1933 Lagonda 3 Litre ST24A

“I’ve owned the Lagonda for 13 years, covering just shy of 2000 miles during that time,” says vendor, Richard Jenkins. “It had a light restoration around 5 years ago, with somewhere between £30,000 to £40,000 spent over the years”.

Registered in January 1934, this matching numbers Lagonda has had just three owners from new. It comes presented in a wonderfully stylish Black over Blue exterior combination. This is further complemented by a Burgundy interior, which has a sunroof featuring evocative ‘cathedral’ windows.

“It’s a lovely, stylish car that’s in excellent and correct condition. The sunroof is newly fitted and, open or closed, lends this saloon the best of both worlds.

Richard says the Lagonda’s prestigious looks garner a lot of attention wherever it goes. He has enjoyed many long driving trips around the UK in it but, as he now finds himself invariably driving it alone, the time has come to sell. “It’s a full four-seater, and my own two-seater cars are more appropriate.

“I have no doubt that the new owner will love her. It’s just a lovely correct and stylish car, for almost no money. I’ll be sorry to say goodbye; I’ve had some great fun times and lovely long trips in her”.
 

The Lagonda comes with road presence aplenty… that front profile being particularly imposing.

Having purchased it on 27 October 2012 from the Richard Edmonds Castle Combe auction, he described the Lagonda as a “barn-find, retaining its original equipment and features, but in need of some light restoration”.

He had the front and rear wings removed, before being stripped, etched and repaired by craftsman Bert Brown. These were then re-sprayed. Having been removed, the metal rear bustle was shot-blasted, etched and repaired again by Bert Brown. Alastair Cox repaired the structural ash, with the doors removed and repaired again by Bert Brown.

Fresh paint came via HMG Andover, with Richard himself carrying out the re-spray. Plywood was sourced from Covers and Elliotts of Romsey and a dry flex repair kit from Brewers, Andover. In came new headlight lenses, with the 19” wheels (including the spare) shot-blasted and then restored by James Wheldon.

Today, it remains particularly sharp. The body is straight with paintwork remaining very smart. Excellent chrome and wire wheels in very good health both complement it. A spare wire wheel is mounted on the n/s front wing.

Having been used and enjoyed by Richard, there are one or two small marks to be aware of: “The bonnet top could do with a small amount of loving and the middle of the o/s front wing has a mark that could do with rubbing back and black spraying. Otherwise, I note there are one or 2 chips on the boot paintwork. The Andre shock adjusters require to be finished to ensure operation. ” he says. 
 

Popping the front and rear doors reveals the Lagonda’s stunning pillar-less design.

The Burgundy cabin itself now has a charming patina.

The leather seats were restored and re-trimmed by Lee Dickie, and remain well bolstered, having developed a gentle patina in the intervening years. The door cards remain smart, as do the carpets.

A new wooden interior by Alastair Cox and again, it’s still in good order. The Smiths gauges all work, as they should.

Of course, the cabin’s crowning glory is the recent addition of the ‘Cathedral’ sunroof. It’s quite stunning, and closed or open floods the cabin with various levels of sunlight. It’s set in a smart and tightly fitted headlining (although, it’s worth noting that there are one or two chalky marks just in front of the rear view mirror).

As interiors go, it’s a very nice place from which to pilot this car. 
 

“On the road, it’s great fun and a delight to drive – an excellent all-year car. The engine has a sports camshaft and it’s been set up on a rolling road. It has good acceleration and sounds great through the sports exhaust system. The brakes are good, and it drives very well. She has been very reliable throughout my ownership, with no breakdowns,” says Richard.

In 2015, he had the Scintilla MN6 ¾ clockwise magneto restored by Tony Stairs, sump removed, cleaned and re-fitted. While in came two new 6v batteries. Today, he says that it remains thoroughly dependable; a pre-war classic that you can simply jump in and enjoy.

The engine bay is clean, albeit with a touch of surface corrosion on the exhaust manifolds. The SU carburettors breath through a pair of pancake style air filters, lending the intake noise a pleasantly gruff note. On the cooling front, the radiator core looks to be in excellent health.  

Underneath, the chassis looks to be in good condition and there is no evidence of any untoward leaks.  
 

You will find pre-restoration photographs of the Lagonda in its history file, as well as one showing the body restoration in progress. The vehicle’s original Type 3 Litre Instruction book and wallet are included, as is a typed list of the restorative works carried out by Richard during its restoration.

A sales receipt for purchase, dated 25th October 1957, is present, as are more recent documents pertaining to the up-rated 3-Litre camshaft and rolling road tune carried out by Airey Tuning of Cheriton, Hants.

The Lagonda’s V5c registration document is present, and there is a recent online vehicle check indicating no known issues with outstanding finance, theft, having been written off or importation/exportation.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos to support our claim that this Lagonda 3-Litre remains in excellent post-restoration fettle.
 

There’s no doubt that this is a majestic old girl.

The 3-Litre is presented in a quite stunning exterior/interior colour combination. It has been lightly restored to a high level and has subsequently settled into pleasing exterior, interior and mechanical patinas. With a few select upgrades – the sports camshaft and exhaust system – and that recently fitted ‘cathedral’ sunroof it offers plenty of on-road pep, allied to an attractive cabin environment.

Given its lovely condition and first-class drivability, we think that this very low number of owners beauty will sell for somewhere between £30,000 and £35,000. Given Richard’s estimated restoration costs, we think that anywhere within that range will be a bit of a snip.

Glorious pre-war English motoring waits for this 3-Litre’s lucky next owner.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Braishfield, Hampshire. To arrange an appointment to inspect this vehicle, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.