Lagonda M45r The 1935 Le Mans Winner

The Le Mans winning Lagonda in the museum still has its original upholstery, bodywork and interior.

The spare wheel on the back of this Lagonda M45R was fitted the night before the 1935 Le Mans race, because the Alfa Romeos taking part had one as well. It ended up sitting a bit crooked, as it was a rush job. On replicas of this car it is, of course, perfectly straight. With hardly any oil left in the engine and with damaged steering gear caused by a collision in a torrential downpour with a spinning Aston Martin, this Lagonda still makes it to the finish at Le Mans in 1935. The Lagonda team, made up of drivers Hindmarsh and Fontes, comes under heavy pressure from the Alfa Romeo of Helde (pseudonym of the famous driver Dreyfus) and Stoffel. Alfa Romeo is determined to take a fifth consecutive victory at Le Mans and thus equal Bentleys record. Helde, however, is misinformed by his pit crew: he believes he is in the lead, but in fact he is still one lap down on the Lagonda, which takes the win after covering a total distance of 3,006.8 kilometers at an average speed of 125.3 km/h. The Le Mans winning Lagonda in the museum still has its original upholstery, body and interior. It is one of the two Lagondas entered for Le Mans 1935 by marque dealer Arthur Fox. Test drivers John Hindmarsh and Luis Fontes form the driver pairing. The 21 year old Fontes in particular is seen as one of the favorites, but this talented driver would quit racing after just one successful season. After Le Mans the car was sold to the newly appointed Lagonda chairman Alan Good, who shortly afterwards hired a new technical director: Walter Owen Bentley.