1936 Lagonda LG45 Coupé de Ville
- Engine
- 4.5L inline-six (Meadows unit)
- Colour
- Black and grey
Chassis 12145 is a 1936 Lagonda LG45 Coupé de Ville, bodied by Mayfair and originally exhibited at the Olympia Motor Show. It was commissioned to the specifications of American actress and singer Frances Day, though she never took delivery. The car carries the 4.5-litre Meadows six-cylinder engine developed under W.O. Bentley's direction and retains its original coachwork. Following years in Southern California and a subsequent five-year, €500,000-plus restoration, it is presented in exceptional condition with extensive documentation including a factory build sheet, original logbook, and FIVA Identity Card.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate £175,000 – £225,000
- 1936 → 1936Factory deliveryKevil-Davis & Marchfull documentation
London dealership that ordered the chassis on 14 April 1936 and arranged for Mayfair coachbuilder to body it; the car was displayed at the 1936 Olympia Motor Show on Mayfair's stand.
- 1936 → 1950Acquisition unknownFrederic Nevil Shimwell Mellandpartial documentation
First private British owner; held the car for roughly fourteen years before selling it.
- 1950 → 1977Acquisition unknownTheodore D. Misselbrookpartial documentation
RAF Wing Commander who retained the coupé for approximately 27 years before it was exported to Southern California.
- 1977 → 2014Acquisition unknownUnknown Southern California owner(s)none documentation
Period of US ownership with no documented record of use or custodianship.
- 2014 →Acquisition unknownProminent dealerpartial documentation
Well-known trade buyer who acquired the car in largely original but unrestored state and exhibited it before selling to the next European owner.
- Date unknownPrivate saleEuropean private buyerfull documentation
Commissioned a comprehensive five-year restoration costing over €500,000; documentation includes numerous itemised invoices from various workshops and parts suppliers.
Competition
- 19361936 Olympia Motor ShowExhibited on Mayfair coachbuilder's stand
Car was bodied and configured specifically for display at this show.
- 1936Paris Motor ShowExhibited
Car appeared at the Paris show after the Olympia display, prior to its first private sale.
- 20232023 Concours of EleganceExhibited
Shown following completion of the extensive restoration.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Restoration
A comprehensive five-year restoration was carried out after the car was returned to Europe, with total expenditure exceeding €500,000. Multiple workshops and specialist parts suppliers were involved, as documented by extensive itemised invoices in the history file.
Restoration was commissioned by the European buyer who acquired the car shortly after 2014; the precise start and end dates are not stated.
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