1934-Lagonda-16/80 Tourer

Description

This car is currently not at Fantasy Junction but is available by appointment.

1934 Lagonda 16/80 Tourer by Vanden Plas
s/n S11041, engine no. S357 S2
Black with Red Leather Interior

In the 1930s, Lagonda produced high-quality exclusive cars aimed at the sportsman who appreciated performance and design. In addition to the 4.5 liter M45, the company also offered the 16/80 starting in 1932, which was powered by a six-cylinder engine from Crossley Motors, Ltd. Of Manchester. Equipped with twin SU carburetors, four-speed transmission, and rack and pinion steering, the cars were technically sophisticated and offered good performance for the day. The 16/80 was produced until late 1934 and during the relatively short production period, approximately 261 examples were built.

This particular example has a four seat open tourer body designed by Vanden Plas, epitomizing the English sports tourer of the 1930s, along with models from Bentley and Alvis. Costing approximately 2500 pounds when new, the car was about the same price as a Packard Le Baron V12.

This particular example was purchased from Executive Motors, a pioneer San Francisco collector car dealership, by August Pabst in 1968. “Augie” Pabst, sportsman, race car driver and heir to the Pabst Brewing Company, was born into the fourth generation of family wealth. In 1958, Augie started racing cars after the Pabst family lost a proxy fight and ultimately control of their family business. By 1959 he had already won the U.S. Auto Club Championship. In 1962, he narrowly escaped death in a spectacular crash at Daytona. That same year Augie owned a Holman & Moody-prepared small-block AC Cobra, CSX2009, which he raced with some success at Nassau Speed Week and other events. In 1962, he purchased the “Meister Brau Scarab” built by Lance Reventlow, Barbara Hutton’s son and heir to Woolworth’s Department Stores. Augie Pabst, while seriously considering the prospect of Indianapolis 500 racing, was eventually persuaded into returning to run the family business on the condition that he give up professional racing.

While visiting San Francisco and staying at the Huntington Hotel, Augie discovered this Lagonda at a dealer down the street, took it for a drive, and bought it on the spot. He kept the car in his personal collection for over 40 years, carefully conserving and maintaining it. It received a major service and water pump overhaul by marque specialist Tivvy Shenton prior to being sold at auction in 2011. More recently, the car received a new interior and participated in the Copperstate 1000 in 2014 and is reported to run and drive well, happily cruising at 70+ mph. The gearbox is a pre-selector unit which is a pleasure to use and makes the user wonder why this system was not used more frequently, as it is a revelation even compared to gearboxes from the 1950s.

Cosmetically, the car is an attractive driver with some patina. The paint is glossy but close inspection shows some surface cracks and orange peel. The chrome is very good, with minimal pitting or other signs of wear and aging. The lights and glass are excellent, including the evocative Lucas tri bar headlamps. The painted wire wheels are in nice shape.

The interior is beautiful, with recent high quality red leather upholstery and matching red carpets, with have black piping and binding respectively. The dashboard is in nice shape and was not restored when the upholstery and carpets were renewed. The wood is in very good condition, as are the lovely Smiths gauges.

The engine compartment is unrestored but clean and attractive and shows signs of recent maintenance. The engine itself is beautifully finished and evocative in appearance. The trunk is trimmed in red wool carpets to match the interior of the car. There are some tools present with the car.

This is a rare opportunity to acquire a handsome and quintessentially English open prewar tourer. An attractive and fundamentally undisturbed car with interesting history, this example has proven itself in events and also represents good value.

Offers considered and encouraged.