life in this car than Eckhard's. Incidentally, my LG6's "engine" number is 12360, as the chassis number...but just visible nearby is 12525 (last digit indistinct), so a neat illustration of Lagonda practice.
Was there a Bentley 4.2 litre V12 engine? I rather suspect that this is a DVLA "correction"; they "corrected" my V12's to something like 5348cc...presumably an Aston Martin engine size; 4200 indicates Jaguar to me!
What delightful conjecture this is! Having made much of the "Bentley" engine, and with so many photos, why none of the engine?!
Laurence