Lagonda Rapiers

4 minute(s) of a 484 minute read

Phil Irving lived in Warrandyte and was a regular at VSCC events, he even visited here to look at the Rapier engine while it was apart once or twice.

He was a very quite unassuming person I remember having long chats with him. Ron Brownrigg lives in East Doncaster and Ian Ruffley is still very involved with the VSCC. Re the Mini stuff you would need to talk with my son Nic who now lives in Adelaide and seems to spend about half his working time visiting various remote Pacific Islands. He is a specialist in "alternative energy". All this was happening when our three sons were still single and living at home about 30 years ago. At that time I had a different Rapier.

This photograph is at the top of the "Wall" at Templestowe. This car is now in England.

This, yet again, is another Rapier seen here at Winton, north east Victoria (Aust). The second photograph is the same car at Sandown Circuit near Melbourne, it was bought as a "basket case in England. Depending on the event it was run as a "sports car" with lights and mudguards or as "racing car" without.I believe that it is now "somewhere" in Europe. Last time I saw it, it was painted Red. 

Here are another couple of photographs, While not a Lagonda Rapier this time, but of a 3.5 litre SS Jaguar "special" known as "Cross-cat" that I built some years ago.

Basically a shortened and much modified 1.5 Litre chasis with a 3.5 litre engine& gearbox. It too is now in Europe.

The top photograph is at the now defunct Arthur's Seat Hillclimb, the bottom one is at the Phillip Island circuit.

Even "KG" has done its share of competition motoring apart from its history as a racing car in the UK, one of its first competitive events in my ownership was at Silverstone in 1984. Back in Australia it was a regular competitor not only at "home" in Victoria but also in South Australia and New South Wales where it made an annual pilgrimage to the Historic Race weekend each January. During the period up to the end of the Century (1999) it competed in virtually every Victorian VSCC event, Racing, Hillclimbs and Road Navigation always being driven to and from these events, I cannot remember ever taking KG anywhere on a trailer. It was usual however to take it interstate using Motor-rail.

 It is seen below in a typical "at the limit" pose as it comes through the "Esses" at Winton Circuit in North Eastern Victoria.

Many of you may have already seen this second photograph taken during the Australian Mille, a high speed road navigation event covering 1000 Miles in Four Days, in as is evident all sorts of weather!

Also this delightful photograph of Helen taken during a VSCC "Frost Bite" event. It is one of the rare occasions in which you will see "KG" with the top up.

Thank you