Lagonda Rapiers

3 minute(s) of a 484 minute read

MG, Riley, Morgan, Singer etc owners look away now!

Another photo of Lagonda Rapier owners enjoying themselves actually driving their car. If you look carefully you can see some other cars coming down the gentle slope in the background. An easily achievable 6,000 rpm equates to 70+ mph in THIRD gear. Black and white photography gives a nice "Vintage" feel to the picture.

oldcar

3-27-2012

I am often asked, "How I come to use such a rare car so much, so enthusiastically and drive such great distances? Am I not afraid that something will break or wear out?" 

The answer is simple. These little cars were so well designed and built to such a high standard that provided you don't attempt to cut corners on the quality of restoration work and maintenance i.e. regular service using the best quality lubricants etc.you don't have problems. "But what about spares? What do you do for spares?"....

Now we come to the whole purpose of this post. I have just received in the mail the most recent Spares Price List from the Rapier Register. This remarkable club with less than 200 members catering for the surviving 300+ cars of the slightly less than 400 produced some 75 years ago, provides what must be the best single model spare parts service in the world. Run on a co-operative basis parts are usually priced under what you would expect to pay for the equivalent part for a post 2005 popular car! This year's price list runs to 24 A4 size pages, all single spaced typing. There is virtually not a single gasket or engine, brakes, steering, gearbox or rear axle part than I cannot have in my letter box within 72 hours of ordering. Try doing that with your 2010 Honda or what ever. I should add that I live 20 hours flying time across the world from the "Spares"....

I should add that a small number of the parts in stock are original Lagonda Company spares probably manufactured when the cars were new 1n 1934-6.

oldcar.

5-4-2012

Hi and welcome,

great to make contact with one of the US owners.

Have you done a compression check. Running on two cylinders sounds like a head gasket without actually hearing the engine running otherwise you may have two spark plug leads crossed but normally you would have some backfiring or spitting back through one or both carbs. The other thing you could check that it is actually running on both carbs. simply putting your hand over one inlet then the other with the engine running at tick-over should tell you. Do you know if it still has an original inlet manifold or a pair of "Barker" inlets. You are welcome to pick my brains if you are n need of assistance. I have about 40 years experience in re-building & running Rapiers.

A leaking head gasket between either 1 & 2 or 3 & 4 cylinders is not unusual the bores are quite close together. Head gaskets are thin single sheet copper. The register have them in stock.

Keep in touch

Bernie J.