The British race car with the Italian sounding name. The LAGONDA car company was founded in 1906 in Staines, England, by Wilbur Gunn, with the moniker chosen for the Shawnee name of his native Springfield, Ohio. In 1935 Lagonda shrewdly wooed W.O. Bentley away from prestigious Rolls Royce to design his now infamous V-12 which was launched in 1937. Later in 1939 the simply dubbed ‘V12’ was one of two
Firstly, there was the car. The glorious green giants thundering along England’s country lanes; Sir Henry ‘Tim” Birkin was one of the famed “Bentley Boys”, and campaigned a privateer Bentley Four and a half liter monoposto. Over fourteen feet long, and weighing nearly two tons, the car was huge. There is a reason why Bugatti’s reported description of the Bentleys of the day as being “the world’s fastest trucks” has
“This is the story of Bloody Mary. She was built in 1929 by two schoolboys who wanted to amuse themselves by dashing round a field, and what fun they had!” The opening lines of ‘Bloody Mary’, pamphlet #75 in the Classic Cars in Profile series. The story was written by acclaimed journalist, racer and co-builder of the car, John Bolster. Bloody Mary is without doubt the most famous “special” ever